A Commentary on the Upanishads by Swami Nirmalananda Giri -14

A Commentary

on the Upanishads

by

Swami Nirmalananda Giri

, Mundaka, Mandukya,

Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, and Svetashvatara Upanishads), the

Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Darshana), the Brahma Sutras, and the

commentaries on them by Shankara. The Gita should be a daily study of the sadhaka

as it contains the essence of all the others in a most practical and easily understood

manner. For centuries many spiritual teachers in India have required their students to

study the Gita daily. Much of the gross misunderstanding of Hinduism, and Advaita in

particular, would be eliminated if the Gita were carefully studied and applied

throughout the aspirant’s life.

Do not cut the thread of progeny. Now this is very, very meaningful. For centuries

there has been the misperception that the teachings of the upanishads are somehow

the property of monastics–that monastics are at the top of the spiritual hierarchy in

Indian spiritual tradition. NOT SO. Not one sage mentioned in the upanishads was

monastic, nor was a single author of the scriptures listed in the foregoing paragraph a

monastic. Sanatana Dharma is founded upon the vision of the rishis–none of whom

were monastics. Sanatana Dharma propounds four ways of life that are fitting for

seekers after liberation. Only one is that of the totally committed monastic. It is

certainly true that through the centuries monastics have been a major factor in the

propagation of dharma, that the three schools of Vedanta were formulated definitively

by monastics. Shankara, whose commentaries are mentioned also in the foregoing list

of philosophical works, was a monk of monks.

Nevertheless, the life of the rishis, who were married and “in the world,” is the

norm of Sanatana Dharma. Any philosophy incompatible with that is not dharma. At

the same time, this also means that there is no room for spiritually lazy (and cowardly)

people who try to shirk or shrug off their spiritual obligations by saying: “that is for

you monks.” They do not want to be thought second-class citizens, but they want to

live in a second-class manner and leave the complete fulfilling of dharma to the monks.

Shame! There is only one spiritual life: the Yoga Life. Whatever the conditions or

circumstances, all are obliged to be yogis. Otherwise their dharma is a sham, whether

monastic or non-monastic.

What does “the thread of progeny” have to do with this? The clear implication is

that a Sanatana Dharmi (one who follows Sanatana Dharma) is duty-bound to marry,

have children, and raise those children to also follow dharma–and yoga. The

exceptions are those that become monastics from their youth or who have some

impediment to leading a normal married life. “Footloose and fancy free” is not the way

of the rishis. To see this for yourself, read The Grihya Sutras, translated by Hermann

Oldenberg (volumes 29 and 30 in the Sacred Books of the East series). There you will

see that Sanatana Dharmis are directed to have children, along with instructions on

how to preserve brahmacharya in marriage (!). These are not the rules for monks, nor

were they written by monks, as is clear. Behold for yourself how high the ideal is for

ALL Sanatana Dharmis, whatever their stage of life (ashrama). Those who do not want

to bother should leave dharma alone and join some cheap religion that lets them do as

they please. There is a lot of it about.

Swerve not from truth. Patanjali says that the need for absolute truthfulness is “not

conditioned by class, place, time or occasion, and extending to all stages.” One sign of

a sociopath is the belief that he is not bound by the rules but is a law unto himself.

There are a lot of spiritual sociopaths, but we cannot be one and survive spiritually.

That is why the next counsel is:

Deviate not from the path of good. “The good” is learned by studying the scriptures

and associating with the good–the godly. As Davey Crockett said: “Be sure you’re

right, then go ahead.”

Revere greatness. Only those who can give respect–even reverence–are worthy of

respect; only those who bow can rise. Those who cannot see greatness in others have

no greatness in themselves. As the saying goes: “Mediocrity recognizes nothing above

itself.” The capacity to perceive, value, and honor virtue, wisdom and holiness in

another person is an essential ingredient in spiritual life. This is why those religions

that open the way to liberation have great veneration for saint and Masters, in contrast

to the “bow down and worship me” religions that can only guarantee earthly rebirth

whatever their claims and promises may be. (The more they boast, the less they have.)

