Mundaka Upanishad -and select Upanishad references

http://www.spiritualbangalore.com/questions-for-angiras-mundaka-upanishad/

Mundaka Upanishad -related

Angirasa to Saunaka (a householder)

Questions for Angiras – Mundaka Upanishad

In ancient India, a very wise man named Angiras (Ung-gee-ross) lived in a hut in the forest. He had inherited all his wisdom from his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. One day he was seated in front of the hut when a young man from the village came up to him. This was a man well-known as the owner of land, wise in the ways of the world. He said to the sage, “People speak of knowing this subject and that science, and they brag about it; I want to know from you if there is something I can learn which will explain everything to me.”

Angiras looked at him steadily.

“There are really two kinds of knowledge,” he replied, “and one of them is higher and the other is lower.

The lower knowledge is of hymns and scriptures, rituals, grammar, poetry, astrology and other such sciences… but the higher knowledge leads a man to that which never dies. That is called the Indestructible.”

“Yes, sir,” said the young man. “That is what I want to know about.”

“Then, listen well. The Indestructible cannot be picked up like this stick or that stone. It belongs to no family, nor to any caste. It neither sees nor hears, It has no hands or feet, It is forever. Wherever you go It is there; you cannot leave It; It is all around you.

“But It is very fine, very subtle, and that is why you do not see It. Everything else has come out of this Indestructible, you see. You know how a spider spins out her thread from her own body, and draws it back with her arms, or how plants grow from the soil, or how hair grows on a person’s body. In that same way, the whole universe emerges from that Indestructible Being.

Thus did my ancestors see in their wisdom, and thus did they impart the knowledge to me, and, more than that, thus have I seen for myself.”

“Sir,” the young man said, “I need you to teach me more. I have been thinking within myself, ‘What am I working toward, after all, in this short life? Just to satisfy some little desires? But how can that lead me to something which is forever?’ So I decided to gather some firewood and go in search of a teacher of holy wisdom. And people told me about you. ‘Is he learned,’ I asked, ‘one whose mind is filled with Truth?’ Now I come to you in all faith and reverence: please teach me further.”

In those days, the sages and saints, who made their homes in the fields or forests, lived a very simple life. They would build a small fire for performing the ceremonies prescribed in their scriptures, or for cooking their food and for warmth in the winter. So when a seeker of Truth wanted to become a pupil of such a sage, he would gather firewood in a bundle and go to him with this fuel as a gift and sign of respect.

Now Angiras understood that here was one whose mind was not constantly restless with desires, one who was fit to receive the higher knowledge. And he began to tell him more of the indestructible being called Brahman.

Fire

“As from a blazing fire, thousands of sparks of fire fly out, so these various beings you see in the world all spring forth from Brahman and go back to Him again. Pure, higher than the highest, He has no body, no breath, no mind; He is inside and outside everything. Yet, from Brahman have come your life, your mind, eyes, ears, hands, feet, space and air, light and water, and the very earth itself. It is He who binds all these together.
“About Him, my boy, they recite this poem:
‘Fire is His head, His eyes are the sun and moon;
His ears, the directions — north, south, east and west;
His breath is the wind, the Vedas his voice;
Under his feet the earth has sprung up,
And all things know Him as their innermost Self.’
“My boy, the man who knows this secret, hidden in the cave of the heart, breaks open, here and now, the knot of ignorance.

“The instruction I give you, called Upanishad, “Angiras went on, “will be your bow. Your mind, sharpened by worship and meditation, will be the arrow. Fixing it on the bow, with full concentration, draw back and hit the target, the Indestructible Brahman.

There is a sacred word — OM — which is the bow; your own self is the arrow and Brahman is the target. Without trembling, hit the mark, and like the arrow, lose yourself in It! Then all the knots of the heart are broken, all doubts disappear and all actions trail away when He is realized, who is the farthest away of the far away, the nearest of the near, the light of lights.”

“Sir,” said the disciple, “you have called this Brahman my ‘inner self’. Then tell me about how I can reach in to find this Self; how may I feel it is as my Self?”

Angiras replied, “I will give you an illustration.”

Two birds on a tree

“This body is like a tree in which two birds roost. They look alike, wearing beautiful feathers, and they are fast friends. The lower bird is tasting the fruits of the tree and some are sweet but others are sour. The higher bird sits in majesty, merely looking on. One day, the lower bird, getting tired of all this, weeps at his forlorn state. Then, looking up at his friend above, so silent and so calm, he hops up nearer to him. As he approaches the higher bird, the lower one is surprised to find that the upper bird is just himself — his true Self — sitting there all the while, unattached and at peace. Then his grief disappears. Then he knows that his ego never was real; the Self was the real, the observer of all.

“This Self,” Angiras continued, “cannot be reached by much talking or thinking, or even by great study of scriptures. If the Self itself chooses a man, that man may reach It. To him, this Self reveals Its true nature. But mark this well: That Self can never be won by one who is weak, or careless, or practices foolish bodily tortures. Only if a person tries by strength, by earnestness and right meditation, does he or she reach the home of Brahman.”


“And, sir, what happens to one who reaches that?”

“Then, just as the many rivers flow into the one ocean, losing their names and forms, so the wise person, free from name and body, enters into that Divine Being, higher than the highest. My son, when you know that Brahman, you become that Brahman. You cross beyond all sorrow and evil. You become immortal.”

Mundaka Upanishad


The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mundaka_Upanishad.html

Brahman, or Pure Consciousness, alone is real. The idea of individuality associated with the body, the senses, the mind, and the ego is the result of ignorance. So also is the idea of birth, death, and rebirth. From the standpoint of Brahman, all this is illusory. Self-Knowledge destroys these illusions and one realizes one's true nature. The knower of the Self remains conscious of non-duality, while he is alive, and totally merges in Brahman after death. Brahman is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. The knower of Brahman leaves behind no footprint by which he can be traced. "As a bird flies in the air, as a fish moves in the water, without leaving any trace, so likewise the illumined soul leaves behind no footprint." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mundaka_Upanishad.html

The heart is often described by the yogis as the "abode of Brahman." One feels there most vividly the presence of the Spirit. [The basic pranayama instruction] The teachers of the Upanishads recommend the disciplines of Patanjali's yoga for the attainment of samadhi, in which the Knowledge of Brahman is directly realized. Mere intellectual knowledge gives only a mediate or indirect perception of Reality. But the knowledge of multiplicity created by ignorance is direct and immediate. Only the immediate Knowledge of Brahman attained in samadhi can remove the direct and immediate perception of multiplicity. The following is from the Yajnavalkya Smriti, quoted by Sankaracharya in his commentary: "After practising the postures as desired, according to the rules, O Gargi, a man conquers the postures. Then he takes up pranayama. "Sitting on a soft seat covered first with kusa grass and then with a [deer or tiger] skin, worshipping Ganesa with fruits and sweetmeats, placing the right palm on the left, holding the neck and the head in the same line, firmly closing the lips, facing the east or the north, fixing the eyes on the tip of the nose, avoiding too much of eating or fasting, the yogi should practice purification of the nadis (nerves), without which the practice of pranayama will be fruitless. He should meditate on the mystic syllable Hum at the junction of the right nostril (pingala) and left nostril (ida) and inhale air through the left nostril for twelve seconds (matras); then he should meditate on fire in the same place, repeating the mystic word Rung, and while meditating thus, slowly exhale the air through the right nostril. Again, inhaling through the right nostril, the air should be slowly exhaled through the left nostril in the same way. This should be practiced for three or four years, or three or four months, according to the direction of a guru, in secret [i.e. alone in a room], in the early morning, at midday, in the evening, and at midnight, until the nerves are purified. Lightness of body, clear complexion, good appetite, and hearing of the Nada (Om) are the signs of such purification. Then should be practiced pranayama, composed of exhalation (rechaka), retention (kumbhaka), and inhalation (puraka). Joining the prana with the apana is pranayama. "The yogi should fill the body with breath, from head to foot, in sixteen seconds, exhale for thirty-two seconds, and not breathe again for sixty-four. "There is another pranayama, in which the breath should first be retained for sixty-four seconds, then the prana should be exhaled for sixteen seconds, and next inhaled for sixteen seconds. "By pranayama the impurities of the body are expelled; by dharana, the impurities of the mind; and by samadhi, everything that hides the lordship of the soul." (from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Svetasvatara_Upanishad.html#practice

"He who knows Brahman which is Reality, Knowledge, and Infinity hidden in the cave of the heart and in the highest akasa —he, being one with the omniscient Brahman, enjoys simultaneously all desires." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Taittiriya_Upanishad.html#top

The true nature of the mind cannot be known either by words or by the mind itself. The mind which seeks to know the mind is only a mental state (vritti). Hence the mind remains unknown to the mind. The mind is, in essence, one with the Cosmic Mind, or Hiranyagarbha (the first manifestation of Saguna Brahman), who is the highest manifestation of Brahman in the relative world. That is why it is said that he who contemplates the sheath of the mind as Brahman has nothing to be afraid of; he attains the World of Hiranyagarbha. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Taittiriya_Upanishad.html#top

He who knows the Bliss of Brahman, whence all words together with the mind turn away, unable to reach it—he never fears. (2.4.1) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Taittiriya_Upanishad.html#top

When a man finds fearless support in That which is invisible, incorporeal, indefinable, and supportless, he has then obtained fearlessness. If he makes the slightest differentiation in It, there is fear for him. That [Brahman] becomes [the cause of] fear for the knower [of differentiation] who does not reflect. (2.7.1) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Taittiriya_Upanishad.html#top

Having realised this, he approached his father again and said: "Venerable Sir, teach me Brahman." To him, the son, he said this: "Seek to know Brahman by means of austerities. For austerities are the means of knowing Brahman." He practised austerities. Having practised austerities— (3.2.1) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Taittiriya_Upanishad.html#top

"Just as a bird tied by a string to the hand of the bird—catcher first flies in every direction and then finding no rest anywhere, settles down at the place where it is bound, so also the mind (i.e. the individual soul reflected in the mind), my dear, after flying in every direction and finding no rest anywhere, settles down in the Prana (i.e. Pure Being); for the mind (the individual soul) is fastened to the Prana (Pure Being). (6:8:2) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad.html#gayatri

