व Brahma Vidya. Kaivalya Upanishad 1 क वल य उप नषत. Volume 1 क वल य उप नषत

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1 Kaivalya Upanishad क वल य उप नषत Volume 1 य वर ण न र मर त: स त न व न त दव य : स तव : व द स ङ गपद म प नषद : ग य न त य स मग : ध य न व स थत त त न मनस पश य न त य य गन: यस य न त न वद : स र स रगण : द व य तस म नम: ह र: ओ क वल य उप नषत As indicated last time, we now commence our readings on a short Upanishad called क वल य उप नषत from Atharva Veda, in lieu of the necessary contemplation on the content of the व knowledge to which we have been exposed in the current cycle of our scripture readings. क वल य means Absolute Oneness - The state of being प णर म - The Whole. Thus क वल य is simply another name for म क ष - The परम प र ष थर, The Ultimate Goal of human existence, namely, gaining परम त मर पम - Self Realization, Self-Recognition, as न Itself, as परम र Itself, as परम त म already in oneself. As usual, the Upanishad opens with this familiar श न तप ठ - Peace Invocation, as follows: Kaivalya Upanishad 1

2 ॐ भ कण भ: ण य म द व : भ पश य म अक ष भयर ज : स थर : अङ ग : त व सस तन भ: व यश म द व हत यद य : स व स त न इन व व : स व स त न: प ष व व द : स व स त नस त य अ र न म: स व स त न ब हस प तदर ध त ॐ श न त: श न त: श न त: We have already seen this श न त मन in म ण डक उप नषत in detail. Briefly recalling, we do नमस क र to all our इष त द वत s - The Presiding Deities of all our organs of perception and action, and offer Them a prayer in these words: द व : - O! Gods भ कण भ: ण य म - May we hear through our ears, those sounds and sanctifyting words, which reveal, and help one to recognize आत म - The Self I in every self, including oneself, which reveletion and recognition give one म क ष - Absolute Liberation from all limitations. May we become qualified to listen, understand, appreciate and grasp the content of the Upanishad words. भ पश य म अक ष भ: यज : - We being committed to the pursuit of Upanishad Knowledge, may we be able to see with our own eyes, with our own ब, what is भ. Kaivalya Upanishad 2

3 May we be able to recognize परम र in everything in this creation, including our own selves, by our own eyes, by our own ब, through these Upanishad words. स थर : अङ ग : त व स: तन भ: - Keeping the mind and ब free from restlessness and distractions of any kind, may we be able to praise, by words, the Glory of परम र, which reveal The Nature of परम र Itself. व यश म द व हत यद य : - As long as we live, may we enjoy good health, to be able to engage ourselves in actions which are totally in accordance with Vedic Teachings, so that we can really grasp Upanishad Knowledge. स व स त न इन व व : - May Lord इन bless us to be able to gain नन द - The Exalted Happiness स व स त न: प ष व व द : - May Lord Sun bless us with the ability to understand, appreciate and enjoy Upanishad Knowledge. स व स त न: त य अ र न म: - May Lord Vishnu bless us with a clear obstruction-free path in our pursuit of व Knowledge. स व स त न ब हस प त: दध त - May ब हस प त - the teacher of all द व s, bless us with a good teacher for the pursuit of व Knowledge. ॐ श न त: श न त: श न त: May we enjoy freedom from all the three kinds of obstructions to the study of this Upanishad, namely, freedom from unknown and unpredictable obstructions over which we have no control freedom from obstructions from our immediate surroundings over which we have no control, and freedom from obstructions from within ourselves, such as ill-health, restlessness of mind, etc. That is the prayer. Kaivalya Upanishad 3

4 Now, the Upanishad begins. Like every other Upanishad, here also a teacher and student are involved. The student seeks knowledge and the teacher responds. The student's request and the teacher's response, together constitute the Upanishad. This is how the Upanishad starts. अथ आ ल यन: भगवन त परम न उपसम त य उव च अथ - Then अथ is a very meaningful Upanishad word. It means, through proper preparation, when one has become ready for the knowledge that one is seeking अथ - Then आ ल यन: भगवन त परम न उपसम त य उव च - Ashvalayana, the student, seeking knowledge, approaching respectfully and reverentially his परमग र - The Great Teacher, said as follows: In the Vedantic literature, आ ल यन is well-known as a great teacher of Rig Veda. Even today, many who belong to the tradition of Rig Veda follow आ ल यन स - the Vedic rituals formulated by Rishi Ashvalayana. Before he became a great teacher himself, Ashvalayana is said to have received his education in व from ज - The Creator Himself, who is referred here as भगवन त परम न, as परमग र - The Great Teacher. On the other hand, in our context here, Ashvalayana could be any well-qualified student, seeking knowledge from any distinguished teacher who can always be referred to as परमग र - as a mark of respect. Therefore, let us understand that Ashvalayana, a well-qualified student, approached a distinguished teacher, and said as follows: अध ह भगवन व व र सद स : स व यम न नग ढ म यय अ चर त सवर प प व यप पर त पर प रष य त व न 1 Kaivalya Upanishad 4

5 Addressing the teacher as भगवन - O! Lord. O! Respected teacher अध ह - Please teach me (please bring into my ब, what?) अध ह व - Please teach me Brahma Vidya. It is here that the initial word "अथ - Then" becomes meaningful. The student knows exactly what he wants from the teacher, because of his prior preparations, discipline and readiness for the knowledge he seeks. Why does he want this knowledge? Because, व र, means. Brahma Vidya is the most exalted among all forms of knowledge, since It is म क ष श - It is about the highest प र ष थर - the highest purpose of human existence, and It is about The Absolute Reality behind all forms and names of transient reality. What exactly he wants to know about Brahma Vidya? सद स : स व यम न - He wants to know That knowledge which is constantly being sought by स : - all सत प र षs, all people who are blessed with the predominance of सत व ग ण - all the highest among ई र भ s - devotees of परम र. The only thing such people constantly seek is म क ष- Total Union with परम र Itself, nothing else and nothing less. नग ढ म - That परम र, That destination they seek, appears deeply hidden somewhere beyond the reach of one's sense organs. Therefore, the student seeks the help of the teacher to give him That knowledge. यय - by which, by which knowledge अ चर त - quickly, naturally and spontaneously सवर प प व यप - totally exhausting, totally eliminating, all प पs, all व सनs of past कमर s obstructing the realization of That Knowledge Kaivalya Upanishad 5