The lives, teachings, and images of holy beings should fill our homes, keeping us

aware that the ideals of spiritual life are attainable for us, too.

A lesson on respect

“Let your mother be a god to you; let your father be a god to you; let your teacher

be a god to you; let your guest also be a god to you. Do only such actions as are

blameless. Always show reverence to the great.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 1:11:2) The last

two sentences have really been just covered, so we will look at the earlier ones.

First, the word translated “god” is deva. Here is the definition given in A Brief

Sanskrit Glossary: “Deva: ‘A shining one,’ a god–greater or lesser in the evolutionary

hierarchy; a semi-divine or celestial being with great powers, and therefore a ‘god.’

Sometimes called a demi-god. Devas are the demigods presiding over various powers

of material and psychic nature.” As you see, deva in no ways means God–Ishwara,

Bhagavan, or Brahman. It is indefensible to cite this verse in an attempt to coerce

innocent people into worshipping some guru as God.

The meaning is as clear as it is simple. We should revere our mother, father,

teacher (acharya), and even our guests as citizens of higher worlds. We need not be

blind to their defects, for the gods have defects, also–otherwise they would be free

souls and not gods at all. We should do our best to accommodate these earthly gods

and to care for them with all love and solicitude. Here, too, exaggeration is not

intended. If our parents tell us to commit wrong or damage or neglect our spiritual life

we should ignore it, but as much as is sensible we should defer to them in a reasonable

manner. This is dharma.

There are many who “do good” grudgingly as though taking bitter medicine, or

with a kind of weary “after all it’s my duty” attitude. Many treat the objects of their

“care” or charity in a rude and contemptuous manner or adopt the attitude of an

exasperated adult toward a worrisome or recalcitrant child. This is not dharma. So the

upanishad continues: “Whatever you give to others, give with love and respect. Gifts

must be given in abundance, with joy, humility, and compassion.” (Taittiriya Upanishad

1:11:3) This is a high ideal, but I have seen it done in both America and India by

Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus. All it requires is a pure heart free from ego and

selfishness. One time In Varanasi I saw two people feeding hundreds of poor people. At

the end of the meal, each person was given money and clothing. As they left, they

walked by the benefactors who saluted each one with folded hands, saying “Thank

you” to each of them. They understood: by letting them give in charity, those poor

people were enabling them to create good karma for the future.

A lesson on right conduct

Anyone who has a developed conscience is concerned about accurately

determining what right conduct really is. So the upanishad tells us: “If at any time

there is any doubt with regard to right conduct, follow the practice of great souls, who

are guileless, of good judgment, and devoted to truth. Thus conduct yourself always.

This is the injunction, this is the teaching, and this is the command of the

scriptures.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 1:11:4) Scriptures are important, but they are

sometimes abstract, whereas the lives of saints show us exactly how things should be

done. If we can have access to a living saint who will advise us, then we are most

fortunate. But if not, we should seek out and read the lives of saints of all traditions and

learn how to live. Often we may not at all care for the formal theology of a particular

saint’s religious tradition, but his life transcends such things and shows how to live in a

divine manner. (Do not forget: many saints have been persecuted by their own

religion–even martyred. So we need not accept the religion when we honor the saint.)

“Guileless, of good judgment, and devoted to truth”–such are the saints. And so should

we be.

Those who learn and follow these lessons given us in the upanishad shall be wise

indeed.

The Source and the Goal

Brahman

“He who knows Brahman attains the supreme goal. Brahman is the abiding reality,

he is pure knowledge, and he is infinity. He who knows that Brahman dwells within the

lotus of the heart becomes one with him and enjoys all blessings.” (Taittiriya

Upanishad 2:1:1a)

This verse contains the famous formula: Satyam, jnanam, anantam

Brahman–“Brahman is Reality, Knowledge, and Infinity.” The rest of the verse is selfexplanatory,

except the Sanskrit says that the liberated one knows “Brahman as

existing in the intellect [buddhi] in the supreme space in the heart.” This is the seat of

Om.