"Now, that which is the subtle essence—in it all that exists has its self. That is the True. That is the Self That thou art, Svetaketu." (6:13:3) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad.html#gayatri

What does a person gain from the teaching given in the sixth part of the Upanishad ? Prior to the instruction, he cherishes the notion that it is his duty to perform ritualistic actions and that he will experience their results in this world and the next. In other words, he regards himself as the doer of actions and the enjoyer of their results. But all these notions cease for one who is awakened to the Knowledge of Reality by understanding the meaning of the statement: "That thou art." The notions of being the doer and of enjoying the result are contrary to the Knowledge of Pure Being. When a person realizes himself as Pure Being, one and without a second, there is then no possibility of his cherishing the idea that he is one entity and that work is something else, which it is his duty to perform in order to enjoy a certain result. All ideas of diversity vanish for him. Therefore the notion that the human soul is a modification disappears when one has rightly understood Pure Being, the non-dual Self. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad.html#gayatri

"The infinite is bliss. There is no bliss in anything finite. Only the Infinite is bliss. One must desire to understand the Infinite." "Venerable Sir, I desire to understand the Infinite." (7:23:1) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

Sanatkumar to Narada above

"Next follows the instruction about the Infinite with reference to the Self: The Self indeed, is below. It is above. It is behind. It is before. It is to the south. It is to the north. The Self, indeed, is all this. "Verily, he who sees this, reflects on this and understands this delights in the Self sports with the Self, rejoices in the Self revels in the Self. Even while living in the body he becomes a self—ruler. He wields unlimited freedom in all the worlds. ‘‘But those who think differently from this have others for their rulers they live in perishable worlds. They have no freedom in all the worlds." (7:25:1-2) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

"On this there is the following verse: "‘The knower of Truth does not see death or disease or sorrow. The knower of Truth sees everything and obtains everything everywhere.’ "He (the knower) is one before the creation, becomes three, becomes five, becomes seven, becomes nine; then again he is called eleven, one hundred and ten and one thousand and twenty. "Now is described the discipline for inner purification by which Self—Knowledge is attained: When the food is pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure the memory becomes firm. When the memory is firm all ties are loosened." The venerable Sanatkumara showed Narada, after his blemishes had been wiped out, the other side of darkness. They call Sanatkumara Skanda, yea, Skanda they call him. (7:26:1-2) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

"And just as, here on earth, whatever is earned through work perishes, so does the next world, won by virtuous deeds, perish. Those who depart hence without having realized the Self and these true desires—for them there is no freedom in all the worlds. But those who depart hence after having realized the Self and these true desires—for them there is freedom in all the worlds. (8:1:6)


"Those of his fellows who belong to him here and those who are dead and whatever else there is which he wishes for and does not obtain—he finds all that by going in there (i.e. into his own Self). For there, indeed, lie those true desires of his, covered by what is false. "As people who do not know the spot where a treasure of gold has been hidden somewhere in the earth, walk over it again and again without finding it, so all these creatures day after day go into the World of Brahman and yet do not find it, because they are carried away by untruth. (8:3:2) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

"O Indra, this body is mortal, always held by death. It is the abode of the Self which is immortal and incorporeal. The embodied self is the victim of pleasure and pain. So long as one is identified with the body, there is no cessation of pleasure and pain. But neither pleasure nor pain touches one who is not identified with the body. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

"O Indra, this body is mortal, always held by death. It is the abode of the Self which is immortal and incorporeal. The embodied self is the victim of pleasure and pain. So long as one is identified with the body, there is no cessation of pleasure and pain. But neither pleasure nor pain touches one who is not identified with the body. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Chandogya_Upanishad02.html

A seeker after Knowledge must first understand that all worldly enjoyments—ranging from that experienced by a clump of grass to that enjoyed by Brahma—are transitory because they all belong to the realm of avidya. Next he must be ready to renounce all desire for worldly enjoyment. His soul, time and again, has taken a body in the world of transmigratory existence and enjoyed the pleasures obtainable there. And his experience of the enjoyments in the higher worlds has been made possible through the grace of the deities. After being satiated with all the experiences of the relative world, he seeks the Knowledge of Brahman, practices such virtues as discrimination between the real and the unreal, non-attachment to the unreal, restraint of the organs, control of the mind, forbearance with regard to all physical afflictions, and reverence for the scriptures and the teacher. He also cherishes a single-minded longing for liberation from the phenomenal world. And the teacher instructs him about the Knowledge of Brahman, which removes the illusory notion of the world created by ignorance. The destruction of ignorance is concomitant with Knowledge. No other discipline is necessary. This Knowledge liberates one from the otherwise endless chain of rebirth in samsara. Thus religious rites are not repudiated by the Upanishads, but recognized as a means of creating the right mood for the practice of the higher disciplines. These rites also help the seeker to purify his mind through the enlargement of his consciousness, and to practice concentration. The importance of the practice of physical, mental, ethical, and spiritual disciplines for the realization of the Knowledge of Brahman cannot be overemphasized. An intelligent person may derive emotional or intellectual excitement from the reading of such statements as "I am Brahman" and "All is verily Brahman." People are not wanting in modern times who glibly say, "Samsara is Nirvana," yet at the same time are attached to worldly pleasures. But the true import of such statements can be understood only by one whose heart has been purified in the fire of spiritual discipline. The path has been described in the Katha Upanishad as being sharp as the edge of a razor. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad warns the seeker to guard against such pitfalls as passion, greed, and violence, which are inherent in the life of the world. (sn) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka01_Upanishad.html#prana

