on Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad
I became interested in religion since my childhood as I listened to the puranic stories from my mother and later from the some books like Kathasaritsagar. My age was impressionable and I was suitably inquisitive. As I grew up my inquisitive nature became transformed to curiosity leading me to read books about gods and religious beliefs. By the time, I reached adolescence, my mind was eager to read about gods and religious beliefs of other people, places and periods, outside India, never forgetting to read books of even those people who had not faith or favour for gods and religious beliefs of India or of the people, places and periods. My mind by that time was in confusion, wanting to be rational and intellectual like those people who had not faith or favour for gods and religious beliefs, at the same not being able to distance or separate myself from the beliefs, religions of the many people, places and periods.
As I completed my graduation and beginning chartering my future life, I began to realize the insufficiency of the rational and intellectual thoughts expressed by those people who had not faith or favour for gods and religious beliefs and yet having no receptivity (Eawa) to accept the Wisdom of the spiritual thoughts expressed by the people, places and periods whether in India or outside India. I read in many books that to be receptive (Eawavaana\) one is obliged not rely so much on Intellect (baaOiwk ) and reasoning as one should on Intuition (sfurNa), and experience since it is difficult the access through sense-organs Satya, the Prime Existence, which being eternal (ina%yama\), unperceivable (Ad`oSyama\), all pervading (ivaBauma\), all-comprehensive (sava-gatma\), exceedingly subtle (sausaUxmama\), un-decaying (Avyayama\), without beginning (Anaaid) and without end (Anantma\) entirety of Wisdom (iva&anaGanama\).
The art of being receptive (Eawavaana\) is the Art of Listening, which J. Krishnamurti speaks as ―to be able really to listen, one should abandon or put aside all prejudices, pre-formulations and daily activities. When you are in receptive state of mind, things can easily be understood . . . But unfortunately most of us listen through a screen of prejudices, . . .whether religious or spiritual, psychological or scientific . . . It is difficult to put aside our prejudices, our inclination, our resistance and reaching beyond the verbal expression, to listen so that we understand instantaneously‖. Therefore, communication between any two persons, and especially between the one who is wise in Wisdom, being consciously aware of Satya, the Prime Existence, as one of one is of one‘s breath and the one who is Knowledgeable but rarely conscious of his own breath, let alone of Satya, the Prime Existence. Therefore ii
Sri Madhva himself quoting Skanda Purana points out that ―~yaaoqaa-: sava-vaodoYau dSaaqaa-: sava-Baarto | ivaYNaao: sahasa`naamaaip inarntrSaqaaqa-kma\ ||.‖
Therefore no one can say that the inteir understanding and interpretation alone reflects the Truth and others do not. Where the professors of philosophy rely more on taik-k p`&a, with emphasis on their collected information from selected sources which in truth is nothing but Knowledge there seers rely more on prma p`&a, their supra-sensory receptivity (Eawa) becoming wise in Wisdom from experiencing the Truth. The philosophy of the Vedas finds foundation on the expansive experience and universal vision of the sensitive seers since as said by Krishna many Paths have been laid forth – ―?iYaiBaba-huQaa gaItM CndaoiBaiva-ivaQaO: pRqak\ |‖.But the seeker does not choose to traverse that Path which is suitable to his attributes and inclinations but the individual experience and personal vision of the seer which is traditionally followed by the family, the community, the society dogmatically accepts and choses to follow. The Trtuth will not be revealed however enlightened the seer is or however much attractive and fascination is the experience and the vision of the seers,
Therefore there a great need to keep mind receptive to receive thoughts from all sides to come when they declared let the noble and auspicious thoughts from all quarters come - ‘Aa naao Bad`a: k`t``vaao yaaint ivaSvat:’. Therefore even though one sees diverse expressions in vedic hymns, the central theme represents the supra-sensory receptivity (Eawa). This noble intention found reflection in the famous declaration ‘ekma\ saiWp`a bahuda vadint |’ – One Truth, the wise ones speak of it variously , accepting expansively God is that in which things converge, He is That from which all things diverge, He of our land, He is of the foreign lands, He is luminous in gods He is luminous in humans ‘ya: samaaByaao3 varuNaao vyaaByaao3 ya: sadoSyaao3 varuNaao yaao ivadoSya: | yaao dOvaao varuNaao yacca maanauYa: ||’, the Atharvavedic seer speaking the truism "janaM ibaBa`it bahuQaa ivavaacasaM naanaaQamaa-NaM pRiqavaI yaqaaOksama\ | sahsa` Qaara d`ivaNasya mao duhaM Qau`vaova Qaonaur\ Anasfurint ||" - the Earth that bears people speaking varied languages, with various religions rituals, according the places of their abode, enrich me with wealth in thousand streams like a milch-cow that never fails". Out of this came the realization of the universal Hindu concept that the whole world constituted one large family – ‘vasuaQaOva kuTumbakma\’.