Food

“Out of Brahman, who is the Self, came ether; out of ether, air; out of air, fire; out of

fire, water; out of water, earth; out of earth, vegetation; out of vegetation, food; out of

food, the body of man. The body of man, composed of the essence of food, is the

physical sheath of the Self.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:1:1b)

There are a few listings in the upanishads of the emanation-stages of creation, for it

is essential to realize that everything has come from Brahman and shall return to

Brahman. Naturally they are broad–very broad–outlines, for the manifestation of

relativity has countless subtle stages. First there comes the great elements,

forerunners of the elements here on the physical level. When the physical planets are

fully formed, then vegetation appears, and then human beings as abodes of the Self.

Implied here is the principle that vegetables are the natural and intended food of

human beings–certainly of those who intend to manifest the Self. The Gita and

upanishads say a great deal about food because the mind is formed of the subtle

essence of food. Vegetarian diet is a cornerstone of humanity, and a necessary factor in

the aspiration to divinity. No serious aspirant can afford to ignore this or attempt to. So

the upanishad continues:

“From food are born all creatures, which live upon food and after death return to

food. Food is the chief of all things. It is therefore said to be medicine for all diseases of

the body. Those who worship food as Brahman gain all material objects. From food are

born all beings which, being born, grow by food. All beings feed upon food, and, when

they die, food feeds upon them.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:2:1)

This is a great deal of mental food to digest, but is well worth the effort. Food

(annam) is not just something material that an organism subsists on, but includes

everything that goes to affect any sentient being. Thoughts and feelings are food, and

all life-experiences are food. Intuitions are food. Of course some are positive and some

are negative, but they all go to “feed” the evolving consciousness. But frankly if we

don’t start with the regulation of physical food we need not bother with the

metaphysical food.

Food, physical and subtle, is the medicine for all ills. This the Indian sages knew

long before nutritionists or naturopaths existed. I was fortunate to know a truly great

man, Dr. Josef Lenninger, who could cure any disease with diet alone. He was never

wrong and he never failed to cure anyone who followed his instructions. He even saved

people’s lives–people that I knew. Diet is everything–this I learned from him much

better than from any yogi.

When we realize that Brahman is the ultimate “food” then our spiritual health is

assured. When we live in harmony with Brahman, all good comes to us on all levels of

our existence. Just as bodies are absorbed in the earth from which they and their food

came, so finally we are absorbed into our original Source to “life forever” in the

greatest sense.

The Bodies of the Bodiless

“Different from the physical sheath is the vital sheath. This is encased in the

physical sheath and has the same form. Through this the senses perform their office.

From this men and beasts derive their life. This determines the length of life of all

creatures. He who worships the vital sheath as Brahman lives to complete his span of

life. This sheath is the living self of the physical sheath.

“Different from the vital sheath is the mental sheath. This is encased in the vital

sheath and has the same form.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:3:1)

Just as God has encased himself in various layers of manifestation, so has the Self.

So knowledge of these sheaths (koshas) is worthwhile.

The pranic and mental (manasic) bodies

Inside the physical body is the pranic body, the body of life-force. Without the

pranic body the physical body cannot live. The pranic body is also the most objective

astral body, and when seen looks just like the physical body. At death, the grossest part

of the pranic body remains, which is why the hair and fingernails grow for a while after

death. When it separates from the physical body at death, the pranic body takes on the

appearance it had when strongest–usually as the person looked in early middle-age.

When projected from the physical while the person still lives in embodiment, however,

it looks just like the physical body at that time.

Within the pranic body the currents of life-force move in subtle channels that

correspond to the physical nerves. In Sanskrit both the physical and pranic “nerves”

are called nadis.

The pranic body draws its substance from food, sunlight, and air. This latter is one

of the reasons yogis pay attention to both diet and breathing. Health of the pranic body

can produce health of the material body. The pranic body does indeed determine both

the health and the length of life of the physical body. Prana is the very Life of God in

manifestation, so we live in and by the Divine Life.

In a sense, the pranic body is the “self” of the physical. It is the link between the

physical sense organs and the sensory mind, or manas, which is the mental sheath

spoken of next. This body also has the form of the embodied person, but is more

radiant than the pranic sheath. It, too, is astral, and draws a great deal of its vitality

from the pranic body.

