What I see when I go to a Temple

Visiting temples and offering prayers are an integral part of life for the practitioners of Hindu religion. Mostly this is done as a custom or as something one is used to doing rather than as a mandatory or thoughtful act. It is also a well known fact  that temples and deities were a later development in the Hindu religion, the fire sacrifices known as 'yagna' and 'yaaga' being the central forms of worship in Vedic times. The stream of thoughts  presented in the Upanishads also are not oriented towards temple or deity worship. Given this, what does someone, especially those who have embraced the philosophy presented in Upanishads as the spiritual truth, see when visiting temples?  I will offer you my perspectives.

In my view, a visit to temple is nothing but another orchestration of the act of going into one's own self during meditation. To understand this better, let's take a look at the structure and organization of the temple.

At the outer periphery of a temple, there are usually entry points called as 'gopura dwaara'. The Sanskrit word 'go' stands for source of knowledge , 'pura' means a residing place and 'dwaara' means a port. The 'gopura' are the entry points of external knowledge just as the sense organs in our body are.

Having entered through the 'gopura', one would see the 'dwaja stamba' or the flag post. This is a declaration of the identity of the temple. As we peer into our own self, the initial answers to the question of 'who am I' will be our sense of identify in terms of name, relationships, societal position, gender etc. This is the dwaja sthamba in our heart, some of which happen to be extremely tall!

Past this point, one enters the 'praakaara' or the outer sanctorum. Going around the 'praakaara', one would find installations of a number of  different deities. These deities represent the powers that make the world function in a macro sense and the different organs in our  body function, in a micro sense. Though we identify with our body, we don't directly control the functioning of any of our bodily organs. They all seem to somehow work magically in a coordinated fashion to sustain life in our body. How many of us are constantly aware that the heart pumps or the lungs  breathe or that the kidney does its work? In the 'praakaara', tracing a path around the inner sanctorum, I would offer my gratitude and prayers to the deities to keep the world and my body functioning uninterrupted!

One of the most interesting installations found in the temples is the 'Nava Graha'. These are traditionally considered as the nine 'planets' that influence the fortunes based on their relative celestial position at the time of our birth. The Sanskrit word 'graha' actually means to grasp or seize. Hence, I personally like to think about them as nine different emotional states that grasp my mind at different points of time. There is 'surya' or Sun representing bright, positive, 'in the flow ' state of mind; 'chandra' or Moon denoting affection and love; 'sukra' or Venus representing the mood to learn worldly knowledge; 'guru' or Jupiter representing the mood to immerse in spiritual learning; 'kuja' or Mars that represents active or combative mood; 'budha' or Mercury that represents compassion; 'sani' or Saturn that represents gloom and negative tendencies like envy;  'raahu' that represents fear and 'ketu' that represents anxiety. Both raahu and ketu have no bodies - raahu has only a head and ketu has only a lump and tail -  just as our fears and anxiety are mostly without a body of substance. Interestingly, each of the 'graha' also have a color associated that correspond to the 'color of mind' for that emotional state!

Around the 'praakaara', on the outer walls of the inner sanctorum, one would find images of all kinds of worldly pleasure including sexual acts, either carved into stone or placed as murals. The presence of such art in a place of worship is something that has baffled many. The inner sanctorum represents what we figuratively calls as our  'hridaya' or heart. And, all our worldly sources of pleasure are imprinted into the outer layers of 'hridaya'. Normally,  we stop at this outer wall of heart and do not go any further into the 'hridaya'. The temple invites you to make that important entry into the depths of our own heart, past the distractions of engagements in pleasure, because that is where you will find the presence of divinity.

Entering into the inner sanctorum, we find the 'garbha griha' or the sanctum sanctorum where the main deity is located. The word 'garbha griha' literally means 'home of the fetus'.  In the middle of the 'hridaya' is our essential being and from it emanates everything that we call as 'I'. Hence, it is called as the 'garbha griha'.

If the deity of the temple  is Lord Siva, we find the 'siva lingam' or 'sign of siva', located here. The 'siva lingam' has again been wrongly interpreted as representing phallus. The 'lingam' is given its shape based on the poetic Upanishad declaration 'angushta maatra purusho antaraatma', 'the inner dweller of all beings is of the size and shape of thumb'. The lingam is usually located in a heart shaped or circular base indicating its placement in the center of heart. The divinity residing in the core of our hearts is an absolute that defies all means of direct perception. The 'siva linga' is an attempt to express this absolute as a sign of its presence.

Standing in front of the 'garbha griha', one should close the eyes offering prayers to the One, cosmic principle that is also very much within us, remembering the Upanishadic statement 'avrittha chakshuhu amritatvamicchann', "eyes closed and turned inward, desirous of immortality".

