Lavina Sachanandani
Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Lavina Sachanandani
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The upaniṣad refer vidyā as Upāsanā and avidyā is karma in verse 9 to 11.
-
The upaniṣad asks the practitioner to combine vidyā and avidyā in pravritti marga for getting higher fruits than what one would get by practicing vidyā and avidyā separately.
-
The maximum result gained by combination of vidyā and avidyā is it will give sayujya mukti in brahma lokah which is relative immortaliy till the end of one kalpa. This result though maximum for vidyā and avidyā it will end when the kalpa ends and one is not freed from the darkness of ignorance. In comparison the result of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam enumerated in verse 1 is having gained Ātma vidya the fact that the Self is Me alone puts an end to ignorance, delusion of individuality ends which removes all sorrows and there is complete peace and fulfillment here and now while living and one is freed from all future embodiments, the cycle of birth and death ends.
-
Sambhuti-upāsanā means upāsanā of Karya Brahma/ Hiranyagarbha and asambhuti-upāsanā means upāsanā of Kārana Brahma/Prakriti in verses 12 to 14.
-
The upaniṣad ask the practitioner to combine sambhuti and asambhuti-upāsanā to get maximum results of both to get the most out of these practices.
-
The maximum result gained by combination of sambhuti and asambhuti-upāsanā is relative immortality till end of kalpa or prakriti laya till end of kalpa. But the darkness of ignorance remains. In comparison the result of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is that having gained Ātma vidya the fact that the Self is Me alone puts an end to ignorance, delusion of individuality ends, removes all sorrows, complete happiness, peace and fulfillment is realized here and now while living and one is freed from all future embodiments, the cycle of birth and death ends.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The mood of the seeker is that even though practicing lifelong upāsanā he has reached the stage of ahaṅgraha-upāsanā and identifies himself with Hiranyagarbla – soham asmi still at the time of death he continues to have stress of not seeing the Lord and the worry that for a few sins perhaps he may not be taken on the devayānah path to Brahma lokah.
-
The upanisad want to convey by the description of the above verses that ultimately even reaching to ahaṅgraha-upāsanā through the combined practices of karma and upāsanā the individuality remains, with death one goes to take future embodiments and ignorance continues. When the seeker takes refuge in the Self the result of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is that having gained Ātma vidya ignorance ends, the delusion of individuality ends and therefore there is no death at the fall of the body, the cycle of birth and death ends.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
From the Sopādhika Drishti the Self moves – the Self associated with the upādhis that is as the Reflected Consciousness it moves with the upādhis as the empowering agent. From the Nirupādhika Drishti, the Self – Pure Consciousness does not move for it is ever there, ever still, the changeless substratum.
-
For the ignorant one’s going through lifetime after lifetime for crores of lifetimes having no idea of the Self nor the inclination to find out about the Self for such ones the Self is very far. For the wise, the Jñāni it is nearest of the near for having known the Self they experience it as their very own Self.
-
As per the Upaniṣad in verse 7 when the knowledge of the Self is attained and realized the delusion of individuality ends. When delusion ends attachments and sorrows end. For the wise one’s experiential reality is that all beings and objects is the One Truth, the Self that he/she is.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The fruit of the knowledge of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam as per verses 6 is that no hate can arise in such a heart, no aversion to any being or thing remains for the Self is seen in and through everything. And in verse 7 the upaniṣad tells us that the fruit of the knowledge of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is that delusion and sorrows are destroyed for such a one sees all beings and objects as one’s own-Self.
-
In verse 8 the Upaniṣad points to us that the Self is free of the 3 bodies with the following terms: akāyam – Self is without body, so it is free of the subtle body, avarṇam – Self has no wound, no hurt, therefore free of the gross body, asnāviragm – Self has no nāḍis/energy channels/blood vessels therefore free of the gross body, śuddham – Self has no dirt of ignorance, its beyond vāsana and avidya therefore is free of the causal body, apāpaviddham – Self is beyond punya and pāpam, dharma and adharma therefore free of the subtle body.