Their limitation

These three bodies are mostly integrated with earthly experience–that is their

purpose. For this reason they perceive only the slightest hints of spiritual being–of

Spirit Itself. Therefore the upanishad interposes this statement:

“Words cannot express the bliss of Brahman, mind cannot reach it. The sage, who

knows it, is freed from fear.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:4:1) This is tremendous

information for the yogi. First, it tells him that any words about Brahman and

Brahman-experience are worthless, even deceptive, since It cannot be spoken about,

nor can the sensory mind perceive Brahman in Its pure Being. Next it tells him that

those who know this truth will be freed from great fear and doubts. This is because

ignorant people continually mistake physical, pranic, and mental phenomena for

spiritual phenomena, Then, when the flaws–and sometimes outright false character–of

those phenomena are discovered, the sincere seeker is thrown into doubt, fear, and

confusion. Disillusionment with these things sometimes cause the person to forsake

spiritual life altogether. Of course, spiritual life is impossible on those levels, so they

never really had one–but they aspired to do so. We are being warned by the upanishad

to not make similar mistakes. The yogi must continually live higher than these three

levels. He must realize that they are delusive to a high degree. Nevertheless they are

vehicles of the divine Self and must be cared for.

“The mental sheath is the living self of the vital sheath.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:4:2)

The mental sheath draws much of its power from the pranic sheath, as I said, but it

greatly controls the pranic sheath and empowers it by directing it. For example, when

the sensory mind sees attractive food, it stimulates the pranic sheath to begin the

process of physical digestion. When it perceives something pleasant the two other

bodies are likewise affected, and when it perceives something fearful or lifethreatening

its effects are sometimes cataclysmic.

The intellectual body

“Different from the mental sheath is the intellectual sheath. This is encased in the

mental sheath and has the same form. All actions, sacrificial or otherwise, are

performed through the intellect. All the senses pay homage to the intellectual sheath.

He who worships intellect as Brahman does not err; he does not identify himself with

the other sheaths, and does not yield to the passions of the body.” (Taittiriya

Upanishad 2:5:1)

Now the upanishad speaks of the jnanamaya kosha, the intellectual sheath, that is

also called the buddhi, the intellect. This controls the three lower sheaths through

intelligent understanding. Light strikes the eye and imprints an image of a tree on the

retina, the nerves, physical and pranic, convey impulses to the physical and astral

brains, the intellect perceives it and says: “That is a tree–a maple tree.” Without this

function of the buddhi, we would not be human beings at all.

The intellectual sheath is not astral but causal. If we saw it, we would see light–

usually formless, but on the lesser levels it could have the general outline of the human

body. The senses are messengers to the intellect, its servants, actually. The wise yogi

“does not identify himself with the other sheaths,” but centers his awareness in and

directs his life mostly from the buddhi. As a result he “does not yield to the passions of

the body.” Surely the buddhi is worthy of reverence.

The will body

“Different from the intellectual sheath is the sheath of the ego. This sheath is

encased in the intellectual sheath and has the same form.” (Taittiriya Upanishad

2:5:2a)

The completion of the body complex is the highest body, the anandamaya kosha

which is the seat of will and the sense of asmita–“I exist.” The intellect may know it is

seeing a tree, but the will decides whether or not to keep looking at it. In this way it

fully controls the lesser levels. It both brings them into function and stops their actions.

Just as the buddhi makes us intelligent human beings, the will-body makes us effective

human beings.

The anandamaya kosha is the subtlest causal level, so subtle that it “touches” and

partakes of the nature of the spirit-self. Functionally speaking, it is a mixture of subtle

energy and pure consciousness–though it is not really, since “beyond all sheaths is the

Self.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:5:2b) Sometimes we have to speak inaccurately to get

across at least a shadow of higher realities.

Karma

All intelligent thought and action are possible because of the buddhi and the will.

So they are really the seat of karma. That is why Buddha taught that intention

determined the nature of karma more than the act, that a person who accidentally

brought about the death of another would not be a murderer. Someone who gives

poison to an ill person, fully believing that it is medicine, is not guilty of taking life.