Yajnavalkya did not attribute Pure Consciousness and absence of consciousness to one and the same entity. Particular consciousness belongs to the individual self, which is the result of ignorance and which is connected with the body and organs. This self is destroyed by the Knowledge of Brahman, which results in the destruction of the particular consciousness. It is like the destruction of the reflection of the moon and its light when the water in which the moon is reflected is removed. The moon, however, which is the reality behind the reflection, remains as it is. Likewise, Pure Consciousness, which is the transcendent Brahman, remains unchanged even when ignorance, the cause of individual existence, is destroyed by Knowledge. The reason for Maitreyi's confusion is that what Yajnavalkya referred to as particular consciousness she regarded as Pure Consciousness. From the standpoint of Reality, the Self is Pure Consciousness, and from the standpoint of individual existence, It may be said to be endowed with particular consciousness. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka01_Upanishad.html#prana

"You cannot see the seer of seeing; you cannot hear the hearer of hearing; you cannot think of the thinker of thinking; you cannot know the knower of knowing. This is your self that is within all; everything else but this is perishable." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka01_Upanishad.html#prana

A man who has realized himself as Brahman does not, after death, undergo any change of condition. Liberation is a state of homogeneous consciousness; hence no change can be imagined in it. The Self is always Brahman. Liberation is not the result of any action; otherwise it would be non-eternal. Nothing that is produced as the result of an action can be eternal. Further, nothing but the inherent nature of a thing can be regarded as eternal. Liberation is the very nature of the Self, as heat is of fire; it is not the consequence of any action. Liberation is not merely something negative, the cessation of bondage; for the Supreme Self is the only entity that exists. There is no other entity in bondage whose freedom from bondage could be called Liberation. Therefore the cessation of ignorance, the cause of the illusory notion of bondage, is commonly called Liberation; it is like the disappearance of the snake from the rope when the erroneous notion about its existence has been dispelled. From the standpoint of the Self there is neither bondage nor Liberation; but from the relative standpoint, created by ignorance, the reality of bondage is admitted: therefore the effort to remove bondage is perfectly reasonable. The gist of the passage is this: Brahman is the only reality that exists; It is always the same, homogeneous, one and without a second, unchanging, birthless, undecaying, immortal, deathless, and fearless. Ignorance, which in an inscrutable manner inheres in Brahman, creates a veil which hides the true nature of Brahman but cannot change It. Thus a phenomenal being appears, like a mirage in the desert or an illusory snake in a rope. This phenomenal being, by following the disciplines laid down in the scriptures, casts off ignorance and rediscovers its true nature. This is called merging in Brahman. Therefore the statement: "He merges in Brahman" is but a figurative one, indicating the cessation, as a result of Knowledge, of the continuous chain of bodies for one who has held the view that he is other than Brahman. (sn) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka02_Upanishad.html#top

The brahmins seek to realize It through the study of the Vedas, through sacrifices, through gifts and through austerity which does not lead to annihilation. Knowing It alone one becomes a sage (muni). Wishing for this World (i.e. the Self) alone, monks renounce their homes. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka02_Upanishad.html#top

* renounced home = became a monk, "This is the ultimate goal; this is the final step a man should take in order to achieve his highest good". (Shankaracharya) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka02_Upanishad.html#top

Having said this, Yajnavalkya renounced home*. (4.5.15) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Brihadaranyaka02_Upanishad.html#top



It is through knowledge of the inner Self, and not through study of external objects, that one directly knows Brahman. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mundaka_Upanishad.html#higher

Brahman is the reality of all things endowed with name and form. When the Truth is known, the illusion of duality disappears and the universe, known as non-Brahman to the ignorant, reveals itself as the effulgent Brahman. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mundaka_Upanishad.html#higher

This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (3.2.3)

This Atman cannot be attained by one who is without strength or earnestness or who is without knowledge accompanied by renunciation. But if a wise man strives by means these aids, his soul enters the Abode of Brahman. (3.2.4)

As flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their names and forms, so a wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Purusha, who is greater than the Great. (3.2.8) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mundaka_Upanishad.html#higher

He who knows the Supreme Brahman verily becomes Brahman. In his family no one is born ignorant of Brahman. He overcomes grief; he overcomes evil; free from the fetters of the heart, he becomes immortal. (3.2.9) --


"By knowing Brahman one achieves Immortality here [in this body]. There is no other way to its attainment." (Taittiriya Aranyaka VI. i. 6; Nrisimhapurvatapani Upanishad I. 6.)

"If he does not know It (Atman) here, a great destruction awaits him." (Kena Up. II. 5.)

"Those who know It (Brahman) become immortal." (Katha Up. II. Hi. 2.)



"By truly realizing Him ... one attains the supreme peace." (Svetasvatara Up. IV. 11.) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara01.html#shankara1

"The fire of Knowledge reduces all works to ashes." (B. G. IV. 37.) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara01.html#shankara1

"The man endowed with perfect Self-Knowledge is not entangled by his action; but the man devoid of this Knowledge enters samsara."

