You wrote the following: “The five-step process of Vedanta: karma yoga, upasana yoga, sravanna, manana and nididhyasana.”

Of the five practices, I focus mostly on doing body activities, praying to God to give me strength with my fears and desires, and worship God as soon as I eat, drink and enter a new room or website. I listen daily to you and sometimes read scripture as well.

And I daily do concentration meditation in order to keep my mind sharp and able to withstand difficult situations.

What I noticed in recent times is that I had more conflicts than ever (the upside is that I feel very alive). So as a consequence I will focus a bit more on how I communicate with others, how I use words, whether some harmful words slip in and how others understand what I said.

What I wanted to know now is that I have not felt much fear of death in recent weeks. In fact I look forward to death. I think I have done most what was needed to do in my life. And I don’t mind “resting” in my nature and enjoy myself (I think you know what I mean). Mind you, I enjoy life but I don’t have many plans left. I resolved painful relationships, I cleaned up most painful and anger parts of my soul and of course I studied and worshipped God/Self. I don’t think there is a plan for me to have a particularly big career, nor to have a particularly great relationship with a wife.

There are conflicts in life and there will be pleasures in life. I don’t mind either of the two.

I am not particularly crazy about attending further Vedanta seminars or other spiritual seminars, but I am happy when I am there but I know that there will be moments I don’t enjoy. And all of that is fine.

I just wanted to know now what you think about what I have written above and if you find anything fishy about my statements above.

James: Absolutely nothing fishy. In fact it seems your understanding of yourself, life and the teaching is very excellent! Good for you. You are doing inquiry properly because you are noticing recently “…that I had more conflicts than ever (the upside is that I feel very alive). So as a consequence I will focus a bit more on how I communicate with others, how I use words, whether some harmful words slip in and how others understand what I said.”

The conflicts have always been there but inquiry is bringing them to light. The second point is that you have put a finger on your jiva’s challenging aspects and have rightly resolved to “focus a bit more” on your relationship with others. Your jiva has tended to be self-absorbed at the expense of appreciating how others think and feel. In the old days, people with this tendency were called “celestials,” meaning not on this earth. There is nothing special to do except to stay quiet and alert and learn to empathize when you are in the presence of others. You will quickly discover others’ sensitivities and how particular words cause irritation. The idea is to focus as much on how they think and feel as you focus on how you think and feel. It is actually love, willing attention directed toward conscious beings.

The other things you mentioned – loss of fear of death, worship of God, concentration, scripture study, lack of ambition for career and marriage (Ramakrishna said the two biggest obstacles to happiness are craving for “women and gold,” meaning pleasure and security), the feeling of “aliveness,” the feeling that one has done most of what is needed in life and the lack of interest in Vedanta seminars – show increasing dispassion, which is the purpose of sadhana. With regards to the lack of interest in seminars, I think you have pretty much assimilated the meaning of the teachings with reference to your jiva, so there isn’t much need for hearing more. However, often that final “click” of Self-confidence comes in the presence of the guru, not to mention that it is very nice to meet the most interesting and highly evolved people on the planet. That’s one of the major reasons I attend my teachings. ☺

~ Love, Guruji

Translation and Introduction by Rory Mackay

Introduction

The Kaivalya Upanishad is a short yet sublime scripture of little over twenty-four verses. Classified a ‘minor Upanishad’, it is attached to both the Artharva Veda and the Yajur Veda. 

The word ‘kaivalya’ might be translated as detachment and release from worldly sorrows and bondage; which is to say, spiritual liberation, or moksha. This can only be attained by the full realisation of one’s nature as Brahman, the Self; eternal, ever free awareness/consciousness/existence. That is the core message of this Upanishad, which takes the form of a dialogue between the ancient sage Ashvalayana, and Brahma, the Creator God. In the opening verse, Ashvalayana asks Brahma to share with him the secret of Brahma Vidya, or Self-knowledge, that most ancient and cherished of Knowledge by which a soul may attain liberation.

Although the principle teacher is Brahma, the Kaivalya Upanishad is considered a Shaiva Upanishad. The term ‘Shiva’, used throughout, not only refers to Shiva the deity — part of the trimurti, or divine trinity (that also includes Brahma and Vishnu) — but is also synonymous with the Self. The word ‘Shiva’ literally means “that which is auspicious at all times and in all ways”, and is derived from the roots ‘Shi’, meaning “that in which all things lie and are pervaded”, and ‘va’, meaning “the embodiment of divine grace”.

Verses six and seven are particularly interesting. Brahma first advises us to meditate upon the Self as the formless, all-pervading substratum of Existence; That which is, by his own admission, “unreachable by thought”. This refers to Nirguna Brahman; the Self without form or attribute; the eternal, unmanifest root and essence of all things. 

Contemplation upon the Self as the formless and all-pervading Eternal obviously requires an extremely subtle and sattvic intellect. That’s perhaps why the following verse suggests meditating upon the Self in the form of Lord Shiva. Most people find it easier to meditate upon the Self in the form of a symbol; thus, worship of Saguna Brahman (the Self with form) generally precedes worship of Nirguna Brahman (the formless, Unmanifest Self). The Puranic deities of India are depicted with a great amount of symbolism. For instance, Shiva’s three eyes and blue neck represent the Self as the Eternal Witness whose divine vision removes the the ‘poison’ of worldly sorrow.

Perhaps keen to avoid sectarianism, one of the lowlier tendencies of the human mind, the next verses then make it clear that this divine Self is not just Shiva, but also Vishnu, Indra, and all the gods and all the forms and elements of existence. Indeed, “By recognising one’s own Self in all beings and all beings in the Self, one attains the Highest Liberation and not by any other means.”

The remainder of the Upanishad provides further reflection upon the nature of the Self, the nature of the jiva (individual), and, recalling the great Mandukya Upanishad, a brief analysis of the three states of consciousness, here called the ‘three cities’, experienced by all beings: the condition of the waking state, the dreaming state and the deep sleep state. All three states are pervaded by the Self; pure Consciousness/Awareness—That in which all forms and experiences arise and eventually dissolve.

Following the main text are two additional verses, considered by some a minor addendum to the Upanishad. These verses suggest studying and reciting a particular passage from the Yajur Veda, called Sata Rudriya. It may seem like a strange interjection, but the message would seem to be that living one’s life according to the scriptures and careful reflection upon the ancient knowledge will in time lead to liberation.

My gratitude and thanks to Swami Chinmayananda, whose translation and commentary greatly aided this effort.

Peace Prayer

O Lord, May we hear with our ears what is always auspicious, may we see with our eyes what is always auspicious. May we live our allotted lifespan with health and vigour, offering our praises unto Thee. May Indra, the ancient and famed; Pushan, the all-knowing Sun; Vayu, the Lord of the Air; and Brihaspati, guardian of our spiritual wealth, save us from harm and bless us (with a mind capable of understanding the teachings and a heart bold enough to live them).

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (Om Peace, Peace, Peace)!

Part 1

Thus, it happened that Ashvalayana approached Lord Brahma and said:

1. O Bhagavan, teach me Brahma Vidya; the Highest Knowledge of Reality. I seek the sacred wisdom cherished by the pure of heart and mind; that greatest of secrets; the Truth by which the wise, releasing all karma, attain the Self.

To him, the Great Father of Creation said:

2. You will come to know this by means of faith, devotion and contemplation.

3. Immortality cannot be gained by work, nor by progeny, nor wealth, but by renunciation of attachment to worldly objects. Higher than heaven and seated in the innermost cave of the heart, It shines; attainable only by qualified seekers.

4. Those who clearly ascertain the importance of Vedanta, the Highest Knowledge of the Upanishads, who have pure minds and a spirit of renunciation; they, in the end, gain liberation.

5. In a clean and undisturbed place, sitting in a comfortable posture, with neck, head and body held steady and straight, with a mental attitude of renunciation and control of the senses, mentally saluting one’s own teacher with reverence, meditate within the lotus of the heart upon Brahman, the Eternal Self; That which is taintless, pure, ever-shining and untouched by grief.

6. This Self is unreachable by thought; Unmanifest; the One of endless forms; the ever-auspicious; the peaceful and Immortal; the origin of the very Creator; the One without beginning, middle or end; the One and all-pervading; Its nature pure Knowledge and Bliss; Formless and most wonderful.

7. By meditating upon the Lord Paramesvara (Shiva), consorted by Mother Uma (Shakti), the Highest Lord, the all-powerful; the three-eyed; the blue-necked and ever tranquil, the qualified seeker reaches Him who is the Source of all the manifest world; the Witness of all, and beyond all darkness and ignorance.

8. He is Brahma; He is Shiva; He is Indra; He is the Immutable; Supreme and Self-luminous. He alone is Vishnu; He is prana, the life force; He is Time and Fire; and both Sun and Moon.

9. He alone is All that was and All that will be—the Eternal. Knowing Him, one crosses beyond death. There is no other way to reach complete liberation.

10. By recognising one’s own Self in all beings and all beings in the Self, one attains the Highest Liberation and not by any other means.

11. Taking one’s attention away from the ego and making Om (Brahman; the Self) one’s sole focus, through the repeated application of Self-Knowledge the wise burn up all cords of worldly bondage.

12. When deluded by Maya’s spell of ignorance, Awareness, identifying with the body and sense of doership, seemingly becomes a jiva (individual person). In the waking state, this jiva seeks gratification only through worldly objects of enjoyment, such sex, food and alcohol.

13. In the dream state, the jiva experiences an imagined world of pleasure and pain created by its own Maya (misapprehension of Reality). In deep sleep, when mind and senses are overcome by tamas, they merge into the causal state and the jiva experiences the bliss of its own nature.

14. Due to unresolved karma from this life and others, that same jiva is then pulled from deep sleep back to the dream and waking states. Ever travelling between these ‘three cities’, from which arise all the worlds of diversified experience, this jiva is ultimately nothing but the Self under a veil of ignorance. As the Substratum of all, this unending Consciousness, the source of all Bliss, is That from which these ‘three cities’ arise and dissolve.

15. From It (the Self) is born prana (the vital air, or life force); the mind, and all the organs; space, air, fire, water and the earth which supports all.

16. That which is the Supreme Brahman, the Self in all, the great Support of the Universe; Eternal; subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest—That alone thou art! That alone thou art!

17. Realising with the entirety of one’s being that “That which illumines the world of relative experiences in the waking, dream and deep sleep states—that Self am I”—one attains liberation and freedom from all bondage.

18. In the three states, whatever constitutes the enjoyable, the enjoyer and the enjoyment is easily distinguished from Me; the Witness, the Pure Consciousness that is the Self, or Shiva, the ever-auspicious.

19. In Me alone are all things are born; in Me alone do all things exist, and to Me alone will all things resolve. I am That non-dual Brahman; the Eternal Self in all.

20. Smaller than the smallest atom, yet greater than the greatest galaxy, I pervade all the universes. I am the ancient One; the Eternal Consciousness; the Supreme Ruler of all, by nature Self-effulgent and ever auspicious.

21. Although without hands and legs, I am of incomprehensible power. I see without eyes and hear without ears. Devoid of all form, I am the Knower of all, yet none know Me. My nature is Pure Knowledge.

22. I alone am That which is taught in the different Vedas; I am the revealer of the Vedanta; I am the real Knower of the sacred Knowledge. For Me, there is neither good or bad karma. I am impervious to destruction. I have neither birth nor body, nor sense organs, nor mind or intellect.

23-24. For Me, there is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air or space. Thus realising the nature of the Supreme Self, dwelling in the hearts of all beings, without division and non-dual; the Witness of all, beyond both existence and non-existence, one attains the very nature of the Self.

Epilogue

1. Those who study and recite the Sata Rudriya (scriptures) become purified from all misdeeds, whether they be sins or omission or sins of commission. The pure of heart and mind gain refuge in the One who always abides as Truth-Consciousness: Shiva, the Supreme Self. Those abiding as the Highest should always repeat this at least once a day. 

2. One then gains the Knowledge that destroys samsara (worldly sorrow). The fruits of liberation are thus enjoyed by the one who attains Kaivalyam (freedom). 

Here ends the Kaivalya Upanishad belonging to the Atharva Veda.

Om tat sat.

(The Upanishads, (Vol. I, II, III, IV), (1975) Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, USA.)

Chapter 1

1. Rishis, discoursing on Brahman, ask: Is Brahman the cause? Whence are we born? By what do we live? Where do we dwell at the end? Please tell us, O ye who know Brahman, under whose guidance we abide, whether in pleasure or in pain.

2. Should time, or nature, or necessity, or chance, or the elements be regarded as the cause? Or he who is called the purusha, the living self?

3. The sages, absorbed in meditation through one-pointedness of mind, discovered the creative power, belonging to the Lord Himself and hidden in its own gunas. That non-dual Lord rules over all those causes-time, the self and the rest.

4. The sages saw the wheel of Brahman, which has one felly, a triple tire, sixteen end-parts, fifty spokes with twenty counter-spokes and six sets of eight; whose one rope is manifold; which moves on three different roads; and whose illusion arises from two causes.

5. We meditate on the River whose five currents are the five organs of perception, which is made impetuous and winding by the five elements, whose waves are the five organs of actions and whose fountain- head is the mind, the source of the five forms of perception. This River has five whirlpools and its rapids are the fivefold misery; and lastly, it has fifty branches and five pain-bearing obstructions.

6. In this great Brahma-Wheel, in which all things abide and finally rest, the swan wanders about so long as it thinks the self is different from the Controller. When blessed by Him the self attains Immortality.

7. It is the Supreme Brahman alone untouched by phenomena that is proclaimed in the Upanishads. In It is established the triad of the enjoyer, the object and the Lord who is the Controller. This Brahman is the immutable foundation; It is imperishable. The sages, having realized Brahman to be the essence of phenomena, become devoted to Him. Completely merged in Brahman, they attain freedom from rebirth.

8. The Lord, Isa, supports all this which has been joined together-the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest, the effect and the unmanifest, the cause. The same Lord, the Supreme Self, devoid of Lordship, becomes bound because of assuming the attitude of the enjoyer. The jiva again realizes the Supreme Self and is freed from all fetters.

9. The Supreme Lord appears as Isvara, omniscient and omnipotent and as the jiva, of limited knowledge and power, both unborn. But this does not deny the phenomenal universe; for there exists further the unborn prakriti, which creates the ideas of the enjoyer, enjoyment and the object. Atman is infinite and all- pervading and therefore devoid of agency. When the seeker knows all these three to be Brahman, he is freed from his fetters.

10. Prakriti is perishable. Hara, the Lord, is immortal and imperishable. The non- dual Supreme Self rules both prakriti and the individual soul. Through constant meditation on Him, by union with Him, by the knowledge of identity with Him, one attains, in the end, cessation of the illusion of phenomena.

11. When the Lord is known all fetters fall off; with the cessation of miseries, birth and death come to an end. From meditation on Him there arises, after the dissolution of the body, the third state, that of universal lordship. And lastly, the aspirant, transcending that state also, abides in the complete Bliss of Brahman.