Ultimately karma is a matter of the will, for it is the basis of action.

All together

These five bodies correspond to the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

They also correspond to five levels of existence: bhuh, bhuvah, swah, maha, and jana

lokas. According to which body we mostly “live” in determines what world (loka) we

will incarnate in after this life. Fortunately for the yogi, he steps beyond these five

bodies and cultivates awareness of the Self. So at death the skilled yogi goes to tapa

loka, the world of those who are consciously evolving themselves. Hopefully he will not

return to earthly birth, but will continue on from there to the highest world, satya loka,

the realm of the liberated ones who know Brahman.

Brahman and belief

Beyond the sheaths is the Self, and beyond the Self as Its inmost being is Brahman.

Brahman is the basis of all and IS all, as the upanishad will soon discuss. This being so:

“Vain and useless becomes his life who thinks of Brahman as nonexistent. He alone

who knows Brahman as existent truly lives.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:6:1a)

Interestingly, the upanishad literally says: “If anyone knows Brahman as non-existent,

he himself becomes non-existent.” How many times do people “know” something that

is completely wrong. Our belief in God must not be based on our ignorant mind like

the unbelief of the atheist. I have known of people who became atheists when tragedy

entered their lives, and I have known people who became believers when tragedy came

into their lives. Neither their unbelief nor their belief really amounted to anything.

People who come to believe in God as a kind of last resort are like conquered enemies,

not free and loyal citizens of the kingdom of God.

We should not believe in God, we should know that God exists. There is a deep

intuition of the existence of God in each one of us that comes from our spirit-self. But

because of the mental debris we have accumulated in this and prior lives it has become

greatly attenuated, distorted, or even obliterated. An external factor can sometimes

shift the debris pile to let some light through, but how long will it be before other

things shift it back? The only really safe and sure way is to practice meditation and

burn up the things that are obscuring our intuition of spirit. Then we will be knowers

of the existence of Brahman and well on the way to becoming knowers of Brahman.

Our minds possess the same creative power as the Divine Mind, though to a finite

degree. Nonetheless, our mind determines our entire life–the whole course of our

evolution in this and all higher worlds. It does rest squarely on us. Remember what Sri

Ramakrishna said: The mind is everything. God has created the playing field and

supplied all the equipment for the game. But how we play is up to us–none else. If we

do not know either the goal of the game or the way it is played, it is hopeless. As the

upanishad says, the life of one who does not believe in God is vain and useless. But if

we know the goal, the rules, and the way to play, then we will play well–truly live, as

the upanishad says.

The only reason for the universe is the attainment of Brahmajnana. So the

upanishad finally says: “Surely at death a foolish man does not attain Brahman, but

only a wise man.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:6:1b)

Brahman, Creation, and Us

Brahman and creation

Now we are ready for the subject of the creation and its implications for both God

and human beings.

“Desiring that he should become many, that he should make of himself many

forms, Brahman meditated. Meditating, he created all things. Creating all things, he

entered into everything. Entering into all things, he became that which has shape and

that which is shapeless; he became that which can be defined and that which cannot be

defined; he became that which has support and that which has not support; he became

that which is conscious and that which is not conscious; he became that which is gross

and that which is subtle. He became all things whatsoever: therefore the wise call him

the Real.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:6:1c)

Desiring that he should become many, that he should make of himself many forms,

Brahman meditated. Meditating, he created all things. Certainly the One cannot

become two, much less many. But he can experience multiplicity through his

omniscience. So he willed, and all things came into being through his innate

omnipotence. But it was totally an ideational process. The Cosmic Dreamer projected

the cosmic dream. Then:

Creating all things, he entered into everything. Entering into all things, he became…

all things whatsoever: therefore the wise call him the Real. Pervading all things through

his omnipresence he became aware of them and experienced “being” them just as in

dream we take on many identities and forms that constantly change until we awaken.

Brahman, in contrast, is always awake and knows what “is” and “is not.” There is

nothing that Brahman has not become, described and indescribable, sentient and

insentient. Brahman “is” all things.