To Know and experience Sri Madhva‘s intent and understand what he desires to communicate through various signs and symbols, in analogies and metaphors is difficult for common people through Intellect (bauiw) and reasoning (tk-), even for the professors of philosophy, though they are knowledgeable about the principles which expounded by him. Krishna says : ‗na mao ivadu: saurgaNaa: p`BavaM na mahYa-iii
ya:‘, then how can normal human beings with their inefficient organs of perception, insufficient receptivity experience the resplendence of the Lord. Scriptures do not reveal immediately the significance instilled therein. Truth cannot be given to any one by any one.Yaska says he who studies only the words contained in the Veda is not seized with the mystical meaning contained therein is like the truck of the tree who carries the burden without tasting the flowers or the fruits. But he knows the mystery contained therein is like one who having terminated the imperfection attains the heavens. While the common people relying more on Intellect (bauiw) and reasoning (tk-) like the professors of philosophy, who though are knowledgeable about the principles sticking to their own Intellect (bauiw) and reasoning (tk-) rarely can claim to have known what Vyasaraya, Jayatirtha, Vadiraja Swamy or Raghvandra Swamy wise in Wisdom, have experienced and accomplished through Intuition (sfurNa), let alone Sri Madhva‘s intent which he expressed within the limitations of the human language, using the signs and symbols, in analogies and metaphors prevailing in the earlier scriptures as well as the conditions prevailing in the society as was done by earlier seers.
Every one, therefore, has to inquire, search and find it ourselves. The search and inquiry may be for a long time and even for many years and many generations and lives, but the direct perception of Satya, the Prime Existence is not possible if the base is not proper, foundations is not stable and the objective is crystallized and not clear, structured and stratified and not simple as baby‘s perception open like the flowing breeze. Therefore, one has to just listen, not resist, even if anything is said which is opposed to our way of thinking and belief. One need not be unduly be worried if some signs and symbols, in analogies and metaphors used by seers are unacceptable. If one continues to be enamored by the sounds, signs, symbols, words and metaphors used by the seers and saints, in the place and during the period when they communicated their experiences or their teachings then their teaching will remain no more vibrant and live but become irretrievably rooted in dogma without giving the self and the mind the scope to experience the ineffable Wisdom and experience as the seers did through supra-sensory sensitivity.
