Isavasyopanishad - Santhi Manthram

[Guest guest]

Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas,

 

The web site of Sri Sri Sri Tridandi Sriman Narayana Rmanuja Jeeyar Swamy's

spiritual magazine, Bhakthi Nivedana, has been sharing a weekly message on the

Isavasyo:panishad, the first and perhaps most widely known of the revered

upanishads, the mystical discussions and revelations that form a part of the

Vedas. Along with the translation of the text, the web site also offers the

inner meaning of each verse as provided to us by HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy.

 

I thought I would take the liberty of sharing this divine nectar with all of

you. For the text of all of the verses that have been presented so far,

please click:

 

http://www.bhakthinivedana.org/Isa/IsaIndex.htm

 

Please feel free to submit your questions and thoughts to

, so that Sri Jeeyar Swamy can address them

directly.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mohan

 

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Santhi Manthram:

 

o:m pu:rnamidam pu:rnamadah

pu:rna:th pu:rna mudachyathe: |

pu:rnasya pu:rnama:da:ya

pu:rname:va: vasishyathe: ||

 

 

 

At the very outset of Isavasyopanishad, this Santhi manthram initiates us into

the study of this great Upanishad by proposing its quintessence. This manthram

explains the nature of God in His totality. Firstly, we have to know what God

is and what His nature is. He is unique and He is only Himself wherever,

whenever and however He is, He is an inexhaustible source of giving. He is one

who can give anything and everything. After giving some, never does He say ‘It

is exhausted today, come tomorrow.’ That is He, who is capable of giving

several things to several people who seek His shelter, as they deserve. This

is possible only when He consists of everything in Himself. Besides, He has to

be munificent enough and kind-hearted to give so many things to so many people

unendingly. Does God possess all these qualities and things? Even if He does

possess them, what is the use if He remains unseen and unknown sitting

somewhere in an invisible corner? Even when proximate, He has to be so great

that people do not mistake His proximity for inability.

 

 

 

In Sanskrit, greatness is known as Parathwam, easy at availability and

proximity is known as Soulabhyam. God is the One who has Parathwam, Soulabhyam

and inexhaustible totality. Such a God is the One who is qualified for our

admiration and adoration. Unless we know in how many different ways, He

manifests Himself and how such great God can come to us, we will not be able

to adore or worship Him. Therefore, this santhi manthram at the very outset

reveals to us the nature and manifestation of God. God is Pu:rnam, i.e, the

One who is ever-full. What is He full of? He is full of all that is good and

all the things, all objects, and all qualities. When, where and how is He so

full? This manthram answers all the above questions.

 

 

We do not know how God is; there was someone in the body, who now left it at

death. Thus, we can understand that He is within us as He pervades the whole

universe. We are alive because He dwells in us also. For instance, when a

person dies we say ‘Alas! He passed away’ but the body is still lying there.

Who passed away then? There was someone in the body before death and that

‘someone’ left the body now. He is so close to us dwelling in our own body.

What is He doing from inside? He leads us, commands us. According to His

command, we sleep, wake up, think, speak, move and act. There is movement in

us because of Him. Thus, is our master, commanding us from within.

 

 

 

In Sanskrit, Yama means 'commanding', anthaha means 'from within'. Hence, God

is known as antharya:mi which means 'commander from within'. Thus, God dwells

as antharya:mi in every atom. By dwelling so, is He limited or incapable? No,

He is full here. This body is filled by Him. Here, He is full, then, what is

His original abode? In the A:gama:s, it is stated that God dwells in a place

called Paramapadam and there He is called Parava:sude:va. He is full there

also. He is as fuller there as He is here. Then a question arises: Does He

dwell only ‘here’ and ‘there’? The answer is ‘No’. ‘pu:rna:th pu:rna

mudachyathe:’ – fullness is derived from fullness. From Paravasudeva in

Paramapadam, another fullness descends into this world. That is, a totality is

derived from another totality. This phenomena is called ‘Vyu:ham’ (stratagem).

It is of four manifestations. If Vasudeva is the primary Vyu:ham, Sankarshana,

Pradyumna, Aniruddha are the remaining three vyu:ha:s derived from the primary

Vyu:ham. The derived totalities perform the cosmic functions of Srushti

(creation), Sthitthi (conservation) and laya (consumption).

 

 

 

Thus, God's manifestations there and here are totalities in themselves. What

happens next? 'purnasya purnamadaya' – from each 'Vyuham' God sends into this

world, a certain manifestation of Himself, to meet certain exigency, at a

certain era. From this, His qualities or virtues are revealed one after

another. Virtues are also one kind of wealth, aren’t they? In Sanskrit wealth

is known as 'Vibhuti'. Through God’s manifestations or incarnations, His

virtues are revealed and how each virtue becomes effective is known. These

manifestations are known as Vibhava Avatha:ra:s (glorious incarnations). On

the basis of these Vibhava Avatha:ra:s, we worship God in different images,

each image representing an incarnation. In this way we take the 'Vibhava'

manifestation, a totality deriving from 'Vyu:ha' totality, as our basis and

make a metal or idol according to our choice, consider it as His body and

worship God. As God is an inexhaustible totality and omnipresent, He is also

present in our image or idol. The image or idol is also ‘full’. Such a form

visible to us is called 'archa:ru:pa' (form of worship).

 

 

 

Now, how many are His manifestations? Five! First He is here in our body as

Antharyami, secondly He is 'Paravasudeva', thirdly, He dwells in the three

Vyuha manifestations (sankarshana, pradyumna and aniriddha), fourthly, He is

in the form of Vibhava Avatha:ra:s (glorious incarnations) and as his fifth

manifestation type in the form of images or idols – 'archa:ru:pa:s' we have

made on the basis of Vibhava Avatha:ra:s. Then we get a doubt: Does God dwell

in totality and fullness in five manifestations simultaneously? Doesn’t His

totality and divinity get diluted by this phenomenon of derivation of one

manifestation from another? NO, His totality is not reduced; it remains full

and unaffected everywhere. For example, we have lit a candle. From that we lit

another four candles. Is the light or power of the first candle reduced? No,

not at all. All candles are of same brightness. Similarly, God is full and

total in all His manifestations and each manifestation is God and God alone.

 

 

 

Man cannot reach 'Paravasudeva' or 'Paramapadam'; nor can he go to the Vyu:ha

manifestations of God. Even all the Vibhava Avatha:ra:s are not accessible to

him because of temporal or spatial limitations. The only manifestation

accessible to man is 'archa:mu:rthi' (idol form of worship). He should not

hesitate to worship the 'archa:mu:rthi' because it is a mere image or idol.

Only if he has faith in the omnipresence of God, God is present in the idol,

where He is again full or 'pu:rnam'. Dwelling in the idol itself, God fulfils

all desires of man, listens to his prayers, removes hurdles and gives

whatsoever he wants. In this way, this manthra explains to us the nature of

totality and manifestations of God and establishes that 'archa:mu:rthi' is the

form to be worshipped and this is the final recourse.