A Commentary on the Upanishads by Swami Nirmalananda Giri -19

A Commentary

on the Upanishads

by

Swami Nirmalananda Giri  

Upakosala

Now we come to the story of another student:

“Upakosala dwelt as a student in the house of Satyakama for twelve years. Though the

teacher let other disciples return to their homes after they had been duly taught the way of

truth, Upakosala was not allowed to depart. The wife of Satyakama entreated her husband

to finish teaching him in order that he might go home like the rest, but Satyakama not

only refused to do so but went off on a journey. At this Upakosala was so sad and sick at

heart that he could not eat. The teacher’s wife plied him with food, and in everything

treated him with tender affection, but to no avail. At last the boy cried out to her: ‘O

mother, my heart is still so impure; I am too unhappy to eat!’” (Chandogya Upanishad

4:10:1-3)

The mind of Upakosala

Satyakama did not let Upakosala return home because he had not learned all that was

necessary for leading a fully dharmic life according to the scriptural precepts. It is

interesting that Upakosala does not consider that his failing is an academic one, but rather

one of interior disposition. This shows his fundamental worthiness. “My heart is still so

impure” is a misleading translation. The text actually says: “In this person there are these

many desires which tend towards many things–I am filled with them.” (He spoke in the

third person because he was objective in analyzing himself. This indicates his lack of

egotism.)

This reminds us of the following from the life of Jesus: “He entered into a certain

village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a

sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was

cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that

my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus

answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many

things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be

taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

Upakosala understood this (and Jesus must have studied this upanishad in India),

realizing that although desires may not be negative or foolish, yet they pull us in many

directions, whirling us around and confusing our minds and depleting our life energies.

Only when the mind is fixed on the One can the many be safely attended to.

Why…

Why did the sage leave this boy to his sorrow? Those who see with earthly eyes and

think only earthly thoughts often accuse the saints of being heartless or even cruel. But

they know what they are doing, and are aware that their actions are needed. When Jesus

told his disciples that he would be leaving them, they were unhappy. So he said: “Because

I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you

the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not

come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:6,7) Vivekananda once

commented: “A man harms his disciples by staying too long with them,” for they do not

develop the independence needed to pursue spiritual life. Swami Sivananda often sent his

disciples away to engage in spiritual practice or spiritual work. Even at the time of his

leaving this world, few “old” disciples were present.

There was a man who very much wanted spiritual instruction from one of Sri

Ramakrishna’s disciples, but that man sent him to another disciple, who sent him to still

another–and that one refused him, too. Becoming very upset, even angry and bitter, the

man left Calcutta and returned home. That very night he awoke, feeling that someone was

in his room. Indeed there was: Sri Ramakrishna himself in living, physical form! He

touched the man, blessing him, and gave him spiritual instruction. The next time that man

saw one of his “refusers,” he was told: “We knew you were destined to receive personal

instruction from Thakur himself; that is why we did not teach you ourselves.”

The teaching

And so it was with Upakosala. Through a voice from the sacred fire Brahman became

his teacher. Here is how:

“Then a voice from out the fire which he was tending said: ‘This life is Brahman. The

sky is Brahman. Bliss is Brahman. Know thou Brahman!’ ‘I know that life is Brahman,’

replied Upakosala. ‘But that the sky is Brahman, or that bliss is Brahman, I do not know.’

Again came the voice from out the fire, this time explaining that by sky was meant the

lotus of the heart, wherein dwells Brahman, and that by bliss was meant the bliss of

Brahman. ‘Both,’ said the voice, ‘refer to Brahman’; and, continuing, it taught Upakosala

thus: ‘Earth, food, fire, sun–all these that you worship–are forms of Brahman. He who is

seen in the sun–that one am I. He who dwells in the east, in the north, in the west, and in

the south, he who dwells in the moon, in the stars, and in water–that one am I. He who

dwells in the sky and makes the lightning his home–that one also am I. Know well the true

nature of the world that it may never do you harm.’ Thereupon the fire, which had been

only an earthly fire with which to prepare sacrifices, assumed a new aspect, and became

the Lord himself. The earth was transformed; life was transformed; the sun, the moon, the

stars, the lightning–everything was transformed, and deified. And thus it was that to

Upakosala the true nature of all things was revealed.” (Chandogya Upanishad 4:10:4,5;

4:11:1,2; 4:12:1, 2; 13:1, 2; 14:1)

This is thoroughly clear, and needs no comment, except to say that here we see the

nature of enlightenment as a total transformation of perception. And that is one of the

greatest teachings of this upanishad.

The final words

“In due time Satyakama returned home. When he saw Upakosala, he said: ‘My son,

your face shines like one who knows Brahman. Who has taught you?’ ‘Beings other than

men,’ replied Upakosala. Then said Satyakama: ‘My son, what you have learned is true.

