Uparati : Adapted from Kanchi Mahaswamigal's Discourses

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Namaste all.

 

This continues posts #s35268 & #35295 of the relevant portions (in the

context of the 'Six Treasures' beginning with shama, dama) from the Kanchi

Mahaswamigal's discourses, with Sanskrit words and quotations deleted 'as

much as possible' (!) (for the benefit of the beginners). (Also see #35334

of Shri Ram Chandran on all the 'Six Treasures'). Those who want to have the

Sanskrit words and quotations may go to

 

pages 63 to 66 of the advaita saadhanaa in the file section of advaitin.

 

Or, alternatively, to Section 20 of the following webpage on my site:

 

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/VK2/Advaita_Saadhanaa.html

 

By the continuous practice of shama and dama, mind releases itself from all

the objects outside and remains quiet, without any activity for itself -

that is uparati in the sextad of samAdhi-shhaTka-sampatti (The treasures of

the sextad of shama etc.). 'uparati' means stoppage, cessation. There is a

meaning of 'death' also here. In one of the Tamil saint Tayumanavar's songs

he says 'mind should learn to die'.

 

That is the stage when mind has reached a no-work state and has calmed down

thoroughly. In Vivekachudamani (#24) uparati is mentioned as the highest

hold of the outside. The 'outside' does not just mean what is sensed by the

senses of perception, like seeing or hearing or moving the hands and legs.

Whatever is 'outside' of the Atman, other than the Atman, is all included in

the 'outside'. Indeed all the thoughts that rise in the mind belong to this

'outside'. Mind stands thus released from everything. But this word

'stands' is almost equivalent to 'death' - that is why it is called

'uparati'. Mind has no action now. But still Atman-realisation is not

there. Once that happens it is just opposite to 'death'; it is the state of

immortality. But Atman is not yet realised, though the mind has no

turbulence or vibration now, as if the mind is dead.

 

He who has reached 'uparati' is said to be an 'uparata'. Such a person is

described by the Acharya in his Bhashya of BrihadAraNyaka-upanishad as one

who has renounced all categories of desires - the categories being: desire

for 'son', desire for 'wife' and desire for 'money'.

 

VairAgya (Dispassion) also connotes the state in which desires have been

eradicated. But in that case it is disgust in objects that is dominant.

That is the state where one has discarded things because of disgust. But

now in 'uparati' there is neither disgust, nor desire.

 

When we say 'VairAgya' there was an implied disgust towards all desires and

so the main aim was to eradicate the desires. In 'shama-dama' the sole

purpose was to subdue the mind from its desires and to subdue the senses

from acting to fulfill those desires. Thereafter no further action. The mind

has rested after all this vairAgya, shama and dama. But the rest is not a

total rest - such a total rest, annihilation, is still far away! The

present rest is only like a recess. The AtmAnubhava, its bliss etc. are not

there. It is almost as if there is a void; yet there is a peace since the

turbulence is absent.

 

Since at this point the desires have been thrown off, the Acharya calls this

itself (in Brihadaranyaka Bhashya) as sannyAsa: that is, he calls this

'uparata' a sannyasi. Actually out of the sextad of qualities, there are

still three more beyond shama, dama and uparati. After those three, there is

again 'mumukshhutvaM', the anguish for Release. Only after that, sannyAsa.

Then, how did he bring it here? Let me remind you that these SAdhanAs are

not supposed to be sequenced as if one follows the other strictly. They come

only in a mixed fashion. When they come like that, when some one obtains a

complete fulfillment in VairAgya, described earlier, he may take sannyAsa

even right there . If one is dead-set even on one one of the SadhanA-parts,

all the others have to follow. They will. That is why he might have

thought: When 'uparati' is fully achieved, sannyAsa has to follow. The

direct meaning of 'sannyAsi' is 'well-renounced person'; that could be the

reason why an 'uparata' has been called a sannyAsi. For, the qualities that

are yet to come are 'titikShA', 'shraddhA' and 'samAdhAna' - in none of

which there is any aspect of 'renunciation'. When the external holds are

all dismissed, that is 'uparati'; and the discarding of all of them is

'sannyAsa'. 'nyAsa' is throwing off or discarding; doing it well is

'sannyAsa'.

 

In 'Viveka-chUdAmaNi', right in the beginning itself the Acharya talks of

the quartet of SAdhanA. Again, far inside, he talks about viveka

(Discrimination), vairAgya and uparati. You may wonder why he talks about

these well after a person has taken sannyAsa and has gone almost to the peak

of SAdhanA. A little thinking will clear this. All the different sAdhanAs

mature gradually into perfection as you go spiritually higher and higher.

That is viveka-vairAgya, elaborated in the beginning, is again taken up in

shloka 175 (or 177) and he says that only by their extra growth, the mind

becomes pure and becomes eligible for Release. Again, further on, (shloka

376/377) he says, in a superlative way,

 

'For the yati who has controlled his mind, I know of nothing other than

vairAgya that gives him happiness'.

 

Similarly, after vairAgya comes knowledge and after knowledge, uparati -

thus the complete fulfillment by uparati is mentioned in shloka 419/420.

 

But then the mind has now come to a certain uparati; will the ascent end

there in almost a dry manner? No. It may appear so. But God's Grace will not

leave it so. This seeker who, with the single goal of seeking to know the

truth of the absolute Brahman, has controlled all his desires and rested his

mind with such great effort, would not be left alone by God just like that.

Nor would He give him Brahman-Realisation immediately. His karma balance has

to be exhausted, before that happens. Before that time comes, He would give

him the opportunity to reach the samAdhAna stage that makes him ready to

receive the upadesha of the mahAvAkya. And then the sannyAsa and then the

mahAvAkya.

 

PraNAms to the Mahaswamigal.

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk