10/23/2003
The Knower, the
Field, and the Nature
The Supreme Knower, the Body, and the Prakriti
Ksetrajna, Ksetra, and Prakriti
13.0: Arjuna said:
Prakriti, Purusa, the field, and
the knower of the field, knowledge, and the object of knowledge, I wish to
know, O Kesava.
The human body
is the ksetra or the field; the individual soul, trapped inside the body, is
Ksetrajna or the knower of the field; the person owning the body is the
apparent knower or ksetrajna. Knowledge is to know Brahman as Bliss. The idea
here is that if unthinking prakriti makes the body, who is the knower of this
body? The individual soul and the Higher soul are the Knowers of the field and
have an organic relationship to each other. The individual soul or self is less
of a knower than the Higher Self or Soul, because Prakrti burdens and conditions
the individual soul. The field of activity for the Higher soul is not only this
universe, but the individual souls too. The Lord is the Knower and the witness
in bodies of gods and men, and His ksetra is the
universe and the beings. He is the Soul also of gods and Men. Once the knower
understands the distinction between the soul and the body, salvation is within
his reach.
Since the
individual soul (Jiva) is trapped inside the body, he is a ksetrajna, bound by
body, mind, and sense organs and therefore is called Nitya-baddha (eternally
bound soul). He can obtain liberation by controlling his mind and senses. The other ksetrajna is known as Nitya mukta,
who lives free in Vaikuntha. For the soul to go
into Vaikuntha is like buying a one-way ticket to eternal bliss (it is like
crossing the Rubicon); the soul never leaves Vaikuntha once it arrives there. The individual
soul is like a tenant in the body and the Paramatman is like the Landlord. The
Lord can evict the soul from the body (physical
death)
and either take the soul into Vaikuntha or relocate it in another body-house. The
Jiva-ksetrajna knows something about his field. The Lord knows and owns all
jiva-ksetrajnas (all souls) and their bodies and therefore he is the Supreme
ksetrajna, the Supreme knower.
As prana
(breath), sense organs, mind, and intelligence are unable to wake up the body
of a sleeping person, the indwelling jiva-ksetrajna wakes up a person.
There are five
sheaths in the body or the field: food, vital air, mind, Vijnāna, and
bliss. Bliss or Anandamāyā kosa or causal body is the innermost
layer, and knowing bliss as one's own form is knowledge. Even though the Self
is not a manifest object, its presence is palpable in all experiences of the
body. The difference between the individual self and the Higher Self is the
latter is free from the limits and conditions of beings (with individual self).
It is not
the endless study of the Vedas; it is not standing on one leg (until it
withers) for a thousand years; it is not the sacrifices, pilgrimages, and
prayers. True knowledge is to understand that liberation is to know Brahman,
and giving up the I-ness, mine-ness, passions, and dualities.
Self, Soul,
and Higher Self are equivalents; lower self, "self,” soul, and individual
self are equivalents.
13.1: Sri Bhagavan said:
This body, O son of Kunti, is
called the field; he, who knows this, is called the knower of the field. Those
who know this say thus.
The
implication here is that not everybody knows who the knower of the field is.
13.2: Know Me as the Knower of the field in all fields, O Bharata. The
knowledge of the field and its Knower is knowledge in My opinion or mind.
Ksetrajnnam:
Knower of the field. Ksetra: Field. Ksetrajana is the Lord. He is the Knower of
all fields.
He is the
Knower and the witness in the bodies of gods and men. His ksetra or the field
is the universe and the beings. He is the Soul also of gods and Men.
He binds all
beings from the highest to the lowest: All beings are strung together like
flowers on a thread; man is a bead on the thread of the conscious Higher Self;
thus, that Self or that thread is the Inner Controller. He is the earth, and is
in the earth, but the earth knows not. He is the inner controller: He is
all-pervasive in both the sentient and the insentient.
The whole
world proceeds from the Imperishable Brahman. Brahman delegates Himself to
become Isvara, the personal God, and in that transformation, He becomes the
Mayin and exercises His māyā power. The Prakriti that projects is
māyā itself; here māyā is both the power of the Mayin and
the projected Prakriti. Māyā is both the cause and the effect: you
know the cause when you see the effect, and Mayin (Isvara) owns both.
Māyā is Sakti/power, which Siva uses to create this universe: This is
the Saivaite view. Ramanuja believes the creative power remains in Lord Vishnu
(in the form of Brahma). (According to Sankara, this union between Self and
"non-self” is the basis of adhyāsa or superimposition.) The Lord is
the Knower or the enjoyer of both the prakriti and the individual souls. The
individual self is also a knower or an enjoyer of this matter (prakriti) in his
own limited field: his body is his ksetra or field and he falsely identifies
himself as the body.
13.3: What the field is; what kind it is; what its transformations are;
what its source is; what he is; who he is; and what his dominion is, hear from
Me briefly.