12. The enjoyer (jiva), the objects of enjoyment and the Ruler (Isvara)-the triad described by the knowers of Brahman-all this is nothing but Brahman. This Brahman alone, which abides eternally within the self, should be known. Beyond It, truly, there is nothing else to be known.

13. The visible form of fire, while it lies latent in its source, the fire-wood, is not perceived; yet there is no destruction of its subtle form. That very fire can be brought out again by means of persistent rubbing of the wood, its source. In like manner, Atman, which exists in two states, like fire, can be grasped in this very body by means of Om.

14. By making the body the lower piece of wood and Om the upper piece and through the practice of the friction of meditation, one perceives the luminous Self, hidden like the fire in the wood.

15-16. As oil exists in sesame seeds, butter in milk, water in river-beds and fire in wood, so the Self is realized as existing within the self, when a man looks for It by means of truthfulness and austerity-when he looks for the Self, which pervades all things as butter pervades milk and whose roots are Self-Knowledge and austerity. That is the Brahman taught by the Upanishad; yea, that is the Brahman taught by the Upanishads.

Chapter 2

1. May the sun, at the commencement of yoga, join our minds and other organs to the Supreme Self so that we may attain the Knowledge of Reality. May He, also, support the body, the highest material entity, through the powers of the deities who control the senses.

2. Having received the blessings of the divine Sun and with minds joined to the Supreme Self, we exert ourselves, to the best of our power, toward meditation, by which we shall attain Heaven (Brahman).

3. May the Sun bestow favour upon the senses and the mind by joining them with the Self, so that the senses may be directed toward the Blissful Brahman and may reveal, by means of Knowledge, the mighty and radiant Brahman.

4. It is the duty of those brahmins who fix their minds and senses on the Supreme Self to utter such lofty invocations to the divine Sun, omnipresent, mighty and omniscient. For He, all-witnessing and non-dual, is the dispenser of sacrifices.

5. O senses and O deities who favour them! Through salutations I unite myself with the eternal Brahman, who is your source. Let this prayer sung by me, who follow the right path of the Sun, go forth in all directions. May the sons of the Immortal, who occupy celestial positions, hear it!

6. If sacrifices are performed without first propitiating the Sun, then the mind becomes attached to sacrifices in which fire is kindled by the rubbing of the pieces of fire-wood, the oblations are offered to the deity Vayu and the soma juice is drunk excessively.

7. Serve the eternal Brahman with the blessings of the Sun, the cause of the universe. Be absorbed, through samadhi, in the eternal Brahman. Thus your work will not bind you.

8. The wise man should hold his body steady, with the three upper parts erect, turn his senses, with the help of the mind, toward the heart and by means of the raft of Brahman cross the fearful torrents of the world.

9. The yogi of well regulated endeavours should control the pranas; when they are quieted he should breathe out through the nostrils. Then let him undistractedly restrain his mind, as a charioteer restrains his vicious horses.

10. Let yoga be practised within a cave protected from the high wind, or in a place which is level, pure and free from pebbles, gravel and fire, undisturbed by the noise of water or of market-booths and which is delightful to the mind and not offensive to the eye.

11. When yoga is practised, the forms which appear first and which gradually manifest Brahman are those or snow- flakes, smoke, sun, wind, fire, fire-flies, lightning, crystal and the moon.

12. When earth, water fire, air and akasa arise, that is to say, when the five attributes of the elements, mentioned in the books on yoga, become manifest then the yogi’s body becomes purified by the fire of yoga and he is free from illness, old age and death.

13. The precursors of perfection in yoga, they say, are lightness and healthiness of the body, absence of desire, clear complexion, pleasantness of voice, sweet odour and slight excretions.

14. As gold covered by earth shines bright after it has been purified, so also the yogi, realising the truth of Atman, becomes one with the non-dual Atman, attains the goal and is free from grief

15. And when the yogi beholds the real nature of Brahman, through the Knowledge of the Self, radiant as a lamp, then, having known the unborn and immutable Lord, who is untouched by ignorance and its effects, he is freed from all fetters.

16. He indeed, the Lord, who pervades all regions, was the first to be born and it is He who dwells in the womb of the universe. It is He, again, who is born as a child and He will be born in the future, He stands behind all persons and His face is everywhere.

17. The Self-luminous Lord, who is fire, who is in water, who has entered into the whole world, who is in plants, who is in trees-to that Lord let there be adoration! Yea, let there be adoration!

Chapter 3

1. The non-dual Ensnarer rules by His powers. Remaining one and the same, He rules by His powers all the worlds during their manifestation and continued existence. They who know this become immortal.

2. Rudra is truly one; for the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a second, He alone rules all the worlds by His powers. He dwells as the inner Self of every living being. After having created all the worlds, He, their Protector, takes them back into Himself at the end of time.

3. His eyes are everywhere, His faces everywhere, His arms everywhere, everywhere His feet. He it is who endows men with arms, birds with feet and wings and men likewise with feet. Having produced heaven and earth, He remains as their non-dual manifester.

4. He, the omniscient Rudra, the creator of the gods and the bestower of their powers, the support of the universe, He who, in the beginning, gave birth to Hiranyagarbha-may He endow us with clear intellect!

5. O Rudra, Thou who dwellest in the body and bestowest happiness! Look upon us with that most blessed form of Thine, which is auspicious, unterrifying and all good.

6. O Dweller in the body and Bestower of happiness, make benign that arrow which Thou holdest in Thy hand ready to shoot, O Protector of the body! Do not injure man or the world!

7. The Supreme Lord is higher than Virat, beyond Hiranyagarbha. He is vast and is hidden in the bodies of all living beings. By knowing Him who alone pervades the universe, men become immortal.

8. I know the great Purusha, who is luminous, like the sun and beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death; there is no other way to the Supreme Goal.

9. The whole universe is filled by the Purusha, to whom there is nothing superior, from whom there is nothing different, than whom there is nothing either smaller or greater; who stands alone, motionless as a tree, established in His own glory.

10. That which is farthest from this world is without form and without affliction They who know It become immortal; but others, indeed, suffer pain.

11. All faces are His faces; all heads, His heads; all necks, His necks. He dwells in the hearts of all beings. He is the all- pervading Bhagavan. Therefore He is the omnipresent and benign Lord.

12. He, indeed, is the great Purusha, the Lord of creation, preservation and destruction, who inspires the mind to attain the state of stainlessness. He is the Ruler and the Light that is imperishable.

13. The Purusha, no bigger than a thumb, is the inner Self, ever seated in the heart of man. He is known by the mind, which controls knowledge and is perceived in the heart. They who know Him become immortal.

14. The Purusha with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, compasses the earth on all sides and extends beyond it by ten fingers’ breadth.

15. The Purusha alone is all this-what has been and what will be. He is also the Lord of Immortality and of whatever grows by food.

16. His hands and feet are everywhere; His eyes, heads and faces are everywhere; His ears are everywhere; He exists compassing all.

17. Himself devoid of senses, He shines through the functions of the senses. He is the capable ruler of all; He is the refuge of all. He is great.

18. The Swan, the ruler of the whole world, of all that is moving and all that is motionless, becomes the embodied self and dwelling in the city of nine gates, flies outward.

19. Grasping without hands, hasting without feet, It sees without eyes, It hears without ears. It knows what is to be known, but no one knows It. They call It the First, the Great, the Full.

20. The Self, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of creatures. The wise, by the grace of the Creator, behold the Lord, majestic and desireless and become free from grief.

21. I know this undecaying, primeval One, the Self of all things, which exists everywhere, being all-pervading and which the wise declare to be free from birth. The teachers of Brahman, indeed, speak of It as eternal.

Chapter 4

1. He, the One and Undifferentiated, who by the manifold application of His powers produces, in the beginning, different objects for a hidden purpose and, in the end, withdraws the universe into Himself, is indeed the self-luminous-May He endow us with clear intellect!

2. That Supreme Self is Agni (Fire); It is Aditya (Sun); It is Vayu (Wind); It is Chandrama (Moon). That Self is the luminous stars; It is Hiranyagarbha; It is water; It is Virat.

3. Thou art woman, Thou art man; Thou

art youth and maiden too. Thou as an old man totterest along on a staff; it is Thou alone who, when born, assumest diverse forms.

4. Thou art the dark-blue bee; Thou art the green parrot with red eyes; Thou art the thunder-cloud, the seasons and the seas. Thou art beginningless and all-pervading. From Thee all the worlds are born.

5. There is one unborn prakriti-red, white and black-which gives birth to many creatures like itself. An unborn individual soul becomes attached to it and enjoys it, while another unborn individual soul leaves it after his enjoyment is completed.

6. Two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit; the other looks on without eating.

7. Seated on the same tree, the jiva moans, bewildered by its impotence. But when it beholds the other, the Lord worshipped by all and His glory, it becomes free from grief.

8. Of what use are the Vedas to him who does not know that indestructible Substance, that akasa-like Brahman, which is greater than the unmanifest and wherein the Vedas and all the gods are sheltered? Only those who know It attain bliss.

9. The sacred verses, the offerings (yajna), the sacrifices (kratu), the penances (vrata), the past, the future and all that the Vedas declare, have been produced from the imperishable Brahman. Brahman projects the universe through the power of Its maya. Again, in that universe Brahman as the jiva is entangled through maya.

10. Know, then, that prakriti is maya and that Great God is the Lord of maya. The whole universe is filled with objects which are parts of His being.

11. By truly realising Him who, though non-dual, dwells in prakriti, both in its primary and in its secondary aspect and in Whom this whole world comes together and dissolves-by truly realising Him Who is the Lord, the bestower of blessings, the Adorable God, one attains the supreme peace.

12. He, the creator of the gods and the bestower of their powers, the Support of the universe, Rudra the omniscient, who at the beginning gave birth to Hiranyagarbha-may He endow us with clear intellect!

13. He who is the sovereign of the gods, in whom the worlds find their support, who rules over all two-footed and four-footed beings-let us serve that God, radiant and blissful, with an oblation.

14. By realising Him who is subtler than the subtlest who dwells in the midst of the chaos, who is the Creator of all things and is endowed with many forms, who is the non-dual Pervader of the universe and all good-by realising Him one attains the supreme peace.

15. It is He who, in proper time, becomes the custodian of the universe and the sovereign of all; who conceals Himself in all beings as their inner Witness; and in whom the sages and the deities are united. Verily, by knowing Him one cuts asunder the fetters of death.

16. He who knows Brahman, who is all Bliss, extremely subtle, like the film that rises to the surface of clarified butter and is hidden in all beings-he who knows the radiant Deity, the sole Pervader of the universe, is released from all his fetters.

17. The Maker of all things, self-luminous and all-pervading, He dwells always in the hearts of men. He is revealed by the negative teachings of the Vedanta, discriminative wisdom and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection. They who know Him become immortal.

18. When there is no darkness of ignorance, there is no day or night, neither being nor non-being; the pure Brahman alone exists. That immutable Reality is the meaning of “That”; It is adored by the Sun. From It has proceeded the ancient wisdom.

19. No one can grasp Him above, across, or in the middle. There is no likeness of Him. His name is Great Glory (Mahad Yasah).

20. His form is not an object of vision; no one beholds Him with the eyes. They who, through pure intellect and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection, realise Him as abiding in the heart become immortal.

21. It is because Thou, O Lord, art birthless, that some rare souls, frightened by birth and death, take refuge in Thee. O Rudra, may Thy benign face protect me for ever!

22. O Rudra, do not, in Thy wrath, destroy our children and grand-children. Do not destroy our lives; do not destroy our cows or horses; do not destroy our strong servants. For we invoke Thee always, with oblations, for our protection.

Chapter 5

1. In the Immutable, infinite Supreme Brahman remain hidden the two: knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance leads to worldliness and knowledge, to Immortality. Brahman, who controls both knowledge and ignorance, is different from both.

2. He, the non-dual Brahman, who rules over every position; who controls all forms and all sources; who, in the beginning, filled with knowledge the omniscient Hiranyagarbha, His own creation, whom He beheld when He (Hiranyagarbha) was produced-He is other than both knowledge and ignorance.

3. At the time of the creation the Lord spreads out individual nets in various ways and then at the time of the cosmic dissolution withdraws them into the great prakriti. Again the all-pervading Deity creates the aggregates of body and senses, both individual and collective and their controllers also and thus exercises His overlordship.

4. As the sun shines, illumining all the quarters-above, below and across-so also God, self-resplendent, adorable and non- dual, controls all objects, which themselves possess the nature of a cause.

5-6. He who is the cause of all and who enables all things to function according to their nature; who brings to maturity all that can be ripened; who, being non-dual, rules over the whole universe and engages the gunas in their respective functions-He is concealed in the Upanishads, the secret part of the Vedas. Brahma knew Him who can be known only from the evidence of the Vedas. The gods and seers of olden times who knew Him became Brahman and attained Immortality.

7. Endowed with gunas, the jiva performs action, seeking its fruit; and again, it reaps the fruit of what it has done. Assuming all forms and led by the three gunas, the jiva, ruler of the pranas, roams about following the three paths, according to its deeds.

8. Of the size of a thumb, but brilliant, like the sun, the jiva possesses both volition and egoism. It is endowed with the qualities of both buddhi and Atman. Therefore it is seen as another entity, inferior and small as the point of a goad.

9. Know the embodied soul to be a part of the hundredth part of the point of a hair divided a hundred times; and yet it is infinite.

10. It is not female, it is not male, nor is it neuter. whatever body it takes, with that it becomes united.

11. By means of desires, contact, attachment and delusion, the embodied soul assumes, successively, diverse forms in various places, according to its deeds, just as the body grows when food and drink are poured into it.

12. The embodied soul, by means of good and evil deeds committed by itself, assumes many forms, coarse and fine. By virtue of its actions and also of such characteristics of the mind as knowledge and desire, it assumes another body for the enjoyment of suitable objects.

13. He who knows the Lord, who is without beginning or end, who stands in the midst of the chaos of the world, who is the Creator of all things and is endowed with many forms-he who knows the radiant Deity, the sole Pervader of the universe, is released from all his fetters.

14. Those who know Him who can be realised by the pure heart, who is called incorporeal, who is the cause of creation and destruction, who is all good and the creator of the sixteen parts-those who know the luminous Lord are freed from embodiment.

Chapter 6

1. Some learned men speak of the inherent nature of things and some speak of time, as the cause of the universe. They all, indeed, are deluded. It is the greatness of the self-luminous Lord that causes the Wheel of Brahman to revolve.

2. He by whom the whole universe is constantly pervaded is the Knower, the Author of time. He is sinless and omniscient, It is at His command that the work which is called earth, water, fire, air and akasa appears as the universe. All this should be reflected upon by the wise.