-
The Upaniṣad begins the discussion of karma and upāsanā to point how limited these are. Such ones who stick to only karma and upāsanā are the highest ajñānis for they never find complete peace and fulfillment and will not become free; the individuality will go on to take up future embodiments. The Upaniṣad want to show by this discussion the contrast between karma upāsanā and Ātma Vidya. It is only with Ātma vidya complete peace and freedom is attained while living and one is freed from future embodiments, the cycle of birth and death ends.
ParticipantHari Om,
1.Karma is of 2 types one is iṣṭa karmas – the vedic rituals and other is pūrta-karmas – social service activities.
2.
A. Those who are devoted to sakāma karmas as given in śāstras live a disciplined life by following vedic injunctions, this regulates their desires and their selfishness gets curtailed, the result is in future embodiments they achieve higher pleasures by going to higher lokah such as Pitṛ lokah.
B. Those who practice upāsanā gain chitta ekāgratā, by performing various upāsanās they come to achieve various siddhis while living and in future embodiments they achieve the pleasures of higher lokahs up to brahma lokah and get immortality till the end of kalpa.3.The highest upāsanā is ahaṅgraha-upāsanā. It is where there is no difference between you and what you worship, no separation remains. The result is devātma bhava – one with the Lord and the being reaches the lokāh of the Deity. As śāstras tell the mukti can be as Sālokya or Sāmipya or Sāroopya or Sāyujya mukti.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The apparent contradictions made by the upaniṣad in verse 4 is to bring to our attention that the Self is not a thing not even a very subtle thing that can be known by the mind and senses. The seeker is not to create any concepts of the Self, the mind needs to get subtler and sharper for it is to go beyond words. The contradictions that it is motionless in motion and changeless among the change are to be reflected upon to recognize that the Self is the substratum in which all concepts, names, forms, functionalities appear and disappear.
-
The Self is the substratum, ever there, everywhere. It is only because of the Self that the mind can function. Consciousness reflected in the mind activates the mind and it functions. And with the mind the senses function. Hence wherever the thoughts and senses go chidābhāsa is already there empowering them. Therefore, where the mind goes, and the senses run the Self is ever there therefore is faster and overtakes the mind and senses.
-
‘Mātariśva’ in verse 4 refers to Hiraṇyagarbha. Hiraṇyagarbha is Īśvara that enjoins all the deities to perform their karma.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
Śastras tell for those who are steeped in dehābhimāni bhāva karma yoga is the only way. Karma yoga will bring about the purification of mind through Iśvarā arpanam buddhi and prasāda buddhi. In such a purified mind vicāra is awakened and one progresses to īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. In this way karma yoga is the bridge between pravṛtti and nivṛtti-margas.
-
Due to our ignorance the Self is veiled to us, and we continue to ignore the Self. This ignoring of the Self means killing the Self. Ignorance of our true nature is darkness. We make the wrong choice of reveling in ephemeral world of objects of having jagat satya buddhi and anātma ātma buddhi because of this our lokas are asura-lokas. Because of ignorance of the Self they are in blinding darkness.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The notion of īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam helps one to drop the wrong notion of individuality. The result is one starts to walk towards the path of desirelessness. Desirelessness = complete inner fulfillment.
-
For those who are not inclined to the path of knowledge, who are firmly identified with the body-mind complex – dehābhimāni, for them upaniṣad prescribes duty to be performed. Because, the performance of duties with dedication results in purification of the mind. As purification of mind continues to take place sakāma karma transforms to niṣkāma karma awakening vicara and one progresses to īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam.
-
kurvan eva – with alertness performing one duty – that is performing sakāma karma with keeping rāga dwesha at bay will purify the mind. This will progress to performing actions without any desire for the fruits of action, the attitude of karma yoga. It will lead to transforming the actions from sakāma karma to niṣkāma karma. Therefore, kurvan eva indicates niṣkāma-karma.
ParticipantHari Om,
-
The mantras of Īśāvāsya-upaniṣad are not to be considered as part of karma for the upaniṣad mantras reveal the nature of the Self. These mantras are for understanding the true nature of the Self.
-
Reflecting on īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is that within and without meaning everything at all times is pervaded by the Self, the Self Alone Is and that All pervading Self is my true nature.
-
īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam is not a mental upāsanā because it is not about thinking a certain way and behaving in that manner. It is a fact that is to be understood, recognized, and lived.
-
-
AuthorPosts