Wk03 Wednesday, Apr 11. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Up Taittirīya Up. 2-3

Transcription

1 Wk03 Wednesday, Apr 11 Bṛhadāraṇyaka Up Taittirīya Up

2 Today Olivelle s Upaniṣads Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3.7 & 4.5 Taittirīya 2-3 Supplemental readings: Lindquist (2010) Literary Lives and a Literal Death Friedman (2012) Altar of Words Monday Olivelle s Upaniṣads Chāndogya 6 Kaṭha Muṇḍaka Supplemental readings: Bodewitz (2001) Uddālaka's Teaching in Chāndogya Upanisad 6, Singh (1994) Death-contemplation and contemplative living: Socrates and the Katha Upaniṣad 2

3 Bṛhadāraṇyaka Up. 3-4 Yājñavalkya Kāṇḍa Recap: BU : Aśvala on Ritual Mysticism 3.2: Ārtabhāga Senses, Death 3.3: Bhujyu Lāhyāyani Great Men of Golden Age 3.4: Uṣasta Cākrāyaṇa Brahman = the subject, never the object The self within all is your self. All else is grief 3.5: Kahola Kauṣītakeya ātman within all Beyond hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old age, death Obviates desire mendicancy / asceticism Pundit child sage Brāhmāṇa, knower of Brahman 3.6: Gārgī, pt. 1 3

4 BU 3.7: Uddālaka Āruṇi Kāpya s wife, different Gandharva possession Q: the string on which this world and the next, and all beings are strung together? Their inner controller? If you don t know/answer, your head will shatter! Anyone can say, I know! A: String is wind Inner controller is ātman Within X, different from X, not known by X, whose body is X, which controls X from within: water, fire, intermediate region, wind, sky, sun, the quarters, moon & stars, space, darkness, light divine spheres, adhidaivatam all beings, breath, speech, sight, hearing, mind, skin, perception, semen bodily realm, adhibhūtam Sees but can t be seen, etc. No other who sees, etc. Your ātman is the inner controller, immortal. BU 3.8: Gārgī, pt. 2 2 questions m. warrior image (in other version (M): Y s head will shatter!) asks continuation of the same question as before! To Q1, All honor to you, thanks for clearing it up! A: All things above sky, below the earth and in between, past, present and future are woven on space. Space is woven on the imperishable (akṣara), which is neither A nor Ā, at whose command: earth & sky stand apart units of time stand apart rivers flow people flatter donors gods are dependent on patrons of sacrifices forefathers on ancestral offerings (45) Gārgī s concluding proclamation 4

5 BU 3.9: Vidagdha Śākalya How many gods? 3306: powers of the gods 33: 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Ādityas, Indra, Prajāpati 8 Vasus: fire, earth, wind, int. reg., sun, sky, moon, stars 11 Rudras: 5 breaths, 5 senses, ātman 12 Ādityas: months 6: fire, earth, wind, intermediate region, sun, sky 3: the three worlds 2: food and breath 1½: Purifying wind 1: Breath = Brahman = Tyad (that) X Śākalya, cont d Now Y. starts asking questions! X s Abode āyatana X s World loka X s Light X s god Bodily person Earth Fire Mind Immortal Person immersed in passion Passion Heart Mind Women Person in the sun Visible Sight Mind Truth Appearance Person connected with Space Hearing Mind The quarters hearing, echo Person consisting of Darkness Heart Mind Death shadow Person in mirror Visible Sight Mind Life Appearance Person in waters Waters Heart Mind Varuṇa Person associated with a son Semen Heart Mind Prajāpati 5

6 Śākalya, cont d These Brahmins have made you their cat s paw. (18) Quarter God Founded on Founded on Eastern Sun visible appearances heart Southern Yama sacrifice sacrificial gift faith heart Western Varuṇa water semen heart Northern Moon sacrificial consecration truth heart Zenith Fire speech heart ourselves (you fool!!) Śākalya, cont d You & your ātman prāṇa apāna vyāna udāna samāna About the Ātman: The puruṣa providing the hidden connection (upaniṣad)? Head Shatters, bones stolen 6

7 Lindquist paper BU 4: Y & Janaka 4.1: Are you after cows or subtle questions? Brahman is: According to Abode Foundation Venerate as Śailini Speech Space Knowledge Śaulbāyana Breath Space Dear Vārṣṇa Sight Space Truth Bhāradvāja Hearing Space Limitless Jābāla Mind Space Bliss Śākalya Heart Space Stability Breath prāṇa. Here, = life. (Olivelle, 314, n ) Elsewhere, = vital functions 7