What is the benefit of doing so? The Kathopanishad boldly declares:

'eko vasee sarva bhutaantharaatma

ekam roopam bahudhaa yah karoti

tam aatmastham yenupasyanthi dhiraah

teshaam  sukham saasvatam  netareshaam'

" The single controller of the entire universe, who is also the inner self of every single being, produces all these different forms (found in the world) though he is of (only one) single form. Permanent peace descends only on those who realize one's own self to be That and not anyone else"

One of the most common forms of worship of the deity is the 'abhisheka' process where the priest pours different edible liquids on the deity, one after the other, giving the deity  a shower in each one of them. This process has come under criticism recently for wastage of edible food.  The process of 'abhisheka' is nothing but an orchestration of a spiritual practice that combines the teachings of both Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. The intend is to inspire the devotee to consider all worldly experiences poured into one's own self as an offering to the divinity present in the heart.  The key thing to note is that none of these liquids poured on the idol stick to it and are washed away in the same way as the results of experiences fail to stick to the soul of a person who has realized the  innermost divinity.

Remember that a visit to the temple is not an opportunity to rattle out worries and wishes but rather an opportunity to have a wonderful spiritual experience. That experience should enable us to take the journey into our own inner self and help to connect with the cosmic principle of Brahman. Hope the next time you go to a temple, it will be a different experience!

Consciousness: The Tale of Two Birds (From the Mundka Upanishad)

Here is a question to begin with:  how many 'me' are inside you? One, two? Very quickly you will realize that there are more number of 'me' than what you can count on your fingers.  'Me' the father or mother, 'me' the son or daughter, 'me' the colleague, 'me' the citizen etc. All of us understand and take on these many 'roles' in life, sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously. Now,  here is a trickier question: how many 'I' are inside you ? You may think the answer is one, the single 'I am'. (Even for one who may be schizophrenic, the answer is still one at given point of time). And, here is where the Upanishad will beg to disagree with you. It says that there is not one but two "I" inside us. One of them is 'I- the experiencer' and the other is 'I- the witness'.

'dva suparnaa sayujaa sakhaaya

samaanam vriksham parishasvajaate

tayoranyah pippalam svaadatthe

anasnanyo abhijaakasih" (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 1, Sloka 1)

'Two birds with beautiful feathers are perched together on the same tree. One pecks on the fruits while the other watches, not eating'

samaanam vriksham purusho nimagno

aneesaya sochati muhyamaanaah

jushtam yadaa pasyatyanyameesam

asya mahimaanam iti veetasokah (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 1, Sloka 2)

"On the same tree are these two embodied souls (birds), one of who is deluded, powerless and sorrowful and engrossed completely (in pecking the fruit) . When it perceives the worshipful glory of the other who lords (over the tree), it becomes free of all sorrow"

The metaphor of the tree is used to depict the world of action with its many inter dependencies and the fruit of the tree stands for the experiences that the world produces. The bird that pecks on the fruit is the 'experiencer' who becomes happy, sad, angry etc. depending on the experience. The bird that is watching is the 'witness' who is silently observing, not subjecting itself to the happiness or sorrow of the experience.

There is an 'I' in us that is continuously watching, unaffected by the many experiences we have. We are rarely conscious of this 'I - the witness' within us and when we do and identify with it, the world stops affecting us any further. Interestingly, the common advice given to someone who gets carried away by emotions is 'get a hold of yourself'!

The first step of spiritual journey is to recognize this 'I-the witness' in the self. How can one perceive the 'witness' within and become one with it? Here is a four step process instructed for the purpose.

'satyena labhyah thapasaa hi esha aatma

samyag gnaanena brahmacharyena nityam' (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 1, Sloka 5)

'By the practice of truth, intense and focused contemplation, total wisdom and continuous striving on the path to Brahman is this Aaatman obtained'

First and foremost, be true to yourself and maintain complete integrity. Second, contemplate with focus and intensity on the teachings of the Upanishad about what is self and what is not self. Thirdly, fill yourself with the total understanding that this contemplation will create about the self and the world. And, finally strive continuously and do not stray from the spiritual path even for a minute. Only such a person realizes the Aaatman.

And, what is the self-realization like?

'brihascha tad divyam achinthya roopam

sooksmaat sookshmataram vibhaati

dooraat sudhoore tadaantiket cha

pasysthihaive nihitam guhaayam' (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 1, Sloka 7)

'(this seeker) perceives within the hidden caves of heart that effulgent Aatman which is larger than the largest, subtler than the subtlest, farther than the farthest and nearer than the nearest'

 A self-realized person not only gets the perfect understanding of the real nature of his own self but also obtains the understanding of the cosmic truth of the Brahman, as was discussed earlier in the Upanishad.

Is the method described above a guaranteed means that always produces the intended result of self-realization? Unfortunately that is not the case because then self-realization becomes a temporary result of an like the other results of actions found in the world.

'naayamaatma pravachanena labhyah

na medhayaa na bhahunaa srutena

yamaivesha vrinute thena labhyah

yasyaisha aatma vivrinute  thanumswam'  (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 2, Sloka 3)

'This Aatman is not obtained by scholarship of scriptures, by plenty of listening to scriptures or by intellectual prowess . This Aatman is obtained by the one (who strives for it) to whom the Aatman choses to reveal itself'

As intense as the desire for self-realization may be within the heart of a seeker, it is only when even that desire itself becomes totally self-less would the Aatman reveal itself to that person. At that point, the only thing that can be said about self-realization is that it happened because of divine grace and the grace of the Guru, not because of any ardent scholarship or listening to spiritual matters.

How would such a person who has realized the self be?

'vedanta vignaana sunischitaarthaa

sannyaasa yogaath yathaya sudha satvah' (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 2, Sloka 6)

'paryapta kaamasya kritaatmanastu

ihaiva sarve pravileeyanti kamah (Mundaka Upanishad, Book 3, Chapter 2, Sloka 2)

'with a perfect understanding of the vedantic  knowledge, a soul that has become pure through the practice of total renunciation and a heart that has no discontent from unfulfilled desires, the desires of such a person dissolve here itself (and do not cause rebirth)'

The knowledge of the person who has achieved self-realization is not merely scriptural but embedded with total clarity and without an iota of contradiction within his soul. And, this knowledge is not intellectual but lived every second of life. And, for such a person there will be no trace of unfulfilled desires at the time of death as the unfulfilled desires are said to be the cause of rebirth.

'Thad eva satyam' . "That alone is the Truth" (Mundaka Upanishad)

The key to the Cosmic truth: Mundaka Upanishad (contd.)

How big is this universe that we are in? Here is what the Cosmologists tell us. Our Sun and the Solar system are only a tiny spec within the galaxy called Milky Way which in turn has about 200 Billion stars, many of which are larger than our Sun. Now, the Milky Way itself is just one of the 100 billion of such galaxies that are spread across the universe, each containing billions of stars. The mass of all the material within these trillions of stars still forms only 4% of the total mass of the universe! The rest 96% is accounted for by what is called as the 'dark energy' that permeates the entire universe. There is more empty space filled with 'dark energy' than physical matter in the universe.

In terms of distances, the boundaries of our knowable universe are about 13.8 billion light years away (A light year is the distance traveled by light in one year. Light travels about 186,000 miles in one second and there are 31,556,926 seconds in a year. You can do the math now! For a quick comparison, the distance between Earth and Sun is about 8 light seconds)  Whether there is anything existing outside of these boundaries is beyond our knowledge since we get limited by the speed of light to know. (Now that you know this,  you may appreciate better why there are some  genuine skeptics among the scientific community when it comes to accepting concepts of a human-like God as the creator of the universe)

However big this universe might be, there is still one thing that would still surpass it, and that is the human spirit and its quest for knowledge. And, the question topmost in the mind of such a human is:

'kasminnu bhagavo vijnaate

sarvamidam vijnaadam bhavati' (Mundaka Upanishad, Canto 1, Chapter 1, Sloka 3)

'O venerable one, what is that one thing having known which all this becomes known?'

The question is not if there is one single secret that unravels all the principles and phenomena of this vast universe. It is rather about what is that one thing not knowing which, all the other knowledge that can be gained are vain.

And the poetical answer we find in the Mundaka Upanishad is :

'agni murdhaa chakshushi chandra suryo

disa srotrai vak vivritaascha vedah

vaayu praana hridayam viswamsya

padbhyaam prithvi

hyesha sarva bhuthaantharaatmah' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 1, Sloka 4)

'The heavens(fire) are its head, the sun and the moon its eyes, the many directions are its ears, the vedas are its speech, the air is its breath,  the universe is its heart, the earth  its feet. Such is the (cosmic) nature of that self that is within every single being"

The Rishi's of yonder probably had no idea of how vast this universe is. But surely they knew one thing for certain: the cosmic secret of the universe is not far out there but right here, within our own selves!

If the 'secret to everything' lies within our own self, then what should we be doing to get to it? What is the course of action?