3. The yogi who first performs actions and then turns away from them and who practises one, two, three, or eight disciplines, unites one principle with another principle and with the help of virtues cultivated by the self and of subtle tendencies attains Liberation in course of time.

4. He who attains purity of heart by performing actions as an offering to the Lord and merges prakriti and all its effects in Brahman, realises his true Self and thereby transcends phenomena. In the absence of maya, both collective and individual, all his past actions are destroyed. After the destruction of the prarabdha karma he attains final Liberation.

5. The Great Lord is the beginning, the cause which unites the soul with the body; He is above the three kinds of time and is seen to be without parts. After having worshipped that adorable God dwelling in the heart, who is of many forms and is the true source of all things, man attains final Liberation.

6. He from whom this universe proceeds is higher and other than all forms of the Tree of the World and of time. When one knows Him who is the indweller, the bringer of good, the destroyer of evil, the Lord of powers, the immortal support of all, one attains final Liberation.

7. We know Him who is the Supreme Lord of lords, the Supreme Deity of deities, the Ruler of rulers; who is higher than the imperishable prakriti and is the self- luminous, adorable Lord of the world.

8. He is without a body or organs; none like unto Him is seen, or better than He. The Vedas speak of His exalted power, which is innate and capable of producing diverse effects and also of His omniscience and might.

9. He has no master in the world, no ruler, nor is there even a sign of Him by which He can be inferred. He is the cause, the Lord of the lord of the organs; and He is without progenitor or controller.

10. May the non-dual Lord, who, by the power of His maya, covered Himself, like a spider, with threads drawn from primal matter, merge us in Brahman!

11. The non-dual and resplendent Lord is hidden in all beings. All-pervading, the inmost Self of all creatures, the impeller to actions, abiding in all things, He is the Witness, the Animator and the Absolute, free from gunas.

12. There is a non-dual Ruler of the actionless many; He makes the one seed manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves-and not to others.

13. He is the Eternal among the eternal, the Conscious among the conscious and though non-dual, fulfils the desires of many. He who has known Him, the luminous Lord, the Great Cause, to be realised by Knowledge (Samkhya) and yoga, is freed from all fetters.

14. The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings- much less this fire. He shining, everything shines after Him. By his light all this is lighted.

15. In this universe the Swan, the Supreme Self alone exists. It is He who, as fire, abides in the water. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death, There is no other way to reach the Supreme Goal.

16. He who is the support of both the unmanifested prakriti and the jiva, who is the Lord of the three gunas and who is the cause of bondage, existence and Liberation from samsara, is verily the Creator of the universe, the Knower, the inmost Self of all things and their Source- the omniscient Lord, the Author of time, the Possessor of virtues, the Knower of everything.

17. He who constantly rules the world is verily the cause of bondage and Liberation. Established in His own glory, He is the Immortal, the Embodiment of Consciousness, the omnipresent Protector of the universe. There is no one else able to rule it.

18. Seeking Liberation, I take refuge in the Lord, the revealer of Self-Knowledge, who in the beginning created Brahma and delivered the Vedas to Him.

19-20. When men shall roll up space as if it were a piece of hide, then there will be an end of misery without one’s cultivating the Knowledge of the Lord, who is without parts, without actions, tranquil, blameless, unattached, the supreme bridge to Immortality, an like a fire that has consumed all its fuel.

21. Through the power of austerity and through the grace of the Lord, the sage Svetasvatara realised Brahman and proclaimed the highly sacred Knowledge, supremely cherished by the company of seers, to sannyasins of the most advanced stage.

22. The profound mystery in the Vedanta was taught in the previous cycle. It should not be given to one whose passions have not been subdued, nor to one who is not a son or a disciple.

23. If these truths have been told to a high-minded person who feels the highest devotion for God and for his guru as for God, then they will surely shine forth as inner experiences-then, indeed, they will shine forth.

The Peace Chant

Om. That is full; this is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness.

When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

I. The Discrimination of the Self from Objects

1. Salutation to the lotus feet of my guru Sri Shankarananda, who destroys self- ignorance, the cause of attachment to the belief that the pursuit of happiness through objects can bring lasting peace.

2. This discussion unfolding the discrimination between the self and the non-self is undertaken for the clear understanding of those whose hearts have been purified by service at the feet of the guru.

3. The objects of sense knowledge (sound, sight, taste, touch and smell) that are perceived in the waking state have different properties, but the conscious- ness/ awareness of these is one.

4. In the dream state, the perceived objects are transient; in the waking state, they seem permanent. But the consciousness/awareness that knows both dream and waking objects is the same.

5. Waking from deep sleep, one consciously remembers a lack of the perception of objects. Because one only remembers previously experienced objects, it is clear that in deep sleep a lack of knowledge of objects is experienced.

6. Ignorance of objects is the object of awareness in deep sleep. The awareness of the objects in the waking and dream states and the awareness of the lack of objects in deep sleep are the same.

7. Awareness is unchanging throughout all cycles of time past, present and future. Unlike the sun, awareness does not rise or set. It is never born. It does not die. It is self-revealing.

8. This awareness is the self of all beings. Its nature is bliss because it is for the sake of the self that people wish to never die and to live forever.

9. Others are loved for the sake of the self, but the self is loved for none other. Therefore, the love for the self is the highest.

10. Scripture establishes by reasoning that the individual self and the impersonal self are of the nature of existence, awareness and bliss. The Upanishads teach that the individual and the limitless self are one.

11. If it is not clearly known that the self is limitless bliss, there will not be intense love for it. When it is known, there is no attraction for worldly objects because all one’s love goes to it. It is difficult to say that the self is either completely known or completely unknown.

12. For example, a single child’s voice singing in a chorus is drowned by the simultaneous voices of the other children. The bliss of the self is easily obscured by the daily small blisses occurring when desired objects are attained.

13. Experience of everyday objects leads to the conclusion that they are self- existent and self-revealing. An obstruction, like blindness, prevents an appreciation of the self-existence and self-revelation of objects.

14. The universal obstruction to the appreciation of oneself as awareness is beginningless Ignorance (Maya).

15. Nature (Prakriti), composed of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, is a subtle inert form of awareness that is capable of reflecting awareness. It is of two kinds.

17. The individual embodied self is apparently conditioned by Avidya (Sattva mixed with Rajas and Tamas.) The Jiva is multi-faceted and complex due to the many possible combinations of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and the Five Sheaths, which have many parts. Ignorance of the self (Avidya) is called the Causal Body. The Jiva identified with the Causal Body is called Prajna.

18. By the will of awareness in the form of Isvara and for the experience of Prajna, the five subtle elements (Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth) arose from the part of Prakriti in which Tamas predominates.

19. From the Sattvic part of each of Prakriti’s five subtle elements arose in turn the five sense organs: hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell.

20. From a combination of the Sattvic portions of the five subtle elements the organ of inner experience arose. It is called the Subtle Body, Antahkarana. The Antahkarana functions in two ways: it doubts and it determines. In its doubting function it is called Mind (Manas). Its determining, discriminating function is called Intellect (Buddhi).

21. From the Rajas portion of the five elements arose in turn the organs of action: speech, hands, feet, anus and sex.

22. Prana, the Vital Air, arose from the Rajas portion of the Five Subtle Elements (Tanmatras). It divided into the Five Physiological Functions: respiration (prana), excretion (apana), assimilation (samana), circulation (vyana) and the power to eject unwanted objects. It expels the Subtle Body from the Gross body at the time of death (udana).

23. The Five Sensory Organs, the Five Organs of Action, the Five Vital Airs, Mind, Intellect and Ego together form the Subtle Body.

24. When Prajna, the Jiva, identifies with an individual Subtle Body it is called Taijasa, “The Shining One,” or the dreamer. When Isvara identifies with all subtle bodies, it is known as Hiranyagarbha, “The Golden Egg.”

25. Isvara sees all subtle bodies as itself. Taijasas are only identified with themselves. They see differences.

26. To provide individual Jivas with objects of enjoyment and make their bodies fit for enjoyment, awareness as Isvara causes each of the subtle elements to share a part of each of the other subtle elements.

27. Dividing each subtle element into two equal halves and again dividing one half of each into four equal parts, Isvara mixed the subtle elements so that the resulting gross elements would contain one half of their original natures and one-eighth portion of each of the other four.

28. From these composite elements the cosmic egg arose and from it evolved all the worlds, the objects of experience and the bodies in which experience takes place. When Hiranyagarbha identifies with the totality of Gross Bodies it is known as Vaisvanara. When Taijasa identifies with the Gross Bodies of animals, men or gods it is known as Viswa.

29. Viswas, waking-state Jiva entities, see only external things and are devoid of the knowledge of their true nature. Therefore, they perform actions for results they believe will make them happy. They enjoy performing action.

30. They pass from birth to birth like insects that have hatched and fallen into a river. They are swept from one whirlpool to another by samsara’s restless currents, never attaining peace.

31. When their good deeds bear fruit they enjoy temporary rest, as if they had been removed from the river by a kind person and set on the shore.

32. Similarly, individuals caught in the whirlpool of samsara sometimes receive teaching from a teacher who has realized the self and, differentiating the self from its Five Sheaths, attain the supreme bliss of release.

33. The Five Sheaths of the self are: Food, Vital Air, Mental, Intellect and Bliss. Identified with them it apparently forgets its real nature and is aparently subject to transmigration.

34. The Gross Body is known as the annamayakosa, or the Food Sheath. That portion of the Subtle Body which is composed of the Five Vital Airs and the Five Organs of Action evolves from Rajas and is called the prana-mayakosa, or the Vital Air Sheath.

35. The doubting mind and Five Organs of Knowledge make up the mano- mayakosa, the Mind Sheath. The Intellect and the jnanindriyas make up the vignanamayakosa, the Intellect Sheath. They evolve from Sattva.

36. The impure Sattva, which is the Causal Body, bliss and other mental modifications in seed form (vrittis), is called the anandamayakosa, or the Bliss Sheath. When the self identifies with the various Sheaths it seems to take on the attributes of the Sheath with which it is identified.

37. By differentiating the unchanging self from the ever-changing Five Sheaths one can realize the nature of the self with and without the Sheaths.

38. The physical body, present in the waking state and absent in the dream state, is an inconstant factor but the witnessing element, pure awareness, is present in both and is therefore the invariable factor.

39. Similarly, in the state of deep sleep the Subtle Body does not exist but awareness witnesses that state, so the Subtle Body is inconstant and the self the constant factor.

40. Using the Subtle Body, one discriminates the Sheaths, which are the result of the Three Gunas, from the self.

41. In the state of nirvikalpa samadhi the microcosmic Causal Body does not exist, so it is an inconstant factor. In nirvikalpa samadhi the self exists as the witnessing awareness and therefore it is invariable.

42. As the pith of the munja grass can be drawn out from its gross covering, the self can be distinguished through reasoning from the three bodies or the Five Sheaths. It is then recognized as unconditioned awareness.

43. In this way the identity of awareness and Jiva is demonstrated through reasoning. This identity is taught in the sacred texts in sentences such as “You are That.” The method of self-realization is through the elimination of variable attributes.

44. The self, awareness, becomes the material and efficient cause of the world when it is associated with those aspects of Maya in which there is a predominance of Tamas and Sattva respectively.

45. When the self is under the spell of Avidya, Ignorance, it associates with Rajas and Tamas and becomes a Jiva, pursuing its desires by means of various activities. “You” in the statement “You are That” refers to the Jiva.

46. When the Three Gunas are rejected as apparent realities, the self alone remains. The self ’s nature is existence, awareness and bliss. This is revealed by the statement, “You are That.”

47. In the sentence, “This is that Devadatta,” “this” and “that” refer to different times, places and circumstances. When the particulars of “this” and “that” are eliminated, Devadatta remains as their common basis.

48. Similarly, when the apparently conditioning adjuncts Maya and Avidya are removed, the self alone remains. The nature of the self is existence, consciousness and bliss.

Verses 49-52 omitted

53. Understanding the meaning of the identity of the individual self (Jivatman) and the limitless self (Paramatman) by contemplating the great sayings such as “You are That” is known as sravana. Eliminating logical fallacies brought about by the apparently contradictory nature of reality is called mananam.

54. When sravana and manana result in the hard and fast conviction that the self is limitless, it is called nididhyasana, firm, clear knowledge (samyak darshanam), which is tantamount to freedom from insecurity, incompleteness, etc.

55 to 58. When the mind gradually lets go of the idea, “I am meditating,” and is merged in the self alone it becomes steady like the flame of a lamp in a breezeless spot. Though in this samadhi there is no awareness of meditator and the object of meditation, the existence of the merged mind is inferred after coming out of the samadhi. The mind continues to be fixed in the self in the state of samadhi as a result of an effort of will helped by the merits acquired in previous births and strong impressions (vasanas) created through the constant efforts to attain samadhi.

59. As a result of nirvikalpa samadhi countless results of actions accumulated in this beginningless world over past and present births (vasanas) are destroyed, and the dharma that is helpful to self-realization grows.

60. The experts in Yoga call this samadhi a rain cloud of dharma (punyam) because it pours forth countless showers of the bliss of dharma.

61. The network of desires is destroyed and the accumulated merits and demerits are rooted out by this samadhi.

62. Then the great statement “You are That” frees one of all doubts about one’s nature and gives rise to direct realization of the self – which previously was known indirectly.

63. The knowledge of awareness obtained indirectly from the Guru that teaches the meaning of “You are That” renders the vasanas in play before the attainment of self-knowledge non-binding.

64. The direct realization of self-knowledge obtained from the teaching “You are That” is like a scorching sun, dispelling the darkness of self-ignorance, the root of transmigration.

65. Thus a person distinguishes the self from the Five Sheaths, concentrates the mind on it according to the teaching, becomes free from the bonds of repeated births and deaths and immediately experiences limitless bliss.

II. The Differentiation of the Five Elements ~ Beautiful, Intelligent Ignorance

1. The Upanishads say the self is non-dual and can be known by differentiating it from the Five Elements. This process will now be discussed in detail.

2. The properties of the Five Elements are sound, touch, color, taste and smell. The number of properties of the Five Elements successively are one, two, three, four and five.

3. Because sounds arise in Space we infer that the property of Space is sound. Air makes a rustling sound when it moves and it feels neither hot nor cold to the touch. Flames make crackling sounds.

4. Fire is hot and its color is red. Water makes a rippling sound, is cold to the touch, colorless and sweet in taste.

5. The Earth makes a rattling sound, is hard to the touch, comes in variegated colors and is sweet, sour and so forth in taste.

6. The Earth emits both pleasant and unpleasant smells. Thus the characteristic properties of the five elements are enumerated.

7. The five properties are cognized by the five sense organs. The organs (indriyam) belong to the invisible Subtle Body. The sense instruments (golakam) are in the perceivable Gross Body.

8. The five senses function through the gross organs: the ears, the skin, the eyes, the tongue and the nose. The senses are subtle; their presence is inferred from their functions. They usually move outwards.

