NOTES ON MANDUKYA UPANISHAD AND KARIKA- AGAMA PRAKARANA-INTRODUCTION 2

[Guest guest]

Experience and Knowledge:

 

Another obstacle a Vedantic student encounters is his longing for

experience of that supreme state or supreme self. It is commonly

believed that experience of non-duality (advaita anubhava) is the goal

of Vedanta where the mind is absorbed in a state of thoughtlessness or

nirvikalpaka samAdhi. What is involved is not the experience of advaita

but understanding the advaitic (nondualistic) and dvaitic (dualistic)

experiences.

 

Everyday, everyone experiences dvaita and advaita. During the waking and

dream states one experience duality or tripuTi – the three-fold aspect

of experiencer, experienced and experiencing. These three are mutually

exclusive and therefore mutually limit each other.

 

In the deep sleep state, there is complete absence of dvaita, duality,

where concept of space, time and all problems associated with duality

are absorbed. Here the experiencer and experienced are absorbed into

one. In the experience of deep sleep, one is momentarily free from all

duality although these exist in potential form as the mind was folded.

Due to the absence of duality one is relatively happy. However, there

is no knowledge of advaita in deep sleep state, since instrument of

knowledge, the mind, is also folded. Hence, it is not the lack of

experience of advaita but lack of understanding or knowledge of the

advaitic nature of the reality.

 

Vedanta teaching can only give knowledge of advaita and not experience

of advaita. It is a common misunderstanding that after learning

Vedanta, that one has to sit and meditate on that to experience advaita

for self-realization. ‘advaitic experience’ is a contradiction in term,

since in any experience there is an experiencer, experienced and

experiencing. In some systems of philosophy the nirvikalpa samAdhi

involving elimination of thoughts is glorified to the degree that the

seekers struggle to gain that experience. Hence, it is understood by

some that after studying Vedanta one has to sit for meditation to

experience the advaita-state. Any experience is time bound, involves

duality or potential duality, and does not involve understanding of the

reality. As one swami puts it ‘ignorant agitated individual’ has become

‘ignorant quiet individual’ in the nirvikalpa samAdhi, remaining

‘ignorant’ in both states. There are some who think that all one has to

do is to sit in meditation enquiring ‘who am I’ and that is the direct

path, and there is no need of scriptural study. Inquiry of Brahman is

not thoughtless affair; it involves deep analysis of duality that one

experiences recognizing the underlying reality using the scriptural

knowledge. ‘State of absence of duality’ is not advaita but only a

potential dvaita since all duality in deep sleep state are only in the

potential form. Non-duality in spite of duality involves an

understanding that duality is only apparent and is not a reality. The

reality is the existent-consciousness that ‘I am’ is limitless eternal

entity and is the substantive for all duality. Hence, it is

non-negatable knowledge or absolute knowledge, which is of the nature of

Brahman. We can briefly state the difference between experience and

knowledge to insure that we are not longing for experience but

knowledge. In principle, listening to a teacher ‘shravaNam’ should

accomplish the fact since the truth is eternal ever-existent principle,

provided the mind is pure enough to accept the teaching as the fact.

The strong preconceived notions of the mind, that I am this body, I am

this mind or I am this intellect, make the mind not to recognize that I

am the subject and not an object. It requires an unbiased mind or pure

mind to accept I am ‘that’, which is unqualified existence-consciousness

principle, since all qualifications belong to objects, which are finite,

and not the subject I. Hence, dhyAnam or meditation is only for

internalizing the teaching by continuous contemplation on the teachings

of the Vedanta until the mind is purified enough to see the truth as

truth. Scriptural study and contemplation on the teaching are the only

means to assimilate the understanding that ‘I am’ the

existent-conscious-unlimited, sat-chit-Ananda and not the

body-mind-intellect complex that I habitually identify as I am this.

 

For our benefit, we can summarize the differences between knowledge and

experience.

a) Experience is time bound while knowledge is eternal.

b) Experience can be contradicted by another experience.

d) Relative knowledge is valid at relative level and not at absolute

level.

e) One relative knowledge can supersede another relative knowledge (like

quantum

mechanics superseding classical mechanics).

f) Knowledge should resolve the contradictory experiences.

g) Absolute knowledge cannot be contradicted.

h) All knowledge we know of .. is an attributive knowledge.

i) Attributive knowledge is only relative knowledge.

j) All attributive knowledge is supported by the absolute knowledge.

k) Brahman, as well as the subject ‘I’ cannot be known, since both are

not objects to be known.

l) Brahman cannot be different from the subject ‘I’ since absolute

infinite cannot exclude anything.

m) Brahman is sat-chit-ananda and the subject ‘I’ is also

sat-chit-ananda.

n) sat-chit-ananda is indivisible, and identity of Brahman and ‘I’, the

subject is established. MAnDUkya upaniShad confirms that the self ‘I’ is

Brahman, ‘ayam Atma Brahman’.

o) Objects have no other substantive other than Brahman. Moreover no

other substantives other than Brahman can exist, since Brahman is

absolutely infinite. Scriptures confirm that ‘sarvam khalvidam Brahma’,

everything is indeed Brahman. And ‘neha nAnAsti kincana’, there is

nothing other than Brahman.

p) If one sees some thing other than Brahman, then that is mithya. Since

it is seen, it is not asat, and since it is not real, it is not sat.