"A man is bound by karma (action) and freed by Knowledge; therefore the far-seeing sannyasins do not engage in karma." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara01.html#shankara1
"Desiring what, and for whose sake, are you wearying out the body?" (Brihadaranyaka Up. IV. iv. 12.)

"After knowing It (Brahman) one is not stained by sinful action."

"The knower of Atman transcends grief." (Chhandogya Up. VII. i. 3.)

"Having realized Atman . . . one is freed from the jaws of death." (Katha Up. I. Hi. 15.)

"He who knows this Brahman, hidden in the cave of the heart, cuts asunder even here the knot of ignorance." (Mundaka Up. II. i. 10.)

"The fetters of the heart are broken, all doubts are resolved, and all works cease to bear fruit, when He (Brahman) is beheld who is both high and low."
(Mundaka Up. II. ii. 8.)

"As flowing rivers disappear into the sea, losing their names and forms, so a wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Purusha, who is greater than the Great."
(Mundaka Up. 111. ii. 8.) --

"The wise of olden times, endowed with firm resolution, spoke of Knowledge as the means to realize the Highest Good. Thus, by means of pure Knowledge, a man is liberated from all sins."

"The illumined person, having realized the power of death, attains Brahman, which is of eternal radiance, by means of Knowledge. There is no other way to realize Brahman. The seers know this and remain satisfied."

"The purity attained by the embodied being through the Knowledge of God is the supreme purity. The attainment of Self-Knowledge, by means of yoga, is the highest dharma."

"The knower of the Self passes beyond grief. He is not afraid of anything — neither of the approach of death nor of death itself. He fears nothing whatsoever."

"Atman is not born, nor does It die. It is not killed nor is It the killer. It is not bound nor does It cause anyone's bondage. It is neither liberated nor the giver of Liberation. The jiva, in reality, is the Supreme Self; all else besides is unreal."

Thus the Vedas, the Smritis, and the ltihasas (books of legends) speak of Knowledge alone as the means to Liberation. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara01.html#shankara1

"By knowing It (Brahman) alone, one attains Immortality—there is no other way to its attainment." (Mahavakya Upanishad 3.)

"Neither by work, nor by offspring, nor by wealth, does one attain Immortality, but by renunciation alone" (Kaivalya Upanishad I. 3; Mahanarayana Upanishad VUI. 14.)

"Frail indeed are those rafts of the sacrifices, conducted by eighteen persons, upon whom rests the inferior work; therefore they [the results of the sacrifices] are destructible. Fools who rejoice in them as the Highest Good fall victims again and again to old age and death."

(Mundaka Up. 1. 2. 7) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

"Nothing that is eternal can be produced by what is not eternal." (Mundaka Up. 1. 2. 12.) --

"This ancient samsara is said to be stained because it is filled with the impurities of ignorance.

   Liberation is attained through the destruction of impurities, and not through millions of actions." --

"The wise do not achieve Liberation by means of offspring or action or wealth. It is achieved only by means of renunciation. Otherwise, alas, one wanders about in the world." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

"Thus abiding by the injunctions of the three Vedas and desiring desires, they are subject to death and rebirth." (B. G. IX. 21.)

"The stages of life and the duties pertaining to them, which are prescribed for brahmins and members of the other castes, are wearisome. Atman cannot be realized through the performance of duties belonging to a particular stage, or by means of the Vedas, Samkhya, Yoga, or penances and various intense austerities, or by means of diverse kinds of gifts. The wise realize Atman through Knowledge alone."

"The various actions laid down in the Vedas are, like the kimpaka fruit,* inauspicious in the end. Filled with myriads of miseries, they do not yield any real happiness. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

* The kimpaka fruit looks very attractive from outside, but inside it is repulsive. Likewise, the ritualistic actions prescribed by the Vedas yield happiness both here and hereafter, and therefore appear very agreeable. But that happiness, however enjoyable, is finite and comes to an end when the experience is over, whereupon one feels bitter. On the other hand, Liberation, which is achieved through Knowledge, is eternal and undying. Hence the wise abstain from sacrifices and other actions that produce a limited result, and engage in the pursuit of Knowledge. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

Therefore why should I, who am eager for Liberation, perform the Vedic actions? Chained by ignorance, a man is said to be bound. Knowledge puts an end to his bondage, as light destroys darkness. Therefore Liberation is achieved through Knowledge, by means of the destruction of ignorance."

"All actions—such as giving gifts of various kinds, performing penances, austerities, and sacrifices, being truthful, making pilgrimages, and discharging the duties belonging to various stages of life—yield fruit which is reaped in heaven. They are mixed with pain and are impermanent. But Knowledge yields a fruit that is certain, peaceful, and highly significant."

"By means of sacrifices one attains a godly status; by means of austerities, the status of Brahma (the Creator God); by means of gifts, one enjoys various delectable objects. But Liberation is attained through Knowledge."

"By means of the rope of good action one climbs to heaven, and by means of the rope of evil action one descends into hell. But the wise sever both ropes with the sword of Knowledge, become free from body-consciousness, and attain peace."

"Give up both righteousness and unrighteousness. Give up both truth and untruth. And then give up that by which you have given up those two." [* I.e. philosophical discrimination.] -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

But if work is performed only for the gratification of the Lord, without any desire for fruit, then it causes the purification of the heart, which in turn produces knowledge conducive to the attainment of Liberation. Thus motiveless action brings about Liberation by gradual stages. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

The Lord says in the Bhagavad Gita: "He who works without attachment, resigning his actions to Brahman, is untainted by sin, as a lotus leaf by water. Only with the body, the mind, the understanding, and the senses do the yogis act, without attachment, for the purification of the heart." (B. G. V. 10-11.)

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give away, and whatever you practice in the form of austerities, O son of Kunti—do it as an offering to Me. Thus shall you be free from the bondage of actions, which bear good or evil results. With your mind firmly set on the yoga of renunciation, you shall become free and come to Me." (B. G. IX. 27-28.)

Liberation is impossible without the purification of the heart. The heart is purified by work. This is the process of attaining Liberation; and it is thus described in the Vishnudharma: -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

Thus the yogi is liberated step by step. Until the sins accumulated through many births are consumed, a man's mind is not directed to Govinda (God). Through the austerities, knowledge, and deep meditation of thousands of births, his sins are destroyed, and then love of Krishna grows in his heart.

Sinful desires alone are the obstacles to final Liberation; therefore those who are fearful of samsara should make intense efforts to control such desires.

They are controlled through the giving of gold, through bathing in sacred waters, and through the practice of great physical austerities, as prescribed by the scriptures. Sinful desires are also removed by worship of the Deity, the hearing of the Vedas and other scriptures, pilgrimages to holy places, and service of the guru."

Rishi Yajnavalkya, too, speaks of the need of purifying the heart to attain Liberation and of the method of such purification:

"The purification of the heart is the duty of all aspirants, especially of world-renouncing sannyasins; for this is the means of cultivating knowledge which leads to the freedom of the soul. As a mirror stained with impurities cannot reflect an image, so the impure heart cannot reflect Self-Knowledge.

-- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

The yogi realizes Immortality after having purified the heart by the following means: worship of the spiritual preceptor, inquiry into the Vedas and other scriptures based upon them, performance of righteous actions, the keeping of holy company, the hearing of holy talk, avoidance of the touch and sight of a woman, the seeing of the Self in all beings, non-acceptance of others' property, the wearing of the coarse ochre cloth* [* Sannyasins dress in ochre cloths], withdrawal of the senses from the enjoyment of objects, relinquishment of sleepiness and idleness, investigation into the nature of the physical body, the regarding of selfish action as sinful, control of rajas and tamas and cultivation of sattva, desirelessness, and control of the sense-organs. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

Study of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, and other religious treatises, performance of sacrifices, practice of brahmacharya and austerities, control of the senses, faith in the words of the teacher and the scriptures, fasting, and non-dependence upon others are also among the means for the attainment of Self-Knowledge" -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara02.html#liberation

The jnani (one who follows the path of reasoning) has realized the unsubstantiality of the universe. He knows his identity with the non-dual Brahman. For him the renunciation of action is natural and spontaneous; it is not necessary for scripture to instruct him about it. Therefore the Upanishad does not directly give such instruction. But in order to proclaim the greatness of the Knowledge of Brahman, the Upanishad says that the jnani is absolutely free and beyond all imperatives. He is not compelled to work, but of his own volition he may engage in action, the good or bad results of which will not touch him. He may abstain from action, if he so desires, and this, too, will not harm him. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara03.html#maya

"The jiva is really the Supreme Self; anything besides the Supreme Self is illusory. The world is created by maya, the inscrutable power of the Lord, and is therefore unreal. Realize this, give up all imagining, and desist from attachment to material objects. Having renounced illusions, the yogi should make his mind steady in the Self and remain calm, like fire that has consumed its fuel. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara03.html#maya

Endowed with this knowledge, the wise man should renounce all and live like a muni, taking the vow of silence." -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara03.html#maya

"The jiva, which is called the knower of the field, under the spell of beginningless maya finds itself different from Brahman, which is really one with it. As long as it differentiates itself from the Supreme Self and from other beings, so long does it wander in the universe, being impelled by its own action. But the jiva whose action has come to an end regards itself as non-different from the supreme Pure Brahman and thereby becomes immortal. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara03.html#maya

"All action is ignorance, and its opposite is Knowledge. A creature is bound by action and liberated by Knowledge. Non-duality is the Highest Good; duality is quite different from that Good. All such differentiations as men, animals, insects, and the dwellers in hell are created by false knowledge. Dualistic perceptions such as 'I am different from others,' 'Others are different from me,' and 'This is mine and this belongs to others,' are mere ignorance. "Now hear about Non-duality, which is the Supreme Truth. It is free from the consciousness of ‘I’ and 'mine,' and also from all other illusory ideas. It is experienced as changeless and inscrutable. Duality is an illusion and Non-duality is Ultimate Reality. Mental states are caused by dharma and its opposite. They should be restrained. When the mind is restrained, duality is not perceived. The whole universe of the living and the non-living is only imagined by the mind. When the mind is controlled, one realizes the absence of duality. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara03.html#maya

