e: pUrNamadah pUrNamidam... revisited (April 04 topic)

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ject:

pUrNamadah pUrNamidam... revisited (April 04 topic)

 

Namaste Bhaskar-ji,

Uddalaka begins at Ch.VI.viii.1 to

explain the basis for

 

the mahavakya. He needs to do this because; as

Sadananda points out in the

 

Vedantasara in his chapter on de-superimposition

(apavada) Chap.IV, as it

stands the mahavaka Thou art That does not deliver up

its meaning from its

bare inspection. As he writes IV.158:

 

Therefore it has been said: "In this sentence ("Thou

art That"), the correct

meaning is neither the union of the two ideas nor

their mutual

qualification. The real meaning of the sentence,

according to scholars, is

 

an absolute homogeneous principle." i.e. pure

consciousness.

 

So the Upanishad initiates the establishment of the

preparatory

understanding by a reflection on the nature of deep

sleep. "Because it is

seen that creatures do not instinctively have the

idea, 'I as an individual

 

soul, distinct from the body and the organs; I am the

doer and the

enjoyer'; what to speak of his having the knowledge

that he is the Self

identified with Existence!" (comm. on Ch.VI.16.3)

 

Clearly the continuing instruction is designed to

promote ripeness to

'really' hear the sentence Thou art That.

 

Best Wishes, Michael

 

Bhaskarji wrote:

 

Michel prabhuji:

 

Most of us will be slow learners:

Ch.VI.viii.7: 'That which is this subtle essence, all

this has got that as

the Self. That is Truth. That is the Self. Thou art

That, O Svetaketu'

'May the venerable sir explain to me *again*'

He said, 'Let it be so, O good-looking one.'

 

After *hearing* the mahAvAkya *tattvamasi* from

uddAlaka nine times

svetaketu realised the ultimate. does it not prove

only SravaNa is enough

for uttama adhikAri-s.