'dhanur grihitya oupanishadam mahaastram

saram hi upaasanisatam samdayita

aayamya thad bhaavagatena chetasaa

lakshyam thadavaaksharam somya viddhi' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 3)

'O Good looking one, take that bow, the mighty weapon born of Upanishads. Place that arrow sharpened by upaasana and draw hard that string with a mind that is completely absorbed in That imperishable and break that target'

'pranavo dhanuh sarohyaatmaa

brahma tallakhyamuchyate

apramatthena vedhavyam

saravat tanmayo bhavet'  (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 4)

'The pranava (Om) is the bow, the mind is the arrow and Brahman is the target. Penetrate that target with a mind that is disillusioned and let it become one with the target as the arrow (that is embedded in the target)'

The role of scriptural knowledge is clearly stated as the role of a bow in discharging the arrow. The scriptural knowledge is the means and not the end. And, what matters is not  the holiness of the scriptures and reverence to it but use of its ability to launch an individual to get to the target. The sanskrit word 'veddh' is very deftly used here with the dual meaning of gaining knowledge (which is the metaphorical intent) as well as breaking target (which is contextual to the metaphorical image being painted). Again, another point about the seeker, though mentioned later, is also being reinforced here. 'naayam aatma balaheenena labhyah' , 'this Atman is not obtained by one who is weak'. One should be strong enough, physically and mentally, to wield the bow of knowledge and bend it sufficiently by pulling on the string.

And, what awaits the one who reaches the target:

'bhidyate hridaya granthi

chidyante sarva samsayaah

ksheeyantechaasya karmaani

yasmin dhrishte paraavare' ((Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 8)

"The knots of the heart are cut, all doubts are eliminated and the binding of the karma are weakened for the one who has seen That which is above and below"

The vision of the one who has realized the true nature of the self is comprehensive and spans  both worldly matters and spiritual matters. And, true internal freedom dawns on this one who has gained the vision of 'That'.

'hiranmaye pare koshe

virajam brhma nishkalam

thad subhram jyotishaam jyotih

thad yadaatmavido vidhuh' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 9)

"In the golden hued sheath rests the Brahman who is untainted, pure, brighter than the brightest. It is That the knower of self comes to know"

Is this known by the mind and intellect? The Upanishad again emphatically reiterates that this is not known by the mind and intellect but only by becoming one with It.

"na tatra suryo bhaati na chandra taarakam

nemaa vidyutho bhaati kuthoyamagnih

tameva bhaantham anubhaati sarvam

tasya bhaasaath sarvamidam vibhaati" (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 10)

"Neither the Sun, nor the Moon or the Stars are effulgent in its presence. Even the lightning does not shine in its presence, what to say of the (earthly) fire. In its illumination, everything is revealed and all effulgent are only reflecting its effulgence"

The universe may be unimaginably huge but everything in  it are still a subject of knowledge of the mind , senses and intellect. That by the presence of which we are able to know is not an object of examination for mind and intellect. Hence, to realize the true nature of self, one has to take the entire 'being' to it and become one with it.

'Thad eva satyam' . "That alone is the Truth" (Mundaka Upanishad)

'Thad eva brahma tvam viddhi netam yaditam upaasate' . "That Brahman alone you must realize, not the (worldly) other things that are pursued'  (Kena Upanishad)

We will see more of this magnificent Upanishad in the next, concluding blog post on the topic

Knowing and Being - Can they be one and same? An examination into Mundaka Upanishad

We are well aware of how to know about something using our senses, mind and intellectual faculty. But, have you considered if these are the only means available 'to know'? Most of us would have had those  fleeting moments that challenge the standard linear process of knowing, like the moments of eureka, intuitions and hunches. Even beyond them, can there be a permanent knowledge that is acquired by bringing our whole entire awareness to it rather than using the instruments of knowledge that awareness powers? There will be no shadow of doubts and ignorance in such a knowledge and the mind becomes like a shaven head, shining brightly! This is the core subject matter of Mundaka Upanishad  of the Atharva Veda. (Mundaka literally means the shaven head)

What are the types of knowledge?

The Upanishad begins with a classification of knowledge into Paraa Vidya  (Higher or Transcendental knowledge) and Aparaa Vidya (Lower or non-transcendental knowledge). The classification is based on the results that the knowledge enables one to achieve. The results of aparaa vidya are temporal and decay with time. The result of paraa vidya is permanent and does not decay with time. While Aparaa vidya is a subject matter of the sense organs, mind and intellect, the Paraa vidya is beyond them. Today, we in general refer to the Paraa vidya as Spiritual knowledge. Interestingly, the Upanishad explicitly lists the ritualistic part of vedas as well as its six limbs (siksha, chandas, niruktam, vyakaranam, jyotihisham and kalpa) as Aparaa vidya.

What makes one seek Spiritual knowledge?
Even if one were to accept these two classifications of knowledge,  the question still remains as to why would one even be interested in seeking paraa vidya.  If Aparaa vidya is giving us everything we need, isn't that sufficient? The upanishad mentions two reasons as to why a seeker would be interested in paraa vidya. One, the realization of the futility of seeking happiness in the external, experiential world. We console ourselves  in difficult times by saying it will come to pass. But, we don’t seem to try to temper ourselves in good times, saying it will also come to pass or that even if things stayed the same, we will get so used to them that they will cease to give us any more happiness. Therefore happiness that is dependent on external factors can never be permanent.