6 व न य त gain, which means reaches - the व न, the one who is blessed with That Knowledge, goes to पर त पर प रष - That पर त पर प रष, That उ म प रष, The प र ष म, The परम र Itself Thus Ashvalayana requests his teacher to teach him That हम व Knowledge by which he can quickly overcome all obstacles to the realization of That Knowledge and reach That पर त पर प रष, The प र ष म, The परम र Itself, quickly, naturally and spontaneously (अ चर त). There are two words here, namely, अ चर त and पर त पर प रष, which we must understand clearly. अ चर त means "quickly, naturally and spontaneously with no time lag in between". It always takes time and effort to create the conditions necessary for gaining any knowledge. But when the conditions are proper, the knowledge itself takes place अ चर त - naturally and spontaneously, because ज ञ न is वस त तन - knowledge is centered on वस त - the object. When the object of knowledge, and the means of gaining that knowledge are properly aligned, knowledge itself always takes place अ चर त - spontaneously, independent of one's will. For example, if an object is in front of my eyes, and if my mind and eyes are properly aligned towards that object, I see the object as it is, naturally and spontaneously, whether I want to see it or not. The situation is different with respect to कमर - any action, because कमर is प रष तन Ç. कमर is centered on the will of the person. One may will to do the कमर, or not to do the कमर, or do it in a different way. In each case, the result also is different. Kaivalya Upanishad 6

7 Now about पर त पर प रष. We talked about पर and अपर before. पर is Unmanifest, and अपर is manifest. For example, a huge tree can come from a tiny seed, but one cannot see the tree in the seed. Therefore, with respect to the tree, which is अपर - manifest, the seed is पर - unmanifest. But each seed is पर only with respect to a particular tree. There are countless trees and hence countless seeds, which means, there are countless परs - countless unmanifest beings. If there is ONE unmanifest पर, which includes all seeds in ONE, all the countless परs and अपरs in ONE, That all-inclusive ONE पर is पर त पर. As we have seen in the प र ष म य ग of भगव त, That पर त पर प र ष is प र ष म, The परम र, which includes both क षर and अक षर, जगत and म य, and at the same time transcends both. That प र ष म is पर त पर प रष, The परम र, The Absolute Reality of all that exist. Here Ashvalayana is asking his teacher to teach him how to reach That पर त पर प रष - That Unmanifest, All-inclusive Absolute Reality, अ चर त - naturally and spontaneously. The teacher responds by saying: तस म स ह व च पत मह भ ध य नय ग त अव ह 2 स: पत मह: च तस म उव च ह - The Great Teacher (परमग र - ज - पत मह) gladly accepting Asvalayana as a student, said to him as follows: भ ध य नय ग त अव ह - The Knowledge you are seeking is something that you have to learn to know, you have to learn to discover, by yourself, in yourself, through, भ and ध य नय ग, all together, each being प णर म - in full measure. Kaivalya Upanishad 7

8 is प णर - Absolute Faith in yourself, Absolute Faith in the Knowledge that you seek, and Absolute Faith in your ability to gain That Knowledge and reach your Destination. भ is प णर ई र भ, rooted in Upanishad Knowledge on ई र, together with the attitude of प णर ई र शरण ग त; and ध य नय ग is constant meditation and contemplation on That पर त पर प रष, The प र ष म, The परम श वर. As Sri Krishna says, म च च É: सतत भव - Be in परम र-consciousness at all times. Such ध य नय ग itself is प णर and प णर ई र भ, which makes भ ध य नय ग as ONE (singular). Thus, through such भ ध य नय ग, all together, you have to learn to discover That पर त पर प रष, The परम र, by yourself, in yourself. Further, you must know: न कमर ण न जय धन न त य ग न एक अम तत व आनश : पर ण न क न हत ग ह य व जत यत यतत वश न त 3 व द न त वज ञ नस न त थ र : सन य सय ग त यतय: श सत व : त ल क ष पर न तक ल पर म त त प रम च य न त सव 4 (See also म ) These two verses are very well known in Vedanta. They are often used to welcome people with scholarship and maturity in व द न त वज ञ नÇ - Upanishad Knowledge. In the context here, the Teacher says: Kaivalya Upanishad 8

9 The Destination that you want to reach, namely The Abode of That पर त पर प रष, The प र ष म, That व ष णव परम पद, is अम तत व - The state of Immortality, The state of Total Freedom from any change, time and death. अम तत व आनश : - That state of Immortality is gained, is reached न कमर ण - not by doing any action न जय धन न - not by the services of other people, nor by any kind of material wealth. But it is gained त य ग न एक - only by त य ग ब - an attitude of renunciation, by giving up identifications with one's body, mind and intellect, and कमर s and कमर फलs - actions and their results, and seeking only the grace of परम र to reach परम र Itself. As Sri Krishna says: सवर धम र न प रतज य म एक शरण ज Thus, only the attitude of total identification with परम र, through प णर ई र शरण ग त ब, can one reach That अम तत व - state of Immortality. What is That state of Immortality? पर ण न क - It is That state which is far higher than all the heavenly joys. It is The State of नन द - Eternal Infinite Bliss. Where is That State? न हत ग ह य - That state of नन द lies hidden in the cave of one's own ब, in the region of one's ब not accessible to one's recognition because of internal obstructions व जत यत - That which shines in your ब as "Pure I", "The Self I", without any उप ध, like body, mind, etc., is indeed That पर ण न क, नन द - The पर त पर प र ष, The प र ष म, The परम र, Which is what you want to reach, and which is what you have to learn to recognize, in yourself, by yourself. Kaivalya Upanishad 9

