chhAndogya upaniShad chapter 6

[Guest guest]

shrIlalitA parameshwarI dhyAnashloka:

 

sakuMkumavilepanAmaLikacumbikastUrikAM

samandahasitekshaNAM sasharacApapAshA^NkushAm.h

asheShajanamohnImaruNamAlyabhUShAmbarAM

japAkusumabhAsurAM japavidhau smaredambikAm.h

 

 

bhagavatpAda shrIsha^NkarAcArya dhyAnashlokA:

 

shrutismr^itipurANAmAlayaM karuNAlayam.h

namAmi bhagavatpAdaM sha^NkaraM lokashaMkaram.h

 

shaMkaraM sha^NkarAcAryaM keshavaM bAdarAyaNam.h

sUtrabhAShyakR^itau vande bhagavantau punaH punaH

 

 

namaste.

 

Today is gurupUrNimA day. After prostrating to shri

lalitA and to the paramaguru bhagavatpAda shri sha^NkarAcArya,

I like to initiate this discussion series on chhAndogya

upaniShad chapter 6. shri Ram Chandran, our moderator,

has asked me a few weeks ago to start a discussion series

on one of the upaniShads. I chose chhAndogya, chapter 6.

The reasons are (i) it contains the mahAvAkya tat tvam asi

and the teaching is also the essence of all upaniShads,

(ii) many people have studied this upaniShad and this

mahAvAkya and are knowledgeable about it and hence the

discussion will be from many perspectives, hopefully with

a lot of participation,(iii) shri sha^Nkara's bhAShya and

many explanatory treatises are available on this upaniShad,

(iv) our local discussion group (led by Mrs Susheela Thakkar,

a disciple of swami Chinmayanandaji) is presently looking at

this chapter, and hence my thought-flow will be continuous,

(v) and finally, this will be a good learning experience for

me preparing the material in written form. I am not any

more knowledgeable than other members on the List. In fact,

the List has many scholars and practitioners of advaita

(I mean by practitioners, people who have unknowingly and

naturally have adopted advaita as a way of life), and hopefully,

we all can get deep insights into the heart of this venerable

upaniShad.

 

I will be posting the mantra, word-by-word meaning, tAtparyam

and a brief commentary, based on the following works:

 

 

ChAndogya UpaniShad, with the commentary of shankarAcArya:

translated by swami GambhIrAnanda; Advaita Ashrama publication

 

The Principal UpaniShads by S. Radhakrishnan; Harper-Collins

publication

 

ChAndogya UpaniShad; translated by swAmi SwAhananda; Sri

Ramakrishna Math publication

 

tat tvam asi: by swamini vimalananda; Central Chinmaya Mission

Trust Publication

 

The Upanishads by swami Nikhilananda; Bonanza Books New York

Publication

 

vAkyavr^itti of bhagavatpAda shankarAcArya; Chinmaya Mission

Publication

 

The frequency of postings would be one mantra (or a group of

mantrA-s on the same theme) every week or so, depending on

the generated discussion and the on-going interest. The

I-trans convention will be followed for reading sanskrit

in romanized script. The details of I-Trans convention

can be found at

 

http://www.aczone.com/itrans/

 

chhAndogya upaniShad text is available on the net at the

sanskrit site at the URL

 

http://sanskrit.gde.to/

 

First, the shAntipATha of chhAndogya upaniShad which is part

of sAmaveda.

 

Om ApyAyantu mamA^NgAni vAk prANashcakshuH shrotramatho

balamindriyAni ca sarvANi. sarvaM brahmaupaniShadaM

mA~haM brahma nirAkuryAM mA mA brahma nirAkarot

anirAkaraNamastvanirAkaraNaM me~stu. tadAtmani nirate

ya upaniShatsu dharmAH te mayi santu te mayi santu.

Om shAntiH shAntiH shAntiH.

 

Om

ApyAyantu: may grow vigorous

mama: my

a^NgANi: limbs

vAk: speech

prANaH: vital air

cakshuH: eyes

shrotraM: ears

atho: then

balaM: strength

indriyANi: senses

ca: and

sarvAni: all

sarvam: all (are)

brahma: brahman

upaniShadam: of the upaniShads

mA: never

aham: I

brahma: brahman

nirAkuryam: may never deny

mA mA: never never

brahma: brahman

nirAkarot: deny, reject

anirAkaraNam: non-denial

me: from me

astu: let there be

tat Atmani: to that Atman

nirate ya: in me

upaniShatsu: in the upaniShads

dharmA: virtues

te: they

mayi: in me

santu: may reside

te: they

mayi: in me

santu: may reside

 

Let my limbs and speech, prANa, eyes, ears, vitality

and all the senses grow in strength. All is brahman

of the upaniShads. May I never deny brahman, nor brahman

deny me. May the virtues that are proclaimed in the

upaniShads repose in me who am devoted to the Atman.

May they reside in me, may they reside in me.

 

 

significance of chapter 6

 

Chapter 6 of chhAndogya upaniShad (c.u.) contains the essential

teaching of all the upanishads. It is stated in. c.u. 3.5.1

[sarvam khalv idam brahma, tajjalAn iti, shAnta upAsIta;...

"verily, this whole world is brahman, from which he comes forth,

in which he will be dissolved and in which he breathes. One

should meditate on it in tranquility". Chapter 6 explains how

it is so. Chapter 6 also contains discussion of the trayIkaraNa

evolution of prakr^iti (we have discussed pa~ncIkaraNa a few

times before). The main teaching of chapter 6 is tat tvam asi

(That thou art). It also discusses the importance of the guru

and how the guru has to point out the way for us to find our

natural and original state, yet how the effort by the sAdhaka

is essential for finding this natural state. This is presented

beautifully in the analogy of how someone from gAndhAra, left

in a far-off place, finds the way back to the original country

by following the directions and using judgement. Thus, chapter 6

of the chhAndogya upaniShad stands out as a must-study for any

serious student of AtmavidyA.

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

-