True also is this that I teach you now. Lo, to him who knows it shall no evil cling, even as

drops of water cling not to the leaf of the lotus: He who glows in the depths of your eyes–

that is Brahman; that is the Self of yourself. He is the Beautiful One, he is the Luminous

One. In all the worlds, forever and ever, he shines!’” (Chandogya Upanishad 4:14:2 3;

4.15:1,4)

Nothing more can or need be said.

Svetaketu

Now we come to the best known and most valued section of the upanishads: the story

of Svetaketu and his learning about Brahman–and also his own Self. Prabhavananda has

wisely condensed the narrative as it contains a great deal of repetition which at one time in

India was considered high literary style (as the Pali Sutras of Buddhism show).

Learning that was ignorance

“When Svetaketu was twelve years old, his father Uddalaka said to him, ‘Svetaketu, you

must now go to school and study. None of our family, my child, is ignorant of

Brahman.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:1:1)

What a blessed time it must have been when education was aimed at the attainment of

Brahmajnana!

“Thereupon Svetaketu went to a teacher and studied for twelve years. After committing

to memory all the Vedas, he returned home full of pride in his learning.” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6:1:2)

Yes, yes, yes, we all have read over and over that the Vedas are the basis of Sanatana

Dharma, and that “belief in the Vedas” makes one a Hindu. But this is not the perspective

of the upanishads or the Bhagavad Gita. Vedic study is constantly being decried by them

as worthless–so what does that say about the Vedas? (Which, by the way, are said to be

three, not four.) Just calling them Shabda Brahman–the Sound Brahman–does not make

them so. (Anyhow, anyone who reads the upanishads and Gita knows that OM is the

Shabda Brahman!) In the same way in the Bible we find the prophets, including David in

the Psalms, denouncing the ways of the Law and deriding those who follow it. (The

Essenes declared that the Law, the Torah, had been corrupted and brought into line with

the ways of the ignorant religions of the nations which surrounded and intimidated Israel.)

However we may look at the question, there is no doubt that twelve years of Vedic

study had left Svetaketu both ignorant and arrogant.

“His father, noticing the young man’s conceit, said to him: ‘Svetaketu, have you asked

for that knowledge by which we hear the unhearable, by which we perceive the

unperceivable, by which we know the unknowable?’ ‘What is that knowledge, sir?’ asked

Svetaketu.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:1:3)

Here we have three words: Ashrutam, amatam, and avijnatam that are most

important. Ashrutam means “the unheard,” amatam means “the unthought” or “the

unconceived,” and avijnatam means “the unknown.” They also mean “the unhearable,”

“the unthinkable,” and “the unknowable.” These are epithets of Brahman, the Absolute

Being. Not only do we not at this moment hear, think of, or know Brahman, we cannot do

so–not through the mind, that is. But we can know Brahman directly at the core of our

Self. When we go beyond the usual perceptors into the Knower…then we will hear without

hearing, think without thought, and know without knowing. For it it will be a matter of

BEING alone. In other words, we must be yogis.

THE knowledge

Uddalaka now tells Svetaketu: “‘My child, as by knowing one lump of clay, all things

made of clay are known, the difference being only in name and arising from speech, and

the truth being that all are clay; as by knowing a nugget of gold, all things made of gold

are known, the difference being only in name and arising from speech, and the truth being

that all are gold–exactly so is that knowledge, knowing which we know all.’” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6:1:4-6)

This is pretty straightforward, but it has an interesting implication. Uddalaka says that

if we know one lump of clay or one nugget of gold we will know all clay and gold. The Self

(Atman) and Brahman are absolutely one, yet the Self is limited in Its scope, whereas

Brahman is limitless–and willing to share that limitlessness with us. Therefore the way to

know the Paramatman, Brahman, is to know the Jivatman, the individual Self. Once we

know the part we know the Whole. There is more to it than this, because in that knowing

we participate in the infinite Being of Brahman. This is a matter of yoga and beyond the

scope of language to express or explain. That is why the Kena Upanishad says: “He truly

knows Brahman who knows him as beyond knowledge; he who thinks that he knows,

knows not. The ignorant think that Brahman is known, but the wise know him to be

beyond knowledge.” (Kena Upanishad 2:3)

In response Svetaketu says: “‘But surely those venerable teachers of mine are ignorant

of this knowledge; for if they had possessed it, they would have taught it to me. Do you

therefore, sir, give me that knowledge.’ ‘Be it so,’ said Uddalaka.” (Chandogya Upanishad

6:1:7)

The ONE

“‘In the beginning there was Existence, One only, without a second. Some say that in

the beginning there was nonexistence only, and that out of that the universe was born. But

how could such a thing be? How could existence be born of non-existence? No, my son, in

the beginning there was Existence alone–One only, without a second.” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6:2:1,2)

In the beginning–and evermore–there was SAT: Existence; Reality; Being: Brahman,

the Absolute, Pure Being. And this Sat was ekam, evam, adwityam: one only, without a

second. This Absolute Unity is all that ever has been or that can ever be. This is a major

principle of Sanatana Dharma, one that is not easy to always keep in mind since we find

ourselves immersed in the experience of duality. But when through self-purification and

the practice of yoga we sweep aside this delusive curtain we will see the One and know It

within our own Self (atman) as its inmost essence. The Sat is always One, not one among

many, and is absolutely indivisible. Duality cannot arise in It to any degree.