10 यतय: वश न त - The Enlightened Ones, the rishis, striving through प णर ज ञ नलक षणई रभ, ध य न य ग and त य ग ब, they are the ones who reach and enter into That state of नन द, That व ष णव परम पद, That अम तत व, That state of Eternal Immortal Bliss. Now, who are those यतय: - The Enlightened Ones? How did they become मह त म s and rishis? Those Enlightened Ones are: व द न त वज ञ नस न त थ र : - those who have well ascertained, doubt-free, Vedantic Knowledge, gained through सन य सय ग त यतय: श सत व : - their exclusive pursuit of परम र, by virtue of their प णर, ज ञ नलक षणई रभ, ध य नय ग and त य गब with their अन त:करण - mind and ब, purified by their कमर य ग way of life. त - Those Enlightened Ones ल क ष - already being ONE with न, which means, having already gained म क ष in this life itself, having already reached The Abode of पर त पर प र ष, The प र ष म, The परम र already in themselves. पर न तक ल - at the time of the natural death of their body vehicles पर म त त - because of their already gained State of Immortality प रम च य न त सव - they are totally liberated from all their कमर s, both रब ध कमर s and स चत कमर s - both their already begun कमर s in their present life and their accumulated, not yet fructified past कमर s, which means, all their व सन s - lingering impressions, having disappeared, they are free from any rebirth. They are Immortal. They have already become ONE with परम र forever. Thus, the Teacher tells Ashvalayana: Kaivalya Upanishad 10

11 The Knowledge that you are seeking is something that you have to learn to gain through, भ, and ध य न य ग - all in ONE. That which shines in your ब as "I", The Pure I, independent of your body, mind, intellect and other limitations, That Pure I is indeed That पर त पर प र ष - The Unmanifest, All-inclusive परम र which you are seeking, and which you have to learn to recognize by your own self through ध य न य ग - meditation and contemplation on That परम र Itself. So saying, the Teacher then proceeds to describe how to get started in such ध य न य ग, which we will see next time. Kaivalya Upanishad 11

12 Kaivalya Upanishad क वल य उप नषत Volume 2 As we saw last time, Ashvalayana, a qualified and interested student, approached a distinguished teacher, a व च यर, in the proper manner, with this request: अध ह भगवन व व र - Please teach me That Exalted व Knowledge by which one can quickly overcome all obstacles to the realization of That Knowledge and reach The पर त पर प र ष - The प र ष म, The परम र, naturally and spontaneously. The Teacher responds by saying: भ ध य नय गत अव ह - The Knowledge that you are seeking is something that you have to learn to discover by yourself, in yourself, through, भ and ध य नय ग, all together in full measure. Having said that, the Teacher now proceeds to describe how to get started in such ध य नय ग. The Teacher says: व व द श च स ख सनस थ: श च: सम व शर: शर र: अत य मस थ सकल न य ण नर ध य भक त य स वग र णम य ह त प ण डर क वरज वश व चन त य मध य वशद वश क 5 अ चन त य अव य अनन त र प शव श न त अम त य न Kaivalya Upanishad 12

13 तथ ऽऽ द मध य न त वह नम क वभ चद नन द अर प अ त 6 उम सह य परम र भ ल चन न लकण ठ श न त ध य त व म नगर च छ त भ तय नम समस त स क षम तमस: परस त त 7 स स शव:स न : स ऽक षर: परम स वर ट स एव वष ण : स ण: स क ल ऽ ग न: स चन म : 8 स एव सवर म यत भ त यच च भव य सन तनम ज ञ त व त म त य अत य त न न य: पन थ वम य 9 सवर भ तस थ अत म न सवर भ त न च आत म न स पश यन परम य त न न य न ह त न 10 This is a short exposition on ध य नय ग - meditation and contemplation on परम र. The teacher first describes how to get started in ध य नय ग, and then tells what is to be meditated upon. The one who meditates upon That पर त पर प र ष - The Unmanifest, All-inclusive परम र with प णर ज ञ नलक षण ई रभ and सवर कमर फल त य ग ब is a म न - मननश ल: - one who can steadily concentrate and reflect, and hence fit to meditate and contemplate on परम र. Even as the teacher is describing a म न - a Kaivalya Upanishad 13

14 successful meditator on परम र, simultaneously, Ashvalayana is engaging himself in such meditation and contemplation on परम र. Describing the process of successful meditation on परम र, the teacher tells Ashvalayana: व व द श - In a quiet place, at a quiet time, with a quiet mind and ब, with a mind and ब free from agitations of any kind स ख आसन स थ: - as the meditator, you should be seated comfortably, with good posture, so that you do not feel disturbed, and you do not have to change positions during meditatiopn श च: - you should be clean, both inside and outside It is relatively easy to be clean outside - take bath, wear clean clothes, and choose clean surroundings; that is having outside cleanliness. Having inside cleanliness is not that easy. It is ususally achieved through some kind of prayer, भजन or ritual, prior to meditation, to invoke an atmosphere of auspiciousness in the mind and ब. Inside cleanliness is also a matter of daily life. Make sure that your daily life is proper, so that you can sit and meditate. If the daily life is not proper, no matter what you do, you cannot meditate on परम र. Therefore व व द श च स ख सनस थ: श च: - In a quiet and clean place, at a quiet time, with a quiet mind and ब, seated comfortably and invoking an atmosphere of auspiciousness in the अन त: करण - mind and ब, the meditator is getting ready to begin meditation on परम र. In further preparation for such meditation, सम व शर: शर र: - sit erect with the neck, head and trunk in one straight line. Also, Kaivalya Upanishad 14

15 अत य मस थ: - for the period of meditation, be in अ त आ म - The last आ म, the स न य स आ म, in terms of attitude. The स न य स आ म is the stage of absolute retirement from all worldly involvements. At this stage of life, one naturally frees oneself from playing any role in society. One is just oneself, and nothing more. One does whatever happens to be one's duty, but one has no identification with any role, any relationship, any possession, etc. One spends one's time entirely in meditation and contemplation on पर त पर प र ष, The परम र in oneself and in every self, even while being actively engaged in one's daily business of life. Such meditation and contemplation will be possible only if the preparation for this stage of life starts very early in life, even in the very first stage in life, चयर आ म itself. The teacher says here: "For the period of meditation, even if it is only for a very few minutes, you should be in अत य म - The स न य स आ म in attitude, which means you should completely detach yourself from all worldly roles, relationships and possessions. That is अत य मस थ: - being in अत य म. सकल न य ण नर ध य - Withdrawing all your organs of perception and action, including mind and ब, from all sense objects भक त य स वग र णम य - clearly understanding that स वग र - one's own teacher is really only परम र Itself, already in oneself. Therefore, do नमस क र to परम र in the form of your इ द वत, with the attitude of प णर ई र शरण ग त - total surrender to परम र. All that has been said so far is preparation for meditation. Now, व चन त य - start to meditate. Kaivalya Upanishad 15

