Mundaka Upanishad ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mundaka Upanishad Eduardo Gomez (ego@inforamp.net) 27 Aug 95: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction: The holy books which are the foundation of the Hindu religion are The Vedas. There's no final agreement where the time of their origin is concerned, but it could be between 1000 and 5000 years B.C., or even older. The four Vedas are: Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda and Atharva-Veda. The root of the word Veda is 'vid', or 'know'. They are classified in two great divisions, exoteric and esoteric: The Karma-kanda 'department of works', the ceremonial, and the Jnana-Kanda, 'department of knowledge', to where the Upanishads (about 150) belong. The Mandukya Upanishad is part of the Atharva-Veda. I've included in this transcription (the second Upanishad posted by me) some comments and explanations. Eduardo Gomez. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mundaka Upanishad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PART ONE. Chapter One. "Brahma (1) was before the gods were, the Creator of all, the Guardian of the Universe. The vision of Brahman (2), the foundation of all wisdom, he gave in revelation to his first-born son Atharvan. That vision and wisdom of Brahman given to Atharvan, he in olden times revealed to Angira. And Angira gave it to Satyavaha, who in succession revealed it to Angiras (3)." (1) Brahma is the name applied to the first plane that is manifested when Creation (a cyclic event) starts once more. Before this Cosmic Creation begins and after it's eventual destruction, the only "thing" left is (2) Brahman: The Spirit, The Only One, Reality, God. (3) This sucession of people must necesarily refer to the creation of different planes of manifestation which are the sub-products of Brahma, the first one created. From a certain angle, all these planes can be considered 'Entities'. Anyway, the real value of the Upanishad rests on the final teaching, which is always (in all the Upanishads) about the nature of, or the means to reach, Brahman: the Highest. "Now there was a man whose name was Saunaka, owner of a great household, who, aproaching one day Angiras with reverence, asked him this question: 'Master, what is that which, when known, all is known?' The Master replied: Sages say that there are two kinds of wisdom, the higher and the lower. The lower wisdom is in the four sacred Vedas, and in the six kinds of knowledge that help you to know, to sing, and to use the Vedas: definition and grammar, pronunciation and poetry, ritual and the signs of heaven (5). But the higher wisdom is that which leads to the Eternal (6)." (5) Vedic astrology. (6) The Upanishads contain that Higher Wisdom. "He is beyond thought and invisible, beyond family and colour. He has neither eyes nor ears; He has neither hands nor feet. He is everlasting and omnipresent, infinite in the great and infinite in the small. He is the Eternal whom the sages see as the source of all creation. Even as a spider sends forth and draws in its thread, even as plants arise from the earth and hair from the body of man, so even the whole creation arises from the Eternal. By Tapas, the power of meditation, Brahman attains expansion and then comes primeval matter. And from this comes life and mind, the elements and the worlds and the immortality of ritual action. From that Spirit who knows all and sees all, whose Tapas is pure vision, from Him comes Brahma, the creator, name and form of primeval matter." (7) (7) It is interesting to note here that some important facts on cosmogenesis has been given. First, the ever-present existence of Brahman, who is never created, but is the first creator. Second, the method employed by Him for the creative act is called Tapas, or the power of meditation. It is sugested here that a great power of concentration and visualization of the final end are attributes of God in its purest state. Third, that matter was created before life (physical life, of course), the mind and conciousness, and that this primeval substance or plane is called Brahma. From there, all the different substances and dimensions were created. But do not make the mistake of thinking that this primeval matter is the collection of the elements that we know as our chemical universe. That primeval substance was (and is) so subtle that it would be impossible to differenciate it (with our finite minds) from the nature of Brahman. PART ONE. Chapter Two. "This is the truth: The actions of devotion that sages heard in sacred verses were told in many ways in the three Vedas. Perform them always, O lovers of the true: they are your path of holy action in this world. When the flames of the sacred fire are rising, place then in faith the sacred offerings.If at the sacred fire of Agnihotra no heed is taken of the new moon, or of the full moon, or of the seasons of the year, or of the first fruits of spring; if no guests are present, if the offering of the sacrifice is left undone, or not done according to the rule, or the offering to all of the gods (8)is forgotten, then the offerer does not attain the reward of the seven worlds." (9) (8) The politeism of India can be compared to the christian belief in many saints. But there's a big difference in both aproaches, and that is the fact that the entities that govern the elements and also the stars and planets are cosmic beings whose influence is far greater than any human soul or spirit (note the lower case). The being that