This being so, Uddalaka warns Svetaketu away from the mistaken idea that there was

an original Nothing from which came Something. Certainly, Brahman is No Thing, but

that is a far cry from Nothing. Rather, it is Everything. This is important to us for two

reasons. First, if originally there was nothing, then when we return to our primal state we

will be annihilated, “become” nothing. And, indeed, there are those who believe and even

yearn for this. But it is not so. Second, for us raised in Western religion, it points out the

absurdity of the theological principle that God created the world ex nihil–from nothing.

Since this second proposition is merely an intellectual perception, it is not particularly

negative, but the first one is, for it deludes us as to what our ultimate state is meant to be.

And it is perfectly possible to enter into an empty, jada state of unconscious inertia that can

be mistaken for Nir vana, that is often wrongly translated “annihilation” or

“extinguishment.”

The “Many”

“He, the One, thought to himself: Let me be many, let me grow forth. Thus out of

himself he projected the universe; and having projected out of himself the universe, he

entered into every being. All that is has its self in him alone. Of all things he is the subtle

essence. He is the truth. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU. ‘Please,

sir, tell me more about this Self.’ ‘Be it so, my child.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:3a; 6:3:2;

6:8:7)

This is extremely important. Brahman did not “create” anything: It projected

everything out of Its own being–and not as a separate entity, for It is within every thing as

its sole Reality, as its Self, as its subtle Essence.

You might be interested to know that this was the original teaching of Christianity. In

the New Testament the word translated “made” in speaking of the origin of the universe is

ginomai, which means to be generated–not made from nothing. It also means to arise or

be assembled from something already existing. The expression “only-begotten” is

monogenis, coming from the same root word. In The Apostolic Constitutions, one of the

earliest liturgical texts of Christianity, God is said to have “brought forth all things as from

a treasure house”–not from nothing.

After saying all these amazing things, Uddalaka enunciates the highest wonder: Tat

Twam Asi: THOU ART THAT. This is the pinnacle of the Upanishads–of all the wisdom

scriptures of India. This awesome truth that behind and beneath it all, including our own

Self, is THAT, is Brahman. “Of all things he is the subtle essence. He is the truth. He is the

Self.”

Svetaketu asked to hear more. In a sense there was no more, but there could be more

affirmations of the single truth. So:

The unknowing

“As the bees make honey by gathering juices from many flowering plants and trees,

and as these juices reduced to one honey do not know from what flowers they severally

come, similarly, my son, all creatures, when they are merged in that one Existence,

whether in dreamless sleep or in death, know nothing of their past or present state,

because of the ignorance enveloping them–know not that they are merged in him and that

from him they came. Whatever these creatures are, whether a lion, or a tiger, or a boar, or

a worm, or a gnat, or a mosquito, that they remain after they come back from dreamless

sleep. All these have their self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all.

He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU. ‘Please, sir, tell me more about this

Self.’ ‘Be it so, my son.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:9:1-4)

All of us in relative existence are enveloped in ignorance. That should not be hard to

accept! But whatever the background or past of any sentient being, of whatever level, in

dreamless sleep and death they all return to Brahman. But their enveloping ignorance

prevents them from knowing Where they are, the way a submarine keeps those inside

from being wet. So they are not enlightened in any way, though so close to the Light from

Whence they came. Although in that state they have no self-concept, no identity with their

present level of evolution, when they awake from sleep or return from death to rebirth,

they find themselves in the form that corresponds to their inner development. And of

course they immediately get lost in the dream and start wandering around, never really

coming to rest anywhere. Yet at all times they are within Brahman and ARE Brahman.

Svetaketu wants more, so his father repeats what he has said from another angle.

“The rivers in the east flow eastward, the rivers in the west flow westward, and all enter

into the sea. From sea to sea they pass, the clouds lifting them to the sky as vapor and

sending them down as rain. And as these rivers, when they are united with the sea, do not

know whether they are this or that river, likewise all those creatures that I have named,

when they have come back from Brahman, know not whence they came. All those beings

have their self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self.

And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU. ‘Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.’ ‘Be it so,

my child.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:10:1-3)

No comment needed.

