The Sleep of the Awakened - Part 5 of 6

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(continued from Part 4)

 

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The Leap of the Frog

 

 

The word "mandUka" is Sanskrit for 'frog'; so

'Mandukya Upanishad' is "Frog Upanishad". No one knows

really knows how this Upanishad got its rather odd

name. Some say it was associated with the ancient Sage

Varuna who had power to assume the form of creatures

like even the frog; hence the name of

"mAndukyOpanishad". Some Western scholars say that the

Upanishad was for long preserved by the branch of an

ancient family whose totem carried the tribal insignia

of a frog; hence "mAndUkyOpanishad". This does not

seem a credible explanation since ancient Vedic

families were always known by the name of their

"gOtra" (unbroken lineage) and no "gOtra" bearing the

name of "mandUka gOtra" was ever known in India.

 

 

The most credible explanation why this Upanishad got

its strange name is put forward by the pontiff of the

Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati

in his book of discourses "Deivattin Kural". The frog

is a creature that is known for its prowess of

leaping. Some sub-specie of the frog family are known

to cover up to 10-12 feet in a single leap and that is

perhaps the inspiration behind the English coining the

phrase "to leap-frog", meaning 'to vault over" or

"bound over". This Upanishad describes how yogis and

'muni-s' similarly leapfrog like "mandUka-s" and vault

themselves from the Waking and Dream states straight

into the consciousness of the third state of blissful

"sUshUpti". (The Upanishad text, in fact, says they

catapult themselves into the fourth plane of "tUriya"

-- the state even the Upanishad is unable to describe

adequately: the absolute experience of Brahman in the

transcendent abode ("parama-pada") of the Almighty.

For the limited purpose of our study we stay with the

third state of "sUshUpti" and proceed no further.)

 

 

Unlike ordinary mortals who have no choice but to plod

along the long path from Waking to the Dream-state,

and then trudge again from Dream-state to the state of

"sUshUpti" without ever completing the journey, yogis

and 'muni-s' are able to go straight from "jAgruti" to

"sUshUpti" with minimal effort. By dint of spiritual

prowess, gained partly by effort and partly by grace

of God, yogis manage to pare down the multitude and

complex of "kAma" in their lives to a single simple

one: attain Godhead. Freed of desire, fear and

selfishness, there is nothing to hold the yogi back in

either "vaishvnara" or "taijasa". As if possessed of a

magic switch, he turns on and shuts off his

sense-apparatus at will. When turned off, he soars

into the pure consciousness of "praj~nya". There is no

better affirmation of this 'Mandukyian' experience

than the evidence available in the lives of such

yogis. Their example is clear proof that the Mandukya

is indeed a document of mystical verity, not fancy.

 

 

The Mandukyian Exemplars

 

 

Several are the yogis and 'muni-s' in the land of

India that one may want to cite as exemplars of the

Mandukya experience. Personally, I regard three of

them to be very appealing and convincing. Let me share

only them here.

 

 

The first is Sri Parashara Bhattar (11th century AD)

of SriRangam who was a disciple and protégé of Sri

Ramanujacharya (10th century AD). Bhattar was the

chief "purOhit" (priestly administrator) of the

SriRangam temple; he was also SriVaishnava theologian

and scholar. Although he was not generally given to

outward expression of mystical fervor, an incident in

Bhattar's life does lead us to infer his ability to

easily traverse the mystical path of the Mandukya.

Bhattar died young at the age of 32. He was diagnosed

to be suffering from a malignant tumor that grew so

painful that attending doctors of those days ventured

to perform surgery on him. Knowing the procedure would

be excruciatingly painful, they advised Bhattar to

consume a crude concoction (probably a heavy sedative)

that would serve as general anesthesia. Bhattar is

reported to have replied: "I do not need anesthesia.

Just let me recite the blessed verses of the

"tiruppAvai" (of AndAL). You can then perform any

surgery on me you want." To Bhattar, reciting the

sacred verses of the "tiruppAvai" possessed power, far

greater than any anesthesia, to take him into the deep

regions of "sUshUpti" where no mortal pain could ever

touch him.