we know as the Chirst, even though He is at the head of a big plan of evolution concerning our planetary life, has not yet reached the state where he can be called a (complete) planetary God. How less will be then, the influence of a minor saint or martyr! (9) The septenary division of the Universal Energy is a most esoteric concept. We have seven main cosmic planes or dimensions, seven sacred planets on our solar system, seven energy centers in our subtle bodies, seven visible colors, seven main musical notes (although this last concept is an arbitrary choice of humanity, it is still in response to that septenary impulse). "The dancing flames of the sacred fire are seven: the black, the terrific, that which is swift in the mind, that which is dark with smoke, the deep red, the spark-blazing and the luminous omniformed flame.If a man begins his sacrifice when the flames are luminous, and considers for the offerings the signs of heaven, then the holy offerings lead him on the rays of the sun where the Lord of all gods has his high dwelling. And when on the rays of sunlight the radiant offerings raise him, then they glorify him on words of melody: 'Welcome', they say, 'welcome here. Enjoy the heaven of Brahma (10) won by pure holy actions.' (10) The impermanent world of creation (Brahma)is where the rewards of ritual are collected. Also note the association of Brahma with the Sun, who, in our small solar system, is the creator. People should learn something about the way stars like our Sun create new elements from the all-present hidrogen by means of fusion. The occult significances of that process are many. "But unsafe are the boats of sacrifice to go to the furthest shore; unsafe are the eighteen books where the lower actions are explained. The unwise who praise them as the highest end go to old age and death again. Abiding in the midst of ignorance, but thinking themselves wise and learned, fools aimlessly go hither and thither, like blind lead by the blind. Wandering in the paths of unwisdom, 'We have attained the end of life', think the foolish. Clouds of passion conceal to them the beyond, and sad is their fall when the reward of their pious actions has been enjoyed. Imagining religious ritual nad gifts of charity as the final good, the unwise see not the Path supreme. Indeed they have in high heaven the reward of their pious actions; but hence they fall and come to earth or even down to lower regions." (11) (11) All rituals and actions (good or bad) have their existence in the worlds of time-space, and those worlds are ruled by the Law of Cause and Effect (Law of Karma). Good actions bring good results and bad action bring bad results. In both cases, experiencing the results is inevitable, and these are subject to time, which means that they have and end. Here the Teacher suggest that (if anybody wants to live a happy life in the material world and in the dimensions where the rewards of actions are enjoyed after death) you do all the rituals mentioned in the Vedas, but he also warns that those can fail if they are not done properly, and that their results have a limited time (from the standpoint of the eternal soul that incarnates). "But those who in purity and faith live in the solitude of the forest, who have wisdom and peace and long not for earthly possessions, those in radiant purity pass through the gates of the Sun to the dwelling place supreme where the Spirit is in Eternity. Beholding the worlds of creation, let the lover of God attain renunciation: what is above creation cannot be attained by action . In his longing for divine wisdom, let him go with reverence to a Teacher, in whom live the sacred words and whose soul has peace in Brahman. To a pupil who comes with mind and senses in peace the Teacher gives the vision of Brahman, of the Spirit of truth and eternity." (12) (12) Even though there's action when the seeker of the Truth tries to find a Teacher, purifies himself, or renounces to earthly posessions, those are actions that lead to the Final End, to that which is beyond time and space. Once that Reality is grasped by the one who looked for it, the whole idea of time-space is cancelled, and doesn't work any more for him. There's no more actions or results for the one who reaches Truth. Renunciation here means not to stop acting and stop all movement (of the body, of the mind, etc.). Those are necessary means to let the inflow of the highest conciousness to pass through. But after that is accomplished, and the light of Brahman rules, then all duality is cancelled (subject-objetc), and so the whole concept of action, which is born from that duality. The real renunciation is the negation of all duality. PART TWO. Chapter One. "This is the truth: As from a fire flame thousands of sparks come forth, even so from the Creator an infinity of beings have life and to him return again. But the Spirit of light above form, never-born, within all, outside all, is in radiance above life and mind, and beyond this creation's Creator." (12) (12) Here, Brahma (the first creation) is refered twice as the Creator. But the Spirit is again refered as higher that him. "From Him comes all life and mind, and the senses of all life. From Him comes space and light, air and fire and water, and this earth that holds us all. The head of His body is fire, and His eyes the sun and the moon; His ears, the regions of heaven, and the sacred Vedas His word. His breath is the wind that blows, and this whole universe is His heart. This earth is His footstool. He