Let Me tell
you briefly about the field, its nature, its modifications, its source, its
purpose, who the individual self is, the nature of the self, and its dominion.
13.4: The rishis sang this in
many ways, in various Vedic hymns, and aphorisms of Brahma sutra with logic,
reason, and certainty.
(The sages sang this in many
ways, in various hymns and aphorisms of Brahma sutra, with logic, reason, and
certainty.)
13.5: The great elements, the egoism, the intellect, the unmanifested,
the senses, the mind, and the five sense objects.
13.6: Desire, hatred, pleasure and pain; the body as an agglomerate (of
25 elements), consciousness, and firmness: this is the field briefly described
with their modifications.
Sanghatah:
agglomerate. Cētana: consciousness. Dhrutih: firmness. Savikāram: modification.
Panchadasi (Chapter five) defines consciousness as follows: Consciousness is that by which a man hears, sees, speaks, tells different tastes apart. Brahman is the consciousness present in the gods, humans, horses, cows.
Each one of
us (body) is an agglomerate of 24 elements and consciousness: earth, water,
fire, air, ether (5); vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching (10);
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin (15); speech, grasp, locomotion, excretion
and generation (20); buddhi, ego, mind and Avyakta (24). These 24 elements
collectively called field or ksetra are subject to modifications
(Savikāram): desire, hatred, pleasure and pain, experiences of life events
and the final release, moksa. The individual self moves intimately in the
elements and their modifications. The mode of behavior deeply rooted in the
above elements finds firmness or anchor in the following: Sattva, goodness;
Rajas, passion; or Tamas or darkness, which undergo modifications. The ultimate
goal of all these modifications is to attain liberation by becoming totally
Sattvic.
The five great elements are
earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Ahankāra is the ego, Buddhi is the
intellect, and Avyaktam is the unmanifest. The five senses are vision, hearing,
smelling, tasting and touching served by the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin.
These are sensory Jnānendriyas. The "eater” or the enjoyer of the
senses is bhoktar. The sense organs are different from senses and the five objects
of senses are motor functions: speech, grasp, locomotion, excretion, and
generation served by (Karmendriyāni) larynx, hands, feet, rectum, and
genitals. The doer of these is kartar. Now we have five sensory functions and
five motor functions with corresponding organs. Add to this the manas, the
ahankara, and the buddhi. Manas (mind) has a dual function, both sensory
and motor. If mind does not pay attention, sensory and motor functions of the
respective Indriyas do not occur. You look but you do not see when your mind is
not functional. On the sensory side, mind observes, evaluates, and determines
the sensory input such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. On the
motor side, actions are initiated, after the sensory input undergoes evaluation
by the mind and buddhi.
Tanmatras namely sound, touch, color, taste, and smell are the subtle, rudimentary and nonspecific particles from which the gross elements namely akasa, air, fire, water, and earth evolve respectively. There are two divisions in the gross (great) elements (Mahabhutas): Amurtta and Murtta, the formless and the formed. Akasa and air are formless elements, while fire, water and earth formed.
Panchadasi (2.88) says that Akasa is the most extensive element compared to the rest. Quantitatively starting from air each element is 10% of the former element. It attributes this statement to Puranas.
The
tanmatras are nonspecific in the sense that they lack qualities (according
to Samkhya philosophy) such as Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas or calmness,
turbulence and delusion. When the transformation takes place from the subtle to
the gross, the gross elements acquire qualities. These gross elements again in
turn are responsible for products downstream such as hearing, tactile sense,
vision, taste, and smell collectively called sensory functions. The latter have
corresponding peripheral organs to receive the respective sensations, namely the
ear, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose, which again have their own
respective brain centers.
|
Tanmātras
― Subtle Elements |
Sound |
Touch |
Color |
Taste |
Smell |
|
Gross
Elements |
Ākāsa
(Ether) |
Air |
Fire |
Water |
Earth |
|
Ears |
Skin |
Eyes |
Tongue |
Nose |
|
|
Sensations |
Hearing |
Tactile sense |
Vision |
Taste |
Smell |
|
Brain centers |
Auditory center |
Sensory cortex |
Visual cortex |
Gustatory center |
Olfactory center |
The Tanmatras have specific names: Sabda Tanmatra (sound), Sparsa Tanmatra (touch), Rupa Tanmatra (color and form), Rasa Tanmatra (taste), and Gandha Tanmatra (smell).
These
Tanmātras are the subtle physical counterparts of sense perceptions:
hearing, tactile sense, vision, taste, and smell. The subtle element that
travels from the flower to the nose is tanmātra. The five bhūtas (the
gross elements), ether, air, fire, water, earth evolve from Tamasic tanmātras. The
dominant element's space or compartment consists of half of the dominant
element and one eighth each of the other four elements. None of the
reconstituted gross elements is pure in each compartment. We know now the
gross elements developed from the subtle elements and so it is reasonable to
deduce the gross elements exude subtle elements. For the gross elements to
acquire the gunas (qualities), Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas (calmness, turbulence,
and delusion) during the transformation from the subtle elements, the gross
elements had to become compounds representing one dominant element and four
other contaminants.