16 ह त प ण डर क वरज वश, व चन त य मध य वशद वश क - Meditate upon That Unmanifest ह त प ण डर क that already exists deep within yourself. In Vedic language, ह त indicates heart and head - emotion and intellect together. प ण डर क is The Lotus Flower in full bloom, indicating प णर आनन द स वर प आत म - The Pure Consciousness because of which alone one is conscious of anything and everything, including nothing. For example, you are conscious of many things while you are awake. In deep sleep, you are still conscious, but you are conscious of nothing. मध य indicates That innermost unmanifest Conscious Being, The त यग आत म, which is the center of all centers of perception, feelings, emotions, thoughts,etc. Thus व चन त य मध य ह त प ण डर क means meditate upon That त यग आत म - That Pure Unmanifest Conscious Being, deep within yourself. Can one really meditate upon something which is unmanifest? Yes, one can. How? By one's ब - by knowledge and through pointers to That Knowledge. Here is a simple example. Consider a perfect circle. It has a real center, because there can be no circle without a center - it is a matter of knowledge. Now where is the center of the circle? The center is a point, with no dimensions, and hence unmanifest. Then how do you locate the center? All radius lines drawn from any location on the circumference of the circle meet at the same ONE center. These radius lines are the arrow marks pointing to the same ONE center. This is also a matter of knowledge. Now, in order to indicate the location of the center, one may put a pencil mark, a dot, where all the radius lines appear to meet. Is that dot the center of the circle? No, because even the dot has dimensions. One may mark the center of the first dot by a second dot, the center of the second dot by a third dot and so on, until finally, at the center of all center-dots, the dot vanishes, leaving only the dotless reality of the Unmanifest center of the circle. That center of all centers is indicated here by the word मध य - which is the innermost unmanifest center. Kaivalya Upanishad 16

17 One's ब can recognize the reality of That innermost center by virtue of one's knowledge about the circle and radius lines. Further, all radius lines being arrows pointing to the same ONE Reality of the center of the circle, there can be any number of such arrow pointers, each being different from the other, and many pairs being diametrically opposite to each other, but still pointing to the same ONE unmanifest Reality. The mode of recognition of That Unmanifest ह त प ण डर क, The त यग आत म - The Pure Self I, is similar, but far more comprehensive. By the knowledge of the आत म gained from व, and with the help of many different Upanishad pointers to that आत म, one recognizes आत म as ज ञ न - The Pure Consciousness in oneself, and in every self, by one's वव क ब. The teacher now proceeds to give several such pointers to help Ashvalayana, the meditator, to recognize That innermost objectless Pure Consciousness within oneself. That Pure Consciousness is वरज वश वशद वश क वरज - untainted by the agitations of the mind and disturbances of the intellect वश - It is absolutely Pure, Being The Whole, ONE without a second. It has nothing other than Itself, and hence It is absolutely Pure वशद - It is absolutely clear, being ONE which illuminates everything else वश क - It is absolutely free from any sorrow or grief, being independent of one's mind and ब. Further अ चन त य अव य अनन त र प अ चन त य - It is not an object of thought. It is beyond the reach of thoughts अव य - It is not an object recognizable by senses अनन त र प - Its form is endless and unlimited, being in everything and everywhere at all times in Unmanifest state. Further Kaivalya Upanishad 17

18 शव श न त अम त य न शव - It is ever-auspicious, Absolute Happiness श न त - It is Absolute Peace, being ever-quiet, alert and vigilent अम त - It is ever-immortal, never subject to change, never subject to time य न - It is the very womb of the Creator, meaning, It is the cause for this entire creation तथ - Similarly आ द मध य न त वह नम क वभ चद नन द अर प अ त आ द मध य अन त वह न - It is without any beginning, middle or end, being infinite in all dimensions एक - It is ONE without a second. It is प ण - The all-inclusive Whole, The Total वभ - It is all-pervading. It is everywhere, in everything. चद नन द - It is Total Awareness, Pure Consciousness, The Pure SELF I, whose very nature is Absolute Bliss अर प - It is Formless, Limitless अ त - It is Wonder beyond all description उम सह य परम र भ ल चन न लकण ठ श न त उम सह य परम र - It is also उम and परम र together, क त and प र ष together, The manifest and Unmanifest together भ ल चन न लकण ठ श न त - It is also The Ever Peaceful, Ever Auspicious Lord Siva, whom we worship in the name and form as Trilochana and Neelakanta ध य त व म नगर च छ त भ तय नम समस त स क षम तमस: परस त त ध य त व - So meditating upon That त यग आत म - Innermost Consciousness Kaivalya Upanishad 18

19 म न: भ तय नम गच छ त - The meditator goes to, reaches भ तय नम - the cause of all beings, The न Itself, which is समस त स क षम तमस: परस त त -The Ever-present Witness of everything, and which is beyond both darkness and light. As Pure Awareness, you are beyond darkness and light, being aware of both That Pure Awareness, The Innermost Self I in yourself is indeed That पर त पर प र ष you seek. Further, pointing to That ह त प ण डर क - The Pure Consciuousness, The Pure Awareness, The Pure Self I in oneself, the Teacher says: स स शव:स न : स ऽक षर: परम: स वर ट स एव वष ण : स ण: स क ल ऽ ग न: स चन म : स - That is, The Creator स शव: - That is Lord Shiva in Whom ultimately everything gets resolved स इन : - That is Lord Indra Whom we worship in all rituals स अक षर: - That is The Changeless Eternal Truth स परम: - That is The Supreme Absolute Reality स स वर ट - That is Infinite Consciousness that functions in every Being. It is Selfluminous स एव वष ण : - That is The All-pervading मह वष ण स ण: - That is ण - life in every living Being स क ल: - That is Time स अ ग न: - That is Agni - The Fire स चन म : - That is The Moon. In other words, That is everything. Further स एव सवर म यत भ त यच च भव य सन तनम ज ञ त व त म त य अत य त न न य: पन थ वम य Kaivalya Upanishad 19