"That Knowledge which is utterly free from all differentiations and unknowable by words, which is realized as Existence only and known through the [purified] understanding, is called Brahman. The nature of the Supreme Brahman is the complete opposite of that of the variegated universe." ... -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Upanishads_by_Shankara04.html#truth

If the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always distracted, loses its discrimination, then the senses become uncontrolled, like the vicious horses of a charioteer. (1.3.5) But if the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always restrained, possesses discrimination, then the senses come under control, like the good horses of a charioteer. (1.3.6) Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha. Beyond the Purusha there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal. (1.3.10) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Katha_Upanishad.html

The bliss that arises from the realization of the Self is no doubt beyond thought and speech, which belong to relative existence; but it is directly experienced by illumined souls. Therefore one should not give up the effort for Self-realization as impossible; one should rather strive with faith and reverence. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Katha_Upanishad.html

If a man is able to realize Brahman here, before the falling asunder of his body, then he is liberated; if not, he is embodied again in the created worlds. (2.3.4) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Katha_Upanishad.html

When all the ties of the heart are severed here on earth, then the mortal becomes immortal. This much alone is the teaching. (2.3.15) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Katha_Upanishad.html

There are one hundred and one arteries of the heart, one of which pierces the crown of the head. Going upward by it, a man [at death] attains immortality. But when his prana passes out by other arteries, going in different directions, then he is reborn in the world. (2.3.16) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Katha_Upanishad.html

Fire, which burns and illumines other objects, cannot burn or illumine itself. -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Kena_Upanishad.html#true

He by whom Brahman is not known, knows It; he by whom It is known, knows It not. It is not known by those who know It; It is known by those who do not know It. (2.3)

    Brahman is known when It is realized in every state of mind, for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength, by Knowledge, Immortality. (2.4)

    If a man knows Atman here, he then attains the true goal of life. If he does not know It here, a great destruction awaits him. Having realized the Self in every being, the wise relinquish the world and become immortal. (2.5) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Kena_Upanishad.html#true

Gaudapada Karika Explanation Turiya, the changeless Ruler, is capable of destroying all miseries. All other entities being unreal, the non—dual Turiya alone is known as effulgent and all—pervading. Visva and Taijasa are conditioned by cause and effect. Prajna is conditioned by cause alone. Neither cause nor effect exists in Turiya. Prajna does not know anything of self or non—self, of truth or untruth. But Turiya is ever existent and all—seeing. Non—cognition of duality is common to both Prajna and Turiya. But Prajna is associated with sleep in the form of cause and this sleep does not exist in Turiya. The first two, Visva and Taijasa, are associated with dreaming and sleep respectively; Prajna, with Sleep bereft of dreams. Knowers of Brahman see neither sleep nor dreams in Turiya. Dreaming is the wrong cognition and sleep the non—cognition, of Reality. When the erroneous knowledge in these two is destroyed, Turiya is realized. When the jiva, asleep under the influence of beginningless maya, is awakened, it then realizes birthless, sleepless and dreamless Non—duality. If the phenomenal universe were real, then certainly it would disappear. The universe of duality which is cognized is mere illusion (maya); Non—duality alone is the Supreme Reality. If anyone imagines illusory ideas such as the teacher, the taught and the scriptures, then they will disappear. These ideas are for the purpose of instruction. Duality ceases to exist when Reality is known. (GK1.10-18) -- Read more at: http://www.yogananda.com.au/upa/Mandukya_Upanishad.html#importance


...............................                     ...............................                     .................................................


http://www.indiadivine.org/science-katha-upanishad/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiadivine.org%2Fscience-katha-upanishad%2F&utm_content&utm_campaign=The+Science+of+Katha+Upanishad



Meaning: Be awake and be active; approach the learned and get enlightened.
The wise say that the path is very difficult to tread, like the sharp edge of a razor.
‘Be awake and be active’ means that one should first discipline his inner faculties and then strive for getting the necessary instructions. The rest is self-explanatory.
The goal to be achieved is once more highlighted in the next verse. It is a very important verse, as it asserts that, by attaining to Ātmā, one is freed from the mouth of death. See the verse below:


Meaning: By attaining to that which is without sound, touch, form, taste and smell, that which is imperishable, eternal, without beginning and end, and that which is superior to Mahat, one escapes from the prowl of death.
The implication is that one who has attained to Ātmā remains untouched by death; he never dies. Attaining to Ātmā means shedding all dualities which are essential features of physical existence; for, Ātmā is without any attributes as clarified in this verse. Even for a person who has attained to Ātmā in this way, the physical body is subject to decay and disintegration, which in common parlance is death. So, what is the justification for the declaration that he escapes death? The inference is therefore that what we consider as death is not the death which Mṛtyu intends here. The verse says that freedom from physical dualities is freedom from death. Conversely, capitulation to dualities is death. This capitulation takes place through the wandering senses to satisfy the Kāma within; Kāma is defined as reinforced attachment (vide Gīta 2.62). Thus, capitulation to dualities becomes capitulation to Kāma. This is the philosophical definition of death and Mṛtyu follows this definition in clarifying the doubt of Nachiketas. These new concepts of death and immortality are continued further in Vallī 4.