Compartment one, Ether: half is
Ether and 1/8 each of air, fire, water, and earth.
Compartment two, Air: half is
Air and 1/8th each of ether, fire, water, and earth.
Compartment three, Fire: half is
fire and 1/8th each of ether, air, water, and earth.
Compartment four, Water: half is
water and 1/8th each of ether, air, fire, and earth.
Compartment five, Earth: half is
earth and 1/8th each of ether, air, fire, and water.
Table13.06
table: From the subtle and the
finer elements, to the gross, to the sensory, to the Command and Control Center
(Buddhi and Purusa), and to the motor organs: Chain of events
|
Subtle and nonspecific |
Subtle and nonspecific |
Subtle and nonspecific |
Subtle and nonspecific |
Subtle and nonspecific |
|||||
|
SOUND |
TOUCH |
COLOR |
TASTE |
SMELL |
|||||
|
Air 1/8 Fire
1/8 water 1/8 Earth 1/8 |
Ether 1/2 |
Ether 1/8 Fire 1/8 Water 1/8 Earth 1/8 |
Air 1/2 |
Ether 1/8 Air 1/8 Water 1/8 Earth 1/8 |
Fire 1/2 |
Ether 1/8 Air 1/8 Fire 1/8 Earth 1/8 |
Water 1/2 |
Ether 1/8 Air 1/8 Fire 1/8 Water 1/8 |
Earth 1/2 |
|
ETHER |
AIR |
FIRE |
WATER |
EARTH |
|||||
|
Gross and Specific |
Gross and Specific |
Gross and Specific |
Gross and Specific |
Gross and Specific |
|||||
|
Hearing |
Tactile Sense |
Vision |
Tasting |
Smelling |
|||||
|
Ears |
Skin |
Eyes |
Tongue |
Nose |
|||||
|
Vestibulocochl-ear |
Sensory Pathways |
Visual Pathways |
Taste Pathways |
Olfactory Path. |
|||||
|
Auditory region of the cerebral cortex |
Somatic sensory region of the
cortex |
Visual region of cerebral
cortex |
Gustatory region of cerebral
cortex |
Olfactory region of cerebral
cortex |
|||||
|
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
|||||
|
Buddhi & Purusa |
Buddhi & Purusa |
Buddhi & Purusa |
Buddhi & Purusa |
Buddhi & Purusa |
|||||
|
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
Mind |
|||||
|
Motor Cortex |
Motor Cortex |
Motor Cortex |
Motor Cortex |
Motor Cortex |
|||||
|
Motor Organs-Karmendriya |
Motor Organs-Karmendriya |
Motor Organs-Karmendriya |
Motor Organs-Karmendriya |
Motor Organs-Karmendriya |
|||||
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|
Tanmātras is special to the Sankhya system, one of its greatest contributions. Mātra-Tan means "merely that". All objects and beings emanate tanmātras, subtle and fine elements all the time. Let me give you an easily understood phenomenon. All warm-blooded beings emanate heat; that heat is fire, which traces its origin to the Rupa Tanmātra "Color and shape." All of us can detect that heat without any problem. We also emanate many other tanmātras, which only yogis can detect. You know that a shark can detect the tanmātra that emanates from a minute amount of blood spilled in the ocean within the range of its special sense. We do not have that ability. Now you see how yogis can detect tanmātras that we miss. You can see the same phenomenon in the psychics. The dead bodies exude tanmātras that a psychic can sense, which we cannot detect. Vivekananda says the temples and places of worship emanate good tanmātras, which augment and strengthen the sattvic quality in the devotees. When sattvic yogis go to these temples of worship, the place acquires more beneficial tanmātras. You may call these tanmātras as vibrations.
Ether comes from elemental sound. Sound is
primal. OM is primal. Akāsa is ether, the stem substance. Ether is
perceived as sound.
Air comes
from elemental sound and touch, and is primarily perceived as touch.
Fire comes
from elemental sound, touch, and color, and is perceived primarily as color and
form or shape.
Water comes from
elemental sound, touch, color, and taste, and is perceived primarily as taste.
Earth comes
from elemental sound, touch, taste and color, and is primarily perceived as
smell.
Each gross
element, as you see, becomes a compound when it is combined with other elements.