20 स एव सवर म यत भ त यच च भव य - That Transcendental Consciousness alone is all that was in the past, and all that will ever be in the future सन तनम - That is Eternal ज ञ त व त म त य अत य त - The person who comes to recognize and reach That आत म, who becomes ONE with That आत म, and who comes to recognize everything in the plane of Infinite Consciousness, that person crosses death. That person becomes Immortal. न अन य: पन थ वम य - There is no other way for Total Liberation. Recognition of The Great Self I in oneself, transcending all that is transient in this body, is the only way to gain अम तत व - the state of Immortality, Total Liberation. सवर भ तस थ अत म न सवर भ त न च आत म न स पश यन परम य त न न य न ह त न सवर भ तस थ अत म न सवर भ त न च आत म न स पश यन - Again, clearly seeing, recognizing ONESELF in all beings, and all beings in ONESELF परम य त - one goes, one reaches That Limitless न - That पर त पर प र ष न अन य न ह त न - not by any other means Only by recognizing the same Pure Consciousness, The Pure Self I in every being, can one see ONESELF in all beings, and all beings in ONESELF. Such recognition is possible only by one's ब, by the Knowledge of न as सत य ज ञ न अनन त, and the various Upanishad pointers to That न as indicated in the process of meditation described above. Listening to, and totally following the content of all these teachings, Ashvalayana is still in deep meditation. The teaching continues, which we will see next time. Kaivalya Upanishad 20

21 Kaivalya Upanishad क वल य उप नषत Volume 3 आत म न अर ण क त व णव च उ र रण म ज ञ न नमर थन अभ य स त प श दह त प ण डत: 11 स एव म य प रम हत त म शर र आस थ य कर त सवर म -अन नप न द व च भ ग : स एव ज त प रत म त 12 स वप न स ज व: स खद :ख भ स वम यय क ल पत ज वल क स ष क ल सकल वल न तम भभ त: स र पम त 13 प न जन म न तर कमर य ग त स एव ज व: स व प त ब : प र य ड त य ज व: ततस त ज त सकल व च आध रम नन दमखण डब ध य स मन लय य त प र य च 14 एतस म त ज यत ण: Kaivalya Upanishad 21

22 मन: सव न य ण च ख व य : ज य तर प: प थव व स य ध रण 15 यत पर सव र त म व स य आयतन महत स म त स मतर नत यम तत त व एव त व एव तत 16 जगत स वप न स ष प य द पञ च यत क शत तत ह इ त ज ञ त व सवर बन ध : म च यत 17 Simultaneously following, in all details, the instructions of the teacher, Ashvalayana is still in the process of meditation and contemplation on आत म - The पर त पर प र ष, The परम र, The सत चत आनन द स वर प न already in oneself. But his अन त:करण - his mind and ब has not yet reached That न, because of his own internal obstacles in the form of still lingering worldly bondages of many kinds. The teacher recognizes this difficulty. In order to help the student to gain total freedom from all such worldly bondages, the teacher now leads the student further in the process of contemplation on आत म, using a familiar Vedic ritual, to illustrate the process. This ritual is called ज ञ न नमर थन "Churning out the Fire of Wisdom in one's ब " Kaivalya Upanishad 22

23 In the Vedic age, every time people perform a Havan कमर, they freshly create the fire to light up the fuel pile in the Havan kund. The process of creating this fire is itself a very significant ritual, and the process is also simple. Sparks of fire are generated by the friction caused by rubbing two small blocks of wood. That fire is caught by a piece of cotton, which is then transferred into the fuel pile in the Havan kund. The process of generating the initial sparks of fire is the ritual here. This is how they do. Two small flat circular blocks of wood are held, one above the other, with the flat surfaces in contact. Each block of wood is called अर ण. Thus there is a lower अर ण and there is an upper अर ण. Each block of wood has a hole scooped at the center, to accomodate a perpendicular wooden rod, which is firmly fixed into the hole of the lower अर ण. The rod snugly passes through the hole of the upper अर ण. A length of rope is wound, a few times, around the rod. One च र - a Vedic student, firmly holds the upper अर ण by his hand, and another च र rotates the lower अर ण and rubs the upper अर ण by pulling the rope around the rod, back and forth, exactly like what we do in churning butter in a milk pot. Both the च रs chant the मन ओ, ओ, ओ... repeatedly as the rod turns back and forth during this churning process. Out of this churning process arise sparks of fire which are recognized as The Sacred Fire of Wisdom. That is the Vedic ritual. Calling attention to this Vedic ritual, the teacher says: आत म न अर ण क त व णव च उ र रण म ज ञ न नमर थन अभ य स त प श दह त प ण डत: 11 Let us understand this - there is no ritual or Havan involved here. What is involved is only meditation and contemplation on आत म, using one's ब faculty of understanding and discrimination, and one's व knowledge on the content of the ओ mantra. Mantra means word of knowledge and power. Uplifting Ashvalayana in his meditation process, the teacher says: Reset your mind. How? Kaivalya Upanishad 23

24 आत म न अर ण क त व - Make your ब with all its notions about yourself as the lower अर ण, and णव च उ र रण म - make your knowledge about णव मन ओ, gained from व education as the upper अर ण. From your व Knowledge, you already know that ओ is न. ओ is सत चत आनन द स वर प आत म - The Pure Self I, the Pure Consciousness, That पर त पर प र ष, The प र ष म, The सत य ज ञ न अनन त. Let That Knowledge on the content of the ओ mantra be the Upper अर ण. Now, contemplate on that ओ Knowledge. How? ज ञ न नमर थन अभ य स त - By repeated practice of churning of That Knowledge on ओ by your ब. This is how you do that. All your bondages constitute the rope - the प श, for the churning process. By pulling the प श (the rope) back and forth, which means, by repeatedly uttering the mantra ओ, ओ, ओ.., contact your ब back and forth repeatedly on the content of your knowledge on ओ mantra. That is the process of contemplation. By the repeated practice of such contemplation, sparks of the fire of wisdom will arise, and they will progressively burn the entire rope, which means, all bondages with past कमर s and कमर फलs will ultimately disappear naturally. That is how प श दह त प ण डत: - a wise person burns up all bondages with कमर s and कमर फलs, making the ब totally free to reach आत म naturally and spontaneously. While the above illustration itself appears clear, some difficulty may be experienced in the practical process of the required contemplation, because: Kaivalya Upanishad 24