Svetaketu asks for more.

The all-pervading Source

“If someone were to strike once at the root of this large tree, it would bleed, but live. If

he were to strike at its stem, it would bleed, but live. If he were to strike at the top, it would

bleed, but live. Pervaded by the living Self, this tree stands firm, and takes its food; but if

the Self were to depart from one of its branches, that branch would wither; if it were to

depart from a second, that would wither; if it were to depart from a third, that would

wither. If it were to depart from the whole tree, the whole tree would wither. Likewise, my

son, know this: The body dies when the Self leaves it–but the Self dies not. All that is has

its self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self. And

that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU. ‘Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.’ ‘Be it

so.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:11:1-3)

Everything is alive, but only because the Living Self, Brahman, inhabits it. If that

Presence is withdrawn, then death results. Therefore when the Self leaves the body, the

body dies, but not the Self. Yet see how backwards we are in the West. We think that it is

being in the body that makes a person alive, that when they leave the body they die.

Absolutely backwards! Not only that, we continue to treat the body as the person, dressing

it up, putting makeup on it, fixing its hair and putting in in a satin-lined box and mourning

over it. Even crazier, we will first have drained out its blood and pumped formaldehyde

into it. Then we put the box in a concrete box in a grave and pile dirt on top of it, heap

flowers on it, and leave. But we keep coming back to “visit” the “dead” with more flowers

and even talk to the body as though it were the still-living person who has long ago

departed from the body. Now, if that is not insane, tell me what is? And it is not only

sanctioned by our stupid religions, it is encouraged by them, especially those that disdain

prayers for the departed. Spot the looney.

More, says Svetaketu.

The subtle Essence

“Bring a fruit of that Nyagrodha [Banyan] tree.”

“Here it is, sir.”

“Break it.”

“It is broken, sir.”

“What do you see?”

“Some seeds, extremely small, sir.”

“Break one of them.”

“It is broken, sir.”

“What do you see?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“The subtle essence you do not see, and in that is the whole of the Nyagrodha tree.

Believe, my son, that that which is the subtle essence–in that have all things their

existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.

‘Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.’ ‘Be it so.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:12:1-3)

This is easily understood. What I would like to point out is the fact that Uddalaka says

“the whole of the Nyagrodha tree” is in the Divine Essence. It is not part in and part out,

as we think in the West, believing that part of us is material and part is spirit, or that part

of us lives in this world and part of us in the spiritual world. These distinctions are

products of ignorance. There is only The ONE. At all times.

In response to Svetaketu’s request, Uddalaka produces another object lesson.

“Put this salt in water, and come to me tomorrow morning.”

Svetaketu did as he was bidden. The next morning his father asked him to bring the

salt which he had put in the water. But he could not, for it had dissolved. Then said

Uddalaka:

“Sip the water, and tell me how it tastes.”

“It is salty, sir.”

“In the same way,” continued Uddalaka, “though you do not see Brahman in this body,

he is indeed here. That which is the subtle essence–in that have all things their existence.

That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU. ‘Please, sir, tell

me more about this Self,’ said the youth again. ‘Be it so, my child.’” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6:13:1-3)

For some reason Prabhavananda did not translate this fully. In the original text

Uddalaka asks Svetaketu to taste the water from the top, the middle, and the bottom of the

bowl. Each time he finds it salty. The idea is that Brahman pervades the entire field of

relative existence, AS that field. And we are That.

Yes. Svetaketu wants to hear more.

Teaching needed

“As a man may be blindfolded, and led away, and left in a strange place; and as, having

been so dealt with, he turns in every direction and cries out for someone to remove his

bandages and show him the way home; and as one thus entreated may loose his bandages

and give him comfort; and as thereupon he walks from village to village, asking his way as

he goes; and as he arrives home at last–just so does a man who meets with an illumined

teacher obtain true knowledge. That which is the subtle essence–in that have all beings

their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, O Svetaketu, THAT ART

THOU. ‘Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.’ ‘Be it so, my child.’” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6:14:1-3)

The teaching here is of major import. We can know we are blind and lost and need to

see and go back home, but it stops there. We have to be made to see and shown the way.

This can only happen when we find the teachings of enlightened Masters. If we can meet

such a Master face-to-face, our good fortune is incalculable. Over forty years have passed

since I received the blessing and wisdom of the first Masters of my acquaintance, and

some decades since the last one spoke with me. Yet those memories are my heart’s rosary

which I can go over and vividly return in memory to those days. I do not have to believe

books: I have seen living embodiments of Sanatana Dharma and listened to their words,

many of them addressed personally to me. However, I have spent many, many more hours

reading the printed teachings of some of those great Masters, and many more Masters

that I have only “met” in books.