8 BU 4.2: Brahman Q: Where will you go when you leave this world? 2-3: Indha/Indra (r.), person (puruṣa) + Virāj (l.) The gods as though love the cryptic and despise the plain. 4: Of the ātman one can only say neti, neti Negative definition, repeated in BU , Answer to the original question? Puruṣa = ātman?? BU 4.3 Source of light for a person: sun moon fire voice ātman Three states: 1. waking, 2. deep sleep, 3. dream (cf re. dreams). Deep sleep (19-32) no desires, no dreams embraced by ātman, oblivious to everything within/out (21) Gods are not gods, Vedas are not Vedas (22) senses don t operate, no objects (23-31) BU : Calculus of bliss (ānanda) of Brahman 100^6 * highest bliss of a human being Death is only corporeal (35-38) 8

9 BU 4.4: Brahman 1-2: Coma before death analysis 3: Takes new body like a caterpillar a new shoot 5: What a man turns out to be depends on how he acts and conducts himself. A man turns into something good/bad by good/bad actions (karma) 6: That which ones mind & character cling to at end of life, to that one returns. BU 4.4: Brahman, cont d One without desire becomes immortal, attains Brahman in this world (7). no karma, the lord of all (22) giving up desires, men of old became mendicants free from evil, stain, doubt, fear (23) One who knows becomes Brahman (25) The inner path, insight (prajñā): By knowing that very one a wise Brahmin should obtain insight for himself. Let him not ponder over a lot of words; it just tires the voice! (21) 9

10 BU 4.5: Maitreyī & Kātyāyanī Maitreyī asks for knowledge to make her immortal 6: Exposition on motive for love of X love of self It is the ātman which should be seen, heard, reflected and meditated on (6). Metaphor of salt = ātman, mass of cognition (13) Negative definition of ātman (15) By what means can one perceive the perceiver? I have given you the instruction. That is all there is to immortality. Taittirīya Upaniṣad,

11 TU Part of Black Yajurveda BUfrom White YV TU 1: Chapter on Instruction TU 2: Chapter on Brahman, alt. Bliss, ānanda TU 3: Chapter of Bhṛgu s instruction by Varuṇa TU 2.1 Multiplicity? Truth & knowledge, the infinite and Brahman knows them Ātman space air fire waters earth plants food man, puruṣa 11

12 TU TU Head R. Side L. Side Torso Base 2.1 Food Food? Food? Food? Food? Food? 2.2 Prāṇa Prāṇa Vyāna Apāna Space Earth 2.3 Mind Yajur Ṛg Sāma Rules of Substn. Atharva- Āṅgirāsa 2.4 Perception, vijñāna Faith, śraddhā Truth, ṛta Real, satya Performance, yoga Celebration, maha 2.5 Bliss, ānanda Pleasure Delight Thrill Bliss Brahman 5 Breaths 1. Prāṇa - centered in the nose, responsible for respiration. [Olivelle: out-breath] 2. Apāna - works downwards, responsible for the excretory organs, organs of generation. [in-breath] 3. Vyāna - pervades whole body, supplies energy necessary for hard work. [Inter-breath] 4. Udāna - situated in the throat, movement upwards. Helps leave body at time of death. [up-breath] 5. Samāna - situated in central region of body, responsible for digestion/ assimilation of food. [link-breath] 12

13 TU 2.4, 2.9 Before they reach it, words turn back, together with the mind; One who knows that bliss of brahman, is never afraid. TU : Thinking creates reality? He had desire: Let me multiply myself. Became everything that is here (6) Non-existent Existent (7) Fear v. Fearlessness Bliss of Brahman = 100^10 * bliss of good, strong, learned, rich young man (cf. BU ) And also a man versed in Vedas & desire-free On departing the world self consisting of: food breath mind perception bliss Brahman knower is free from regret 13

14 TU 3 Varuṇa teaches son, Bhṛgu Brahman is: Food (2) Lifebreath (3) Mind (4) Perception (5) Bliss (6) TU Food, food-eater are: 7. Lifebreath, body don t belittle 8. Water, fire don t reject 9. Earth, space prepare lots of food 10. don t turn away anyone from home 14

15 Human names TU In speech as rest In out-breath & in-breath, as activity & rest In hands, as action In feet, as movement In anus, as evacuation Divine names TU In rain, as contentment In lightning, as power In livestock, as fame In stars, as light In sexual organ, as procreation, immortality, and bliss In space, as totality. 15

16 TU 10.4 Venerate it as The foundation Might Mind Bowing in homage, Brahman Dying around of brahman" You will.. have a foundation. become mighty. have a quick mind. have desires bow to your will. possess brahman. your rivals filled with hate will die around you, and also your detestable foes. TU After a man who knows this departs from this world, he reaches self consisting of: food breath mind perception bliss (Cf. TU 2.8) pp

17 Freedman: Altar of Words 17