25 all bondages are only in one's ब all Upanishad knowledge on ओ mantra is also in one's ब ; and the fire of wisdom also has to take place in the same ब When that is the case, what process of contemplation on आत म can churn the ब in That ओ Knowledge, to bring about the required freedom and wisdom to the ब? Anticipating this question, the teacher now unfolds, in the next few verses, an apprpriate process of contemplation, through अवस थ य य - an analysis of the three fields of experience of an individual ज व in the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states of existence. A clear understanding and appreciation of this analysis can churn out the required fire of wisdom. Therefore, focussing the ब in the 3-fold experiences in one's own daily life, in terms of the व Knowledge on ओ, is the theme of contemplation here. Describing the ज व in the waking state of existence, the teacher says: स एव म य प रम हत त म शर र आस थ य कर त सवर म -अन नप न द व च भ ग : स एव ज त प रत म त 12 स एव म य प रम हत आत म - That आत म, The Self I, The Pure Infinite consciousness manifesting Itself through the स म शर र - the subtle body as a ज व, appearing as an individual person with a deluded mind and ब (प रम हत आत म ), completely overpowered by म य ग ण व सन s - the left-over impressions of one's past actions, both in this life and previous lives, that ज व, the individual person Kaivalya Upanishad 25

26 शर र आस थ य कर त सवर म - identifyting oneself with the body-mind-intellect complex with all its attributes, performs all actions, all प ण य कमर s and प प कमर s - all good actions and bad actions; and स एव ज त प रत म त - that same ज व, the individual person, in the waking state of existence, as a waker, seeks to gain supreme satisfaction in life. How? -अन नप न द व च भ ग : - By going after endless varieties of transient pleasures of various kinds, foods, drinks, etc. Thus, the आत म, The Pure Infinite Consciousness, manifesting Itself as a ज व, as an individual person with a deluded mind and ब, because of one's म य ग ण व सन s, identifies oneself with the body-mind-intellect complex, and all its attributes, and performs all good and bad actions. And, in its waking state of existence, as a waker, the ज व seeks to gain supreme satisfaction in life, going after varieties of pleasures available in this transient world. Further स वप न स ज व: स खद :ख भ स वम यय क ल पत ज वल क स ष क ल सकल वल न तम भभ त: स खर पम त 13 स वप न स ज व: - In the dreaming state of existence, the very same ज व, the very same individual person who was a waker before, and who is now a dreamer, स खद :ख भ स वम यय क ल पत ज वल क - becomes the experiencer of joy and sorrow in the dream world, created by one's own म य ग ण व सन s - residual effects of one's past actions - thoughts, words and deeds. The difference between the waking state of existence and the dreaming state of existence must be clearly understood. The world one experiences in the waking state of Kaivalya Upanishad 26

27 existence is a manifestation of the totality of all म य ग ण व सन s of all ज वs in this creation (which means that any action by any one, anywhere, at any time, leaves a continuing effect on every one in this creation) whereas the world one experiences in the dreaming state of existence is a manifestation of the म य ग ण व सन s of that particular ज व only. That is the difference. Again, the same ज व, the same individual person स ष क ल - in the dreamless, deep-sleep state of existence, as the sleeper सकल वल न - when all experiences dissolve into the consciousness of total absence of everything (We must understand that absence of a thing is also an object of consciousness. When I say "I see nothing", I am conscious of the absence of the thing. Thus, the characteristic of the deep sleep state is the consciousness of total absence of everything - सकल वल न ) तम भभ य: - being overpowered by तमस ग ण ignorance स खर पम ए त of म य - the state of simple - the ज व enjoys a kind of स ख आनन द - a kind of happiness in deep sleep, even though the person is blissfully unaware of that happiness while sleeping. The ज व went to sleep because its body required rest. After a good sleep, the ज व - the person automatically wakes up again. Why? If the person enjoys sleeping, why does the ज व wake up? Because it cannot sleep any more. It has कमर to do. It came into the world only for the purpose of doing कमर to exhaust all its व सन s- lingering impressions of past actions. Therefore, प न जन म न तर कमर य ग त स एव ज व: स व प त ब : Kaivalya Upanishad 27

28 प र य ड त य ज व: ततस त ज त सकल व च आध रम नन दमखण डब ध य स मन लय य त प र य च 14 प न: च स एव ज व: - Again, the very same ज व - the very same individual person who was earlier the waker, then the dreamer, and then the sleeper, That very same ज व जन म न तर कमर य ग त - (कमर य ग here is कमर स बन ध - connection to कमर ) because of its connection to कमर, arising from व सन s of कमर s of past lives स व प त ब : - the ज व wakes up automatically, and that waking also is स व प त - another kind of dream, because the ज व is not waking up to Absolute Reality, but it is waking up to this outer world of transient reality, which is only a manifestation of the totality of the व सन s of all ज वs in this creation. Let us understand this clearly: The Upanishad is telling here something very significant. Even when we are awake, as we think that we are right now, we are not really awake, because we are not awake to Absolute Reality. Our waking state is only another kind of dreaming state, where we continue to be ignorant about the true nature of ourselves. The Upanishad continues: प र य ड त य ज व: - That Pure Conscious Being, which is in every ज व, That Pure Consciousness, The आत म, in whose presence alone the ज व plays the role of waker, dreamer, and sleeper in the three states of existence, namely the waking state, the dreaming state and the deep sleep state respectively ततस त ज त सकल व च - it is from That Pure Consciousness alone, from That आत म, The Pure Self I alone, that all these amazingly varied beings, in different Kaivalya Upanishad 28

29 forms and names in this creation are born, which means that there is nothing in this creation which is independent of That आत म. Ashvalayana is already in deep ध य नय ग with प णर, ज ञ नलक षण ई र भ and त य गब, intently listening to and absorbing the content of every word of the teacher. By the above analytical description of the three states of existence of a ज व - an individual person, what the teacher tells Ashvalayana is the following. The teacher says: Recognize yourself, as you are, by your ब. The waker, the dreamer and the sleeper are simply different roles played by the ज व in the three states of existence. Please understand this. The waker is not in the dream state of experience, or in the deep-sleep state of experience. Again, the dreamer is not in the waking state of experience, or in the deep sleep state of experience; and likewise the sleeper is not in the waking state of experience, or the dreaming state of experience, but you are in all the three states of experience, which means The waker is you, but you are not the waker. The dreamer is you, but you are not the dreamer. The sleeper is you, but you are not the sleeper. Who are you, then? You are That ONE invariable conscious Being in all the three of them. While the waker, the dreamer and the sleeper are dependent on your existence, you exist in all of them, independent of all of them. As the waker, you are conscious of all the experiences in the waking state. As the dreamer, you are conscious of all the experiences in the dreaming state. And as the sleeper, you are conscious of the absence of every experience in the deep-sleep state. That Pure Consciousness in you is common in all the three fields of experience, in all the three states of existence. As Pure Consciousness, you are in every thought, in every perception, and in every kind of cognition, and you are also in all in-between thoughts where there is no thought, in all in-between perceptions where there is no perception, and in all in-between cognitions of any kind where there is no cognition of any kind. Kaivalya Upanishad 29