The gross
elements, gross body, and their connection:
Table:
|
Earth |
Water |
Fire |
Ether |
|
The Cranium The Skin The Intestines The Bones The Flesh The Nails |
Body Fluids Blood Urine Saliva Sweat Other Fluids |
Hunger Thirst Body Heat Swoon-Syncope Libido |
Anger Lust |
As ether, air, fire,
water and earth gather mass (transformational change of Ether into gross
substances) and become progressively grosser, they acquire progressively more
qualities. Ether has five forms of motion. Ether moves everywhere unobstructed
and makes it possible for other forces to work in its realm. When motion into
space takes place, Vayu (air) is born and being heavier than ether, it
propagates sound. When motion and expansion
take place upwards, it becomes fire and is seen
and felt. When motion takes place downward giving rise to contraction
(precipitation) it becomes water that is seen,
touched and tasted in space. When
there is obstruction in motion, cohesion or agglutination takes place giving
rise to earth in space which is seen,
touched, tasted and smelled. These
are the five forms of matter: etheric (sarva vyapi,
all- pervading; Nirupa, formless), aerial (Vayava),
fiery (Prakasa and Tapa), fluid
(Tarala and Calanasila) and solid (Ghana, Drdha,
Samghata and Kaathinya--dense, fastened, joined and hard). When
primordial clouds condense, they become matter, stars, planets that we see, says
the modern science.
According to
Samkhya, the eye is only a peripheral organ and the visual cortex in the brain
is the organ of sight; the same rule applies for hearing, smelling, tasting and
touching. The sensory input from all the peripheral sites are processed in
their respective brain centers and presented to the manas or the mind. Sattvic,
Rajasic or Tamasic Ahankāra processes information, and buddhi takes the
product to Purusa. Purusa is the king and gives orders to buddhi, which in turn
orders the mind to activate the motor response: The mind instructs the motor
organs to carry out the orders. Instinctive Manas, ahankāra, and buddhi
form a unit known as Citta or antakarana. Ahankāra in its three colors is
conceited and Rajasic, deluded and Tamasic, or virtuous and Sattvic. Sattva,
Rajas, and Tamas colors buddhi too, and its response is according to the
dominance of one of these three gunas.
Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas gunas
rules the world, both sentient and the insentient. The transcendental Lord,
Vishnu is beyond these three gunas. Yogamāyā of the Lord, the barrier
between the Lord and the material world, is the external energy, from which
mahatatva and ego take their origin.
Ego gives
rise to the first five elements: the sky or ether (its subtle form is sound),
the air, the fire, the water and the earth. The sense perception started with
sound, later went on to hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell. The objects
that produce these sense perceptions, namely sky, air, fire, water, and earth
also evolved alongside. The sensory organs that perceive these senses originate
from the five elements.
Nose exists for smell (and for
breathing–prāna); if there is no smell or prāna, there is no need for
a nose. Naturally, smell or prāna existed first, before nose came. Sound
existed first before the auditory apparatus came into being. The elements that
produce these senses such as smell come into existence alongside the senses.
There are three parts to this equation. The subtle, nonspecific and finer
elements are the sound, touch, vision, taste, and smell, all collectively
called five tan-matras. Intermediate components are what travel between the
subtle and the gross elements in a downstream fashion. That phenomenon is
experience created by the infinitesimal particles. The corresponding gross
components are ether, air, fire, water, and earth. The relationship between the
five sense organs and the tanmatras is horizontal, while the relationship
between the finer and the gross components is vertical.
|
|
Prakriti ¯ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mahat /Buddhi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Karmedriya ¯ |
Jnanedriya ¯ |
Manas |
Tanmatra ¯ |
Tanmatra ¯ |
Tanmatra ¯ |
Tanmatra ¯ |
Tanmatra ¯ |
|
Motor Functions |
Sense of
Perception |
|
Sound Subtle element ¯ |
Touch Subtle element
¯ |
Color Subtle element |
Taste Subtle element |
Smell Subtle element |
|
Speech Prehension Ambulation Evacuation Procreation |
Auditory Tactile Visual Gustatory Olfactory |
|
Infinitesimal
particles ¯ Ether (Gross
element) |
Infinitesimal
particles ¯ Air (Gross
element) |
Infinitesimal
particles ¯ Fire (Gross
element) |
Infinitesimal particles ¯ Water (Gross
element) |
Infinitesimal
particles ¯ Earth (Gross
element) |
13.7: Humility, nonostentation (Adambhitvam), nonviolence, patience,
straightforwardness, service to Ācārya, purity, steadfastness,
self-restraint, (continued)
13.8: aversion towards sense objects, absence of egoism, having insight into the suffering related to birth, death, old age, disease, sorrow (continued)
Ego, Id and Superego form the personality. Ego in Latin means
"I".
Id, based on “ancestry, heredity and
environment” and called Prārabda karma, which is not under our control, is
what the infant is born with. Sprouting seed karma is what it is:
Prārabda Karma is in resolution or sprouting. It is in motion and it
cannot be stopped: It is like the potter's wheel, it spins even after the
external force ends, and it stops once the momentum is spent. It is like the
discharged arrow from the bow: It is too late to stop the arrow in midflight.
