Vedanta - Isavasya Upanishad - Introduction to Slokas 9-14 - Overview of the concepts involved.

Preamble

Swami Gnanananda Bharati in Jiva Yatra says that

नित्यानन्दसुखं पदं सुविमलं प्राप्तुं समिहायुताः सर्वेजन्मभृतः

பிறவி எடுத்த அனைவரின் குறிக்கோள் “துன்பத்தை நீக்கி இன்பத்தை அடைவதே”.

Our culture is deep rooted in the spiritual ethos of each individual working towards his own ultimate liberation as a fundamental goal of life.  In this work, Upansihads provide bouquets of approaches and concepts which will provide the necessary light and guidance for achieving our objective. This is the unique gift of Vedic philosophy to the world of spirituality. We saw in the Slokas 4-8, an approach based on the concept of Know Thyself.

In the next six Slokas, we will see another approach where we will see a bouquet of concepts covering Vidya, avidya, karma, upasana, upasya , asambhuti and sambhuti brought in to provide guidance to us in our journey. These verses are the most complicated ones and have been commented upon by every exponent of Indian philosophy or of the Upanishads. We have several interpretations.  Each one takes up the explanations in a very elaborate style. Still the final result is only an obscure understanding for the reader like me. All the interpretations depend upon what meaning you give to these words.

Note: For the purpose of our study of Isavasya Upanishad, I have attempted a birds eye view of these concepts as understood by me. I can vouch with certainty that I am a novice in the field of Vedanta and my understanding could be flawed and may appear silly to the specially initiated Seekers. I seek their pardon and would kindly request them to provide me an opportunity to improve my learning by their feedback.

Vidya

Vedanta presents Vidya as knowledge of Atman, which is Pure Awareness, Changeless and unborn Ultimate Reality. In our journey through the Slokas 4-8 in the Vidya Marg, we understood that Vidya is this “atma jnanam” (Know Thyself) and it is an individual’s experiential learning about “atma isvara aikyam” under the able guidance of a Guru. This is what Jagadguru Sringeri Mahaswami’s summary told us in the previous blog. All wisdom is born of spirit of self-enquiry.  It dispels the non-understanding and the undivided intelligence shines in its own light. The wisdom has to arrive directly on the devotee, no transmitted knowledge can be sufficient for the real enlightenment. Self is self-luminous. When consciousness becomes aware of itself, there manifests the Intelligence itself. That awareness is Vidya.

Avidya

This leads us to an understanding that anything which is not “Vidya” is “avidya”.  Avidya stands for not knowledge. In the absence of self–knowledge, Avidya is ignorance that ultimately deludes the performer. When consciousness objectifies itself and regards itself as its own object of observation, then there rules Avidya or ignorance. This is the play of Prakriti, the physical and the material universe appearing as real and alluring. It may be physical or material understanding of the ever changing universe. It should be noted that Avidya  is not a mere lack of knowledge as something negative but a positive nescience, not mere ignorance.  It may be full of good works; helpful and hopeful for mankind and the individual but as it is performed with the hope of some reward or return, it is binding and not liberating as Vidya is. In this context Avidya can be looked at as Karma.

Upasana

Vedic Rishis realised that Brahman as creator or Supreme Consciousness is too abstract to follow and understand. Since everything in nature is God’s creation, so they simply connected the people with Brahman through an icon of personal choice of Ishta Deva as long as it remains only a symbolic representation of the Ultimate Reality; making it possible for all diversities to represent that single transcendental Reality. This connection/attachment to the Ishta Deva turned into devotion and worship.  A farmer may worship the plough, a fisherman his boat, people whatever god and goddesses they propitiate for their aspect of life related to them. God is there and so the happiness of life can be attained by His grace. The medium is not important, our spirit of surrender to Him and dedicated work for a noble cause is the way out to realise Him in the blissful heart. From this perspective, avidya becomes a Upasana.

Illustrative Summary

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy (born 1927) an ex-Director of K.K. Birla Academy, New Delhi and a former Dy. Director and Prof. of Mathematics at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani has summed up these concepts for layman like me.

“As always in Hindu philosophy, the explanation of the answer to a question  or a scriptural text is amenable to different levels of handling, depending upon the level of evolution of the speaker or the writer and the context to which the discussion applies. It is therefore necessary to distinguish three levels of interpretation of the two words vidyA and avidyA as far as the Slokas are concerned. We give them below in a chart form.