30 That unchanging, continuous, unbroken Pure Consciousness You are. Therefore, That which is indicated by the content of ओ mantra, you are. That सत चत आनन द स वर प आत म you are. That सत य ज ञ न अनन त you are. You are सत य - ever-existent Absolute Reality. You are indeed आध र आनन द अखण ड ब ध य स मन लय य त प र य च You are the basis of all existence, limitless and undivided Infinite Pure Consciousness, in which all the three fields of experience, all the three states of existence resolve themselves into ONE प णर आत म. That प णर आत म you are. Now recognize That प णर आत म as Yourself. एतस म त ज यत ण: मन: सव न य ण च ख व य : ज य तर प:प थव व स य ध रण 15 It is from That Pure Consciousness alone, from That प णर आत म alone, the ण, the mind and ब, all organs of perception and action, the five great elements - आक श, व य, अ ग न, आप:, प थव which sustain this entire universe, all of them are born. (see म 2-1-3) यत पर सव र त म व स य आयतन महत स म त स मतर नत यम तत त व एव त व एव तत 16 Kaivalya Upanishad 30

31 यत पर - That which is The Limitless न सव र त म - That which is The आत म - The Pure Self I of all beings, That which is the Truth of every one and everything in this creation व स य आयतन महत - That which is the Abode of this Great Universe, and at the same time स म त स मतर - That which is more subtle than the most subtle one can think of नत य - That which is eternal existence, unbound by time तत त व एव - That you are, certainly so त व एव तत - You are indeed That Thus the teacher effectively points out the identity of Pure ज व and परम र, and that the true nature of every individual person is परम र Itself. The teacher concludes his teaching by saying ज त स वप नस ष प य द पञ च यत क शत तत ह इ त ज ञ त व सवर बन ध : म च यत 17 यत ज त स वप स ष प य द पञ च क शत - That न which illuminates the waking world, the dream world and the deep-sleep world, and also all the infinitely mixed worlds of existence and experience तत अह इ त ज ञ त व - realizing That न as The Absolute Reality of The Self I in oneself, recognizing "I am That न" सवर बन ध : म च यत - one is totally released from all bondages. One gains total freedom from all bondages. Here ends the teaching. Kaivalya Upanishad 31

32 Even as the teacher has been unfolding This Truth, Ashvalayana, who is already in deep ध य नय ग, finds himself totally released from all bondages, and recognizes his identity with न Itself. That is the process of contemplation called ज ञ न नमर थन - churning out the fire of wisdom in one's ब. The wisdom is direct and immediate recognition of oneself as अह - I am न. The result is सवर बन ध : म च यत - total release from all bondages. Such release is indeed म क ष - gaining ज व ऎक य - becoming ONE with न Itself. Thus Ashvalayana has now gained म क ष, and has now become ONE with न Itself. We will be completing this Upanishad next time. By doing so, we will also be completing this entire second cycle of our व scripture readings next time. Kaivalya Upanishad 32

33 Kaivalya Upanishad क वल य उप नषत Volume 4 ष ध म स य ग य भ भ ग य व त त भ य वलक षण: स क ष चन म ऽह सद शव: 18 मय य व सकल ज त म य सवर म त तम म य सवर म लय य त तत अ य आस म यहम 19 अण रण य न अह एव त त मह नह व मह व च प र तन ऽह प र ष ह ईश हरण मय ऽह शवर प अ स म 20 अप णप द ऽह अ चन त य श : पश य म अचक ष : स ण म अकणर : अह वज न म व व र प न च स त व मम चत सद ऽहम 21 व द रन क : अह एव व व द न तक त व द वद व च हम नप ण यप प मम न स त न श न जन म द ह न य ब र स त 22 Kaivalya Upanishad 33

34 न भ मर प न च व र स त नच नल म ऽ स त न च म बर च एव व दत व परम त मर प ग ह शय नष कल अ त य 23 समस तस क षम सदस ह न य त श परम त मर पम 24 ॐ श न त: श न त: श न त: As we saw last time, having absorbed the entire content of the words of his teacher, Ashvalayana finds himself naturally and spontaneously released from all bondages, and he recognizes himself as व ह अ स म - I am indeed न Itself. Having gained That Wisdom, he now contemplates within himself on his extraordinary Self-discovery as a Self-recognized ज व, as The Pure continuous, undivided, ever-existent, Unchanging Conscious Being, as पर त पर प र ष, as प र ष म, The सत चत आनन द स वर प परम त म, The न Itself. Being न Itself, this is how he now recognizes Himself as He is: ष ध म स य ग य भ भ ग य व त त भ य वलक षण: स क ष चन म ऽह सद शव: 18 चन म ऽह - I am That objectless infinite unchanging conscious Being, which illuminates all objects of awareness everywhere. I am That Pure Consciousness Itself. अह सद शव: - I am, at all times, The Ever-auspicious, Absolute Happiness, Absolute Fullness, प णर म - Absolute Reality behind this entire creation Kaivalya Upanishad 34