However the teachings come to us, it is the application that matters. I saw a lot of donothings

circulating around the Masters who just played groupie until the Master died and

then they wasted their time grieving over the loss of something they never really had, and

waiting for the Master to “give the green light” (a quote from one of them) so they could

die and go to the Master’s “loka” and be with him forever. Small chance! They were not

really with the Master in life, so why in death?

What I want to assure you is that truth is always truth. If you learn mathematics from a

teacher or a book it is the same. Further, this upanishadic simile does not inculcate the

guru-disciple enslavement that is considered so essential for enlightenment. Yes, one

person did take away the bandage and point out the way, but notice that “thereupon he

walks from village to village, asking his way as he goes.” So he has many teachers, not just

one. And it should be the same with us. “Loyalty” to a single teacher should not be a

blindfold on the eyes of our soul. All Masters are living, and as Yogananda said, we should

realize that all Masters are one and not make differences between them. (He is speaking

of Masters, though, not just teachers.)

Ultimately, even the teachers are just the mouthpieces of Brahman, of our own ultimate

Self.

At his request, Svetaketu now receives one last instruction.

Forgetting and remembering

“When a man is fatally ill, his relations gather round him and ask, ‘Do you know me?

Do you know me? Now until his speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his breath, his

breath in his vital heat, his vital heat in the Supreme Being, he knows them. But when his

speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his breath, his breath in his vital heat, his vital

heat in the Supreme Being, then he does not know them. That which is the subtle

essence–in that have all beings their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that,

O Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6:15:1-3)

When we merge with Brahman in Mahasamadhi–the great exit of death–then all that

we “knew” and believed in is nothing to us: only Brahman remains for us to know and

identify with. The long journey is over, Reality gained at last. All that was enslaving and

misery-producing, all the trivia and folly of relativity, is over forever. No return

engagement! No return trip ticket! Home at last; home forever. Home in Infinity; Life to a

degree undreamed of by us for ages beyond calculation. For the final time we close our

external eyes to open the eye of spirit. My grandmother asked me to have a song entitled

“We’ll Say Goodnight Here, But Good Morning Up There” sung at her funeral. It certainly

is “night” here and eternal “morning” in God. But attaining it is not so simple as the song

implies. Nevertheless, one day–beyond all time–it will happen to us all. Then we will really

know: That which is the subtle essence–in that have all beings their existence. That is the

truth. That is the Self. And THAT ART THOU.”

The Essence of the Mind and Prana

Sometimes the longer upanishads branch off from the central subject and explore a

byway or two. This happened in the preceding dialogue between Uddalaka and Svetaketu.

Uddalaka began expounding the origin of various components of the human being,

including the mind, the manas, which is the sensory mind, the field of energy which

conveys the impressions of the sensory impulses of the brain. It is part of our astral

bodies, but since it consists of the grossest of astral substance, it is integrated, even

interlaced, with the material body and brain. According to Uddalaka the energy of the

mind is derived from the physical body. Here are his words:

“Food, when eaten, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest

ingredient, that becomes feces; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes flesh;

and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes mind.” (Chandogya Upanishad

6.5.1,2) From this we see how important diet is, for the very substance of the mind is

the essential energy of the food we eat. For that reason we must be careful both as to

what we eat and what its vibration might be. For example, we should avoid meat, fish,

eggs, alcohol, nicotine, and mind-influencing drugs–that should be obvious to the yogi.

But we must also be careful about the vibration of acceptable food, for if it is a vehicle

of negative vibrations it will be poisonous to the mind. When food is cooked or

handled, the vibrations of the cook and the handler enter into it, for cooked food is

very receptive to vibrations. Usually a prayer or blessing will neutralize any negative

energies attached to food, but not always, especially if the cook or handler were

mentally disturbed. Restaurant food can be a problem for that reason, and also because

the food may be cooked in the same oil in which meat has been cooked, or may have

been touched by meat in some way in the restaurant kitchen.

Prana, the subtle life force in the yogi’s body, must also be kept pure, as it affects

everything in the physical and astral bodies, and has a major influence on meditation,

during which the pranas must be as pure and subtle as possible, since the mental

energies and the prana interact with one another intimately. About the prana, Uddalaka

says: “Water, when drunk, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest

ingredient, that becomes urine; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes blood;

and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes Prana.” (Chandogya Upanishad

6.5.1,2) What is said about water stands for any liquid, and we must be as careful about

that as about our food.

“Hence, mind is made up of food, Prana is made up of water.” (Chandogya

Upanishad 6.5.4) Then he repeats this, giving examples.

“Of the curd [yogurt] that is being churned that which is the subtlest part rises

upwards and that becomes butter. So also, of the food that is eaten that which is the

subtlest part rises upwards and that becomes the mind. Of the water that is drunk that

which is the subtlest part rises upwards and that becomes Prana.…Hence, mind is

made up of food, Prana is made up of water.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.6.1-3,4)

This is extremely valuable knowledge for everyone, but especially for the yogi, as

we see that food and drink have a direct effect on the mind and vital force within.