Essentially these are different levels of Understanding, not different interpretations!

The above chart gives in two columns the various interpretations given to the words avidyA and vidyA.  Each one makes sense in its own context. It should also be noted that the above is not an exhaustive list covering all the different commentaries on the Upanishat.  But it is a representative sample. The different interpretations are mentioned here not for making a comparison and contrast among them but to tell the reader that he is to make his own choice as suits his temperament, taste and evolution. Once the choice is made then the interpretation of the three verses will go as per the choice”.

ஆன்மாவாக நம்மில் நிலவுகின்ற இறைவனை அறிவதற்கான ஒரு படியே, நாம் புறத்தில் செய்கிற வழிபாடு என்பதை மனத்தில் இருத்தி, அவை அறுதிநிலைஅல்ல என்பதை மனத்தில் கொண்டு நமக்கென விதிக்கப்பட்ட பணிதனை செவ்வனச் செய்திட இந்த உபநிடதம் அடுத்து வரும் 6 பண்களில் வழி வகுக்கிறது.

Therefore karma-yoga and upāsana-yoga are talked about in pravṛtti-mārga or gṛhastha-āśrama as a stepping stone for jñāna- yoga. These six mantras summarize the preparatory sādhanas in the form of karma-yoga and upāsana-yoga (நன்நெறிவழி அறவாழ்க்கை). The righteousness  of actions has been the core of a complete section in both Thirumandiram and Thirukkural.

திருமூலரின் திருமந்திரத்தில் இந்த உபநிடத பண்களின் (9-14) சாரம் வெகுஅழகாக இடம் பெற்றுள்ளது.  

அறியகி லேன்என்று அரற்றாதே நீயும்

நெறிவழி யேசென்ற நேர்பட்ட பின்னை

இருசுட ராகி இயற்றவல் லானும்

ஒருசுட ராவந்துஎன் உள்ளத்துள் ஆமே. 2350

பொருள் : மேல் ஓதியவாறு திருவருளால் யான் அறியகில்லேன் என்று நீயும்கவன்று அரற்றுதல் செய்ய வேண்டா. நன்னெறி நான்மை வழியே சென்றால்திருவருளால் சிவன் உனக்கும் நேர்படுவன். அவன் பின்பு அடியேனுக்கும்ஆருயிர் பேருயிர் என்ற இருசுடராய் இயைந்து இயக்கும் உண்மையினையும்புலப்படுத்துவன். அத்தகைய வல்லானாகிய சிவன் அடியேனை அவன்திருவடிக்கீழ் அடக்கி அடியேன் உள்ளத்து உள்ளாவான். (ஆருயிர் - ஆன்மா. பேருயிர் பரமான்மா. சிவன். இருசுடர் - சிவன், சீவன். ஒரு சுடர் - சிவன்.)

நன்நெறி வழி (அறம் வழி) நடத்தலின் அரும் பயனை திருவள்ளுவரின்திருக்குறள்,

“சிறப்பீனும் செல்வமும் ஈனும் அறத்தினூஉங்குஆக்கம் எவனோ உயிர்க்கு” (குறள் 31)

என்று அறம் சிறப்பினையும், செல்வத்தையும் கொடுக்க வல்லது என்கிறது. எனவே மக்களுக்கு அதனைவிட ஆக்கந்தருவது பிறிதொன்றும் இல்லைஎனக்கூறுகின்றது.(சிறப்பு - வீடுபேறு என்பர் பரிமேலழகர்). 

இத்திருக்குறட் கருத்தினைத் தழுவித் திருமந்திரம்,

“திறந்தகு முத்தியும் செல்வமும் வேண்டின்மறந்தும் அறநெறி யேஆற்றல்வேண்டும்சிறந்தநீர் ஞாலம் செய்தொழில் யாவையும்அறைந்திடல் வேந்தனுக்குஅறிபிலன் நாமே” (திரு. 244)என இயம்புகின்றது.

To understand correctly these Slokas on the righteousness  of actions, a quick tour of the basic concepts in Karma Yoga and Upasana Yoga is necessary.  We will study them in the subsequent blogs .