35 ष ध म स - In all the three states of existence and experience, namely the waking, the dreaming and the deep-sleep states, and also in all the three in-between states of existence and experience य ग य य व त - whatever is, or whatever can be the kind of experience य य व त - whatever is, or whatever can be, the role played by the experiencer य ग य व त - whatever is, or whatever can be the object of experience in all of them चन म :अह - I remain as That Pure Infinite, Unchanging Consciousness Itself. At the same time त भ य: वलक षण: अह - I, as That Pure Consciousness, am uniquely distinct from, and totally independent of all kinds of experiences, all kinds of experiencers, and all kinds of objects of experience. I, as Pure Consciousness Itself, transcend all of them स क ष अह - as That Pure Conscious Being, I am The Ever-present Witness in all states of existence, for all forms of experience. Further मय य व सकल ज त म य सवर म त तम म य सवर म लय य त तत अ य आस म यहम 19 मय य व सकल ज त - This entire creation is born of ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness alone म य सवर म त तम - This entire creation and everything in it, have their being in ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness, I am म य सवर म लय य त - This entire creation and everything in it ultimately resolve into ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness that I am तत अ य अहम अ स म - I am That न, which is अ य प णर म ONE without a second, ONE which is all-inclusive, all-pervasive. I am, वष ण and शव all in ONE. Further Kaivalya Upanishad 35

36 अण रण य न अह एव त त मह नह व मह व च प र तन ऽह प र ष ह ईश हरण मय ऽह शवर प अ स म 20 अण : अण य न त त अह एव - That which is smaller than the smallest particle of matter one can think of, That is what I am. At the same time मह न अह अ स म - I am मह न without qualification, which means I am bigger than the biggest one can think of. I am smaller than the smallest, and at the same time, bigger than the biggest that one can think of, which means that I have no dimensions. Again व मह व च - व व च अह अ स म - This entire amazingly varigated Universe, That is what I am. Further प र तन ऽह प र तन: अह अ स म - I am ancient at all times. I am Eternal. There is no date of birth for me, I am unborn. प र ष ह अ स म - I am That परत पर प र ष, The प णर प र ष, The प र ष म. I am The Whole, All-inclusive, All-pervasive, Undivided and Indivisible Being. ईश: अह अ स म - I am The Lord of everything. I am परम र Itself हरण मय ऽह अ स म - I am हरण मय - The Totality of All-knowledge शवर प अ स म - I am the very manifestation of Lord Shiva, Ever-auspicious नन द, Absolute Happiness, The Absolute Reality behind all existence, That is what I am. Further, अप णप द ऽह अ चन त य श : पश य म अचक ष : स ण म अकणर : Kaivalya Upanishad 36

37 अह वज न म व व र प न च स त व मम चत सद ऽहम 21 All these hands, legs, eyes, ears, mind, ब, etc., they all belong to this body. I am not the body. I am चन म : - That Pure objectless Infinite Unchanging Consciousness. Being so अप णप द: अह अ चन त य श : - Without hands and legs, I am Limitless Power beyond comprehension स (अह ) पश य म अचक ष : ण म अकणर : - Without eyes I, as Pure Consciousness (स:), see all that is to see, and without ears, I hear all that is to hear अह वज न म व व र प: - I am Formless, but, as Pure Consciousness, I illuminate all the varieties of forms in this creation. I am the Knower of all forms in this creation. I am the Knower of all forms in all details, but न च अ स त व मम - there is no one who knows Me, My true nature. I am not an object of knowledge for any one चत सद ऽहम सद अहम चत स वर प: - at all times, I remain as the Pure Objectless, All-pervasive, manifest and unmanifest Consciousness Itself. Further व द रन क : अह एव व व द न तक त व द वद व च हम नप ण यप प मम न स त न श न जन म द ह न य ब र स त 22 व द : अन क : अह एव व : - By the study of all the Vedas and the Upanishads, I alone am the ONE to be known, understood, appreciated and recognized. All the द वत s mentioned in the Vedas and all the rituals described in the Vedas are all meant to gain knowledge about Myself only. Not only that Kaivalya Upanishad 37

38 व द न तक त च अहम - I am the author of all the Vedas and the Upanishads. I am the ONE who is the initiator of व द न त अथर स द य क त - the tradition of teaching the meaning of the Vedas and the Upanishads, which means, I am Sri Narayana, the author and The Original Teacher of all The Vedas and the Upanishads व द वत एव च अह - naturally, I am The ONE who knows the meaning of all the Vedas and the Upanishads. The ONE who gains the Knowledge of the Vedas and the Upanishads is also Myself, because, as the Upanishad says वत व भव त - The Knower of न becomes न, is न Itself. नप ण यप प मम अ स त - To ME, there is neither प ण य nor प प. I have no कमर or कमर फल. Hence I have no व सन s either मम न स त न श: - There is no death or destruction for ME. I am Immortal. न जन म द ह न य ब : मम अ स त - There is no birth, body, organs of perception and action, mind, ब, etc. for ME. I have no शर र - no body vehicle. चन म : अह - I am The Pure Conscious Being, The Pure Consciousness Itself. Further न भ मर प न च व र स त नच नल म ऽ स त न च म बर च एव व दत व परम त मर प ग ह शय नष कल अ त य 23 समस तस क षम सदस ह न य त श परम त मर पम 24 The पञ चमह भ त s - the five great elements आक श, व य, अ ग न, आप:, प थव - all of them are the constituents of this subtle and gross body. I am not any of Kaivalya Upanishad 38

39 them. I am not the subtle body, or the gross body. I am परम त म - The Pure Infinite Consciousness, The Universal SELF. For ME, न भ म: अ स त - There is no earth independent of Me न आप: अ स त - There is no water independent of Me न व : च अ स त - There is no fire independent of Me न अ नल: च अ स त - There is no air independent of Me न अम बर अ स त - Also, there is no space independent of Me All these five great elements have their being in ME, and I exist independent of all of them. As परम त म, the Universal SELF, The Pure Infinite Consciousness there exists only ONE SELF, and That is आत म - The SELF "I". एव व दत व परम त मर प - Thus recognizing the स वर प of परम त म, the true nature of ONESELF, The परम त म, The पर त पर प र ष, The प र ष म ग ह शय - through one's वव क ब - faculty of understanding and discrimination नष कल - recognizing That परम त म as ONE undivided and indivisible अ त य प णर म - All-inclusive, All-pervasive ONE without a second समस त स क षम - That which is the witness of every event, and every experience in all states of existence सत असत वह न - That which is neither सत nor असत - neither Is nor Is NOT, which means That which is not the object of one's knowledge as "something is" or "something is not". That which is neither gross body nor subtle body श - That which ever remains Pure, Uncontaminated and Uncontaminable परम त मर पम एव व दत व - thus recognizing the true nature of ONESELF as परम त म Kaivalya Upanishad 39