is the Spirit that is in all things. From Him comes the sun, and the source of all fire is the sun. From Him comes the moon, and from this comes the rain and all herbs that grow upon earth. And man comes from Him, and man unto woman gives seed; and thus an infinity of beings come from the Spirit Supreme. The verses of the Rig Veda and songs of the Sama Veda, prayers of the Yajur Veda and rites of initiation, sacrifices and offerings and gifts, the offerer of the sacrifice, the year and the worlds purified by the light from the sun and the moon, all come from the Spirit. From Him the oceans and mountains; all rivers come from Him. And all herbs and the essence of all whereby the Inner Spirit dwells with the elements: all come from Him. The Spirit in truth is all: action, and the power of Tapas, and Brahma the creator, and immortality. He who knows Him dwelling in the secret place of the heart (13) cuts asunder the bonds of ignorance even in this human life." (13) The energy center coincident whith the physical heart, and its physical manifestation (the physical heart) are to be considered very importante. Chistians will grasp some of its meaning relating this Spiritual Spark dwelling in the heart as the sacrifice of God in matter through his Son. If we just look at our physical heart and its function, we'll se that it has a very tedious job, and it's probably the only organ that cannot stop working without damaging the whole pjysical vehicle or body. So persistence is the key to the meaning of the heart, and persistence is associated with the cosmic second person of the trinity (of which the fixed astrological signs are part). That is the Son aspect of God. And the heart is, in astrology, the microcosmic analogy of the Sun, which is, at the same time, Brahma, the first created, the primogenitus, the Son again. I think I gave enough material to think about here. PART TWO. Chapter Two. "Radiant in His light, yet invisible in the secret place of the heart, the Spirit is the supreme abode wherein dwells all that moves and breathes and sees. Know Him as all that it is, and all that is not, the end of love-longing beyond understanding, the highest in all beings. He is self-luminous and more subtle than the smallest; but in Him rest all the worlds and their beings. He is the everlasting Brahman, and He is life and word and mind. He is truth and life immortal. He is the goal to be aimed at: attain that goal, O my son! Take the great bow of the Upanishads and place it in an arrow sharp with devotion. Draw the bow with concentration on Him and hit the centre of the mark, the same everlasting Spirit. The bow is the sacred OM (14), and the arrow is your own soul." (14) OM is considered a most occult word, and its potency is ignored by many who use it. The pronouncing of the sound has to be accompanied by purity of thought and desires, otherwise, the results are very destructive for the individual misusing the sound. "Even as an arrow becomes one with his mark, let the watchful soul be one in Him. In Him are woven the sky and the earth and all the regions of the air, and in Him rest the mind and all the powers of life. Know Him as the ONE and leave aside all other words. He is the bridge of immortality. Where all the subtle channels of the body meet, like spokes in the centre of a wheel, there He moves in the heart and transforms His one form unto many. Upon OM, Atman (15), your Self, place your meditation. Glory unto you in your far away journey beyond darkness!" (15) For practical porpouses, Atman and Brahman should be considered the same. I think that sometimes Atman is considered the 'portion' of Brahman in the individual, or his individual Spirit. But from the point of view of Unity, these differences are inexistent. "He who knows all and sees all, and whose glory the Universe shows, dwells as the Spirit of the divine city of Brahman in the region of the human heart. He becomes mind and drives on the body and life, draws power from food and finds peace in the heart. There the wise find Him as joy and light and life eternal. And when He is seen in His immanence and trascendence, then the ties that have bound the heart are unloosened, the doubts of the mind vanish, and the law of Karma works no more. In the supreme golden chamber is Brahman indivisible and pure. He is the radiant light of all lights, and this knows he who knows Brahman. There the sun shines not, nor the moon, nor the stars; lightnings shine not there and much less earthly fire. From His light all these give light; and His radiance illumines all creation. Far spreading before and behind and right and left, and above and below, is Brahman, the Spirit eternal. In truth Brahman is all. PART THREE. Chapter One There are two birds, two sweet friends, who dwell on the self-same tree. The one eats the fruits thereof, and the other looks on in silence. The first is the human Soul who, resting on that tree, though active, feels sad in His unwisdom. But on beholding the power and glory of the higher Spirit, he becomes free from sorrow." (16) (16) The Soul is where the results of action are finally assimilated as lessons that increase conciousness. Also, the Soul in its own plane is still living duality (though in a very elevated form) and it sees itself as the actor. But the Spirit behind it, the real source of life and conciousness is usually called 'The Witness', and the symbol of the eye is very significative here. When the point of identification is transferred from the Soul to the Spirit, there's