Hence, it is called mithya (sat asat vilaxanam).

q) Conversely, anything that is seen is mithya. Anything that is

experienced is mithya, since Brahman cannot be seen or experienced since

it is not an object for experience.

r) All objective knowledge is only attributive knowledge since

substantive Brahman cannot be perceived. Hence all attributive knowledge

is mithya.

s) Ignorance is 'not knowing who I am', as a result of which, taking

what I am not, as I am.

t) Bondage is due to the ignorance of my self. Because of this, I take

something other than myself as myself and suffer the consequence of that

misunderstanding. Liberation is knowing my self as myself and for that

Vedanta is the only pramANa or means of knowledge.

 

Liberation is understanding that I am limitless Brahman. The apparent

plurality remains the same, but there is no more misunderstanding in

the mind that the apparent plurality is reality. Hence it recognition

that I am beyond the thoughts - thoughts raise in me, sustained by me

and go back into me. Knowledge destroys ignorance means it is the

destruction of notional mind which is nothing but ignorance. The

objective mind remains which now understands that plurality that appears

is only appearances and not real. Hence the upanishad says 'manaeva

manuShyAnAm kAraNam bandha moxayoH' - mind is responsible for both

bondage and liberation. Some of these concepts become clearer when we

analyze the Upanishad mantras.

 

UpaniShad:

 

There are several meanings for the word upanishad – it is normally split

as upa + ni + Shad. upa can mean ‘guru upa sadanam’ meaning it is the

knowledge that should be gathered by approaching a guru (that is, it

cannot be gained by just self-study). upa also means close and closest

to one is oneself. Hence it can also mean self-knowledge. ni stands

for ‘nischaya jnAnam’ that knowledge which is free from any doubts. Shad

means ‘ava sAdayati’ can mean carrier or destroyer. It caries the

student to knowledge of the truth or it destroys the ignorance because

of which one see the truth as truth. Hence, purpose of the study of the

upaniShad is indicated by the very word.

 

MAnDUkya upaniShad is from atharvaNa Veda and is attributed to a sage

ManDUka. ManDUka means one who revels or who is ever happy. He revels in

himself by himself – Atmanyeva AtmanA tuShTaH since himself that he

revels is nothing but limitlessness or happiness itself. It is very

small and comprehensive upaniShad. Because of its importance AcArya

GauDapAda has written kArika or gloss on the upaniShad and the upaniShad

is generally studied along with kArika. GauDapAda is considered as

teacher of Shankara’s teacher, GovindapAda or grand teacher of Shankara

bhagavadpAda. Shankara has written commentary on both the upaniShad and

kArika and down the line Anandagiri has written notes on Shankara

bhAShya. upaniShad with kArika has four chapters called prakaraNa. The

first chapter is called Agama prakaraNa consisting of all upaniShad

mantras and few kArikas on them. The second chapter is called vaithathya

prakaraNa discussing the mitya aspect of the world. The third chapter is

called advaita prakaraNa dealing with the advaitic nature of the self

and non-creation aspect the world. Finally the fourth chapter is called

AlAtashanti prakaraNa where in GauDapAda refutes others philosophies

existing at that time.

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Invocation Mantra:

Om! bhadram karNebhiH shRNuyAma devAH

bhadram pashyemAxabhiryajatrAH|

sthirairangaiH tuShTuvAgm sastanUbhiH

vyaShema devahitam yadAyuH||

svasti na indro vRiddhashravaaH|

svasti naH pUShA visvavEdAH|\

svasti nastArtarxyo ariShTanemiH|

svasti no bRihaspatirdadhaatue,

Om! ShantiH ShantiH ShantiH|

 

Oh! Gods, May we hear through our ears what is auspicious: Oh!

Worshipful ones, may we see through our eyes what is auspicious. May we

live our allotted life hale and healthy glorifying thee. May the ancient

and famous Lord Indra, the all-knowing Lord Sun, and the fast moving

Lord VAyu and the master of spiritual wealth Bruhaspati all bless us so

that our intellect can understand the scriptures and our heart can

follow the teachings. Let there peace without any disturbance from

sources unknown (Adidaivika) and let there be peace without any

disturbance from all external sources (Adibhautika) and let there be

peace from all disturbances from within (aadhyaatmika). Peace! Peace!

Peace!

 

The prayer is essentially for three things. 1) May we live long enough

to complete our spiritual journey. 2) During this time may we live hale

and healthy with all the equipments functioning without any problem and

all the sense organs and mind involved only in learning auspicious

things. 3) May we be free from all obstacles, at least during our study,

so that we can listen with balanced mind and intellect, the truths

expounded in the scriptures.

 

With that prayerful attitude, invoking Gods grace on us, let us study

the scriptures

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy

advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada wrote:

>

> Experience and Knowledge:

 

Dear Sri Sadanandaji,

This posting of yours will certainly remove all the

misconceptions which many are having. You have, in a very brilliant

manner, expounded the pristine pure teaching of Upanishadic Sages.

Many of the truths which you have stated have been given a go-by by

many and this has resulted in the confusion in their minds.

My heartfelt thanks to you for highlighting the vital points

which every student of Vedanta who is sincerely after Brahmavidya has

to keep in his mind.

 

With warm and respectful regards,

Sreenivasa Murthy.

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