'naakasya prishte te sukrutenubhutve imam lokam heenatharam vaa visanti"
(Canto 1, Chapter 2, Sloka 10)
"Having enjoyed the heavenly happiness as a result of the good deeds, they (inevitably) descend to these lower worlds of experience (where suffering is unavoidable)"

The second reason the Upanishad mentions for one to start seeking spiritual knowledge is the realization of the denial and delusion that one is currently in.
'avidyaayaam antare varthamaanah
Swayam dhirah panditham manyamanah
Janganyamaanaah paryanthi mudaah
Andhenaiva niyamanam yathaandhaah' ( Canto 1, Chapter 2, Sloka 8)
'Though engulfed completely by ignorance, considering oneself to be intelligent and knowledgeable, the foolish ones suffer again and again wandering (not knowing what path leads to what) like the blind leading the blind'

What is the typical profile of the seeker of spiritual knowledge?

It is not the one who is feels defeated by the world or is feeling dejected that turns to spirituality. Contrarily, it is one who has experienced both success and failure and has taken the time to carefully see through them.
'pareekhshya lokaan karmachitaan braahmanah
Nirvedamaayaan naastyakrita kritena'   ( Canto 1, Chapter 2, Sloka 12)
'He who has (experienced and) examined the true nature of the world of experience and has become dispassionate from the knowledge that what is uncaused cannot be gained as the result of efforts

And, what does such a seeker do?
thad vignaanaarthe gurumevaabhi gachanti
Samith paani srotriyam brahma nishtam'
'With the desire to gain that knowledge (paraa vidya), he approaches a Guru who is well versed in saastra and is established in Brahman, carrying a bundle of samith (bundle of dry twigs) in his hands'

Worldly desires are like the twigs (samith) used for sacrificial fire. If they are green, still with juice of enjoyment in worldly indulgences, they will only smoke and char when put into the fire of spiritual knowledge. If they are dry, devoid of the juice for indulgence, then they kindle the fire of spiritual knowledge. It is on the seeker to prepare the mind properly in order to try to gain this knowledge and take the dried out worldly desires to burn in the fire of spiritual fire. For the ones who are not ready, the spiritual knowledge becomes merely another intellectual exercise that won't touch their being.

And, what exactly is the content of this spiritual knowledge? We will continue to examine further in a future blog post.

Happy New Year and Best wishes for your spiritual journey in 2015!!

 

Tackling the slippery slope of faith...

In Ramayana, a great crisis of faith is unfolded when the Vaanara army led by Angada and Hanuman reaches the southernmost point of the Indian subcontinent, failing to find any trace of Sita in their long search. They had run out of the allocated time and nothing but a vast ocean was left in front of them. Failure was not an option for two reasons. First of all they couldn't imagine seeing a crest-fallen Rama who had become so beloved to them and secondly they knew nothing less than death awaited them from Sugriva if they went back with no news on Sita. In his desperation, Angada resolves to fast unto death and advices his fellow soldiers to do so too.

At this time of utmost desperation, an old eagle, Sampaathi, arrives on the scene with help. Sampaathi had seen Ravana carry Sita and fly over the ocean towards Lanka. In his young days, Sampaathi had flown over Lanka and had seen the city from air. He tells the Vaanaras about the magnificent city in the island of Lanka, about 100 yojanas  away. Could someone make the leap over there? Here comes the greatest dilemma of religious faith. For the religious, 'to be or not to be' is not the question but 'to believe or not to believe' is. Why would anyone want to believe an old eagle's words and take that leap on to the ocean? What if there was no island ? Fortunately for everyone in the epic,  Hanuman takes on the mission and makes the greatest leap of faith ever made in history.

It is also interesting to note what happens during Hanuman's flight over the sea. First, he is tested by the celestial Gods who send in a demon. This demon, Surasa, rises up in front of Hanuman blocking his path. Surasa tells Hanuman that she has a boon from Brahma that anything that comes in her way will have to enter her mouth. Hanuman, who was looking enormous at the time , asks Surasa to open her moth real wide so that he could enter. And, then he makes him extremely tiny and enters and leaves her mouth between the teeth, fulfilling the condition. Surasa, impressed by Hanuman's quick wit, appreciates and lets him pass. It is a well known fact that faith invariably gets tested for its genuineness, whether that is Hanuman in Ramayana or Job in Old Testament. When Hanuman continues his flight, he now gets pulled down to the waters by another demon, Simhika, who could pull down flying things by grabbing their shadow. Shadow, or self-doubt is the  other great obstacle in the path of the faithful. There is no alternative other than to face it courageously and tear it apart as Hanuman does with Simhika.