The archer has no control over it once the arrow leaves the bow; it cannot be
stopped until the momentum is spent. You have to bite this bullet (of
Prārabda karma). It is congenital and knowledge of Brahman cannot destroy
it. There is no prevention or cure for this: It has to be resolved or
lived.
Libido
energizes Id according to Freud. This libido is Prāna in Veda. Id in a
vacuum is instinctive, its reactions are reflex jerks, and it has to be
controlled.
Id is the basis, on which EGO is
built: Ego is a dynamic process, by which the personality is built on the
framework of Id, while it is in contact with the external reality. Id’s
operating principle is pleasure principle, to ensure maximum pleasure and
minimal frustration to the individual. Reality Principle is fulfillment of
instinctual needs through dynamic process of awareness and adjustment to
environment. Ego always tries to satisfy the reflex jerks of the Id, but
Superego tries to modify the reflex jerks in behavior or response. Id tries to
make the best out of a good or bad situation, in the context of I-ness, and
Mine-ness. Ego has its own standards: ego ideal, which is dictated by external
reality.
Superego is
the conscience of the individual, which has the modulating influence on one’s
satisfaction of needs according to one’s moral values. The societal norms and
the prevailing environment to a certain extent dictate this superego. Under the
influence of superego, the Id's instinctive reflex reactions can be modified,
postponed, deferred, and sublimated. All of the Id, much of the ego and the
superego are unconscious. Part of the ego and the superego sitting on top of it
are at a conscious level. These three components are like an iceberg floating
at an angle, where the Id is completely submerged, but only part of the ego and
the superego are seen above the water level or consciousness.
There are
three states of consciousness or awareness: the Conscious, the Preconscious,
and the Unconscious one below the other. (More later on Superconsciousness.)
The conscious state is general awareness and thoughts and remains on the
surface. The Preconscious state is under the surface and is the warehouse of
information that we can recall at moment’s notice: such as name of a person.
Below that, the unconscious state is a repository of lost, suppressed,
repressed, preverbal, infantile thoughts, ideas and experiences, and (do not
get jolted) possibly memories from the previous lives. All of Id, a good deal of ego and superego are
unconscious or under the water level or below conscious level and that is why
some of our reactions to situations are automatic and unexplainable, unless we
make a conscious effort to react to it in a conscious manner. Id plays a role
in the dream sleep experiences. Pleasure principle is modified according to
reality principle, superego, and ego ideal.
Id and ego are the Vedic
Ahankāra. The superego and the ego ideal are the buddhi illumined by
Purusa, assuming that Sattva is the dominant mode in buddhi. Here manas (mind)
takes order from buddhi. If Tamas is the dominant mode of the Superego and ego
ideal, you have an antisocial being. Part of this id is accumulations of
vāsanās (smell, tendencies, or impressions) left from previous
transmigrations of the soul. That is the reason it is subject to karma
(ancestry, and heredity). If an infant can inherit genes from parents, why
should not that infant inherit the vāsanās (tendencies or impressions)
from previous births?
Self-image, self-worth, self-respect, I-ness,
and mine-ness, egotism (vanity), you-ness (altruism):
According to
Vedas, Self-image, Self-worth, self-respect, and you-ness must supersede I-ness
and mine-ness for establishing dominance of self over the body, welfare of the
world, and liberation or moksa of the individual.
Eastern
thoughts:
Vivekananda
says there are many kinds of consciousness: subconsciousness, consciousness,
and superconsciousness. Subconsciousness is instinct seen in animals; it is
hardwired, automatic, and reflex, 100 percent reliable, foolproof, and not
reason-based; so, a bird knows instinctively the wherewithal to build a nest
without being taught. On the other hand, the consciousness is ruled by reason
and less instinctive. Errors are more often seen here than in those with the
instinctive knowledge. It is a higher state of mind, seen only in human beings.
Yogis possess a higher state of consciousness known as superconsciousness. It
is cultivated, and beyond the ordinary human range: One has to go beyond
reason, and beyond consciousness, because that knowledge is beyond hearing,
beyond what is heard, and beyond thought; it is revealed wisdom. By this
superconsciousness, man becomes divine and free; he gains immortality, and his
bondage is torn asunder. Instinct matures into reason and reason matures into
Superconsciousness or Samādhi in the yogi. Some yogis acquired imperfect
superconsciousness, experienced hallucinations without a full preparation for
the state of a yogi, and received faulty revealed wisdom with superstitions.
Elsewhere, you will find notes on yogi and samādhi.
Ahankāra
has this automated unthinking reflex response to external stimuli and the manas
is instinctive and not intuitive or discerning (here manas, the mind is not the
same as west perceives), but it is matter, lacking thinking ability unless it
is yoked with buddhi and Purusa. Before the manas acts on these external
stimuli and after they pass through the ego factor of I-ness, buddhi applies
its sattvic filter and then come the actions from manas. As you see, the
manas, ahankāra, and buddhi form a unit: Citta, the command and control
center of the body or antahkarana (the inner organ). Buddhi is the modulator of
response and therefore is the moderator and inherits Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas
from Prakriti. The yogi gets rid of the Tamas and Rajas. Once Tamas disappears,
darkness dissipates and buddhi becomes clear and translucent as water; then
with the fall of Rajas, agitation is gone and stillness prevails. With the
clarity and composure and the turbidity removed, buddhi shows by its reflective
mirror purusa in its self-luminous state, standing aloof from the hustle and
bustle of prakriti. Of course, you have to be a yogi to get to that stage.