9. But sometimes we hear the sounds made by our ingoing and outgoing breaths and we hear a buzzing sound when our ears are stopped. We feel an internal sensation of hot and cold when food and water are swallowed.

10. When our eyes are closed, we see the absence of light inside, and in belching we experience taste and odor. Thus the sense organs give rise to experience of things within the physical body.

11. The actions of human beings can be classified into five main groups: speech, grasping, movement, excretion and sexual intercourse.

12. The five types of action are performed through the five organs of action – the mouth (speech, taste), the hands (grasping), the feet (locomotion), the anus (excretion) and the genitals (procreation).

14. The mind inquires into the merits and defects of objects perceived by the senses. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas cause the mind to undergo various modifications.

15. Non-attachment, forgiveness, generosity, etc. are the result of the influence of Sattva. Desire, anger, avarice, effort, etc. are the result of the influence of Rajas.

16. Lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, procrastination, etc. are the result of the influence of Tamas. When Sattva functions, merit is acquired; when Rajas functions, demerit is produced.

17. When Tamas functions, neither merit nor demerit is produced, but life is wasted.

18. The ego, or I-thought, is the agent that acts out the modifications of the mind.

19. It is evident that the clearly discernible sense stimuli are caused by the Five Elements. With the help of scriptural texts and reasoning it can be seen that the subtle elements are the basis of the senses and the mind.

20. Whatever is perceived by the senses, experienced by the organs of action, known by the mind and intellect is referred to as “this” (idam) in the Upanishad text that follows.

21. “Before all this was created there was only non-dual being, alone, one without a second. There was neither name nor form.” ~ Chandogya Upanishad

22. Differences are of three kinds: (1) The differences within and object. (2) The difference between members of the same class. (3) The difference between two classes: species, for instance.

23. The doubt may arise that the self, the one and only reality, may also have differences. But all differences in the three worlds (Gross, Subtle and Causal) are dismissed by the Upanishads in the words, “All this is the non-dual self.”

24. One cannot doubt that awareness, the self, the one and only reality, has no parts. As creation is only the appearance of names and forms – parts cannot exist before creation.

25. Therefore the self, limitless awareness, is partless like space and there are no differences in it.

26. The difference between objects of the same class does not apply to awareness, because nothing else exists. One object differs from another on account of its name and form, whereas the self is without name and form.

27. Because non-existence does not exist, it cannot be used as an argument to disprove the existence of the self.

28. It is established by scripture that the self (sat) is non-dual.

Verses 29-39 Omitted

40. What remains after the Sheaths have been negated is an unmoving and ungraspable, unnamed, unnameable, unmanifest, apparently indefinite, all- pervading, space-like something, beyond light and darkness.

Verses 41-42 omitted

43. During sleep all objects and the experiencing entity itself is resolved, yet I remain as pure existence. I sleep because I know that I happily exist beyond time and space and thought. And there are times in the waking state when the mind becomes free of duality. No thoughts are there to seemingly divide it yet I happily exist without thoughts and my existence is not localized. I am not a knower then. I experience myself without the aid of a mind. Furthermore, I experience myself as the “silence,” or the “space,” between thoughts.

Objector: During silence we do not experience pure existence, we experience nothingness.

44. The self, pure being, can be experienced when all the activities in the Subtle Body cease. At that time what is experienced is not nothing, because one cannot be conscious of nothing. Either you are conscious of things, in which case you are awareness or, in the absence of things, you are aware of awareness. If you are aware of awareness, you are awareness.

45. Objector: Okay, I accept your argument. However, the nothingness thought and the existence thought is not present in silence. You need thoughts, a means of knowledge, to prove the existence of pure existence/awareness.

46. During sleep I am experientially pure, blissful consciousness until the Subtle Body becomes active and thought and emotional transactions begin. Similarly, before Maya/Isvara appeared, pure, blissful consciousness existed.

47. As you cannot separate fire and its power to burn, there is a power, Maya Shakti, in awareness, which is totally dependent on awareness. It cannot be known directly but can be inferred by its effects.

48. One cannot say that Maya is “nothing,” because nothingness is an idea, an effect of Maya. An effect cannot be identical with its cause, because the cause is subtler than the effect. Maya is neither non-existence (asat) nor existence (sat, awareness) but something altogether different.

49. The peculiar nature of Maya is mentioned in an Upanishad. It says that before creation there were neither objects nor non-existence, but there was “darkness,” by which is meant Maya. This does not mean that Maya exists independently of the self, but that it borrows whatever degree of reality it has from the self.

50. Hence, like nothingness, Maya is not a standalone entity. In the apparent

reality too Jivas are not considered to be different from their abilities.
51 to 53. Objector: How can you discount Shakti? It makes a difference. People with high energy have more successful lives. Actualized energy is real.

54. The power of the earth to produce pots does not apply everywhere but only to those places where clay exists. Maya does not operate on the whole of the self but only on a small part of it.

55 to 57. Scripture makes the following statements: “Creation is only a small fraction of the vast limitlessness of awareness. The remainder is self-revealing; it does not depend on Maya to reveal itself. The world is sustained by a small part of the self. The self pervades the world on every side and extends ten fingers beyond.”

58. Although the self is a partless whole, the Upanishad speaks in terms of parts to make it easier to understand its non-dual nature to someone who is accustomed to thinking in dualistic terms.

59. With awareness as its substrate, Maya creates the objects of the world, just as an artist draws many-colored pictures on a white canvas.

The Evolution of the Elements

60. The first product (vikara) of Maya is Space. Space provides a field in which objects and beings can come into existence, grow and die. It accommodates things. Space is not a standalone principle, but derives its existence from awareness, its substratum.

61. The nature of awareness, the self, is existence. There is no Space in it.

62. The property of Space is sound. Awareness is soundless because there is nothing other than it. For sound, duality – friction – is required. Thus Space has two properties, sound and existence, whereas awareness is only existence.

The Reversal

63. The power of Maya projects Space on the self, creating an apparent duality and reversing the relationship between existence and the objects appearing in it.

65 to 66. It is common knowledge that correct understanding born of a legitimate means of knowledge makes things appear as they are and that a projection causes them to appear to be different from what they are. Now the teaching on Space is unfolded.

68. Existence/awareness, is the substance of Space. It pervades Space but Space does not pervade it, because Space is less subtle. Space pervades the elements that subsequently evolve from it. When by the exercise of reason Space is separated from awareness, Space disappears and is robbed of its power to accommodate objects.

70. There are two types of non-existence: (1) non-appearing non-existence – a rabbit’s horn, for instance, and (2) appearing non-existence – a snake in a rope.

71. Objector: How is this possible? You are actually asking us to appreciate two as one, duality as non-duality.

72 to 73. Objector: I understand clearly as it is explained, but I can’t seem to apply it at other times. I am not able to derive the benefit of this wisdom. What should I do? I have self-knowledge, but it is not firm.

74. Meditation will not produce an experience that will prove non-duality and validate this knowledge.

75. Space presents itself to me, awareness, and is revealed in my light. Awareness ever reveals itself to me because I am awareness and I am always present.

76. When the discrimination vasana is sufficiently nourished through constant practice, the enlightened person is wonderstruck at the worldly person’s belief that the world, i.e. Space, is real.

77. When one is firmly convinced that Space and the self are not the same, one should differentiate the other elements from the self, using the same logic.

78. Awareness is all-pervasive. Maya is dependent on awareness, and is more limited than awareness, but less limited than its effects, i.e. Space and the elements that evolve from Space. Air is more limited than Space because it is an effect of Space, but it is more pervasive than Fire, which evolves from it. Etc.

79. The properties of Air are ability to absorb moisture, perceptibility to touch and

the power to move. Existence and the properties of Maya and Space are also found in Air.

80. When we say Air exists, we mean that it does so by virtue of the non-dual universal principle, existence. If existence is subtracted from Air, only the potential idea of Air remains in Maya. The sounds experienced in the Air belongs to Space, which pervades it. Sound is the property of Space.

81. What is “real” in Air is existence. (Its existence is borrowed from aware- ness. Air becomes non-existent when separated from awareness.) The other borrowed properties of Air, such as sound, are apparently real. Understanding the apparent reality of air by reason and contemplation, give up the false notion that it is real.

87. Apply the same discrimination to the Fire element. It is less pervasive (extensive) than Air. Water and Earth are successively less pervasive. Fire is superimposed, i.e. it evolves, from Air.

88. Fire is formed from a ninety-percent portion of Air, and in this way each element is ten percent less pervasive than the preceding one. This is the traditional theory described in the Puranas.

89. Heat, light and color are the specific properties of Fire in addition to the properties of Maya, Space, Air and awareness. Fire can be heard, felt and seen. By discrimination understand that the properties of Fire are only apparently real.

91. Make sure you have internalized the preceding discriminations by listening (sravanam) and thinking (mananam) before you discriminate Water from existence/ awareness. Water evolves (is superimposed) and ten percent less pervasive than Fire.

92. Its seeming reality apart from existence, i.e. its perceptibility to the sense of sound, touch and sight, is derived from Maya, Space, Air and Fire respectively. Its specific property is taste.

93. Since the apparent reality of Water, considered apart from existence has thus been established, let us now consider Earth, which is ten percent less extensive than Water.

94. Earth exists. It borrows its existence from existence/awareness. Apart from that,

it is perceptible to the sense of sound, touch, sight and taste. Its specific property is smell. Its difference from awareness is obvious, its reality less so.

95. Now we consider the Cosmos (Baudika Prapancha). The first is Bramandam, the cosmic “egg.” It is elliptical in shape. It is one-tenth less extensive than the Earth element. It exists in the middle of the Earth element.

96. The cosmos contains the seventeen worlds and the bodies suited to each world. The Jivas enjoy the world in which they find themselves by virtue of the law of karma.

97. If the Cosmos is separated from the existence which underlies it, all the worlds and all objects are reduced to appearances (mithya).

Conditioned Superimposition Is Liberation

98. It does not matter if one continues to experience a world once it is understood to be mithya. All worlds exist in the lower order of the one reality and I, the observing non-experiencing witness, am situated in the higher order of reality.

99. When a deep impression (jagan mithya vasana) has been created in the mind about the apparent nature of Maya, the elements and their derivatives, the knowledge of the nature of the self becomes permanent.

100. Whatever classifications of objects one finds in various philosophies are fine with us because they are all mithya.

101. Vedanta is only concerned with two existential classifications: satya and mithya. If you complain that we ignore or discount the world of duality, we wonder why you ignore non-duality.

102. Understanding the relationship between satya and mithya should become natural. When “I am awareness” and “I am not the body” have the same meaning, you are liberated while living. Clear knowledge is liberation as you live.

103 to 105. Referring to a liberated person, scripture says, “When duality disappears as a result of discriminating the self from the elements, the person of steady wisdom abides in awareness as awareness. He is free of ‘rebirth,’ re- identifying with a fear or desire when it arises in the mind, because the vasanas that cause rebirth have been neutralized by the knowledge ‘I am awareness.’ He does not forget who he is when the body dies.”

106. The liberated person is not affected by delusion, and is awareness whether the body dies healthy or from illness, sitting in meditation or writhing in agony, conscious or unconscious.

107. The knowledge of one’s name in the waking state is lost during the dream and deep sleep states, but it returns when one wakes. Similarly, self- knowledge is never lost.

108. The knowledge of awareness, based on the teachings of Vedanta, cannot be dismissed, because there is no evidence that contradicts them.

109. Therefore the knowledge of non-dual Reality established by Vedanta is not negated however one interprets the phrase “at the last moment.” The discrimination of the elements from awareness ensures abiding peace.

(The Upanishads, (Vol. I, II, III, IV), (1975) Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, USA.)

First Mundaka, Chapter 1

1. Om. Brahma, the Maker of the universe and the Preserver of the world, was the first among the devas. He told His eldest son Atharva about the Knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge.

2. The Knowledge of Brahman about which Brahma told Atharva, Atharva, in olden times, told Angir. Angir taught it to Satyavaha, belonging to the clan of Bharadvaja, and the latter taught it, in succession, to Angiras

3. Saunaka, the great householder, approached Angiras in the proper manner and said: Revered sir, what is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?

4. To him he said: Two kinds of knowledge must be known—that is what the knowers of Brahman tell us. They are the Higher Knowledge and the lower knowledge.

5. Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama- Veda, the Atharva-Veda, siksha (phonetics), kalpa (rituals), vyakaranam (grammar), nirukta (etymology), chhandas (metre), and jyotis (astronomy); and the Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Brahman is attained.

6. By means of the Higher Knowledge the wise behold everywhere Brahman, which otherwise cannot be seen or seized, which has no root or attributes, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; which is eternal and omnipresent, all-pervading and extremely subtle; which is imperishable and the source of all beings.

7. As the spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as hair grows on the head and the body of a living man—so does everything in the universe arise from the Imperishable.

8. Brahman expands by means of austerity, and from It primal matter is produced; from matter, Prana; from Prana, mind; from mind, the elements; from the elements, the worlds; thence works, and from the works, their immortal fruits.

9. For him who knows all and understands everything, whose austerity consists of knowledge—from Him, the Imperishable Brahman, are born Brahma, name, form, and food.

Chapter 2

1. This is the Truth: The sacrificial works which were revealed to the rishis in the hymns have been described in many ways in the three Vedas. Practise them, being desirous to attain their true results. This is your path leading to the fruits of your works.

2. When the fire is well lighted and the flames flicker, let a man offer his oblations in the space between the two portions of melted butter.

3. If a man’s Agnihotra sacrifice is not accompanied by the Darsa and the Paurnamasa sacrifice, by the Four Months’ sacrifice and the Autumnal sacrifice; if it is unattended by hospitality to guests or if the oblations are not offered at the right time; or if the sacrifice is unaccompanied by the Vaisvadeva ceremony or is improperly performed— then it destroys his seven worlds.

4. Kali (the Black), Karali (the Terrific), Manojava (the Swift as thought), Sulohita (the Very red), Sudhumravarna (of the colour of bright smoke; purple), Splulingini (the Scintillating), and the luminous Visvaruchi (the All-gleaming, all-formed)— these seven, flickering about, form the seven tongues of the fire.

5. A man who performs the sacrifices when these flames are shining, and offers oblations at the right time, is carried by these oblations on the rays of the sun to where dwells the sole sovereign of the gods.

6. The luminous oblations say to the sacrifiers: Come hither! Come hither! And lead him on the rays of the sun, worshipping him all the while and greeting him with the pleasant words: This is the holy heaven of Brahma, earned by your good deeds.

7. But frail indeed are those rafts of sacrifices, conducted by eighteen persons, upon whom rests the inferior work; therefore they are destructible. Fools who rejoice in them as the Highest Good fall victims again and again to old age and death.

8. Fools, dwelling in darkness, but wise in their own conceit and puffed up with vain scholarship, wander about, being afflicted by many ills, like blind men led by the blind.