On the contrary being receptive Eawavaana\ everything spoken or heard would be possible to be examined and ratified, validated by what one has seen and heard by himself. In doing so, no avenue or source should be refused, rejected or dispensed with and as Vashishtha says that the word even of a child, if it is reasonable, should be given importance ‗yaui>yau>M ]padoyaM vacanaM baalakadip‘. It is more profitable to rely on Intution (sfurNa) than on . Intellect and reasoning, as the seers did relying more on prma p`&a, their supra-sensory receptivity (Eawa) iv
experienced the supra-sensory luminous form of Vishnu - ‗tiWYNaao: prmaM pdM sada pSyaint saUrya: | idivava caxaurattma\ ||‘. Sayana says that Vishnu‘s name should be reflected being aware of its all-pervading and comprehensive nature - ‗Asya mahanuBaavasya ivaYNaao naama ica%saOva: namanaIyaM AiBadanaM savaa-%map`itpadkM ivaYNau: [it ett\ naama jaanant pu$Yaaqa-p`itpadk AiQagacCnt: Aa samantat\ ivava>na: saMkIt-yaot\ |. Further clarifying ‗ikM ca Asya mahanauBaavasya ivaYNaao: naama icat\ - savaO: namanaIyama\ AiBaQanama\ savaa-%myap`itpaidkM ivaYNa: [it ett\ naama jaanant: - pu$Yaaqaop`dma\ [it AiQagacCnt: Aa-samantat\ ivava>na – vadt – saMkIt-yaot | ho ivaYNaao: - savaa-%mak dova, maha: - maht: to – tva saumatIma\ sauYTutIma\ SaaoBaai%makM bauiWM vaa, Bajamaho – saovaamaho |‘ Yaska says men of Wisdom speak of him variously, describing his attributes – ‗bahuBai>vaadidnaI ba`a*maaNaina | Bai>naa-ma gauNaklpnaa yaona kona icad\ gauNoana ba`a*maNaM sava- sava-qaa ba`vaIit t~ t%vamanyaoYyamaova Bavait |‘.
Those who are in business carry on being busy in attending to their business without wasting much of their time reading books and manuals on: ―How to do Business and be Wealthy and Prosperous‖. The traveller in search of Satya, the Prime Existence choosing one or the other Paths suitable to his gauNa (attributes) and svaBaava (inclinastion), for he believes that every seer or saint have reached Satya, the Prime Existence, even as the vedic seers in ancient times did keeping their yes and ear open - ‗iva mao kNaa- ptyatao iva vaxau:iva- [dM jyaaoit)-dya AaihtM yat\ | iva mao manaSvarit dUrAaiQa: ikM isvad\ vaxyaaima ikmau naU mainaYyao ||, inquiring all and every one again and again ‗kao Awa vaod k [h p` vaaocaa%kut Aajaata kut [yaM ivasaRiYT: |‘. I am not inclined to agree that only Path leads to Satya, the Prime Existence, others misleading to any thing but Satya, the Prime Existence.
I believe that what the vedic seers experienced as supra-sensory experiences in their sensitive minds they could not express fully well, expressing in the temporal langage then prevailing and in accordance with their gauNa (attributes) and svaBaava (inclinastion), thereby a variously declared by them that though Satya, the Prime Existence is One, the seers have fashioned variously. Brahmanas laid down variousrites and ritualistic disciplines to facilitate the inquiry and the search for Satya, the Prime Existence, Upanishadic ntellectuals offerered their view becoming receptive, reflective and meditative, Dashankara formalized the concepts, both vaidik as well as the avaidiks, vaidik Bhashyakaras like Shankara-Ramanuja-Madhva commenting on the varuis Paths and emphasizing one or the other, at the same time the avaidik Bhashyakaras not lagging far in explaining their views.
Some where in their long journey even as they explained their views both vaidik and avaidik Bhashyakaras did not encourage or further an inclination or spiritual atmosphere for further inquiry about Satya, the Prime Existence but v
gave occasion to the rise of various sects within the vaidik and the avaidik structure of the philosiophies and the temporal, social structure.