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Narada

Now we come to the account of the great sage Narada and his inquiries made to the

great Master, Sanatkumara. This contains a lot of rhetoric and repetition, so I will omit

some of the first fifteen sections of the seventh chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad as

translated by Swami Prabhavananda.

The ladder to reality

“Narada once came to Sanatkumara and asked to be taught. To Sanatkumara’s

question, ‘What have you already studied?’ Narada replied that he had studied all the

branches of learning–art, science, music, and philosophy, as well as the sacred scriptures.

‘But,’ said he, ‘I have gained no peace. I have studied all this, but the Self I do not know. I

have heard from great teachers like you that he who knows the Self overcomes grief. Grief

is ever my lot. Help me, I pray you, to overcome it.” (Chandogya Upanishad 7:1:1-4)

This contains a cardinal truth: there is no peace or real happiness outside the

knowledge of the Self (atma jnana). Those who wish to end all sorrow must seek that

knowledge. Such is the assertion of the great teachers of humanity.

First Sanatkumara taught Narada the ascending steps of reality which we must perfect

before we can know the ultimate Reality: that which we hear from others, the faculty of

speech, the mind, will, intelligence, meditation, and the wisdom gained from direct

spiritual experience.

The Eternal Truth

“Then said Sanatkumara: ‘But, verily, he is the true knower–who knows eternal Truth.’

‘Revered sir, I wish to be a true knower.’ ‘Then ask to know of that infinite Reality.’ ‘Sir, I

ask to know of it.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 7:16:1)

There are two simple points here. The first is that only the knower of Brahman really

knows anything. Only those that know Eternal Being are jnanis–knowers. This is a

necessary perspective for those that set out to seek the Absolute, for unless they hold to

this outlook they may become distracted along the way and settle for less, or even begin

actively seeking the less.

The second point is that the seeker must ask a qualified teacher for teaching, that it

will not just be dropped in his hands. Asking is the heart of seeking. An equally important

point is implied here: a qualified teacher will not teach unless asked. Somewhere I have

mentioned that this was one of my first lessons learned during my first trip to India. I

found that fools and fakes went into teaching mode the moment they saw me and being

grinding out the philosophical cliches–along with the hints that I should arrange a world

tour for them to end in America the Land of Opportunity. Since nineteenth-century

translations of the upanishads had the teacher addressing the disciple as “my dear,” these

ignoramuses and charlatans always called me “my dear” upon meeting me. In contrast, the

real teachers and Masters were kind and most polite, asking me about my purpose in

coming to India and where I had been, and suchlike. But they never said a word about

either philosophy or yoga. If I asked them for wisdom upon our first meeting, they spoke

sparingly in an almost diffident way, in no way pushing their words at me or trying to

impose their views on me. (Some would not even answer the first time they were

questioned. One teacher only told me anything after I had inquired three times in a row.)

After more contact, they would become very free with me and answer my questions gladly.

But still they never volunteered anything. I always had to ask. This is the mark of a

genuine teacher. So Narada had to declare his desire to know Infinite Reality.

Steps on the path

Next Swami Prabhavananda gives a kind of digest of several verses.

“‘It is only when a man has realized eternal Truth that he declares it. He who reflects

upon it realizes it. Without reflection it is not realized. And only he who has faith and

reverence reflects on eternal Truth. And only he who attends on a teacher gains faith and

reverence. And only he attends on a teacher who struggles to achieve self-control. And

only he struggles to achieve self-control who finds joy in it. Ask to know of this joy.’ ‘Sir, I

ask to know of it.’” (Chandogya Upanishad 7:16:1-22:1)

This list starts at the top and goes to the bottom, and are the steps to realization

according to Sri Sanatkumara.

It is only when a man has realized eternal Truth that he declares it. Only one who has

realized the Eternal Truth of the Brahman-Self can truly declare It. All others just speak

rumor and speculation. So if we want spiritual authority we will have to seek out those that

have found Truth and embody it. For their very words will convey awakening and

empowerment to the worthy hearer. That is why Jesus made the remarkable statement:

“The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) This is not

true of the words of ordinary teachers.

He who reflects upon it realizes it. Without reflection it is not realized. This does not

mean mere intellectual thought, just pondering on ideas about Brahman. The word matih

means thinking of something, reflecting upon it because of love, of great affinity, for it.

(Shankara says this in his commentary.) The meaning is that the worthy seeker is purified

enough in intellect to intuit both Brahman and his eternal relation with Brahman. As a

result a spontaneous inner “recognition” of Brahman arises, along with a reaching out for

the experience of Brahman as Reality. Just as a magnet draws metal to itself, so the yogi

begins to experience the pull of the Infinite, and loves the drawing and the possibility of

the final union. Brahman becomes the most cherished object of his heart, and Its reality is

never absent from his consciousness. This is a sign of his nearness to realizing Brahman.

And only he who has faith and reverence reflects on eternal Truth. The worthy yogi is not

a casual weekender, paddling his feet in the ocean of Infinity. Rather, he is one in whom

intuitive conviction of the reality of God and the necessity of finding God has arisen. This

insight motivates him from the depths of his own being.

And only he who attends on a teacher gains faith and reverence. Actually, the text says

nothing about a teacher, just the word nishtha, which means steadiness. But Shankara in

his commentary says that it indicates the steadfast seeking of a teacher’s wisdom “for

acquiring knowledge of Brahman.” So Prabhavananda has translated accordingly. We have

already considered that we may have recourse either to a living teacher or the teachings of

a realized Master. It is contact with the “vibrations” of a teacher that enable faith to arise in

us. Sometimes only the sight of a Master is needed for awakening to begin–even seeing a

picture or photograph. Something is stirred deep within, often impressions from a

previous life. Wonderful as that may be, it is steadfastness in inwardly and outwardly

approaching the teacher that is needed for success in our search.

And only he attends on a teacher who struggles to achieve self-control. For disciple means

one who is engaging in discipline. Things do not come automatically or easily to the

seeker. That must be faced. And paths that pretend to automatically and easily produce

realization are fake. Discipline–willing discipline–is an absolute requisite for spiritual

attainment. Otherwise any effort expended is most likely to be useless. A lot of cultish

seekers labor and slave and deprive and torment themselves and end up getting nowhere.

But they are not truly disciplined in the sense of intelligent understanding and effort put

forth in the context of a viable tradition.

And only he struggles to achieve self-control who finds joy in it. This is a signal trait of the

worthy seeker: he find joy in the seeking, and rejoices in having at last found the way to

real finding. The way is one of discipline and purification, and he loves every bit of it,

however it may pain the ego, for he knows it leads to the end of uncertainty and suffering.

Such a seeker does not sigh and grudgingly do what is necessary, feeling put upon all the

way. That kind will not persevere–and good riddance. No, he is like the men Jesus told

about: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man

hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth

that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly

pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and

bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46) They gladly gave all they had. Such are those who find joy

in the struggle for self-mastery and Self-realization. Saint Paul says that Jesus himself: “for

the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at

the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

“Ask to know of this joy.” “Sir, I ask to know of it.” Certainly many people seek higher

reality as a result of disillusionment and suffering. Some merely seek the cessation of

suffering, but the wiser actively seek the joy that is the nature of Brahman.

The source of joy

“‘The Infinite is the source of joy. There is no joy in the finite. Only in the Infinite is

there joy. Ask to know of the Infinite.’ ‘Sir, I ask to know of it.’” (Chandogya Upanishad

7:23:1)

This is not an easy lesson to learn: that there is no joy outside of the Infinite Brahman;

there is no joy outside of our own Self. The meditator knows how difficult this his, for the

mind keeps running after utter trivia in meditation, turning from the way to ananda and

thinking of those things that only bring suffering even though the mind delights in the

idea of them. Fool’s gold is preferred by the mind to real gold. This is an addiction

incredibly hard to be cured. The first step is asking about the Infinite, as this verse shows.

Experiencing the Infinite

What now follows is not a definition of the Infinite, because that is impossible since It is

beyond conceptualization, and therefore beyond words. But it is possible to give a hint

about the experience of the Infinite, even though it will be more of a neti-neti (not this-not

that) approach.

“‘Where one sees nothing but the One, hears nothing but the One, knows nothing but

the One–there is the Infinite. Where one sees another, hears another, knows another–

there is the finite. The Infinite is immortal, the finite is mortal.’ ‘In what does the Infinite

rest?’ ‘In its own glory–nay, not even in that. In the world it is said that cows and horses,

elephants and gold, slaves, wives, fields, and houses are man’s glory–but these are poor

and finite things. How shall the Infinite rest anywhere but in itself?’ (Chandogya

Upanishad 7:24:1,2)

I know I have said it elsewhere, but I must say it here: nowhere in the entire world can

there be found teachings equal to those of the upanishads. And these two verses are proof

of that.

“Where one sees another, hears another, knows another–there is the finite,” can be

understood in two ways, both of which are correct. First, if someone sees anything besides

the Infinite, then he is not perceiving the Infinite, for when the Infinite is perceived, all

else either disappears or is seen as the Infinite Itself. Second, if anyone sees anything

other than his Self–which is one with the Infinite–he is not seeing the Infinite.