13.9: detachment; absence of attachment to son, wife, home; constant
equilibrium on attainment of the desirable and the undesirable; (continued)
A monk goes
beyond desire to seek the Self. Brahman is the unborn Self. Knowing Him is all
that we need to know. The Brahmanas seek to know Brahman by the study of Vedas,
fasting, sacrifice, gifts, penance, and pilgrimage. On knowing Him, one uplifts
oneself to be an ascetic. Monks wander looking for Brahman, and want not
anything else in this world. Since the monks know this, they desire not for
sons. Desire for sons is desire for wife, home, and wealth. The sage says,
“What am I going to do with sons?” (Extract from Brhad Upanishad 4.4.22.)
According to some modern psychologists, man wants to immortalize himself in
this universe by leaving a progeny. It is the opposite for a monk; there is no
immortality through wealth (and sons). (Brhad Upanishad 4.5.3.) Perpetuation in
this physical world in the form of progeny is time away from seeking Brahman
for the monk or the sage and seeking Brahman is antithetical to seeking wealth
for the Sage.
Husband,
wife, sons (and daughters), wealth, cattle, Brahmana, Ksatriya, gods, Vedas,
and beings are dear, not for their own sake, but for the sake of Self in them.
When their respective nature deserts or dies, each entity has only the
all-pervasive Self. Brhad Upanishad 4.5.7. When people say, “I like you as you
are,” they should mean that they like the Self in you. That Self is the same in
everybody.
3.11: Constancy in the attainment of the knowledge of the Supreme Self,
and insight into the knowledge of the Truth are (declared) the knowledge, and
that which is otherwise is non-knowledge.
13.12: I will explain to you that by knowing which one gains the nectar
(of eternal). That beginningless Supreme Brahman is (said to be) neither Sat
nor Asat.
Sat and Asat
were explained elsewhere. (See Chapter 9 Verse 19 Comments, Yoga of Sovereign
Knowledge and Sovereign Secret.) A note on Sat and Asat or Being and Non-Being
or Existence and Non-Existence. These words are confusing. How could you get
something out of nothing? Asat is subtle and unmanifested; Sat is gross and
manifested. What you do not see does not mean that such and such does not
exist. An example is in order here. Water exists in humidity and when
condensation takes place, you see water. Water is hydrogen and oxygen, two
unseen substances: When Prāna (energy) is applied to hydrogen and oxygen
water becomes "manifest". If you go back to the origin of hydrogen
and oxygen, you go back to Ether or Akāsa. Asat is a state where names and
forms are in hiding and are waiting for expression, where names and forms are
mere thoughts, and where the potentialities and possibilities exist: Asat is
undifferentiated, latent and unmanifest, while Sat is manifest. According to
Sankara, Brahman is neither Asat nor Sat. He is Avyakta – the unmanifested. He
is a homogeneous entity and through enzymatic māyā power, this
heterogeneous universe and beings are projected or superimposed on Brahman.
13.13: Everywhere hands and feet; everywhere eyes, heads and faces; everywhere
ears: He exists covering everything.
(Āvritya: covering.)
He is the
embodiment of all living entities and therefore in this form, he is all eyes,
ears, faces and all things. All entities are in this manifest form. In His
unmanifest form, He is Param Brahman; He is silence; and He is Pure
Consciousness.
13.14: He is the light of all Indriyas and gunas; He is also the
abstainer from Indriyas. He is unattached to anything; He is the supporter of
all. He is devoid of any gunas and yet enjoys the senses.
Ābhāsam:
light, splendor
Indriyas are
the senses. Gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. He is the force or light behind
the senses, enjoys the senses, and yet is not of the senses. He is Nirguna
Brahman, unalloyed by the Gunas of Prakriti. He moves without foot, He grasps
without hand, He sees without eye, He hears without an ear. He knows all that
is to be known; of Him, no one knows. (Svetāsvatra Upanishad 3.19.)
Kena Upanishad (1.2-3) says that Brahman is
the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of the speech, the breath
of the breath, the eye of the eye, the wisdom in the aspirant. If it were not
for the Eternal Reality, the Indriyas (senses) would not function.
Brahman, the Eternal Real, is where the eye,
the speech, and the mind do not go. It means that Brahman is beyond
comprehension and perception by senses such as the mind, the speech and the
eye. Brahman is without eyes, but sees; the eyes see not Brahman; He is beyond
the senses.