 

 

The second instance is a similar one and it is an

incident in the life of the sage of Tiruvannamalai,

Sri Ramana Maharashi (19th century AD). In his

advanced years, Ramana was afflicted with a virulent

form of cancer that in an ordinary man would have

caused unbearable pain and distress. Doctors wanted

him to undergo surgery but the sage would have none of

it. "The cancer is in my body," he said calmly, "The

pain is the body's problem. I am not the body and the

pain is not mine." (The event has even been reported

with wonder in a published clinical dissertation of

the world-renowned neurosurgeon from Madras,

Dr.B.Ramamurthy.) Once again we see here a living

example of a yogi shrugging off pain by remaining

oblivious to all bodily (i.e. "vaishvAnaric")

conditions. It is only deep absorption in the

"sUshUptic" state that could have made it possible.

 

 

 

The third and rather dramatic instance of a yogi

simply vaulting across the 3 states of experience is

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (19th century AD). There

is an account of how his master Totapuri first taught

Sri Ramakrishna to go into "sUshUpti" (or what in the

Advaitic school is called "nirvikalpa-samAdhi") in the

book "The Message of the Upanishads" by Swami

Ranganathananda. It is a vivid illustration of a

typically Mandukya journey in which a yogi simply

"leap-frogs" from the plains of "jAgruti" to the very

summit of "praj~nya":

 

 

 

"After instructing his disciple in the central ideas

of path of Vedantic "gnyAna", Totapuri exhorted Sri

Ramakrishna to fix his mind on the unconditioned

Brahman (spoken about in the Upanishads). Ramakrishna

himself narrates the event (in the book, "Life of Sri

Ramakrishna"):

 

 

"After the initiation, the guru asked me to withdraw

the mind completely from all objects and dive into the

Atman. But in spite of all my attempts I could not

cross the realm of names and forms and bring my mind

to that unconditioned state. I had no difficulty in

withdrawing the mind from all other objects (of the

world) except one, the all too familiar form of the

blissful Mother (Durga)… which appeared before me as a

living reality, preventing me from passing beyond the

realm of names and forms… In despair I said to the

guru "It is hopeless. I cannot raise my mind to the

unconditioned state and come face to face with the

Atman". (Totapuri) sharply said, "What? You can't do

it? But you have to!" He cast his eyes around and

finding a piece of glass he took it up and pressing

the point between my eyebrows said, "Concentrate the

mind on this point". With stern determination then I

again sat down to meditate… There remained no more

obstruction to my mind which at once soared… and I

lost myself in 'samAdhi'."

 

 

Totapuri sat for a long time watching his disciple.

Finding him still motionless, he left the hut, locking

the door from outside lest anyone should intrude

without his knowledge. He remained outside awaiting

the disciple's call from within to open the door. The

day passed, night came, a second and a third day and

night also passed and still there was no call.

Totapuri was astounded. He opened the door and entered

the room. He was speechless with wonder to see Sri

Ramakishna seated in the very same position in which

he had left him. The face was calm, serene and

radiant. In breathless amazement he examined the

disciple's heart and respiration and touched again and

again the disciple's almost corpse-like body. There

was no visible sign of consciousness. He cried in

bewilderment at the miracle of this young man

achieving in a single day this highest realization of

"nirvikalpa samadhi" which had taken him 40 years of

hard practice to realize.

 

 

"Totapuri immediately took steps to bring the mind of

his disciple down to the world of phenomena. The

little room rang with the holy mantra of "praNava"

uttered in a solemn tone by the teacher. Little by

little Sri Ramakrishna's mind came to an awareness of

the outer world; and as he opened his eyes he saw his

teacher looking at him with tenderness and admiration.

The disciple reverently prostrated himself before the

teacher who in turn locked him in a warm embrace".

 

 

 

(to be continued)

 

 

dAsan,

 

Sudarshan

 

 

 

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