Some thoughts - chhAndogya upaniShad 6.1.4 - 6.1.7

[Guest guest]

First my apologies - too busy with trivial things - and for entering

little little late on discussion of the issues raised related to the

very important upanishad.

 

1. Dating of this upanishad. - every one agrees that it is before

B.geeta. Mahabhaarat period is at least 3000BC that is 5000 years

old. I translated an article that discussed the exact date of

Mahabhaarat based on astrological information available in

Mahabharata itself. (some time in 1999-2000 period in this list).

One can tap the article from archives.

 

2. The naka nikRitanam - or nail cutter that is being referred to in

the Upanishad is made of wroght Iron - since it also says

Krishnaayasam - or Black iron. They did not know Stainless steel at

that time - that is more modern developement. The iron age started

much before the Mahabhaarata times. The extraction and making of

Brass was also known in India. Dr. Anantaraman ( he was my professor

and is a greate vedantin too - related to shree Ram Chandran), has

written two books - one on metallurgical practices in anciet India

and the next on the mystery of Delhi Iron Piller. He gives a better

account of the history of Iron making in India.

 

3. Vaachaarambhanam vikaaro naamadheyam - As shree Nair mentioned

this is very important part of the mantra. vaaka aarambhanam -

sounds like 'in the beginning was the word- the word was with the

god'. Before creation of any thing start - as pot from clay or

ornament from gold etc - involves word - word implies thought - a)the

creater has to have a concept of what he is going to create first -

that is it shoud involve a well thoughtout process. b) vikaaro

involes a modification. Creation is not something out of nothing but

something out of something - a modification - also something cannot

come out from nothing. c) If something has to comeout from what was

there before - as the three examples illustrates - what was there

before - earlier mantra-s already established that - sat eva somya

idam agra asiit ... and tad aithshata - Existence alone was there in

the beginning and that existence was of the nature of chit - since it

says it saw. and it is unlimited - ekam eva advitiiyam - one without

a second. unlimited is free from limitations and hence free from

sorrow - absolute happiness. What was there was - sat chit and ananda

and it bacame many - just as one becoming many. d) one plus many is

still one becuase the becoming many is like clay becoming many pots -

or gold becoming many ornaments - In this vikaara - or modification -

the cause pervades the effects as the threee examples illustrates.

e) The three examples also illustrates that the cause is also the

material cause like clay to the pot or metal to the ornament f) the

mantras also indicates by saying that vaachaarambhanam - the cause is

also the intellegent cause or nimitta kaaraNa. That cause involves

both material and intelligent causes together as one. That is the

significance of repeating each time vaachaarambhanam vikaarao naama

dheyam. This is again consisting of taittiriiya U. statement -

yatova imaani bhuutani jaayante, yena jaatani jiivanti - From which

the whole world arose and by which it is sutained. Material cause

alone can sustain the creation as clay sustains the pot. without

clay, pot has no independent existence. g) Also the illustrations

tell us one can know the cause by examining the effect. - knowing the

cause from the effects. h) the illustrations also demonstates the

inherent laws of causation - 1. every effect must have a cause 2.

effects are nothing but cause itself in different form (vikaara- with

names) 3. If cause is removed the effects also vanish - that is

effects have no independent existence - this will have bearing also

in the further teaching when we come to tat tvam asi - section.

since that - tat part is being referred to as the very cause - the

cause-effect relations ship is the running theme of this chapter.

vaaachaarambhanam - also signifies most impartent thing - does the

world really exists separate from vaak or thought - this is very

fundamental to adviata. That object is out there is nothing but

thought in the mind and thought in the mind is nothing but

disturbance of consciousness and thus nothing but consciousness

itself - the seer and seen distinction is only apparent - as the very

mantra-s start - It saw - it cannot can not see anything since there

is nothing other than itself - hence the upanishad starts with the

apparent duality and confirms with these three mantras - one plus

many plurality is like one clay plus many pots - it is apparent

plurality - naama and ruupa and in essence it is one only - that

cause that exists as the essence of the effect. Since the cause is

chaitanya - the effect cannot be jadam if it is existing in and

through - All that means apparent jadam is not real but only

perturbation in the consciousness. and that is what the implied

meaning of vaachaarambhanam vikaaro naama dheyam mantra.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Sorry when I read my own post - found so many silly mistakes. I hope

the meaning makes still some sense.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

 

 

 

HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs

http://www.hotjobs.com