13.15: What is outside and inside
all beings, and in the moving and the unmoving is too subtle (fine, minute, or
small) for apprehension. That, which is near and yet is far away, is That.
Brhad
Upanishad 2.5.15:
This Self is
the Lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As the hub and the rim of a
wheel hold the spokes together, so the hub of Self holds together all beings,
all gods, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these selves (jivatmas)
Trying to understand Brahman is impossible.
Any assertions or attributes, one tries to add on Him, are met with
frustration. Consider the following apparent contradictions: He sits here and
moves far. He is lying here but goes everywhere. He rejoices and rejoices not.
Katha Upanishad 1.2.21. Sankara asserts that Brahman is silence and stability
in Nirguna Brahman. Ramanuja asserts that He is splendor in His form as Isvara.
13.16: He is undivided and
yet He appears divided in all beings. He is the supporter of the world, also
the object of knowledge, swallowing and creating also (of beings).
gras-ana-ishnu: accustomed to
swallow, dissolution of the universe.
The Greater
Self is present in the spiritual heart of every living being. Therefore, it
appears divided, but not actually divided. It is like the luminous sun and its
many reflections in the water; it is like one space with many jars of space.
Similarly, One Brahman appears as many in all beings and as One in each being.
The Brahman is like the sun and each one of us is like a little mirror
reflecting the image of the sun: Brahman is One and undivided, but appears
divided. God, Brahman, or Self is like the oil in the sesamum seeds, water in
the dry riverbeds, latent fire in the friction sticks and wood, fragrance in
the flower, and gold in the reef of gold.
13.17: He (that) is the light of all lights. He is beyond Tamas
(darkness and delusion). He is the knowledge. He is the object of knowledge. He
is the knowledge worthy of knowing. He stands firm in the hearts of all, so
goes the saying
Purusam
Mahāntam Āditya-varnam Tamasah parastāt = The Supreme Person of
Sun color is beyond darkness (SvetāsvataraUpanishad 3.8)
13.18: Thus, the field, also
knowledge, and the object of knowledge were briefly recited. My devotee, by
understanding their wisdom, enters My own nature or state of Being.
13.19: Know that Prakriti and Purusa are both without beginning; know
also that Vikārān and gunas (transformation and modes) are born of
Prakriti.
Vikārān: transformation,
modification. Gunas: modes or attributes
13.20: It is said that Prakriti is Kārya Kārana (cause of
effect), instrument, and agency. The Purusa is said to be the cause of
experience of pleasure and pain.
The thoughts
expressed here are within the purview of Upanishads. Kārya Kārana =
cause of effect. The cause is resident in the effect: Our bodies are the effect
and prakriti is the cause. The instruments are the senses. Prakriti is also an
instrument and agency and the Purusa is the cause of experience of pleasure and
pain.
The individual soul is an agent of
the Higher Soul or Atman. The individual soul is not only an agent but also the
doer. Since the lesser soul is the doer, it is also an enjoyer and therefore
experiences pleasure and pain. Since the lesser soul is an agent of the Higher
Soul or the Supreme, the agent is under the control of the Higher Soul, which
is responsible for the actions of the agent. So The Higher Soul is also an
enjoyer and experiencer but with a difference. The experience of the doer,
agent, and enjoyer does not affect HIM. Prakriti is the agency. Prakriti
provides all products for the agent (to run his business or) for doing and
experiencing. The products supplied by prakriti to the individual soul are
body, buddhi, ahankāra, manas and Indriyas. Prakriti is also an instrument
of the owner of Prakriti, which is the Supreme Self. Prakriti is the agency and
is comparable to the commercial franchise. The franchise holder, that is the
individual soul, takes all the gains and losses in this instance. The Supreme
Self is Karta (Creator-Agent), because He is the Intelligence and the Owner of
Prakriti. That which sets Prakriti in motion is the Real Agent. The products of
Prakriti, as supplied by the Supreme to run the franchise or agency, become the
instruments (buddhi, manas, ahankāra, senses etc.) of the individual soul.
The individual soul is the doer, enjoyer and an agent, because “he is asked to
take his instruments with him, while roaming and wandering in his own body.”
Once the agent is deprived of his instruments namely buddhi etc., he is no
longer an agent. The Supreme has control over the agent.
13.21: Purusa situated in Prakriti certainly enjoys the gunas of
Prakriti. Attachment to the gunas (modes) is the cause of birth of a being in
good and evil wombs.
13.22: The Mahā-Īsvara, the Great Ruler in the body is (said
to be) the witness, the approver, the supporter, the enjoyer, the Supreme Self
(Paramātmā) in the body, and the Supreme Purusa.
Anumantā: the one who approves, assents, permits.
The Supreme
Self resides in the spiritual heart of the body and is like the Upper Bird
acting as a Witness, while the lower bird (individual self) is eating sweet and
sour fruits. He is the Great Ruler of the body and the enjoyer too. He supports
the lower self and the body, meaning the prakriti-based body. Here the Lord is
also the Supreme knower of the body.