Shraddha or faith is an integral part of spiritual saadhana. Sankaracharya defines shraddha in his text of Viveka choodaamani as the conviction that words of scriptures and the Guru contain truth. This is not a call to swallow these words without examining, but to examine  them xwith a positive mind and the intention of finding their true meaning. In the Bhagawad Gita, Krishna says ,"shraddhaavaan labhate gnaaanam' - the one with faith obtains the ultimate knowledge. And, he follows up with 'samsayaatma vinasyati" - the skeptical one will perish. Again, here by skepticism is meant the self-doubting, negative attitude that is disastrous.

It is extremely important to keep in mind that faith is not an end in itself but provides a beginning as well as foundation. Going back to the Ramayana story, when Hanuman offers to carry Sita back to Rama, she declines even though Raavana had threatened to have her served for his meal if she continued to disobey him. She tells Hanuman that it will only be proper if Rama comes in person and liberates her. Ultimate knowledge has to be gained permanently by direct experience, though glimpses of it is possible to be attained through arduous faith. Ultimately, it will be up to us to build that bridge, with reason, experience and practice, to cross over and gain the right knowledge.

As much as it is the corner stone of every religion, faith is also the cause of downfall for many who take it to its extreme. While riding the slippery slope of faith, watch for not falling into the trap of blindly believing anything and everything passed in the name of religion. In fact, there are more spurious goods than genuine ones available in the religious world today. Remember that the discriminative faculty, viveka, is as much important as shraddha for any saadhaka!

Kenopanishad - An inquiry into the inquirer

We live in the world of cause and effect where for every single phenomena, we can logically deduct, postulate and even experimentally establish a cause. However, this inquiry into the cause of anything is a recursive process where every cause becomes an effect as soon as it is established, necessitating for another cause to exist. Where does this recursive inquiry end? This is a question that has troubled philosophers, religious leaders and scientists more or less equally and each have come up with their own inconclusive answers.

This is also a question that has not escaped the consideration of the Upanishadic Teachers. But instead of getting caught in the endless inquiry of external causes, they rather chose to take the different angle of inquiring into the inquirer. Sri Ramana Maharshi had famously said that the only philosophical question one need to resolve is 'who am I'. And, those of you who are familiar with Jiddu Krishnamurthy's teachings would have heard his famous retort to complicated questions: "Have you enquired into who is the one asking the question?"

In the Upanishadic texts, the best exposition of the treatment of this topic is found in the highly renowned text of Kenopanishad. This upanishad is from the Samaveda and is located within the Talavakara Brahmana, thus deriving its other name of Talavakara Upanishad. 'Kena' in sanskrit is the question 'By whom ?'. The Upanishad opens with this question:

"keneshitam patati prekshitam manah

kena praana prathama preithiyuktah

keneshitam vaachamimaam vadanti

chakshu srotram ka u devo unakti"

"Impelled by who does the mind proceed (helplessly) to its targets? Impelled by who does the life force draw the first breath? Urged by who ( the organs of) speech deliver the words ? What divine being directs the eye and ears (to see and hear)? "

The question is simple and straight forward; from where does the inanimate, material organs of the body - the eyes, ears, speech and the mind - derive their sense of purpose? After all, the organs of the body are nothing but a bunch of tissues and cells that react to proteins and create physical or chemical reactions. Today, thanks to the scientific researches, we know that the genes make each cell behave differently. While we do know that genes cause certain behaviors. do we know who or what is behind the 'sense of purpose' that each organ appears to carry? We find that this sense of purpose is not limited to one organ but is a continuum that transcends their individual programmed behaviors and even makes these inanimate,  unintelligent organs to collaborate with each other! What is the source of that intelligence? This is the underlying question.

And, the Rishi answers: "I cannot tell you that we know it. Neither that we do not know. We have a problem in explaining what it is". Why?

"na tatra chakshur gachati na vaak gachati no manah

na vidmo na jaaneemo yathaithanusishyaat"

"It is beyond perception, it is beyond description and it is even beyond the mind's ability to conceptualize. We do not know or understand how knowledge of such a thing can be instructed though a teaching"

Well, that is not very helpful, isn't it? But, don't loose heart and look deeper. What the Rishi is saying is that do not look for the answer using the instrumental means of knowledge because any answer you are going to find through them is going to be subject to the endless, recursive inquiry of cause and effect. But the realization of the true nature of our own self, that is beyond the means of instruments of knowledge, is not entrapped by the recursive inquiry. What kind of realization is that?