I realized the Wisdom about Satya, the Prime Existence was not self-revealing and thereore vast literature in the form of Brahmanas, Upanishads, itihas, puranas, various sciences like phonetics, rituals, grammars, etymologies, metrics, astrology were needed. Darshnanas attempted clarification without much success. What darshankarasa could not do, Bhashyakaras attempted. If the Bhashyakaras had succeeded in reveling Satya, the Prime Existence or even clarifying their views with clarity, then their disciples need not have written their clarifications or Tikas. Then I came to realize that the Wisdom that the vedic seers experienced, which upanishadic intellectuals, Dashanakaras, Bhashyakaras, saints and noble souls replicated in their evey thought, speech and actions life, is not possible through intelligence and that spiritual intution has to rise from within spontaneously as divine grace to be experienced. When it will come and how it will come is beyond my reach to know. Therefore I wait for that grace to fall on me, till all that I deire to do is to be ready with the Knowledge of the Divine, Satya, the Prime Existence so that the experience of Satya, the Prime Existence as all pervading (Vishnu), all enveloping presence (Vasudeva) will be experienced.
For me the supreme being is Vishnu -‗hir: prtr:’, One who has comprehensively pervaded every thing that is created - ‗yasmaad\ ivaSTM [dM sava-M vaamanaona maha%manaa tsmaat\ sa vaO smaRtao ivaYNaaor\ dohao p`vaoSanaat\ |‘,‗vaovaoiYT vyapnaaotIit ivaYNau:‘, One who dwells comprehensively within every thing that is created Vasudeva – ―vaasayait BaUtaina svaismana\ [it vaasau: sacaasaaO dovaSca dIvyato [it svap`kaSa: sa vaasaudova [%yaqa-: |‖, known as Hari, Vishnu and Narayana – ‗Bagavaana vaasaudovaoit prmaa%maaoit vaO hir: | ivaYNaaonaa-rayaNaScaoit ba`*maoit Eautyaao jagau: ||‘ Satya, the Prime Existence represented by symbols than as an anthropomorphic Person, whether subtle or gross in form, even as other names given to other gods, describe their attributes, inclination, role and their importance. I view Sri Madhva‘s expression like ‗ya: paduBa-vagaao ivaYNaU: dohaidSauu ca saMistqa: | sa eva maUlarUpMSca saaxaannaarayaNaaiBad: | maUlarUpSca yaao ivaYNau: p`aduBaa-vaaidgaSca ||‘, ‗s~IpuMsaamalaOiBayaaoga%maa dohao ivaYNaaona-jaayato | ikntu inadao-SacaOtnyasauKina%yaM svaakaM tnaUM || @va vaNaa-id @va ca &anaM svatn~aican%yasad\gaNaO: | kutao du:KM svatn~sya ina%yaanandOkrUipNa: ||‘, ‗vasaudovasautao naayaM naayaM gaBao-|vasat\ p`Bau: naayaM dSarqaa%jatao na caaip jamadigna: || jaayato naOva ku~aip pima`yato kut eva tu ||‘. I accept without slightest hesitation that the Satya, the Prime Existence is the One who is known as Vishnu, the one who dwells within every thing in creation, with the unequivocal declaration of Sri Madhva, when he said : ‗EauNaumaatlasa%yavaaca: prmaM Sapqao$ccabaahu: yaugama\ na hro: prmaao na hro: sadRSa: prma: sa tu sava-icada%magaNaat\ ||‘ Listen to me to this true words, which I speak, with great assurance with my both hands raised that there is none superior to vi
Hari, no one similar to Him, He alone is the Supreme One, among all sentient souls. I accept that all the gods are the subsidiary instruments of action manifest in various potencies, to fulfill the divine Intent and purpose, therefore there exists and has to exist tartmya gradation according to which the divine actions are required to be accomplished.
I accept that if there is Creation then there should be a Creator. The Creation need not necessarily be as we with sense organs perceive, but more substantive, foundational of all that exists, known or unknown. The Creator need not necessarily be as the seers of every place and period, belonging to every religion or creeds, have spoken in words and descriptions, using their poetic vision, signs and symbols, in analogies and metaphors for the people to understand and worship with adoration. Whatever was spoken, communicated, was fir those in need, so that the seeker might find the thing he sought. Whatever manner was adopted was adopted or the sake of those who need, so that the seeker might find the thing he sought. Wherever there is a need, there is Path, wherever there is a Path, there is one who directs, wherever there is one who directs there would surely be succor. Wherever is difficult to understand there is surely arrives an answer and solution. Don‘t seek the water to quench your thirst, increase your thirst, then will water spring all sides.