13.23: He who understands Purusa and Prakriti with the gunas (Sattva,
Rajas, and Tamas), is never born again though existing in the present in all
modes (any mode).
13.24: By meditation, some see the Atman (The Greater Soul) in the self
by the self, others by the yoga of knowledge (Sānkhya yoga or Jnāna
Yoga) and still others by Karma Yoga.
13.25: But others worship, ignorant of these yogas (Jnāna and
Karma), by hearing from others. They certainly go (across) beyond death by
(leap of faith) trust in what they heard.
Even those who
are ignorant of Jnāna and Karma yoga, worship Me according to what they
heard from others: the Truth. They cross the ocean of samsāra (birth and
death) and attain Me, having faith in Me from what they heard.
13.26: Whatever comes into being, unmoving or moving, you must know that
(it is by) the union of the ksetra and ksetrajna (field and the knower of the
field).
13.27: He who sees the imperishable Supreme Lord, residing equally in
all perishable living entities, really sees.
13.28: Seeing Isvara (Lord) equally abiding everywhere, he does not
injure the (Greater) Self by the (individual) self, and then attains the
Supreme goal.
Isvara is the
resident in all beings and the controller of the individual self in all beings.
The individual self that does not injure the Greater Self (the Lord) and
considers the Greater Self as One and the same (equal and identical) in all
beings, attains the Supreme goal: This is the basis for ahimsa or
non-violence.
13.29: He, who sees that Prakriti (nature) performs all activities,
knows that the self is not the doer; he truly sees.
Prakriti is
the cause, the agency and the instrument, and performs all activities. The
individual self appears as the apparent doer because of avidya and karma
(ignorance and prārabda karma), but it is not the real doer. The
individual self or the soul's true function in this instance is that of a
witness. (Elsewhere it is mentioned that the Greater Self is the Witness: He is
the Universal Witness.) Imagine a riotous situation, where the distinction
between a spectator and the protester is lost. Both of them are arrested and
the spectator is mistakenly labeled a protester. Because the individual soul or
self is all wrapped up in kosas or sheaths originating from Prakriti, and of avidya
and karma, it is mistakenly accused of doership.
13.30: When one sees that the
individuality of all living beings abides in One, and that all living beings
are expansions of One, he attains Brahma (realization) then.
When one knows
that the individuality of diverse species of living beings centers on God, and
originates from Him, he attains Brahman. A learned humble Brahmin, a cow, an
elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater are seen with an equal eye by a punditah
(sage). BG Chapter 5 Verse 18.
That is
because all beings are God's creatures. They all rise from Him and subside in
Him. Brhad Upanishad 2.4.5: all beings are dear not for the sake of being(s)
but for the sake of SELF (the Lord inside them).
13.31: The imperishable (or immutable) Supreme Self is without beginning
and attributes, though dwelling in the body, O Kaunteya; It neither acts nor
stains.
The Supreme
Self is the Atman residing in the spiritual heart side by side with the
individual self or jivātman. It is pristine, without beginning or end,
imperishable, immutable, without attributes and unaffected by the Gunas,
self-effulgent and remains as a Witness. We are like turbid waters; He devoid
of the gunas is like clear water. The gunas stick on us but in Him the gunas or
modes roll off like water from the surface of the Lotus leaf. He is like the
sun and we are like the candles. He is stainless. He cannot be wetted.
He is
immutable but yet changes; that is his nature; that is the apparent paradox.
Immutability is essence of the Supreme. The changes proceed from him, but in
himself, he does not change.
13.32: As the all-pervasive ether is not stained due to its subtle
nature, the all-pervasive Self, taking abode in the body, is never stained.
The
all-pervading Ether is the primal causal imperishable stem substance, out of
which projects the prakriti and the manifested universe. This stem substance,
ether evolves, transmutes, transforms, modifies, and projects under the
influence of Prāna, and in this case, Rta is the prāna. During
dissolution or pralaya, the manifested universe subsides into ether. This
variegated universe goes from ether to ether. "From dust to dust,” and
“from Dawn to Dawn" do not adequately explain the Vedic concept of ether.
13.33: As the sun lights up
this the whole world, similarly, the ksetrin (the knower of the field)
illuminates all of the ksetram (the field), O Bharata.
As
the sun lights up this whole world, the knower of the field (Self or self)
illuminates the whole field, the body, or the universe.
There are two
parallels here. One is that the Greater Self or the creator, the ksetrin, the
Knower of the field is illuminating the whole universe, which is His body. The
other one is that the jivatma, the knower of the field is illuminating the
physical body.
The field is
the created universe and the knower of the field is the creator or the Atman.
Those Jnāna yogis, who know the difference between the field and the
knower, and have knowledge of the ways and means of liberation from Prakriti,
attain the Supreme.