Verses 3.2.7-8 of MuNDaka Upanishad

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SrI:

namO nArAyaNa!

 

Dear all,

 

Following is aDiyEn's reply to a question from

a devotee on the verse (mantra) 3.2.7 of

MuNDaka Upanishad.

------------------

 

<Context : Attainment of moksha by the grace of Bramhan;

JIvatma reaching Paramatma>

 

Note : Trans and Expl below are as per the book by

Dr NS Anantarangacharya. These things have been discussed further

by SrI UtthamUr SwAmi in the Upanishad bhAshyam apart from the

original bhAshyam by SrI Ra~ngarAmAnuja Muni. SrI-BhAshyam

and SrutaprakASika also deal with this context and verse.

I haven't written from these sources to refrain from more

technical issues and arguments. DR.NSA's crisp statements

will be more than enough for now, in my opinion. I have only

addded few clarifications through bracketed statements.

 

Mu.Up : 3.2.7

 

gathA kalA pa~nchadaSa pratiShThAH dEvAScha sarvE pratidEvadAsu |

karmANi vijn~AnamayaScha aatmA parE(a)vyayE sarva EkIbhavanti ||

 

Trans : The fifteen constituents merge in their own respective

sources; The indriyas become one with the respective Gods

presiding over them. The Karmas and JIvAtma qualified by

consciousness (ie.One with dharma-bhUta-jn~Anam), all become

unified in that Supreme Immutable (avyaya) Principle viz.Bramhan.

 

Expl : The kala-s are the sixteen constituents beginning with

prANa and ending with " name " (nAma). Of these sixteen, fifteen

constituents without " karma " are meant here. dEvaH means

indriyas such as the organ of speech and others. They merge

with their respective deities (of in-charge/control) such as

Aaditya and others. The karmas that haven't yet given the

results are implied here (ie.San~chita Karma). Those karmas

that were willed to be excused by the Supreme (Bramhan) at

the time of commencement of UpAsana (Para-Bhakti stage) of

the character of vivid perception by the upAsaka (ie.bhakti-yogi,

attaining darSana-samAna sAkshAtkAram of Bramhan, in his persual

with a Bramha Vidya prescribed in Upanishads) become unified

with the attributive consciousness (ie.dharma-bhUta-jn~Anam/dbj)

of ParamAtma [since will/sa~nkalpa of Bramhan is a particular

state/avastha of its dbj, " will " to eradicate the san~chita karma

of the upAsaka who has attained the Para-bhakti state, Implies

that the San~chita karma gets merged in the dbj of Bramhan].

The oneness of the JIvAtma (who has attained moksha just now)

and ParamAtma means that he (JIvAtma) has discarded the

differentiation of the form and name {Empirical Form through

a material body and a corresponding name associated with it was

associated with a baddha jIvAtma in samsAra. While attaining

moksha, JIvAtma gets rid of these names and forms, which is

how ParamAtma is also present}.

 

For better clarification, the meaning of the very next verse (3.2.8)

is given below :

 

" yathA nadyaH syandamAnAH samudrE astam gacchanti nAmarUpE vihAya|

tathA vidvAnnAmarUpAt-vimuktaH parAtparam purushamupaiti divyam ||

 

Trans: As rivers flowing down, become indistinguishable (disappear)

on reaching the sea by giving up their names and forms, so also, a

knower of Bramhan being freed from name and form attains the

celestial Purusha, that is higher than the high.

 

<< There is no difference between a mukta and ParamAtma in the

sense of being devoid of these empirical names and forms >>.

 

regards,

anand.