Swami Gambhirananda’s more literal translation brings about a point to be noted.

“He wished, ‘Let me be many, let me be born.’” The Birthless actually undergoes birth.

And the same is true of us. We have neither birth nor death. Experience is not reality–

this we must learn.

“Concerning which truth it is written: Before creation came into existence,

Brahman existed as the Unmanifest. From the Unmanifest he created the manifest.

From himself he brought forth himself. Hence he is known as the Self-

Existent.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:7:1a) Gambhirananda’s more literal translation gives

us a better idea: “In the beginning all this was but the unmanifested [Brahman]. From

that emerged the manifested. That Brahman created Itself by Itself. Therefore It is

called the self-creator” There is really no need for comment.

And us

“The Self-Existent is the essence of all felicity. Who could live, who could breathe, if

that blissful Self dwelt not within the lotus of the heart? He it is that gives

joy.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:7:1b) Gambhirananda: “That which is known as the selfcreator

is verily the source of joy; for one becomes happy by coming in contact with

that source of joy. Who, indeed, will inhale, and who will exhale, if this Bliss be not

there in the supreme space [within the heart]. This one, indeed enlivens.”

One becomes happy by coming in contact with that source of joy. Brahman is of the

nature of bliss itself, the source of joy to all beings. It is clear and simple: by coming in

contact with that source of joy we will be joyful. A lot of people are hyper and

hysterical, and some are so heedless and unaware that they are “happy” like village

idiots. But only those who consciously contact Brahman through meditation are truly

happy and have inner joy–the only kind that is real and lasting. Seeking happiness in

anything but God can only lead to unhappiness. How many “deliriously happy” people

have we seen ending up in what John Bunyan calls The Slough of Despond in Pilgrim’s

Progress? Their false joy evaporates so very quickly. Then they go running after

another mirage. And another. And another.

Who, indeed, will inhale, and who will exhale, if this Bliss be not there in the supreme

space [within the heart]. This part is of utmost importance to yogis, for it indicates that

the breath arises from the Chidakasha, the principle (tattwa) of Conscious Ether, the

abode of the Self. This is why all liberating yoga involves breath. For if breath arises

from the Source, it will take us to that Supreme Bliss if we understand how to work

with it. (See the chapter Breath and Sound in Meditation in Om Yoga.)

Knowing Brahman

This one, indeed enlivens. This is why just a few verses back the upanishad says:

“Vain and useless becomes his life who thinks of Brahman as nonexistent. He alone

who knows Brahman as existent truly lives.” This is bedrock truth. That is why yoga is

the Path to Life. The persevering yogi experiences ever-increasing life on all levels of

his being. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto

the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18)

“When a man finds his existence and unity in the Self–who is the basis of life, who

is beyond the senses, who is formless, inexpressible, beyond all predicates–then alone

does he transcend fear. So long as there is the least idea of separation from him, there

is fear. To the man who thinks himself learned, yet knows not himself as Brahman,

Brahman, who drives away all fear, appears as fear itself.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:7:1c)

We reach fearlessness when we know our unity with the Self and Brahman. To

attain this fearlessness our consciousness must become more and more centered in

That which is “formless, inexpressible, beyond all predicates.” While living in this

world we must inwardly dwell in the Transcendent Reality that is Brahman, that is our

Self. For “so long as there is the least idea of separation from him, there is fear”–and

with good cause. The life separated from God is no life at all, but a mirage of suffering,

change, decay, and death.

Perhaps one of the saddest truths in any of the upanishads is this: “To the man who

thinks himself learned, yet knows not himself as Brahman, Brahman, who drives away

all fear, appears as fear itself.” We see this all the time. Intelligent people fear the idea

of living in the state of unity with God lest they lose their “individuality.” They cling to

death and call it life while avoiding life as though it were death. How will they get out of

that state? Only by a lot of buffeting by what they call life. It is not God who punishes

and forsakes us because of this wrong choice–it is the false world that does so from life

to life. Yet we grasp in desperation for more of its fake appearances and run from our

only Life. In my early teens I spoke with a friend about how wonderful it was to free

oneself of “the good things of life” and turn to the Only Life. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “if I

lived like that I would feel like I was in prison!” So he chose what the world told him

was “real living,” and now he is a broken, miserable old man with nothing but

alcoholism and sexual deviance as his companions. He chose imprisonment, and will

no doubt do so in future lives, for enslavement becomes a habit hard to break.