Live a life that really matters. Because ready or not soon your present opportunity given in this life will end. There will be no Sunrises nor any Sunsets. Every gathered will be scattered, revert to irrelevance, what you owed or what others owed to you. All grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will lapse, so would the hopes and dream. All that matters is how your life is measured, not what you brought or what you left, not how many people you miss but how many people will miss you, not your memories but memories of those whom you have left behind, What will matter is not success but significance, not what your learned but what you taught, your competence, compassion, compassion and character. Verily here itself, where we are, one can know this, and if we do not know then great would be the loss - ‚[hOva saMtao|qa ivad\mastd\ vayaM na caoidhavaoidma-htI ivanaYTI | ya etiWdurmaRtasto BavaM%yaqaotro du:Kmaovaaipyaint |‖.
It is through self-discipline that one attains consecration; through consecration one attains benevolence, through benevolence one becomes receptive and through receptivity does the Primal Existence become enlightened. Shivasvarodaya says that the vedic scriptures are not to be referred as Veda, because there is no Veda, Wisdom in vedic scriptures. Only that is Veda by which the eternal, immutable Wisdom is revealed ‗na vaodM vaod [it Aahur vaodo vaodao na ivaVto, pra%maa vaoVto yaona sa vaodao vaod ivaVto‘. vii
If you had kept your head when all others had lost, had dreamt but not made the dreams your masters, had thoughts and made the thoughts your goal, had traversed further picked the pieces, not irritated by every rub when the dreams lay shattered, trusting yourself when others were doubting you, holding a helping hand when others were hating you. Do not give up hope. There must exist hope, so that when every thing is silent and dreams have turned to nostalgia, it is nostalgia that brings spirit to rise with the power of an elephant. As the Sufi saint says : ―There must exist an elephant, so that when It sleeps by night, it can dream about Hindustan. After all, the ass can not dream about Hindustan, because the ass has never ever been there. There is need for a spirit with the power of an elephant, able to journey is sleep to Hindustan‖. If you can not dream you can not feel the touch, experience the warmth Therefore rub your eyes, brush up your perception, feel the sour stirring within and the spirit springing within. Look up to the seers who have experienced the resplendent Lord; listen to the saints singing his glories around. Then you will hear the tinkling of the anklets on his feet, listen to the melodies flowing from his flute, feel the fragrance of the flowers around his neck, with the whole world unveiled, all the chains shattered, causing Consciousness to leap and spread all around in all resplendence.
I remember what George Santayana, the western philosopher had said in his book The Sense of Beauty, ‗Religion is human experience interpreted by human imagination . . . The idea that religion contains a literal, not symbolic, representation of truth and life in simply an impossible idea . . . Matters of religion should never be matters of controversy . . . We (should) seek rather to honour the piety and understand the poetry embodied in these fables‘ and Dr. A. F. Whitehead who said, ‗The notion of the complete self-sufficiency of any item of finite knowledge is the fundamental error of dogmatism. Every such item derives its Truth and its meaning from un-analyzed reverence to the background which is the unbounded Universe . . . Every scrap of our knowledge derives its meaning from the fact that we are factors in the universe, and are dependent on the universe for ever detail of our experience . . . Whenever there is the sense of self-sufficient completion, there is germ of vicious dogmatism‘.