In verse 4.1 Mṛtyu declares that senses are intrinsically oriented outwardly and therefore they cognise the physical appearance only, not the inner principle; but, in order to attain to immortality, inward cognition is essential. We find a further clarification in the next verse; please see it here:

Meaning: ‘Inferior minds pursue desires for external objects and get caught up in the wide-spread snare of death; but, the wise recognizing the eternal immortality underlying such ephemeral objects, do not harbour any desires’.

Meaning: ‘What is here is the same as what is there and vice versa. (That means, everywhere the same thing exists). He who sees differently meets with death again and again’.

The implied meaning is a re-assertion of what we are by now very familiar with. We know that Kāma overtakes us, if only we see something different from us and desire for it; if we perceive everything as a part of us, everything as belonging to us, then there will not be anything to aspire for; then there will not be any space for Kāma. In other words, when we see things other than us, we covet them, enabling Kāma to strike root in us. This will culminate in our death (death in the philosophical sense mentioned above). So long as we fail to see the unity of existence and continue to see things as separate from us, death occurs to us repeatedly; we go from death to death.

The last verse (15) of this Vallī describes the transformation that happens to the person who gets enlightened; he becomes the Ātmā himself, just as when pure water is poured into pure water, both become identified with each other. That means, he attains immortality; for, Ātmā is immortal. See the verse below:

So, the meaning of the verse is this: ‘(After death), some Dehins assume another beginning for the sake of body, while others go towards the unchangeable, in accordance with each one’s karma and knowledge’. We have seen that death is capitulation to Kāma; inferior minds follow the senses under the influence of Kāma and meet with death (verse 4.2). So, in this death, the body is not lost and the Dehin continues to be as such. If, in the light of his acquired knowledge, Dehin learns, from his fall, any lesson regarding the danger of Kāma, he tries to keep away from Kāma and, as a result, gains stability of mind; this would finally take him to the changeless entity, which is Ātmā. This is what is said here as going ‘towards the unchangeable’. Contrarily, if he does not learn any lesson and is not able to defy the calls of bodily pleasures, he opts for another beginning in the same line, finally landing in death’s trap again and again as stated in 4.2. This situation is depicted here as ‘assuming another beginning for the sake of body’.

In the remaining verses, Mṛtyu repeats the concept of immortality and discusses aspects of attaining it. Those who realise this all-pervading Ātmā attain immortality (verse 6.2). Everything in this universe is under the control of Ātmā and follows its rules (6.3). Ātmā is the ultimate of all and is beyond the grasp of the senses; those who know it become immortal (6.7 to 6.9, 6.12, 6.13 and 6.18). Since Ātmā is not within the reach of senses, seekers have to rely on other means. They must refrain from going after the senses; instead, they have to control their activities; this control of senses is called yoga. This will take them to realisation of the ever-existing Ātmā (6.11). When one gets rid of all the Kāma within (through this control of the wandering senses) he will become immortal (6.14 and 6.15). Mentioning about the different types of nerves in the ‘Heart,’ verse 6.16 points out the particular nerve that lays down the path to immortality; we have already seen this in detail when we studied verse 8.6.6 of Chāndogya Upaniṣad.

At first, Mṛtyu appreciates Nachiketas for his choosing the path of knowledge against the path of ignorance. In his opinion two mutually opposing options are open for man; one is śreyas (श्रेयस्) and the other is preyas (प्रेयस्). Out of these, śreyas is that which brings about inner enrichment and preyas is that which ruins the person by entangling him in worldly entailments. Only the wise men choose śreyas; Nachiketas did the same, rejecting all the trappings of preyas. This is what earned him the commendation of Mṛtyu and an opportunity to receive the desired instruction. Only men like Nachiketas can prefer śreyas to preyas. What about others? Mṛtyu says about them thus:

Meaning: ‘The foolish ones, thinking themselves to be intelligent and learned, despite being totally immersed in ignorance, wander around, going from one thing to another, like the blind being led by the blind’.
This verse implies that if one opts for the path of preyas, he is actually foolish, though he may think himself to be wise and learned. Being already ignorant, he is led by ignorance too; the phrase ‘blind led by the blind’ emphasises this fact, blindness being a reference to ignorance. (This verse appears in Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad also – verse 1.2.8 – with a single-word replacement).

: ‘Such inferior minds are intrinsically negligent and are stupefied by attachment to wealth; pursuit of that which is transcendent will never occur to them. To them there is nothing beyond the world of physical experience; such people come into my clutch again and again’.

Mṛtyu begins by drawing attention of Nachiketas to the entity of Ātmā which is very difficult to attain to; he says that many have not even heard of it and many of those who heard of it, do not know it. Those who know it and attain to it become happy; but, very rare are those who discourse on it and understand it (2.7). Since this subtle entity is variously thought by men with inferior intellect, it cannot be understood properly, if taught by them (2.8). So, the teacher must be properly qualified to impart the knowledge about this entity; so also the disciple should be duly qualified to receive it. Mṛtyu considers himself to be well conversant with the knowledge of Ātmā and further, he sees Nachiketas to be well qualified to receive the instruction. So he is happy to have a disciple like Nachiketas.

‘By inner meditation upon that unseen, secret, immanent, primal divinity which is seated in the innermost part of the heart, the enlightened man gets rid of the duality of pleasure-pain’.