"pratibodhaviditam matham amritatvam hi vindhate

aatmanaa vindhate veeryam vidyayaa vindathe amritam"

"This knowledge (of own self) is constant through every iota of time and by gaining it, one also gains immortality. With the self is gained virility and with the knowledge is gained immortality"

All knowledge gained through mind are subject to the limitation of time, which means that there are times when such knowledge is not available to the one who has gained it, for example in sleep. And, with death, all such knowledge gained in the life come to an end.  This is not so with self-realization which is not a knowledge established in the mind but embedded in the spirit. 

The rishi knows that his answer has been extremely cryptic and  more than likely to go over the head of his beloved students. In order to add clarity, the Rishi now turns to narrating a metaphorical story.

Once upon a time, the Devaas (the celestial beings who are on the proper side of ethical living)  had engaged in a battle with the Asuras (the demonic cousins of the Devas) and managed to win the battle after a long struggle. Having attained it, the Devaas were gloating over the victory because they considered it to have resulted solely from their powers. And, at that time, there appeared a mysterious Being, Yaksha, in front of them. No Deva could recognize who that is. The Devaas turned to the Fire God, Agni, to go an d find out who this Yaksha is. When Agni approached him, the Yaksha asked Agni who Agni was and Agni promptly responded saying he is 'Jaataveda', one who knows everything that is born. And then the Yaksha asked Agni what is that he is capable of and Agni said, "I can burn down anything'. The Yaksha threw a blade of dried grass in front and asked Agni if he can burn it. How much so over he tried, Agni couldn't burn that one blade of grass and he returned back surprised and dejected. The wind God, Vaayu, now picked up the challenge to figure out who the Yaksha is. The same sequence of interaction followed and when asked what he could do, Vaayu responded that he can blow anything away. The Yaksha again threw the blade of dried grass in front and asked Vaayu to blow it away. Again, how much so over the mighty Vaayu tried, he couldn't move that one blade of grass. Vaayu also returned totally surprised and dejected. The Devaas now turned to their leader, Indra, and asked him to go and find out who the Yaksha is. When Indra approached the Yaksha and asked who he was, the Yaksha vanished and in his place appeared the very resplendent Goddess Uma Haimavati. Indra asked Uma Haimavati who the Yaksha was. She reponded: 'That was Brahman. It is because of him that you have become victorious'.

What can we make out of this story? First and foremost, ethicl living is a pre-requisite for anyone seeking the Brahman because it was the Devaas who sought him and not the Asuraas. Secondly, there are essentially only two ways in which we can know about anything. One, like fire that burns down anything, we can analyze, understand and establish something to be what it is. Otheriwise like wind that can blow anything away, we can analyze, understand and establish something to be what it is not. When it comes to knowledge of Brahman, both these capacities prove to be insufficient. We are able to know something to be what it is or what it is not because of the intelligence that comes from Brahman and hence the same intelligence cannot be applied to know itself. To know Brahman, the way is to approach it with our entire spirit and seek assistance from the instructions of the Upanishadic knowledge. If you will notice, the Goddess who appIears in the story is called 'Uma' which is formed by the last two syllables of pranava 'Aum'. She is also addressed as 'Haimavati', who is white as the snow, again indicating the purity and serenity of the Upanishadic knowledge that has emanated from the Himalaya mountains.

The Kenopanishad then continues to provide a number of Upaasana instructions for meditating on Brahman The upanishad concludes reinforcing that self-realization is achieved only through  dharmic living,  intense contemplation and meditation.
.
"thasyai thapo dhama karmethi prathishtah
vedaa sarvaangaani satyam aayatanam"

Intense contemplation, ethical living and (self-less, dedicated) action (performed with a sense of worship) are its means. The Vedaas are its limbs and Truth is its abode."

Jiddu Krishnamurthy has expressed a very similar thought most eloquently in his journal: (Krishnamurti's Journal, Page 161):
"It is the observer and the observed. Its gods are its own projections and the worship of them is the worship of yourself. What lies beyond thought, beyond the known, may not be imagined or made a myth of or made a secret for the few. It is there for you to see"

Upāsana – The spiritual Learning Method

In true Spiritual pursuit, the boundaries between learning, practicing, knowing and living completely vanishes. And this happens thanks to adopting a special spiritual learning method that is generally referred to as Sādhana or Upāsana. The Sanskrit word Sādhana can be fairly accurately translated as 'spiritual pursuit' while the word Upāsana defies an easy translation. It is formed from the Sanskrit words ‘Upa’ meaning near and ‘āsana’ meaning to sit. Joined together the word translates literally as ‘sit next to’ The closest this be compared to is the process of hatching an egg!  Because, it implies is that once the mind has received the seed of the knowledge, it needs to continue to contimnue to think about it, keep it 'warm' through contemplation thus allowing for the knowledge to fully blossom.  There is also an implied sense of purpose, dedication, love and continuous attention that is paid to the subject of contemplation. As we have discussed (in previous posts),  the true spiritual knowledge is considered to be beyond the ability of words to convey. Hence many a times what is delivered as spiritual knowledge in words are only pointers or seeds of knowledge  that need to be subjected to the process of Upāsana or Tapas.

