Wk05 Monday, Apr 23 Today Olivelle s Upaniṣads Praśna, Māṇḍūkya, Īśāvāsya This Week Supplemental readings: Williams, Kyle Lee. 2008. "Understanding Oṃ (Aum), Turīya, and the Three States of Consciousness in the Maṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Jones, Richard H. 1981. "Vidyā and Avidyā in the Īśa Upaniṣad." Wednesday: Introduction to Yoga Sūtras 1
Praśna Upaniṣad Praśna Upaniṣad Late upaniṣad from the Atharvaveda Mainly prose + 16 verses 6 questions, praśnas, asked of Pippalāda, of AV tradition 2
The Six Brahmins What s in a Name? 1. Kabandhī Kātyāyana, Black YV =? Kabandha Ātharvaṇa, BU 3.7.1 2. Bhārgava Vaidarbhi, Vidarbha in central India, Bhṛgu, TU. Vedic affiliation unknown 3. Kausalya Āśvalāyana, Kośala region, Aśvala of RV 4. Sauryāyaṇi Gārgya, RV. Clan of BU s Gārgī 5. Śaibya Satyakāma, Sāmaveda, also in CU 4 6. Sukeśa Bhāradvāja, YV? 3
The Questions 1. The origin of creatures? Prajāpati / food (14) lifebreath, prāṇa / sun / fire / bright fortnight / day Substance, rayi / moon / form / dark fortnight / night Northern & Southern course of the sun 2. Deities that support a creature? Lifebreath space, wind, fire, water, earth, speech, sight, hearing, mind Question 3 3. Where does lifebreath come from, set off, etc.? Arises from ātman Assigns the 5 breaths Apāna, in-breath: anus, sexual organs Prāṇa, lifebreath: mouth, nostrils Samāna link-breath: mid-region Udāna, up-breath: fire. Karma theory (7, 9-10 ) Vyāna, inter-breath: 4
Question 4 4. Who sleeps / dreams / acts / is the subject? In deep sleep, senses gather in the mind Overpowered by heat, bliss (6) In activity, 5 breaths = 5 sacrificial fires In dream, (5, p. 284 ) All rest on ātman = puruṣa = akṣara, imperishable: Earth, water, fire, wind space & their elements 5 senses & their objects Organs of sex, excretion, motion, grasping & their objects Mind, intellect, ego, reason & their objects reason cit, light, tejas, & their objects Lifebreath & what it supports Questions 5 & 6 5. What is fruit of meditation on Oṃ? Both lower & higher Brahman A: human world, Ṛg verses A+U: lunar world, Yajus formulas A+U+M: sun, world of Brahman, Sāman chants Beyond: old age, death, fear 6. Person, puruṣa of 16 parts? Lifebreath faith, 5 elements, senses, mind, food [#10] Food strength, austerity, vedic formulas mantras, rites karma, worlds [#15] In worlds name [#16] Merge back into puruṣa = highest Brahman 5
Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad Usually first in traditional lists of Ups. Only upaniṣad from saṃhitā Śukla YV, metrical Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā also known as Saṃhitā Up. Theistic? devotional? ritualistic? 6
Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad Two rescensions, Mādhyandina & Kāṇva K: 9-11, 12-14, 15, 16, 17-18 M: 12-14, 9-11, (17), -, 15-16 3 ~ BU 4.4.11 Demonic Joyless; who kill the self not learned/wise 9 = BU 4.4.10; 15-18 = BU 5.15.1-4 Īśā 1-3 1a: Īśā = by the Lord = by Brahman? ātman? 1cd: renunciation? 2: performing works = ritual 100 years = full lifespan smearing off developed further in BG 3: Killing the self literal = suicide / destroying life metaphorical = denying the self contradicts KaU 2.19 (hantā cenmanyate hantuṃ ) Also BG 2.20 7
Īśā 4-8: the self 4: not moving / swifter than the mind standing / outpaces runners 5: moves / does not move far away / near at hand within this world / outside it too 6-7: all beings one s self no sorrow, monism 8: reached the seed/śukram the shining, self-existent, all-encompassing Īśā 9-11, 12-14 9-11: ignorance (avidyā) vs. knowledge/learning (vidyā) 12-14: non-becoming (asambhava) = destruction (14) vs. becoming (sambhava) Undifferentiated prakr ti vs. Creation Analysis vs. Synthesis Beyond death Rebirth? Immortality Relative (being with gods) vs. Absolute 8
= BU 5.15 Prayer of ritualist to Pūṣan Īśā 15-18 related to Sun god (golden dish) escorts dead to world of ancestors 18: Agni Jones paper Vidyā and Avidyā in the ĪU 9
Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad From the Atharva Veda, prose No śākhā affiliation Early CE? Shortest Up. only 12 verses usu. accompanied by Gauḍapāda s Kārikas (215 vv) Śaṅkara s teacher s teacher Advaita school Builds on CU 6.8.1 (sleeping = entering into oneself) BU 4.3.9-15 (dream, deep sleep) Tied to three syllables of Oṃ 3+1 MāU 1-2 Oṃ = this whole world past, present, future and beyond these 3 times All is this Brahman This ātman is Brahman four quarters 10
MāU 3-5: 3 quarters 1. Waking state, Vaiśvānara Universal One externally directed 7 limbs? = sky, sun, wind, space, water, earth, fire 19 mouths? = 5 sense organs, 5 organs of action, 5 breaths, mind, intellect (buddhi), ego, citta Enjoys gross things, i.e., coarse 2. Dream state, Taijasa Brilliant One internally directed 7 limbs, 19 mouths Enjoys refined things, i.e., subtle 3. Deep sleep, Prājña Intelligent One no desires/dreams mass of cognition, bliss MāU 6: Īśvara Ātman is: Lord / knower / womb of all Inner controller Origin & dissolution of beings 11
MāU 7: 4 th qtr. Cognitively not inwardly/outwardly/both ways cognitive not mass of cognition not cognitive (prājña), not uncognitive Negatively: unseen, beyond transactions, ungrasped, without marks, unthinkable, indescribable Its essence is knowledge of itself Cessation of phenomenal world Tranquil, auspicious, non-dual/ without a 2 nd / unique Ātman, to be known! Self = Oṃ = a + u + m Phonemes quarters MāU 8-11: Oṃ 9. Vaisvānara = a, first, obtaining all desires 10. Taijasa = u, heightening, intermediate continuity of knowledge, no ignorance of Brahman in lineage, common (samāna) equal/universal 11. Prājña = m, construction, merger 12. Ø, beyond ordinary transaction, cessation of world, auspicious, non-dual One who knows this enters ātman by ātman 12
Williams paper Understanding Oṃ, Turīya, and the Three States of Consciousness in the MāU 13