9. Children, immersed in ignorance in various ways, flatter themselves, saying: We have accomplished life’s purpose. Because these performers of karma do not know the Truth owing to their attachment, they fall from heaven, misery- stricken, when the fruit of their work is exhausted.

10. Ignorant fools, regarding sacrifices and humanitarian works as the highest, do not know any higher good. Having enjoyed their reward on the heights of heaven, gained by good works, they enter again this world or a lower one.

11. But those wise men of tranquil minds who lives in the forest on alms, practising penances appropriate to their stations of life and contemplating such deities as Hiranyagarbha, depart, freed from impurities, by the Path of the Sun, to the place where that immortal Person dwells whose nature is imperishable.

12. Let a brahmin, after having examined all these worlds that are gained by works, acquire freedom from desires: nothing that

is eternal can be produced by what is not eternal. In order that he may understand that Eternal, let him, fuel in hand, approach a guru who is well versed in the Vedas and always devoted to Brahman.

13. To that pupil who has duly approached him, whose mind is completely serene, and whose senses are controlled, the wise teacher should indeed rightly impart the Knowledge of Brahman, through which one knows the immutable and the true Purusha.

Second Mundaka, Chapter 1

1. This is the Truth: As from a blazing fire, sparks essentially akin to it fly forth by the thousand, so also, my good friend, do various beings come forth from the imperishable Brahman and unto Him again return.

2. He is the self-luminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure, and higher than the supreme Imperishable.

3. From Him are born prana, mind, all the sense-organs, Akasa, air, fire, water, and earth, which supports all.

4. The heavens are His head; the sun and moon, His eyes; the quarters, His ears; the revealed Vedas, His speech; the wind is His breath; the universe, His heart. From his feet is produced the earth. He is, indeed, the inner Self of all beings

5. From Him comes the Fire whose fuel is the sun; from the moon comes rain; from rain, the herbs that grow on the earth; from the herbs, the seminal fluid which a man pours into a woman. Thus many living beings are born of the Purusha.

6. From Him have come the Rik, the Saman, the Yajus, the Diksha, all sacrifices, the Kratus, gifts, the year, the sacrificer, and the worlds which the moon sanctifies and the sun illumines.

7. By Him are begotten the various devas, the sadhyas, men, cattle, birds, and also prana and apana, rice and corn, penance, faith, truth, continence, and law.

8. From Him have sprung the seven pranas, the seven flames, the seven kinds of fuel, the seven oblations, and also the seven planes where move the pranas, lying in the cave, which are seven in each living being.

9. From Him come all the oceans and the mountains; from Him flow rivers of every kind; from Him have come, as well, all plants and flavours, by which the inner self subsists surrounded by the elements.

10. The Purusha alone is verily the universe, which consists of work and austerity. O my good friend, he who knows this Brahman—the Supreme and the Immortal, hidden in the cave of the heart—cuts asunder even here the knot of ignorance.

Chapter 2

1. The Luminous Brahman dwells in the cave of the heart and is known to move there. It is the great support of all; for in It is centred everything that moves, breathes, and blinks. O disciples, know that to be your Self—that which is both gross and subtle, which is adorable, supreme, and beyond the understanding of creatures.

2. That which is radiant, subtler than the subtle, That by which all the worlds and their inhabitants are supported—That, verily, is the indestructible Brahman; That is the prana, speech, and the mind; That is the True and That is the Immortal. That alone is to be struck. Strike It, my good friend.

3. Take the Upanishad as the bow, the great weapon, and place upon it the arrow sharpened by meditation. Then, having drawn it back with a mind directed to the thought of Brahman, strike that mark, O my good friend—that which is the Imperishable

4. Om is the bow; the atman is the arrow; Brahman is said to be the mark. It is to be struck by an undistracted mind. Then the atman becomes one with Brahman, as the arrow with the target.

5. In Him are woven heaven, earth, and the space between, and the mind with all the sense-organs. Know that non-dual Atman alone and give up all other talk. He is the bridge to Immortality.

6. He moves about, becoming manifold, within the heart, where the arteries meet, like the spokes fastened in the nave of a chariot wheel. Meditate on Atman as Om. Hail to you! May you cross beyond the sea of darkness!

7. He who knows all and understands all, and to whom belongs all the glory in the world—He, Atman, is placed in the space in the effulgent abode of Brahman. He assumes the forms of the mind and leads the body and the senses. He dwells in the body, inside the heart. By the knowledge of That which shines as the blissful and immortal Atman, the wise behold Him fully in all things.

8. The fetters of the heart are broken, all doubts are resolved, and all works cease to bear fruit, when He is beheld who is both high and low.

9. There the stainless and indivisible Brahman shines in the highest, golden sheath. It is pure; It is the Light of lights; It is That which they know who know the Self.

10. The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, not to speak of this fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light everything is lighted.

11. That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.

Third Mundaka, Chapter 1

1. Two birds, united always and known by the same name, closely cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit; the other looks on without eating.

2. Seated on the same tree, the jiva moans, bewildered by his impotence. But when he beholds the other, the Lord worshipped by all, and His glory, he then becomes free from grief.

3. When the seer beholds the self- luminous Creator, the Lord, the Purusha, the progenitor of Brahma, then he, the wise seer, shakes off good and evil, becomes stainless, and reaches the supreme unity.

4. He indeed is Prana; He shines forth variously in all beings. The wise man who knows Him does not babble. Revelling in the Self, delighting in the Self, performing actions, he is the foremost among the knowers of Brahman.

5. This Atman, resplendent and pure, whom the sinless sannyasins behold residing within the body, is attained by unceasing practice of truthfulness, austerity, right knowledge, and continence

6. Truth alone prevails, not falsehood. By truth the path is laid out, the Way of the Gods, on which the seers, whose every desire is satisfied, proceed to the Highest Abode of the True.

7. That Brahman shines forth, vast, self- luminous, inconceivable, subtler than the subtle. He is far beyond what is far, and yet here very near at hand. Verily, He is seen here, dwelling in the cave of the heart of conscious beings.

8. Brahman is not grasped by the eye, nor by speech, nor by the other senses, nor by penance or good works. A man becomes pure through serenity of intellect; thereupon, in meditation, he beholds Him who is without parts.

9. That subtle Atman is to be known by the intellect here in the body where the prana has entered fivefold. By Atman the intellects of men are pervaded, together with the senses. When the intellect is purified, Atman shines forth.

10. Whatever world a man of pure understanding envisages in his mind and whatever desires he cherishes, that world he conquers and those desires he obtains, Therefore let everyone who wants prosperity worship the man who knows the Self.

Chapter 2

1. He, the Knower of the Self, knows that Supreme Abode of Brahman, which shines brightly and in which the universe rests. Those wise men who, free from desires, worship such a person transcend the seed of birth.

2. He who, cherishing objects, desires them, is born again here or there through his desires, But for him whose desires are satisfied and who is established in the Self, all desires vanish even here on earth.

3. This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through

intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature.

4. This Atman cannot be attained by one who is without strength or earnestness or who is without knowledge accompanied by renunciation. But if a wise man strives by means of these aids, his soul enters the Abode of Brahman.

5. Having realized Atman, the seers become satisfied with that Knowledge. Their souls are established in the Supreme Self, they are free from passions, and they are tranquil in mind. Such calm souls ever devoted to the Self, behold everywhere the omnipresent Brahman and in the end enter into It, which is all this.

6. Having well ascertained the Self, the goal of the Vedantic knowledge, and having purified their minds through the practice of sannyasa, the seers, never relaxing their efforts, enjoy here supreme Immortality and at the time of the great end attain complete freedom in Brahman.

7. The fifteen parts go back to their causes, and all the senses to their deities; the actions, and the Atman reflected in the buddhi, become one with the highest imperishable Brahman, which is the Self of all.

8. As flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their names and forms, so a wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Purusha, who is greater than the Great.

9. He who knows the Supreme Brahman verily becomes Brahman. In his family no one is born ignorant of Brahman. He overcomes grief; he overcomes evil; free from the fetters of the heart, he becomes immortal.

10. A Rik-verse declares: This Knowledge of Brahman should he told to those only who have performed the necessary duties, who are versed in the Vedas and devoted to Brahman, and who, full of faith, have offered oblations in the Ekarshi Fire and performed, according to rule, the rite of carrying fire on the head.

11. Thus the seer Angiras declared this truth in olden times. A man who has not performed the vow should not read it. Salutation to the great seers! Salutation to the great seers!

The Peace Chant

Om. May we, O gods, hear with our ears what is auspicious! May we, O worshipful gods, see with our eyes what is good!

May we, strong in limbs and body, sing your praise and enjoy the life allotted to us by Prajapati! Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

An ancient Sanskrit text on the nature of Reality 

Commentary by James Swartz 

At twilight a thirsty traveler approached a village well. Reaching down, she was frozen by fear when she saw a big snake coiled next to the bucket. Unable to move for fear of being bitten, she imagined terrible things, including her own death. At that time an old man coming to the well noticed her predicament. 

“What’s the problem?” he asked kindly. 

“Snake! Snake! Get a stick before it strikes!” she whispered frantically. 

The old man burst out laughing. “Hey!” he said, “Take it easy. That’s no snake.   It’s the well rope. It just looks like a snake in the darkness.” 

Though never in danger the misapprehended rope produced intense fear. Most of our existential fears and desires come from taking the limitless Self to be limited. The fear of the snake arose simultaneously with the misapprehension of the rope and vanished when the rope was correctly perceived. 

In the Mandukya Upanishad, an English version which is given below, the rope represents the limitless ‘I’ and the snake represents three limited ‘sub-I’s’: the waker, dreamer, and sleeper.  In the story the weary traveler, who represents human consciousness, projects a snake where there is only a rope and suffers because of it. The removal of this universal human error is the purpose of the Upanishad. 

This mistake took place in twilight, a symbol of normal perception, and represents the waking state entity’s partially-conscious state of mind. In broad daylight (full knowledge) or pitch darkness (total ignorance) no such error could have occurred. Because we’re so obsessed with the objects in our lives and our reaction to them we somehow fail to see our limitless nature even though Awareness is the most essential part of every transaction. And we are equally unaware that the snake borrows whatever reality it has from the rope, meaning that my life is meaningful because I exist, not the other way around. Even if we are indirectly aware of our essence we don’t understand that deep inquiry into it produces the knowledge that sets us free. 

The aim of the Mandukya is to help us inquire into the creation and arrive at an appreciation of the limitless ‘I’. But the investigation of the creation, as modern science will testify, is daunting because every advance in knowledge opens up a new area of ignorance. So the Upanishad takes a shortcut. First it contends, as do all Upanishads, that reality is non-dual. Then it argues that if reality is non-dual the world and the knower of the world, limitless Awareness, can not be different. So by equating the limitless I, Awareness, with the world, as it does in the first mantra “The whole cosmos is the word AUM” we are lead to an understanding of our world…our bodies, minds, and environments…through an understanding of the Self. 

 The world as we know it is not a strange Sanskrit term. Physically is is matter, the elements in various permutations and combinations. Psychologically it is subtle matter…our subjective experience: thought, feeling, perception, knowledge, memory, dreams, fantasies, etc.

In what sense is everything we experience AUM? 

Words are sound symbols, vibrations in consciousness. Of what is AUM the symbol? Science tells us that matter is energy in a state of motion or vibration. The energy that becomes the infinite range of gross and subtle matter by vibrating at different frequencies is symbolized in Vedic spiritual science as AUM. And because this is a non-dual reality composed only of Awareness (or Consciousness if you prefer), energy and matter, mind and matter, are just insentient forms of Awareness. 

Because our bodies and minds are insentient they can only be animated by the presence of Awareness, the sentient principle. The materialist view, which is based on sense organ epistemology, contends that consciousness, read Awareness, evolved from matter. But this is not reasonable because evolution implies a conscious agent in so far as it is obvious that ours is a purposeful intelligently designed creation. Though unchanging, Awareness is capable of inspiring movement in Its vehicles. 

Are the vehicles different from Awareness? Is the spider different from its web? Though apparently different from the spider, the web, which is part and parcel of the spider, is non-separate from it. It is the spider minus the intelligence to create and manipulate its creation. Likewise the universe, AUM, though apparently a vast field of vibrating subtle and gross matter, is nothing but subtle and gross forms of Awareness. How far, the sages say, is the wave from the ocean? 

Seen through the filter of time the limitless ‘I’ is said to be the cause of which the universe is an effect. Is the cause separate from its effect? The effect is the cause in a different form, just as a pot is not separate from the mud that sustains it. If we are little pots of awareness how far can we be from the Awareness that sustains all pots? 

 In this sense, the whole universe is Awareness, symbolized by the word “AUM.” 

The Mandukya’s definition of AUM, the limitless ‘I’, is: “That which exists in all periods of time, past, present and future, before the past and after the future.” And we can add a secondary definition: That which exists in all states of consciousness and beyond. Anything not conforming to this definition isn’t real. Experienceable, yes, temporarily existent, definitely, but only seemingly real. In spiritual science only what is eternal is considered to be real. Since all forms of Awareness, mind and matter, don’t fit the definition they are not the essential ‘I’. To set myself free I need to realize who I am without the body and mind. When I’m one hundred percent convinced my ‘I’ is limitless I can operate in the world of forms without being conditioned by them.  This freedom from dependence on the world of objects is called moksha in Vedanta and is the highest human goal. 

Since only one ‘I’ fits our definition and It is present and accounted for, its analysis is straightforward. If, for example, I wish to understand the nature of water I needn’t drink from every river, lake, and ocean in the world. I need only analyze one drop. If the creation is the limitless I, I need only inquire into myself to find out the nature of everything. 

The Waker, Dreamer and Deep Sleeper

As human beings we have three “egos” or experiencing entities. The first, the waking state ego, is Awareness, the limitless Self, shining through the body-mind-intellect bundle experiencing the world of material objects and the subtle world of feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas, memories, etc. 

Everyone primarily views his or herself as a waker. When I say “me” in conversation, I am referring to myself as a waking state entity. The belief that I am a waker, and, as our analysis will show, it is only a belief, comes with the conviction that the waking state physical, emotional, and intellectual objects are real.   

The waker’s awareness is turned outward, the Self shining through the senses, mind, intellect, illumining their respective objects. When idealistic metaphysics claims there is no world apart from the perceiver, it is simply saying that the Self doesn’t see a world unless it shines through the body, mind or intellect, not that the physical world doesn’t exist. Though it exists independently of the waker’s perceptions, it doesn’t exist apart from Awareness, the Self. 

The waker, vishwa, is a consumer of experience. The Sanskrit literature describing the waker calls it “the one with thirteen mouths.”  The ‘thirteen mouths’ refer to the ten senses, mind, intellect, and ego. These instruments are mouths in that, powered by the momentum of past experiences, they aggressively seek experience in the present. The physical body consumes matter, the five elements in various permutation combinations; the mind constantly chews emotion; the intellect eats ideas; and the ego gobbles any experience it believes will make it feel whole, adequate, and complete.

