Upadesha Sahasri (Verse Section 1)

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Namaste all,

 

At long last.....after many hard disk problems and

corrupted files.... I have been able to return to

posting Upadesha Sahasri for the archives.

I have been using translations by Swami Jagadananda,

Sengaku Mayeda and A.J.Alston. Where one translation

leaves me a little bewildered I have included

bracketed notes of the various interpretations.

In previous postings I completed the 'Prose portion'

in which the teacher and the pupil present us with

whole of advaitin teaching.

Now I commence the 'Verse Portion' which will be more

particular in its themes from chapter to chapter.

The introduction centres upon actions and their origin

and the place of prescribed actions.

May I apologise to people if I have not replied to

them in the past but when my hard disk stopped

spinning, and CD back-ups refused to display their

data, much was lost.

 

Part 11 (Metrical)

CHAPTER

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

1. I bow down to that all-knowing One which is pure

Consciousness (Mayeda says that this is a synonym for

Brahman/Atman), all-pervading, all (Who is the true

nature of everything. Alston), residing in the hearts

(guhya, the cave) of all beings and beyond all objects

of knowledge.

 

2. Now then the Vedas begin to describe the knowledge

of Brahman after dealing with all actions (rituals)

preceded by marriage and the installation of sacred

fire.

 

 

3, 4. Actions, (both enjoined and prohibited,), bring

about one’s connection with the body; when the

connection with the body has taken place, pleasure and

pain most surely follow; thence come attraction and

repulsion; from them actions follow again, as the

result of which merit and demerit appertain to an

ignorant man, which again are similarly followed by

the connection with the body. This transmigratory

existence is thus going on continually for ever like a

wheel.

 

5. The cessation of ignorance is desirable as it is

the root of this transmigratory existence.

(When the conviction arises that the cause of this

process is metaphysical ignorance, there is a desire

to end that ignorance. Alston) Hence a delineation of

the knowledge of Brahman through which comes

liberation (from Ignorance) is commenced.

 

6, 7. Not being incompatible with Ignorance actions do

not destroy it; it is knowledge alone that does it.

Ignorance not being destroyed, the destruction of

desire and aversion is not possible. Actions caused by

impurities are sure to follow in case desire and

aversion are not removed. Knowledge alone, therefore,

is taught here so that liberation (from Ignorance) may

be accomplished.

 

8. (Objection) Obligatory duties should be performed.

(along with the practice of knowledge) as long as life

lasts, (Ish.Up.2) because these duties co-operate with

Knowledge in producing liberation.

 

9. As they are equally enjoined (Ish.Up. 1) obligatory

duties and knowledge (should be practised together).

They should be undertaken by those who aspire after

liberation because Smritis speak of sins (Manu 11.44)

also arising out of the omission of those actions.

 

10, 11. (First line). You may say “Knowledge is

followed by a sure result and does not depend on

anything else.” But it is not so. Just as Agnistoma,

though followed by an unfailing result, depends on

things other than itself, (such as learning and

repeating the Udgitha formula etc. Alston) so

knowledge, though bringing about a sure result, must

depend on obligatory duties.

 

11. (Last line). (Reply). Some people hold this view.

(We say:) No. As it is incompatible with actions,

Knowledge does not depend on them (in producing its

result).

 

12. Accompanied by egoism actions are incompatible

with Knowledge. For it is well-known here (in the

Vedantas) that knowledge is the consciousness that the

Self is changeless.

 

13. Actions have their origin in the consciousness

(notion) that one is a doer and has the desire of

having the results of what one does. Knowledge depends

on a thing, (its own object and also on evidence),

while actions depend entirely on the performer. (The

Vedic injunctions to act relate to one who supposes

himself capable of action. Alston)

 

14. The Knowledge (of one’s own real nature) destroys

the ideas of doership etc. (on the part of oneself

like the right Knowledge of the nature of the desert

which destroys) the conviction of water being there in

it. When this is so how can (a man of Knowledge)

accept them as true and perform actions?

 

15. It is, therefore, not possible on the part of a

man of Knowledge to have Knowledge and perform an

action at the same time as they are incompatible with

each other. So, one who aspires after liberation

should renounce actions.

 

16. The natural conviction on the part of the people

that the Self is not different from the body etc.

arises through Ignorance. The Vedic injunctions (and

prohibitions) are authoritative as long as it

prevails.

 

17. The Self is left over by negating the body etc. by

the Sruti (Br.Up. 2.3.6) ‘Not this, not this,’ so that

one may have the Knowledge of the Self which is devoid

of all attributes. Ignorance is brought to an end by

this Knowledge.

 

18. How can Ignorance, once negated (by vedic

evidence) arise again? For it is neither in the

innermost Self which is only one without a second and

without attributes nor in the non-Self.

 

19. How can there arise again the idea that one is a

doer of actions and experiencer of their results after

there has grown the Knowledge ‘I am Brahman?’

Knowledge, therefore, is independent of actions (in

producing liberation).

 

20, 21. (First line). Therefore it is said by the

Sruti that the renunciation of actions including

mental ones, (catalogued in the Naranayopanishad 78)

is superior to their performance. Again immortality is

heard of in the Brihadaranyakopanishad (4.5.15) which

says “This alone.” Hence they should be renounced by

those who aspire after liberation.

 

21. (Last line). We give the following reply to the

objector who quoted the example of Agnishtoma.

 

22. Knowledge is quite opposite in nature to that of

actions like Agnishtoma etc; for, they are

accomplished with the help of many materials and

differ in the quality (Ch.Up. 1.1.10) of the result of

each individual performance. The example, therefore,

is not parallel.

 

23. As it produces a result (variable in quality) the

Agnishtoma sacrifice, like agriculture etc., requires

subsidiary actions other than itself. But what else

will Knowledge depend on?

 

24. It is only one having egoism that may incur sin

(by the omission of duties). A man who has got Self

Knowledge has neither egoism nor a desire for the

results of actions.

 

25. The Upanishads are, therefore, commenced in order

to teach the Knowledge of Brahman so that Ignorance

might be removed and transmigratory existence might

for ever come to an end.

 

26. The word ‘Upanishad’ is derived from the root

‘sad’ (This root has three meanings: to slacken, to

move and to destroy, prefixed by two particles, ‘Upa),

near, and ‘ni’, certainly, and followed by the suffix

‘Kvip.’ So, that which loosens the bondage of birth,

(old age), etc., (and enables a man to approach

Brahman) and that which destroys birth, (death), etc.,

is called Upanishad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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