One should begin one‘s inquiry, keeping one‘s eyes and ears opened, keeping mind to roam with thoughts afar to become receptive to all the clarifications given by them. Threfore, I searched for Knowledge from every source I could find, read every intellectual and thinkers from east to the west, that is possible is possible to read. There were many books available in English language which dealt with the expositions by various philosophers but few by Madhva. Therefore I took upon my self to translate Sri Madhva‘s commentaries on Bhagavad Gita and few Upanishads, never claiming to expound the Intent viii
which he had in mind but as I could understand his Intent, in simple, clear and unambiguous response, possible for me, without hesitation, but with all the respect for the Acharya and the others saints who their own supra-sensory intuition have explained. My intention of writing books was not because I have understood and experienced what the seers have said or what the saints intended in the commentaries, not to teach any one any thing, but learn every thing from every one. Therefore in my all books you will find innumerable errors of grammar and uncorrected spelling mistakes. My purpose was for myself, if whatI have read helps, so be it.
Sanskrit language used in scriptures is cryptic in style and mystical in expression. Sanskrit is the language of mantra—words of power having multi-meanings deriving many meanings that are subtly attuned to the unseen harmonies of the matrix of creation, the world as yet unformed. No word is fixed, solid like dead stones but is liquid, flowing like a river, alive like a flower with many shades, many colors, which looks different in spiritual context which is different than the one found in temporal context.
vaak\, speech incorporates both the sense of voice and the word. It has four dimensions. The first is pra, the cosmic ideation arising from absolute divine presence. The second is pSyaint, seeing, which creates the third maaQyamaa, as the ntermediate leaing to vaOKir, the object of gross production of letters in spoken speech. This implies the possibility of having speech oriented to experience Truth which transcends the limited information available through the senses. Though spoken words are creative, fashioning ideas as instruments of power, the essence they describe and the meaning which they ascribe are far more important and profound. Scriptures have thousands of interpretations and still they are not enough, generations and centuries adding many more, with the evolution of human consciousness, impossible to exhaust interpretations and meanings. Therefore, it becomes difficult to understand and translate the hymns in the sense in which it was experienced by the original seers or understood, commented and explained by the subsequent Darshanakaras or the Commentators. I believe that Truth being eternal and immutable, reappraisal of the seer‘s experiences and the intent of the earlier Darshanakaras and Commentators may be required to be given to become intelligible to the present genration of people, places and period. Detailed explanations, though strongly needed, may amount to robbing sense of inquiry of the seeker needed in spiritual quest, reducing the vibrancy of Truth to obscurity of beliefs, faiths, dogmas and traditions of the structured minds of the fundamentalists.
The commentators who expresses the experience which they had in understaning and inculcating the vibrancy of Truth, which the earlier seers and ix
seekers had experienced should be like that of a Guru, for indeed they are the Gurus, therefore their purpose should be to expresses the experience which they had in understaning and inculcating the vibrancy of Truth, which the earlier seers and seekers had experienced, clarify the discipline required to understand and inculate the vibrancy of Truth, encourage the seeker to inquire walk the Path and take leap in the Unknown Truths from the known facts supplied by them. If the seeker fails in the beginning then the Guru helps him to rise again giving a nudge and gently pushing the seeker to proceed further on the Path in the light of the explanation given by them. If and when the seeker becomes slowly strong and qualified he sees with awe and wonder, glimpse of the the vibrancy of immutable Truth high above and spread far beyond. Before the seeker knows and realizes what is happening, he would spread his wings wide and soar high above. Then the Guru turns back satisfied leaving the seeker now grown strong, bold and perfect to charter its own course.
Goethe, the German philosopher said in Maxims and Reflections, ―The Historian‘s (and equally in the case of philosopher‘s) duty is to separate the true from the false, the certain from the uncertain and the doubtful from that which cannot be accepted . . Every investigator must before all things look upon himself as one who is summoned to serve on a jury. He has only to consider how far the statement of the case is complete and clearly set forth by the evidence. Then he draws his conclusion and gives his vote, whether it be that his opinion coincides with that of the foreman or not.‖
This has been the accepted basis on which these translation have been made, trying to understand and inculcate what the Acharyas have explained but not merely clinging to the words, signs and symbols which they used not the examples and events used by them to clary. I have therefore not stuch to the letter of their words but to the meanings which hey suggest, using words and statements as enlightened my mind.
Mumbai Nagesh D. Sonde
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