The dreamer, awareness turned inward, enjoys a world similar in some respects to the waking state world and radically different in others. In the dream state the Self illumines only subtle objects, a replay of the vasanas garnered in the waking state expressing in the form of images. In the waking state the vasanas express as the waker’s thoughts and feelings. Like the waker, the dreamer believes he or she and his or her world is real. The dreamer is equipped with the same instruments for experience as the waker: dream senses to consume dream objects, a dream mind to emote and feel, a dream intellect to think dream thoughts, and a dream ego to go about the business of experiencing the dream life. The dreamer is referred to in the Upanishad as taijaisa, the ‘shining one,’ a term indicating its nature as Awareness. All dreams appear in light, even though the waking senses are inactiveand permit no light to enter the mind, because the Self, Consciousness/Awareness, is shining through the dreamer, just as it shines through the waker.

Sleep is defined as the state, saturated with happiness, where one loses consciousness, doesn’t desire external objects, doesn’t see internal objects, and is both Self and self-ignorant. 

The sleeper is called pragna or mass of consciousness. In the other states consciousness flows outward and inward but in sleep it looses direction and becomes formless. The sleeper ego is extremely subtle, its presence indicated by the fact that we experience limitlessness and bliss. In the waking and dream states bliss is sporadic because it is broken by many divisions of thought and feeling. The knowledge of the sleep experience is seemingly inferential: we know of it because the waker reports a good sleep after it surrenders its status as a sleeper. Were the waker actually a different ego from the sleeper, or the dreamer, it wouldn’t recall the experience of sleep or dream. But the Upanishad says that the knowledge of sleep is not dependent on inference but on the presence of Awareness as it illumines the sleep state. 

The deep sleep state is free of both waking and dream egos and objects because the vasanas projecting them have become dormant; hence it is referred to as the ‘seed’ state.   When the ‘seeds’ sprout, one becomes a waker or a dreamer and experiences the appropriate world. 

Because the waking ego wasn’t there in sleep, the sleep state is often thought to be a void by metaphysicians and philosophers. In fact Sanskrit literature refers to it as ‘the womb,’ because our waking and dream worlds emerge from it. When you wake up in the morning your whole life is neatly laid out consistent with the day before, the same language you spoke yesterday on the tip or your tongue… indicating that previous experience had simply entered a dormant state. The dormant potential of the sleep state containing the macrocosmic vasanas  is called Ishwara, the Creator, in Vedantic literature.   With reference to the microcosmic vasanas the sleeper is called pragnya.

The sleep state is also known as the gateway between the waking and the dream states because it functions as a kind of room with two doors where the dreamer can don the guise of the waker and appear on either the waking or dreaming platform. Though a minor point, even in cases where one seems to be awakened directly out of a dream by a noise, for example, the dreamer passes through the sleep state. A motion picture image of a stationary object is actually dozens of individual images passing so fast they seem to be a solid object. Similarly, we can’t trust our experience in this case because the change is so fast we don’t notice it. 

Though they seem so, the three selves are not actually separate entities but apparently distinct entities created when the limitless I associates with a given state of consciousness. Associated with the waking state, the Self “becomes” a waking state personality, suffering and enjoying the limitations of the physical world, the senses, mind, intellect, ego, unconscious, and self-ignorance. The dreamer suffers the limitations of the mind, the unconscious, and self-ignorance. And the sleeper, the Self apparently merged into the unconscious, suffers only self-ignorance and limitless bliss.

These three states and egos are known to everyone and constitute the totality of the limited I’s experience. The purpose of the Upanishad is to raise doubt in the waker’s mind as to his or her identity. If I am the waking ego, which I’m completely convinced I am, what happens to me when I become a sleeper? I willingly surrender everything essential to my idea of myself (my body, mind, intellect, and all my physical possessions) and turn into a mass of limitless Consciousness.   

Yet I don’t seem to be content as a sleeper ego, the blissfully ignorant subtle being, because I sacrifice that status to suffer and enjoy the world created by my vasanas in waking or dream states. My dreamer identity is obviously equally insufficient because I always leave it to become a sleeper. So my status as any one ego or ego aspect is limited and my true identity open to question. 

Furthermore, if identity is happiness, any ego identity is limited since the happiness experienced in sleep disappears in the waking state. Dream happiness dissolves on waking, and waking happiness cannot be transported into sleep or dream. 

If I’m Real I Have to Exist All the Time

The answer to “Who am I” is that I am not any of these egos or ego states. If I’m real I have to exist all the time. I can’t suddenly be one thing one minute and something else the next; I experience life as a simple single complete conscious being. In fact I exist in the waking, dream, and deep sleep states independent of the waker, dreamer and deep sleeper. 

As what? 

As the limitless ‘I’, Awareness, the common factor and witness to the three states. Except for meditation, the Self is probably easiest to recognize in the dream state because the physical senses are inactive. The dream is playing on the screen of the mind like a movie and even though physical light is absent because the eyes are closed, the dream ego and the events in which it is participating are clearly illumined, a phenomenon commonly referred to as ‘lucid’ dreaming. The lucidity is the limitless I temporarily functioning as the dreamer, ‘the shining one.’ However, identification with the dream ego and its doings prevents us from properly appreciating the presence of the dream ‘light’, the Self. 

The Self is unknown in the waking state for the same reason. Preoccupied with the happenings in our worlds and minds, we are completely unaware that both the sense objects and our thoughts and feelings are bathed in the light of Awareness. 

In deep sleep the ego/intellect is dissolved into its source, the dormant seeds of its past actions, so it isn’t aware of either the Self or anything external. 

The three ego’s are called upahdis, limiting adjuncts, in Vedanta. An upadhi is something that apparently covers or conceals the nature of something else. If I put clear water in a colored glass, the water, seen through the glass, appears colored.   Similarly when I look at myself through my waking, dream, and sleep personalities, I seem to be three distinct personalities. However, when I remove the upadhi I can see what I really am. The removal or negation of the upahdis is simply knowing they are unreal, not going into some high ‘spiritual’ state to get rid of them. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras say liberation depends on destruction of the mind and the experience of samadhi but Vedanta says that the more one struggles to remove the thoughts the more one lends them reality, reinforcing Self ignorance. 

To further confused the issue, the waker and the dreamer are fractured into many sub-identities, upadhis within an upadhi, so that most of us are dealing with a confusing array of selves, none of which are real. Remember, ‘real’ in metaphysics means enduring, unchanging, unlimited. Because something is experienced does not make it real, the snake in the rope, the blue sky, and the rising sun, for example.   

With reference to my son, I’m a father. With reference to my father, a son.   With reference to my wife, I’m a husband. To my boss I’m an employee. I’m a devotee with reference to God and a taxpayer with reference to the government. With reference to myself I’m a success, failure, victim, victimizer, sports fan, audiophile or any of the thousands of ready-made identities available in the supermarket of identities that is modern life. The often conflicting roles we play as waking and dream state egos are limited by each other, other selves playing similar or different roles, and our ideas about the meaning of these roles and selves. Caught in this thicket of identities, is it any wonder I suffer? In the end, spiritual life, irrespective of the ostensible path, always boils down finding out who one is…minus all one’s roles and experiences. 

Not that anything is wrong with role playing. Society only functions efficiently when our roles are well-defined and we play them impeccably. But when we identify ourselves completely with our roles we suffer. Spiritually, identification with the role, not the role itself, is the problem. For example, though an actress identifies herself with the character, she seamlessly returns to her original identity when the curtain falls. Even though the audience believes her illusion, she remembers her real self throughout. 

After patient analysis I can see I’m not any of these personalities. What am I then? The limitless I. And what is the limitless I? The limitless I is called the substrate or adisthanam in Sanskrit. A substrate makes the error of limitation possible. The rope in our example, is a substrate, something whose nature is so subtle it is possible to mistake it for something else. The fact that I’m formless Awareness makes the playing of myriad roles possible.   

A substrate is also the essence, a form reduced to its ultimate nature. For example, a ring, a bracelet, and a necklace are three forms into which gold can be crafted. If the three are melted down, their forms are destroyed but nothing substantial is lost because the gold, their essence, remains. Meditation on the nature of the ‘I’ melts down the waker, dreamer, and sleeper and leaves the limitless I shining as the innermost Self of the seeker.   

When I look more carefully into the Self I find that I’m whole and complete. Nothing is missing. Because nothing is missing the Self has no need of desire. If I am desireless I am peaceful. I never change because all the changes that I desire are only for the sake of peace or happiness. When I look into my limitlessness I discover that I’m free of everything. Being free of limitation means that I’m eternally blissful, as I am in sleep. When I look into my bliss I see that my nature is pure love. 

If my real Self is like this, I won’t get caught up in the limited identities life asks me to play. Self-Realization/enlightenment/liberation/ salvation is not a mind-blowing mystical state but simply the condition of someone abiding in his or her real nature. To suppose that one must enter a transcendental superconscious ‘forth state’ to lose the waker, dreamer, sleeper identities is untrue. The enlightened sleep, dream, and carry on a normal waking life – minus the feeling of limitation bedeviling the unenlightened. Free of the expectation that experience should bring lasting happiness, they never deny duality, only it’s reality, because, like the snake in the rope, it isn’t actually there. 

Meditation

Even a careful reading of the Mandukya or a few teachings at the feet of a scriptural master would probably not produce the firm and lasting knowledge of oneself as the limitless I.  So in the eighth century a great sage, Gaudapada, added a meditation to the verses to help the seeker realize the Self. In this meditation the three states are symbolized by three sounds and the ‘forth state’ the limitless I, is referred to as soundless. Meditation on the three states confers certain benefits, but meditation on the Silence with right understanding produces liberation. 

Silence is twofold. Relative silence, a negative state, is merely the absence of sound and not the Self. Because sound is so distracting, spiritual literature often prescribes cultivating relative silence. But the Upanishad’s definition of sound includes mental and emotional noise. Often, only in relative silence do we realize how disturbed our consciousness is. The absence of thought is also relative silence. This is why a blank mind is not enlightenment.   

The second kind of silence is ‘absolute.’ Absolute means not opposed to sound. Absolute Silence is best realized in relative silence and could profitably be described as the Silence/Awareness because of which both sound and relative science are known. The absolute Silence is the Self, the Limitless I. 

Mandukya Upanishad

(1)   Om, the Word, is all this, a clear explanation of which follows: all that is past, present, and future is Om. Whatever is before the past and after the future is Om. 

(2)   All this is Om, the Limitless I. This Self is the limitless I. 

(3)   The first quarter (of the Self) is the waker whose field is the waking state, who is conscious of the external world of objects, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who enjoys the world’s gross objects. 

(4)   The second quarter is the dreamer whose field of experience is the dream state, who is conscious of the internal world of objects, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths and who enjoys the subtle objects of the dream world .   

(5)   The third quarter is the sleeper in whom all experiences become undifferentiated into a mass of consciousness, and who is the gateway to the waking and dream states. In the deep sleep state the sleeper neither sees or desires subtle or gross objects.   

(6)   The sleeper is the Lord of all manifest existence.   It is the knower of all, the inner controller, and the source of all. The sleep state is that from which all things originate and into which they all dissolve.   

(7)   The Self is known as “the forth” and is to be realized. It is neither conscious of the external or internal worlds, nor is it a mass of consciousness. It is not simple consciousness, nor is it unconscious. It cannot be seen by the senses, is unrelated to anything, incomprehensible to the mind, uninferable, unthinkable, and   indescribable. It’s nature is pure consciousness, the negation of all phenomena, non-dual, blissful, and peaceful. 

(8)   Viewed as sounds the Self is A, U, M. 

(9)   The one who meditates on the waking state as “A,” the first and most pervasive, fulfills all desires and becomes a leader. 

(10)   The one who meditates on the dream state as “U” because it is between and superior, attains superior knowledge and is treated fairly by all.   In his line of descendants everyone attains Self knowledge. 

(11)   The one who meditates on the sleep state as “M” as the measure and that wherein all things become one is able to realize the nature of things and beings and understand all things within himself. 

(12)   That which is partless, soundless, incomprehensible, beyond the senses, blissful, non-dual and that wherein all phenomena are resolved is the “forth,” the Self. The one who knows It dissolves the self in It. 

FOOTNOTES 

AUM or OM is a sound symbol of the limitless I.   In a scientific sense the verse means that the whole world is made of Consciousness in a state of vibration.   

Pure Awareness

Vedanta says that in a non-dual reality there is only Awareness. It is not awareness ‘of’ anything. It is ‘self-aware’ and needs no other awareness to know/see/perceive itself. It also does not need objects to reveal it. It is self revealing. To say that I know Awareness, assuming that the ‘I’ that knows is different from Awareness, would be like taking a flashlight out in the daytime to see the sun. The rays of the flashlight will never reach the sun. So you cannot know Awareness as an object. You know Awareness because you are Awareness. This is called ‘immediate’ knowledge, meaning that no media (instrument) is necessary to give knowledge. 

Reflected awareness (pratibimba or chidabasa) 

In Maya you have the subject, the ego, which is pure Awareness reflected on the ‘I’ thought in the Subtle Body. Awareness bounces off this thought and the thought, the ego ‘i’, seems to be ‘be aware’ of the object. The ‘light’ in which this transaction between the reflected awareness and the objects takes place is Awareness. The reflected awareness is always awareness ‘of’ some object. In non-dual reality even if Awareness is split into subject and object Awareness knows that the subject and object distinction is apparent. Reflected awareness is ‘mediate’ knowledge. The subject requires an instrument (media) to know objects. 

In the West the word ‘awareness’ refers to reflected awareness and not to pure Awareness. Or it refers to the thoughts and feelings that reflected awareness illumines. Incidentally, the word ‘consciousness’ can be used as a synonym for awareness. You may be familiar with the term ‘stream of consciousness.’ It refers to the activities that appear in reflected awareness: dreams, memories, desires, fears, fantasies, etc. Now to your letter. 

Mouths. The text actually says nineteen mouths because it includes the “five pranas ,” the physiological systems and ‘chitta,’memory. 

The Elements. Air, fire, water, earth, and space.   These elements are called the Virat , the macrocosmic gross body. 

Inward. Consciousness can’t in fact turn inward or outward because it is all-pervasive, like space.   The consciousness referred to is reflected consciousness, the mind. 

Vasanas. The impressions of past experience, also termed “ samskaras ” in spiritual literature. 

Dream life. The substance of the dream field, thought and feeling, are drawn from the macrocosmic mind, Hiranyagargha . 

Macrocosmic vasanas. The impressions of the experience of all beings over limitless time.   Creation, according to Vedanta, is simply the recycling of unmanifest experience. 

Microcosmic vasanas. The personal subconscious, impressions of a particular individual gathered from the past. 

Becomes. The limitless I never becomes a limited experiencer but seems to become one when it associates with a particular upahdhi . 