“Concerning which truth it is written: Through fear of Brahman the wind blows and

the sun shines; through fear of him Indra, the god of rain, Agni, the god of fire, and

Yama, the god of death, perform their tasks.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:8:1) The entire

cosmos and all the processes of personal life take place through cognition of God and

his purpose. The “fear” spoken of here is awe which cancels out any possibility of

defiance or disobedience. In the human being there should be a clear understanding

that since God is All, life should be lived accordingly. Along with that should be the

realization that God is our Self, that we are “obeying” our own nature in which is all joy,

but outside of which there can be nothing but fear.

Measuring the joy

In the seventh verse this question was set forth: “Who could live, who could

breathe, if that blissful Self dwelt not within the lotus of the heart? He it is that gives

joy. Now the upanishad takes up that subject of the joy of the Self.

“Of what nature is this joy?

“Consider the lot of a young man, noble, well-read, intelligent, strong, healthy, with

all the wealth of the world at his command. Assume that he is happy, and measure his

joy as one unit.

“One hundred times that joy is one unit of the joy of Gandharvas: but no less joy

than Gandharvas has the seer to whom the Self has been revealed, and who is without

craving.

“One hundred times the joy of Gandharvas is one unit of the joy of celestial

Gandharvas: but no less joy than celestial Gandharvas has the sage to whom the Self

has been revealed, and who is without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of celestial Gandharvas is one unit of the joy of the

Pitris in their paradise: but no less joy than the Pitris in their paradise has the sage to

whom the Self has been revealed, and who is without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of the Pitris in their paradise is one unit of the joy of

the Devas: but no less joy than the Devas has the sage to whom the Self has been

revealed, and who is without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of the Devas is one unit of the joy of the karma Devas:

but no less joy than the karma Devas has the sage to whom the Self has been revealed,

and who is without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of the karma Devas is one unit of the joy of the ruling

Devas: but no less joy than the ruling Devas has the sage to whom the Self has been

revealed, and who is without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of the ruling Devas is one unit of the joy of Indra: but

no less joy than Indra has the sage to whom the Self has been revealed, and who is

without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of Indra is one unit of the joy of Brihaspati: but no less

joy than Brihaspati has the sage to whom the Self has been revealed, and who is

without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of Brihaspati is one unit of the joy of Prajapati: but no

less joy than Prajapati has the sage to whom the Self has been revealed, and who is

without craving.

“One hundred times the joy of Prajapati is one unit of the joy of Brahma: but no less

joy than Brahma has the seer to whom the Self has been revealed, and who is without

craving.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:8:2-4)

Joy comes from knowing the Self and becoming free of all desire through the

fulfillment that comes from union with Brahman.

Rising into joy

“He who is the Self in man, and he who is the Self in the sun, are one. Verily, he

who knows this truth overcomes the world; he transcends the physical sheath, he

transcends the vital sheath, he transcends the mental sheath, he transcends the

intellectual sheath, he transcends the sheath of the ego.” (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:8:5)

This is the real Ascension, and only those who have done so are Ascended Masters.

Just as God is untouched by all the worlds that have proceeded from him, in the same

way the liberated yogi cannot be affected by his various sheaths (koshas), his own

private “worlds.”

It is written: He who knows the joy of Brahman, which words cannot express and

the mind cannot reach, is free from fear. He is not distressed by the thought, “Why did

I not do what is right? Why did I do what is wrong?” He who knows the joy of

Brahman, knowing both good and evil, transcends both. (Taittiriya Upanishad 2:9:1)

He who knows Brahman is freed from all karmic bonds and knows that what he did

and did not do will no longer affect him either in the present or the future. Having

transcended both good and bad karma, he is free. Sri Ramakrishna described such a

person as being like a fish that had been caught in the net but has jumped out into

freedom and swims joyfully away.

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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