The Chandogya Upanishad which is considered to be one of the most profound texts of Vedānta devotes a good part of its content to elaborate on different Upāsana, each of which are meant to prepare the spiritual seeker to receive different levels of knowledge about Brahman. A generic structure of the various Upāsana mentioned is: 1. Elaboration of a spiritual concept 2. Super imposition of that concept on to an everyday practice and 3. A statement on expected benefits of the practice once the practitioner has mastered it. The goal of each of this Upāsana are not necessarily the benefits narrated, but to prepare the seeker's mind to receive the next level of knowledge. And, finally when it comes to discussing the knowledge about Brahman, the Upanishad uses the beautiful metaphorical story of Satyakāma Jābāla to demonstrate what the Upāsana method of learning is.

Satyakāma is introduced as a young boy brought up by, what we today may refer to as, a single mother. Desiring to gain spiritual knowledge, he decides to enlist with a Guru of repute. And, based on trhe practices of the time, he was aware that the Guru would inquire on his family lineage, specifically on the side of the father, before accepting him to the studentship. Satyakāma approaches his mother Jabāla asking who his father was and Jabāla answers honestly that she had been a maid servant to many masters and had no idea who he was born to. She encourages him to go and find his Guru and if enquired, just let the Guru that he is her son. Satyakāma follows her advice and goes to a renowned saint named Uddālaka. As expected, Uddālaka asks Satyakāma about his lineage and Satyakāma, not holding back anything, describes what his mother had told him. Uddālaka is extremely impressed by the honesty of Satyakāma and tells him he would accept him as a student because as honest as he is, Satyakāma couldn't but be a Brāhmin. The Upanishad thus reinforces that the key pre-requisites of a spitual seeker are truth, honesty and integrity.

The Upanishad at this point, makes a very interesting statement. It says that Uddālaka, instead of instructing Satyakāma on Brahman, hands over 400 under nourished cattle and tells him to take the cattle to the forest for grazing, take care of them and come back for instructions when Satyakāma has managed to grow the cattle to a thousand! Obviosly this statement cannot be taken literally. What the Upanishad is intending to say here is that Uddālaka instructed  Satyakāma with textual knowledge about Brahman but these textual knowledge were like undernourished cattle, those that have a potential to grow and multiply if nurtured properly or die in him otherwise. The Upanishad continues the story to say that Satyakāma managed to grow the cattle into a healthy herd of one thousand, meaning that Satyakāma spend time reflecting and meditating, doing the Upāsanā on the instructions he received. Thus he manages to develop the knowledge they intended to deliver, and solidify those ideas within him. A great Bull among the cattle then approaches Satyakāma and tells him that it was time to return to the Gurukula since the herd had reached the size that the Guru wanted. Satyakāma agrees and plans to start his journey back. The great Bull then offers to teach him about one part of Brahman.

A great bull among cattle in this context stands for the gist of the knowledge that Satyakāma managed to arrive at himself through his Upāsana. And, even this gist of an idea could only deliver knowledge about one part of the Brahman. Satyakāma then receives knowledge about other parts of the Brahman from three more teachers. The second teacher was the sacrificial fire which is symbolic of the knowledge contained in the karma kānda part of the Vedas. The third teacher was a migrating swan that stopped by,  again symbolic of the knowledge carried by the wandering saints of the time who had seen the world and could differentiate the real from unreal. The final teacher was a Kingfisher bird, symbolic of the final instruction he received to look very much inside him to find Brhaman. With these four teachings, Satyakāma comes to realize the total nature of Brahman. Overall, Satyakāma's return journey to the Gurukula is the metaphor that the Upanishad weaves to describe the experiential knowledge that a spiritual seeker has to develop but needs to take back to the Guru for validation.

At the end of the story, Satyakāma arrives at Uddālaka's ashrama, and Uddālaka tells him that his Satyakāma's face is glowing like one who has come to realize Brahman and asks who had taught him. Satyakāma's answer to Uddālaka was how could he fully come to know Brahman unless he was instructed by someone like Uddālaka who is established in Brahman. This answer makes Uddālaka very happy as that was a final test to see if the wonderful knowledge gained had made him egoistic. From a seeker's perspective this validation with a Guru who is established in Bahman is the final step of his Upāsanā. And, this is when the words end and true knowledge blossoms!