Limitless Consciousness. One of the most common Sanskrit terms for limitlessness is ‘ananda’ , which literally means ‘without an end’  and is generally rendered in English as ‘bliss.’ The sleep state is a blissful experience because consciousness is not broken up into thoughts, feelings, and perceptions as it is in the waking and dream states. 

Witness. Although from It’s standpoint there are no states to illumine, the apparently real states are only known because they are illumined by the Self. 

Forth State. Nowhere does the Upanishad refer to a ‘forth’ state of consciousness. The incorrect translation of ‘turiya’, the forth, as a ‘forth state’ causes great suffering for people who believe Self realization is experiential. The purpose of the Mandukya is not to encourage people to ‘transcend’ the three limited enties and their respective states but to point out the invariable awareness that makes the experience of each state possible. 

Understanding. That I am the Silence, limitless Awareness.

Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna Mission

Note: This is an excellent translation and cannot be improved.

1 . Harih Aum! AUM, the word, is all this, the whole universe. A clear explanation of it is as follows: All that is past, present and future is, indeed, AUM. And whatever else there is, beyond the threefold division of time—that also is truly AUM.

2 . All this is, indeed, Brahman. This Atman is Brahman. This same Atman has four quarters.

3 . The first quarter is called Vaisvanara, whose sphere of activity is the waking state, who is conscious of external objects, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths and who is the experiencer of gross objects.

4 . The second quarter is Taijasa, whose sphere of activity is the dream state, who is conscious of internal objects, who is endowed with seven limbs and nineteen mouths and who is the experiencer of subtle objects.

5. That is the state of deep sleep wherein one asleep neither desires any object nor sees any dream. The third quarter is Prajna, whose sphere is deep sleep, in whom all experiences become unified, who is, verily, a mass of consciousness, who is full of bliss and experiences bliss and who is the door leading to the knowledge of dreaming and waking.

6. He is the Lord of all. He is the knower of all. He is the inner controller. He is the source of all; for from him all beings originate and in him they finally disappear.

7. Turiya is not that which is conscious of the inner (subjective) world, nor that which is conscious of the outer (objective) world, nor that which is conscious of both, nor that which is a mass of consciousness. It is not simple consciousness nor is It unconsciousness. It is unperceived, unrelated, incomprehensible, uninferable, unthinkable and indescribable. The essence of the Consciousness manifesting as the self in the three states, It is the cessation of all phenomena; It is all peace, all bliss and non-dual. This is what is known as the Fourth (Turiya). This is Atman and this has to be realized.

8 . The same Atman explained before as being endowed with four quarters is now described from the standpoint of the syllable AUM. AUM, too, divided into parts, is viewed from the standpoint of letters. The quarters of Atman are the same as the letters of AUM and the letters are the same as the quarters. The letters are A, U and M.

9 . Vaisvanara Atman, whose sphere of activity is the waking state, is A, the first letter ofAUM, on account of his all— pervasiveness or on account of his being the first. He who knows this obtains all desires and becomes first among the great.

1 0 . Taijasa Atman, whose sphere of activity is the dream state, is U, the second letter of AUM, on account of his superiority or intermediateness. He who knows this attains a superior knowledge, receives equal treatment from all and finds in his family no one ignorant of Brahman.

11. Prajna Atman, whose sphere is deep sleep, is M, the third letter ofAUM, because both are the measure and also because in them all become one. He who knows this is able to measure all and also comprehends all within himself.

12.The Fourth (Turiya) is without parts and without relationship; It is the cessation of phenomena; It is all good and non-dual. This AUM is verily Atman. He who knows this merges his self in Atman – yea, he who knows this.

The Peace Chant

Om. May we, O gods, hear with our ears what is auspicious! May we, O worshipful gods, see with our eyes what is good! May we, strong in limbs and body, sing your praise and enjoy the life allotted to us by Prajapati!
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

(The Upanishads, (Vol. I, II, III, IV), (1975) Swami Nikhilananda, 
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, USA.)

Chapter I

1. The disciple asked: Om. By whose will directed does the mind proceed to its object? At whose command does the prana, the foremost, do its duty? At whose will do men utter speech? Who is the god that directs the eyes and ears?

2. The teacher replied: It is the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, the Speech of speech, the Life of life, and the Eye of the eye. Having detached the Self from the sense-organs and renounced the world, the Wise attain to Immortality.

3,4. The eye does not go thither, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It; we do not understand how anyone can teach It. It is different from the known; It is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the preceptors of old who taught It to us.

5. That which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed—That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

6.That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended—That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

7. That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived—That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

8. That which cannot he heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived—That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

9. That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object—That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Chapter II

1. The teacher said: If you think: “I know Brahman well,” then surely you know but little of Its form; you know only Its form as conditioned by man or by the gods. Therefore Brahman, even now, is worthy of your inquiry.

2. The disciple said: I think I know Brahman. I do not think I know It well, nor do I think I do not know It. He among us who knows the meaning of “Neither do I not know, nor do I know”—knows Brahman.

3. He by whom Brahman is not known, knows It; he by whom It is known, knows It not. It is not known by those who know It; It is known by those who do not know It.

4. Brahman is known when It is realised in every state of mind; for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength; by Knowledge, Immortality

5. If a man knows Atman here, he then attains the true goal of life. If he does not know It here, a great destruction awaits him. Having realised the Self in every being, the wise relinquish the world and become immortal.

Chapter III

1. Brahman, according to the story, obtained a victory for the gods; and by that victory of Brahman the gods became elated. They said to themselves: “Verily, this victory is ours; verily, this glory is ours only.”

2. Brahman, to be sure, understood it all and appeared before them. But they did not know who that adorable Spirit was.

3—6. They said to Agni (Fire): “O Agni! Find out who this great Spirit is.” “Yes,” he said, and hastened to It. Brahman asked him: “Who are you?” He replied: “I am known as Agni; I am also called Jataveda.” Brahman said: “What power is in you, who are so well known?” Fire replied: “I can burn all—whatever there is on earth.” Brahman put a straw before him and said: “Burn this.” He rushed toward it with all his ardour but could not burn it. Then he returned from the Spirit and said to the gods: “I could not find out who this Spirit is,”

7—10. Then they said to Vayu (Air): “O Vayu! Find out who this great Spirit is.” “Yes,” he said, and hastened to It. Brahman asked him: “Who are you?” He replied “I am known as Vayu; I am also called Matarisva.” Brahman said: “What power is in you, who are so well known?” Vayu replied: “I can carry off all—whatever there is on earth.” Brahman put a straw before him and said: “Carry this.” He rushed toward it with all his ardour but could not move it. Then he returned from the Spirit and said to the gods: “I could not find out who this Spirit is,”

11—12.Then the gods said to Indra: “O Maghavan! Find out who this great Spirit is.” “Yes,” he said and hastened to It. But the Spirit disappeared from him. Then Indra beheld in that very region of the sky a Woman highly adorned. She was Uma, the daughter of the Himalayas. He approached Her and said: “Who is this great Spirit?”

Chapter IV

1. She replied: “It is, indeed, Brahman. Through the victory of Brahman alone have you attained glory.” After that Indra understood that It was Brahman.

2. Since they approached very near Brahman and were the first to know that It was Brahman, these devas, namely, Agni, Vayu, and Indra, excelled the other gods.

3. Since Indra approached Brahman nearest, and since he was the first to know that It was Brahman, Indra excelled the other gods.

4. This is the instruction about Brahman with regard to the gods: It is like a flash of lightning; It is like a wink of the eye.

5. Now the instruction about Brahman with regard to the individual self: The mind, as it were, goes to Brahman. The seeker, by means of the mind, communes with It intimately again and again. This should be the volition of his mind.

6. That Brahman is called Tadvana, the Adorable of all; It should be worshipped by the name of Tadvana. All creatures desire him who worships Brahman thus.

7. The disciple said; “Teach me, sir,the Upanishad.” The preceptor replied: “I have already told you the Upanishad. I have certainly told you the Upanishad about Brahman.”

8. Austerities, self-restraint, and sacrificial rites are Its feet, and the Vedas are all Its limbs. Truth is Its abode.

9. He who thus knows this Upanishad shakes off all sins and becomes firmly established in the infinite and the highest Heaven, yea, the highest Heaven.

The Peace Chant

Om. May Brahman protect us both (the preceptor and the disciple)! May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of Knowledge! May we both obtain the energy to acquire Knowledge! May what we both study reveal the Truth! May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other!
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om. May the different parts of my body, my tongue, prana, eyes, ears and my strength and also all the sense—organs, be nourished! All, indeed, is Brahman, as is declared in the Upanishads. May I never deny Brahman! May Brahman never deny me! May there never be denial on the part of Brahman! May there never be denial on my part! May all the virtues described in the Upanishads belong to me, who am devoted to Brahman!
Yea, may they all belong to me!
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

(The Upanishads, (Vol. I, II, III, IV), (1975) ~ Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, USA.)

Part One

Chapter I

1. Vajasravasa, desiring rewards, performed the Visvajit sacrifice, in which he gave away all his property. He had a son named Nachiketa.

2—3. When the gifts were being distributed, faith entered into the heart of Nachiketa, who was still a boy. He said to himself: Joyless, surely, are the worlds to which he goes who gives away cows no longer able to drink, to eat, to give milk, or to calve.

4. He said to his father: Father! To whom will you give me? He said this a second and a third time. Then his father replied: Unto death I will give you.

5. Among many I am the first; or among many I am the middlemost. But certainly I am never the last. What purpose of the King of Death will my father serve today by thus giving me away to him?

6. Nachiketa said: Look back and see how it was with those who came before us and observe how it is with those who are now with us. A mortal ripens like corn and like corn he springs up again.

7. Verily, like fire a brahmin guest enters a house; the householder pacifies him by giving him water and a seat. Bring him water. O King of Death!

8. The brahmin who dwells in a house, fasting, destroys that foolish householder’s hopes and expectations, the reward of his intercourse with pious people, the merit of his kindly speech, the good results of his sacrifices and beneficial deeds and his cattle and children as well.

9. Yama said: O Brahmin, salutations to you! You are a venerable guest and have dwelt in my house three nights without eating; therefore choose now three boons, one for each night, O Brahmin! May all be well with me!

10. Nachiketa said: O Death, may Gautama, my father, be calm, cheerful and free from anger toward me! May he recognise me and greet me when I shall have been sent home by you! This I choose as the first of the three boons.

11. Yama said: Through my favour, your father, Auddilaki Aruni, will recognise you and be again toward you as he was before. After having seen you freed from the jaws of death, he will sleep peacefully at night and bear no anger against you.

12—13. Nachiketa said: In the Heavenly World there is no fear whatsoever. You, O Death, are not there and no one is afraid of old age. Leaving behind both hunger and thirst and out of the reach of sorrow, all rejoice in Heaven.

You know, O Death, the Fire—sacrifice, which leads to Heaven. Explain it to me, for I am full of faith. The inhabitants of Heaven attain immortality. This I ask as my second boon.

14. Yama said: I know well the Fire— sacrifice, which leads to Heaven and I will explain it to you. Listen to me. Know this Fire to be the means of attaining Heaven. It is the support of the universe; it is hidden in the hearts of the wise.

15. Yama then told him about the Fire, which is the source of the worlds and what bricks were to be gathered for the altar and how many and how the sacrificial fire was to be lighted. Nachiketa, too, repeated all this as it had been told him. Then Yama, being pleased with him, spoke again.

16. High—souled Death, being well pleased, said to Nachiketa: I will now give you another boon: this fire shall be named after you. Take also from me this many— coloured chain.

17. He who has performed three times this Nachiketa sacrifice, having been instructed by the three and also has performed his three duties, overcomes birth and death. Having known this Fire born of Brahman, omniscient, luminous and adorable and realised it, he attains supreme peace.

18. He who, having known the three, has performed three times the Nachiketa sacrifice, throws off, even here, the chains of death, overcomes grief and rejoices in Heaven.

19. This, O Nachiketa, is your Fire— sacrifice, which leads to Heaven and which you have chosen as your second boon. People will call this Fire by your name. Now, O Nachiketa, choose the third boon.

20. Nachiketa said: There is this doubt about a man when he is dead: Some say that he exists; others, that he does not. This I should like to know, taught by you. This is the third of my boons.

21. Yama said: On this subject even the gods formerly had their doubts. It is not easy to understand: the nature of Atman is subtle. Choose another boon, O Nachiketa! Do not press me. Release me from that boon.

22. Nachiketa said: O Death, even the gods have their doubts about this subject; and you have declared it to be not easy to understand. But another teacher like you cannot be found and surely no other boon is comparable to this.

23. Yama said: Choose sons and grandsons who shall live a hundred years; choose elephants, horses, herds of cattle and gold. Choose a vast domain on earth; live here as many years as you desires.

24. If you deem any other boon equal to that, choose it; choose wealth and a long life. Be the king, O Nachiketa, of the wide earth. I will make you the enjoyer of all desires.

25. Whatever desires are difficult to satisfy in this world of mortals, choose them as you wish: these fair maidens, with their chariots and musical instruments — men cannot obtain them. I give them to you and they shall wait upon you. But do not ask me about death.

26. Nachiketa said: But, O Death, these endure only till tomorrow. Furthermore, they exhaust the vigour of all the sense organs. Even the longest life is short indeed. Keep your horses, dances and songs for yourself.

27. Wealth can never make a man happy. Moreover, since I have beheld you, I shall certainly obtain wealth; I shall also live as long as you rule. Therefore no boon will be accepted by me but the one that I have asked.

28. Who among decaying mortals here below, having approached the undecaying immortals and coming to know that his higher needs may be fulfilled by them, would exult in a life over long, after he had pondered on the pleasures arising from beauty and song?

29. Tell me, O Death, of that Great Hereafter about which a man has his doubts.

Chapter II

1. Yama said: The good is one thing; the pleasant, another. Both of these, serving different needs, bind a man. It goes well with him who, of the two, takes the good; but he who chooses the pleasant misses the end.

2. Both the good and the pleasant present themselves to a man. The calm soul examines them well and discriminates. Yea, he prefers the good to the pleasant; but the fool chooses the pleasant out of greed and avarice.

3. O Nachiketa, after pondering well the pleasures that are or seem to he delightful, you have renounced them all. You have not taken the road abounding in wealth, where many men sink.

4. Wide apart and leading to different ends are these two: ignorance and what is known as Knowledge. I regard you, O Nachiketa, to be one who desires Knowledge; for even many pleasures could not tempt you away.

5. Fools dwelling in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind.

6. The Hereafter never reveals itself to a person devoid of discrimination, heedless and perplexed by the delusion of wealth. “This world alone exists,” he thinks, “and there is no other.” Again and again he comes under my sway.

7. Many there are who do not even hear of Atman; though hearing of Him, many do not comprehend. Wonderful is the expounder and rare the hearer; rare indeed is the experiencer of Atman taught by an able preceptor.