“How shall the Infinite rest anywhere but in itself?” This is also true of those who have

realized the Infinite.

Where is the Infinite?

“The Infinite is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left. I am all this. This

Infinite is the Self. The Self is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left. I am all

this. One who knows, meditates upon, and realizes the truth of the Self–such an one

delights in the Self, revels in the Self, rejoices in the Self. He becomes master of himself,

and master of all the worlds. Slaves are they who know not this truth.” (Chandogya

Upanishad 7:25:1,2)

The knower of the Infinite

“He who knows, meditates upon, and realizes this truth of the Self, finds that

everything–primal energy, ether, fire, water, and all other elements–mind, will, speech,

sacred hymns and scriptures–indeed the whole universe–issues forth from it. It is written:

‘He who has realized eternal Truth does not see death, nor illness, nor pain; he sees

everything as the Self, and obtains all.’ The Self is one, and it has become all things.

“When the senses are purified, the heart is purified; when the heart is purified, there is

constant and unceasing remembrance of the Self; when there is constant and unceasing

remembrance of the Self, all bonds are loosed and freedom is attained. Thus the venerable

Sanatkumara taught Narada, who was pure in heart, how to pass from darkness into

light.” (Chandogya Upanishad 7:26:1,2)

Nothing really needs to be said in commentary. What is needed is the resolve to follow

the example of Narada and attain the same realization.

Within the Lotus of the Heart

The Chidakasha within

“Within the city of Brahman, which is the body, there is the heart, and within the heart

there is a little house. This house has the shape of a lotus, and within it dwells that which

is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized. What then is that which, dwelling within

this little house, this lotus of the heart, is to be sought after, inquired about, and

realized?” (Chandogya Upanishad 8:1:1,2)

The body is the abode of Brahman and the Self. The core-center of each relative,

sentient being is its heart. And within the heart is a dahara, a dwelling; and within that

dwelling is pure akasha, ether or space. But it is not the akasha that is one of the five

primal elements (panchabhuta), but rather the Chidakasha: the space of Consciousness.

In other words, the inmost dweller of the heart is Brahman Itself. Such is the import of

these verses according to Shankara. So it is Brahman “which is to be sought after,

inquired about, and realized.”

The inner cosmos

“As large as the universe outside, even so large is the universe within the lotus of the

heart. Within it are heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, the lightning, and all the stars.

What is in the macrocosm is in this microcosm.” (Chandogya Upanishad 8:1:3)

How is this possible? Because space, like time, is only a idea, only an experience, not a

reality. Infinity is within each one of us. I have had various experiences of this fact, but

here is an account I wrote down some years ago.

“While meditating one day all ordinary physical sensation vanished. Spatial relation

ceased to exist and I found myself keenly aware of being beyond dimension, neither large

nor small, but infinite (for infinity is beyond size). Although the terminology is

inappropriate to such a state, to make it somewhat understandable I have to say that I

perceived an infinity of worlds ‘within’ me. Suns–some solo and others surrounded by

planets–glimmered inside my spaceless space. Not that I saw the light, but I felt or intuited

it. Actually, I did not ‘see’ anything–and yet I did. It is not expressible in terms of ordinary

sense experience, yet I must use those terms. I experienced myself as everything that

existed within the relative material universe.”

I was experiencing the mirror-image of the cosmos that exists within the Chidakasha

in the heart. No one had ever told me about this, so at first I was at a loss to figure it out.

But then in a moment the truth flashed into my mind. When much later I read these words

of the Chandogya Upanishad I realized how amazing and invaluable is yoga. The yogi can

realize for himself the things written in the wisdom texts of India. He can both experience

and understand the meaning of the experience–and all from within.

And yet…

“All things that exist, all beings and all desires, are in the city of Brahman; what then

becomes of them when old age approaches and the body dissolves in death? Though old

age comes to the body, the lotus of the heart does not grow old. At death of the body, it

does not die. The lotus of the heart, where Brahman exists in all his glory–that, and not

the body, is the true city of Brahman. Brahman, dwelling therein, is untouched by any

deed, ageless, deathless, free from grief, free from hunger and from thirst. His desires are

right desires, and his desires are fulfilled.” (Chandogya Upanishad 8:1:4,5)

The mystic Angelus Silesius wrote that if he could die, then God would die; that if he

could cease to exist, God would cease to exist. Such was his absolute understanding of the

identity of the Self and God. Since this is so, the upanishad tells us that the Immortal is

within us, whatever the condition of the body. Moreover, the desires of that Self are

satyakama, true desires, and Its will is satyasankalpa, true will. So if we will center our

consciousness in the Self, we will not have worry about desire or will–they will be Sat:

revealers of the Real.

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...) 

(My humble salutations H H Swami Nirmalananda Giri ji and   Hinduism online dot com for the collection)

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