no more duality , and neither sorrow. "When the wise seer beholds in golden glory the Lord, the Spirit, the Creator of the god of creation, then he leaves good and evil behind and in purity he goes to the Unity Supreme. In silent wonder the wise see Him as the life flaming in all creation. This is the greatest seer of Brahman, who, doing all his work as holy work, in God, in Atman, in the Self, finds all his peace and joy." (17) (17) The realization that all work is done by the ONE in the ONE, makes all work holy, and the whole idea of action becomes balanced. There's no more 'undesirable or desirable' work. There's no 'more or less important' work either. The true seer of Brahman lives in joy no matter the circunstances. "This Atman is attained by truth and Tapas whence come true wisdom and chastity. The wise who strive and who are pure see Him within the body in His pure glory and light. Truth obtains victory, not untruth. Truth is the way that leads to the regions of light. Sages travel therein free from desires and reach the supreme abode of Truth. He is inmeasurable in His light and beyond all thought, and yet He shines smaller than the smallest. Far, far away is He, and yet He is very near, resting in the inmost chamber of the heart. He cannot be seen by the eye, and words cannot reveal Him. He cannot be reached by the senses, or by austerity or sacred actions. By the grace of wisdom and purity of mind, He can be seen indivisible in the silence of contemplation. This invisible Atman can be seen by the mind, wherein the five senses are resting. All mind is woven with the senses, but in a pure mind shines the light of the Self. Whatever regions the pure in heart may see in his mind, whatever desires he may have in his heart, he attains those regions and wins his desires: let one who wishes for success reverence the seers of the Spirit." (18) (18) The aggregate of mind, desire and physical vehicles are called the Personality. It is clear that the Atman only shines through a pure personality. The state of the physical body is the result of the mind and the desire nature, so we have to clean the these ones first. The main obstacle to this humanity is the desire nature. Many occult factors have contributed to increase its power out of proportion, and we are almost slaves of its nature. Our senses are permanently bombarded with propaganda that increases that effect. If there's something that can be called planetary or cosmic evil, it is working through our desire nature, it is feeding it, and its feeding from it. But there's a point in evolution where the Spirit uses his power to destroy the desire nature of the personality, having completed its cicle of usefulness. When a person starts to control the desire nature, you call tell that his or her Spirit is reaching through. It's not an easy job, but it has to be done someway or the other. It's a good start to beging discriminating what reaches your senses, particularly the eyes. PART THREE. Chapter Two. "Then he knows the supreme dwelling of Brahman wherein the whole Universe shines in radiance. The wise who, free from desires, adore the Spirit pass beyond the seed of life in death. A man whose mind wanders among desires, and is longing for objects of desire, goes again to life and death according to his desires. But he who possesses the end of all longing, and whose self has found fulfilment, even in this life his desires will fade away. Not through much learning is the Atman reached, not through the intellect or sacred teaching. He is reached by the chosen of Him." (19) (19) Being the Atman the source of all power, it is evident that the first contacts made with the personality come from that plane. When it's existence begins to take form in the mind of the individual, then a dual process of invocation through the personality, and the resulting evocation from the Self or the Atman, takes place. "To His chosen the Atman reveals His glory. The Atman is not reached by the weak, or the careless, or those who practice the wrong austerity (20); but the wise who strive in the right way lead their soul into the dwelling of Brahman." (20) Any excesive austerity is in the end so distracting that the one who practices focusses himself so much in the threefold personality, that forgets to concentrate on his goal (the Atman). And also, the results can be dangerous for his vehicles. "Having reached that place supreme, the seers find joy in wisdom, their souls have fulfilment, their passions have gone, they have peace. Filled with devotion, they have found the Spirit in all and go into the All. Those ascetics who know well the meaning of the Vedanta (21), whose minds are pure by renunciation, at the hour of departing find freedom in the regions of Brahman, and attain the supreme everlasting life. The fifteen forms return to their sources and the senses to their divinities.(22) (21) The science of the Vedas. Their real meaning, hidden behind all the rituals and minor sciences. (22) Many schools of occult teaching have their own way of dividing the different ennergies acting on the threefold personality, the Soul, and the Spirit. The nimber here is only a minor detail. "Actions and the self and His knowledge go into the Supreme Everlasting. As rivers flowing into the ocean find their final peace and their name and form disappear, even so the wise become free from name and form and enter into the radiance of the Supreme Spirit who is greater than all greatness. In truth who knows God becomes God." * * * O M * * *