8. Atman, when taught by an inferior person, is not easily comprehended, because It is diversely regarded by disputants. But when It is taught by him who has become one with Atman, there can remain no more doubt about It. Atman is subtler than the subtlest and not to be known through argument.

9. This Knowledge cannot be attained by reasoning. Atman become easy of comprehension, O dearest, when taught by another. You have attained this Knowledge now. You are, indeed, a man of true resolve. May we always have an inquirer like you!

10. Yama said: I know that the treasure resulting from action is not eternal; for what is eternal cannot be obtained by the non—eternal. Yet I have performed the Nachiketa sacrifice with the help of non— eternal things and attained this position which is only relatively eternal.

11. The fulfilment of desires, the foundation of the universe, the rewards of sacrifices, the shore where there is no fear, that which adorable and great, the wide abode and the goal—all this you have seen; and being wise, you have with firm resolve discarded everything.

12. The wise man who, by means of concentration on the Self, realises that ancient, effulgent One, who is hard to be seen, unmanifest, hidden and who dwells in the buddhi and rests in the body—he, indeed, leaves joy and sorrow far behind.

13. The mortal who has heard this and comprehended it well, who has separated that Atman, the very soul of dharma, from all physical objects and has realised the subtle essence, rejoices because he has obtained that which is the cause of rejoicing. The Abode of Brahman, I believe, is open for Nachiketa.

14. Nachiketa said: That which you see as other than righteousness and unrighteousness, other than all this cause and effect, other than what has been and what is to be—tell me That.

15. Yama said: The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at and which men desire when they lead the life of continence, I will tell you briefly: it is Om.

16. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. This syllable is the Highest. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires.

17. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.

18. The knowing Self is not born; It does not die. It has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from It. Birthless, eternal, everlasting and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.

19. If the killer thinks he kills and if the killed man thinks he is killed, neither of these apprehends aright. The Self kills not, nor is It killed.

20. Atman, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of all living creatures. A man who is free from desires beholds the majesty of the Self through tranquillity of the senses and the mind and becomes free from grief.

21. Though sitting still, It travels far; though lying down, It goes everywhere. Who but myself can know that luminous Atman who rejoices and rejoices not?

22. The wise man, having realised Atman as dwelling within impermanent bodies but Itself bodiless, vast and all—pervading, does not grieve.

23. This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form.

24. He who has not first turn away from wickedness, who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not at peace, cannot attain Atman. It is realised only through the Knowledge of Reality.

25. Who, then, knows where He is—He to whom Brahmins and kshattriyas are mere food and death itself a condiment?

Chapter III

1. Two there are who dwell within the body, in the intellect, the supreme akasa of the heart, enjoying the sure rewards of their own actions. The knowers of Brahman describe them as light and shade, as do those householders who have offered oblations in the Five Fires and also those who have thrice performed the Nachiketa sacrifice.

2. We know how to perform the Nachiketa sacrifice, which is the bridge for sacrificers; and we know also that supreme, imperishable Brahman, which is sought by those who wish to cross over to the shore where there is no fear.

3. Know the atman to be the master of the chariot; the body, chariot; the intellect, the charioteer; and the mind, the reins.

4. The senses, they say, are the horses; the objects, the roads. The wise call the atman—united with the body, the senses and the mind—the enjoyer.

5. If the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always distracted, loses its discriminations, then the senses become uncontrolled, like the vicious horses of a charioteer.

6. But if the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always restrained, possesses discrimination, then the senses come under control, like the good horses of a charioteer.

7. If the buddhi, being related to a distracted mind, loses its discrimination and therefore always remains impure, then the embodied soul never attains the goal, but enters into the round of births.

8. But if the buddhi, being related to a mind that is restrained, possesses discrimination and therefore always remains pure, then the embodied soul attains that goal from which he is not born again.

9. A man who has discrimination for his charioteer and holds the reins of the mind firmly, reaches the end of the road; and that is the supreme position of Vishnu.

10—11. Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha. Beyond the Purusha there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal.

12. That Self hidden in all beings does not shine forth; but It is seen by subtle seers through their one—pointed and subtle intellects.

13. The wise man should merge his speech in his mind and his mind in his intellect. He should merge his intellect in the Cosmic Mind and the Cosmic Mind in the Tranquil Self.

14. Arise! Awake! Approach the great and learn. Like the sharp edge of a razor is that path, so the wise say—hard to tread and difficult to cross.

15. Having realised Atman, which is soundless, intangible, formless, undecaying and likewise tasteless, eternal and odourless; having realised That which is without beginning and end, beyond the Great and unchanging—one is freed from the jaws of death.

16. The wise man who has heard and related the eternal story of Nachiketa, told by Death, is adored in the world of Brahman.

17. And he who, practising self—control, recites the supreme secret in an assembly of Brahmins or at a after—death ceremony obtains thereby infinite rewards. Yea, he obtains infinite rewards.

Part Two 

Chapter I

1. Yama said: The self—existent Supreme Lord inflicted an injury upon the sense— organs in creating them with outgoing tendencies; therefore a man perceives only outer objects with them and not the inner Self. But a calm person, wishing for Immortality, beholds the inner Self with his eyes closed.

2. Children pursue outer pleasures and fall into the net of widespread death; but calm souls, having known what is unshakable Immortality, do not covet any uncertain thing in this world.

3. It is through Atman that one knows form, taste, smell, sounds, touches and carnal pleasures. Is there anything that remains unknown to Atman? This, verily, is That.

4. It is through Atman that one perceives all objects in sleep or in the waking state. Having realised the vast, all—pervading Atman, the calm soul does not grieve.

5. He who knows the individual soul, the experiencer of the fruits of action, as Atman, always near and the Lord of the past and the future, will not conceal himself from others. This, verily, is That.

6. He verily knows Brahman who knows the First—born, the offspring of austerity, created prior to the waters and dwelling, with the elements, in the cave of the heart. This, verily, is That.

7. He verily knows Brahman who knows Aditi, the soul of all deities, who was born in the form of Prana, who was created with the elements and who, entering into the heart, abides therein. This, verily, is That.

8. Agni, hidden in the two fire—sticks and well guarded—like a child in the womb, by its mother—is worshipped day after day by men who are awake and by those who offer oblations in the sacrifices. This, verily, is That.

9. Whence the sun rises and whither it goes to set, in whom all the devas are contained and whom none can ever pass beyond—This, verily, is That.

10. What is here, the same is there and what is there, the same is here. He goes from death to death who sees any difference here.

11. By the mind alone is Brahman to be realised; then one does not see in It any multiplicity whatsoever. He goes from death to death who sees multiplicity in It. This, verily, is That.

12. The Purusha, of the size of a thumb, dwells in the body. He is the Lord of the past and the future. After knowing Him, one does not conceal oneself any more. This, verily, is That.

13. The Purusha, of the size of a thumb, is like a flame without smoke. The Lord of the past and the future, He is the same today and tomorrow. This, verily, is That.

14. As rainwater falling on a mountain peak runs down the rocks in all directions, even so he who sees the attributes as different from Brahman verily runs after them in all directions.

15. As pure water poured into pure water becomes one with it, so also, O Gautama, does the Self of the sage who knows.

Chapter II

1. There is a city with eleven gates belonging to the unborn Atman of undistorted Consciousness. He who meditates on Him grieves no more; liberated from the bonds of ignorance, he becomes free. This, verily, is That.

2. He is the sun dwelling in the bright heavens. He is the air in the interspace. He is the fire dwelling on earth. He is the guest dwelling in the house. He dwells in men, in the gods, in truth, in the sky. He is born in the water, on earth, in the sacrifice, on the mountains. He is the True and the Great.

3. He it is who sends prana upward and who leads apana downward. All the devas worship that adorable One seated in the middle.

4. When the soul, identified with the body and dwelling in it, is torn away from the body, is freed from it, what then remains? This, verily, is That?

5. No mortal ever lives by prana, which goes up, nor by apana, which goes down. Men live by something different, on which these two depend.

6. Well then, Gautama, I shall tell you about this profound and eternal Brahman and also about what happens to the atman after meeting death.

7. Some jivas enter the womb to be embodied as organic beings and some go into non—organic matter—according to their work and according to their knowledge.

8. He, the Purusha, who remains awake while the sense—organs are asleep, shaping one lovely form after another, that indeed is the Pure, that is Brahman and that alone is called the Immortal. All worlds are contained in Him and none can pass beyond. This, verily, is That.

9. As the same non—dual fire, after it has entered the world, becomes different according to whatever it burns, so also the same non—dual Atman, dwelling in all beings, becomes different according to whatever It enters. And It exists also without.

10. As the same non—dual air, after it has entered the world, becomes different according to whatever it enters, so also the same non—dual Atman, dwelling in all beings, becomes different according to whatever It enters. And It exists also without.

11. As the sun, which helps all eyes to see, is not affected by the blemishes of the eyes or of the external things revealed by it, so also the one Atman, dwelling in all beings, is never contaminated by the misery of the world, being outside it.

12. There is one Supreme Ruler, the inmost Self of all beings, who makes His one form manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves—not to others.

13. There is One who is the eternal Reality among non—eternal objects, the one truly conscious Entity among conscious objects and who, though non— dual, fulfils the desires of many. Eternal peace belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves—not to others.

14. The sages realise that indescribable Supreme Joy as “This is That.” How can I realise It? Is It self—luminous? Does It shine brightly, or not?

15. The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings— not to speak of this fire. He shining, everything shines after Him. By His light all this is lighted.

Chapter III

1. This is that eternal Asvattha Tree with its root above and branches below. That root, indeed, is called the Bright; That is Brahman and That alone is the Immortal. In That all worlds are contained and none can pass beyond. This, verily, is That.

2. Whatever there is—the whole universe —vibrates because it has gone forth from Brahman, which exists as its Ground. That Brahman is a great terror, like a poised thunderbolt. Those who know It become immortal.

3. From terror of Brahman, fire burns; from terror of It, the sun shines; from terror of It, Indra and Vayu and Death, the fifth, run.

4. If a man is able to realise Brahman here, before the falling asunder of his body, then he is liberated; if not, he is embodied again in the created worlds.

5. As in a mirror, so in the buddhi; as in a dream, so in the World of the Fathers; as in water, so Brahman is seen in the World of the Gandharvas; as in light and shade, so in the World of Brahma.

6. Having understood that the senses have their separate origin and that they are distinct from Atman and also that their rising and setting belong to them alone, a wise man grieves no more.

7. Beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is the intellect, higher than the intellect is the Great Atman, higher than the Great Atman is the Unmanifest.

8. Beyond the Unmanifest is the Person, all—pervading and imperceptible. Having realised Him, the embodied self becomes liberated and attains Immortality.

9. His form is not an object of vision; no one beholds Him with the eye. One can know Him when He is revealed by the intellect free from doubt and by constant meditation. Those who know this become immortal.

10. When the five instruments of knowledge stand still, together with the mind and when the intellect does not move, that is called the Supreme State.

11. This, the firm Control of the senses, is what is called yoga. One must then be vigilant; for yoga can be both beneficial and injurious.

12. Atman cannot be attained by speech, by the mind, or by the eye. How can It be realised in any other way than by the affirmation of him who says: “He is”?

13. He is to be realised first as Existence limited by upadhis and then in His true transcendental nature. Of these two aspects, Atman realised as Existence leads the knower to the realisation of His true nature.

14. When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal becomes immortal and here attains Brahman.

15. When all the ties of the heart are severed here on earth, then the mortal becomes immortal. This much alone is the teaching.

16. There are one hundred and one arteries of the heart, one of which pierces the crown of the head. Going upward by it, a man at death attains immortality. But when his prana passes out by other arteries, going in different directions, then he is reborn in the world.

17. The Purusha, not larger than a thumb, the inner Self, always dwells in the hearts of men. Let a man separate Him from his body with steadiness, as one separates the tender stalk from a blade of grass. Let him know that Self as the Bright, as the Immortal—yea, as the Bright, as the Immortal.

18. Having received this wisdom taught by the King of Death and the entire process of yoga, Nachiketa became free from impurities and death and attained Brahman. Thus it will be also with any other who knows, in this manner, the inmost Self.

Peace Chant

Om. May Brahman protect us both! May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of Knowledge! May we both obtain the energy to acquire Knowledge! May what we both study reveal the Truth! May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other! Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

(The Upanishads, (Vol. I, II, III, IV), (1975) Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York, USA.)

1. All this—whatever exists in this changing universe—is enveloped by the Lord. Protect the Self by renunciation. Lust not after any man’s wealth.

2. If a man wishes to live a hundred years on this earth, he should live performing action. For you, who cherish such a desire and regard yourself as a man, there is no other way by which you can keep work from clinging to you.

3. Verily, those worlds of the asuras are enveloped in blind darkness; and thereto they all repair after death who are slayers of Atman.

4. That non—dual Atman, though never stirring, is swifter than the mind. The senses cannot reach It, for It moves ever in front. Though standing still, It overtakes others who are running. Because of Atman, Vayu, the World Soul apportions the activities of all.

5. It moves and moves not; It is far and likewise near. It is inside all this and It is outside all this.

6. The wise man beholds all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings; for that reason he does not hate anyone.

7. To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?

8. It is He who pervades all—He who is bright and bodiless, without scar or sinews, pure and by evil unpierced; who is the Seer, omniscient, transcendent and uncreated. He has duly allotted to the eternal World—Creators their respective duties.

9. Into a blind darkness they enter who are devoted to ignorance (rituals); but into a greater darkness they enter who engage in knowledge of a deity alone.

10. One thing, they say, is obtained from knowledge; another, they say, from ignorance. Thus we have heard from the wise who have taught us this.

11. He who is aware that both knowledge and ignorance should be pursued together, overcomes death through ignorance and obtains immortality through knowledge.

12. Into a blind darkness they enter who worship only the unmanifested prakriti; but into a greater darkness they enter who worship the manifested Hiranyagarbha.

13. One thing, they say, is obtained from the worship of the manifested; another, they say, from the worship of the unmanifested. Thus we have heard from the wise who taught us this.

14. He who knows that both the unmanifested prakriti and the manifested Hiranyagarbha should be worshipped together, overcomes death by the worship of Hiranyagarbha and obtains immortality

through devotion to prakriti.

15. The door of the Truth is covered by a golden disc. Open it, O Nourisher! Remove it so that I who have been worshipping the Truth may behold It.

16. O Nourisher, lone Traveller of the sky! Controller! O Sun, Offspring of Prajapati! Gather Your rays; withdraw Your light. I would see, through Your grace, that form of Yours which is the fairest. I am indeed He, that Purusha, who dwells there.

17. Now may my breath return to the all— pervading, immortal Prana! May this body be burnt to ashes! Om. O mind, remember, remember all that I have done.

18. O Fire, lead us by the good path for the enjoyment of the fruit of our action. You know, O god, all our deeds. Destroy our sin of deceit. We offer, by words, our salutations to you.

The Peace Chant

Om. That is full; this is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness.

When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!