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िव ा Brahma Vidya

Kaivalya Upanishad December 18, 2005

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Kaivalya Upanishad

कॆवल्य उपिनषत ्Volume 1

यं ा वरुणेन् रु मरुत: स्तुन्विन्त िदव्यॆ: स्तवॆ: वेदॆ साङ्गपद मोपिनषदॆ: गायिन्त यं सामगा: ध्यानाविस्थत त तेन मनसा पश्यिन्त यं योिगन: यस्यान्तं न िवद:ु सुरासुरगणा: देवाय तस्मॆ नम: ॥ हिर: ओँ

कॆवल्य उपिनषत ्

As indicated last time, we now commence our readings on a short Upanishad called

कॆवल्य उपिनषत ्from Atharva Veda, in lieu of the necessary contemplation on the

content of the िव ा knowledge to which we have been exposed in the current cycle of our scripture readings.

कॆवल्य means Absolute Oneness - The state of being पूणर्म ् - The Whole. Thus

कॆवल्य is simply another name for मोक्ष - The परम पुरुषाथर्, The Ultimate Goal of

human existence, namely, gaining परमात्मरूपम ्- Self Realization, Self-Recognition,

as न ्Itself, as परमे र Itself, as परमात्मा already in oneself.

As usual, the Upanishad opens with this familiar शािन्तपाठ् - Peace Invocation, as follows:




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ॐ भ ं कणिभ: णृुयाम देवा: भ ं पश्येम अक्षिभयर्ज ा: । िस्थरॆ: अङ्गॆ: तु ुवाँसस्तनूिभ: व्यशेम देविहतं यदाय:ु ॥

स्विस्त न इन् ो वृ वा: स्विस्त न: पूषा िव वेदा: । स्विस्त नस्ता य अिर नेिम: स्विस्त नो बहृस्पितदर्धातु ॥

ॐ शािन्त: शािन्त: शािन्त: We have already seen this शािन्त मन् in मुण्डक उपिनषत ् in detail. Briefly

recalling, we do नमस्कार ् to all our इष्त देवताs - The Presiding Deities of all our organs of perception and action, and offer Them a prayer in these words:

देवा: - O! Gods

भ ं कणिभ: णृयुाम - May we hear through our ears, those sounds and

sanctifyting words, which reveal, and help one to recognize आत्मा - The Self I in

every self, including oneself, which reveletion and recognition give one मोक्ष - Absolute Liberation from all limitations. May we become qualified to listen, understand, appreciate and grasp the content of the Upanishad words.

भ ं पश्येम अक्षिभ: यज ा: - We being committed to the pursuit of Upanishad

Knowledge, may we be able to see with our own eyes, with our own बुि , what is भ ं.




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May we be able to recognize परमे र in everything in this creation, including our

own selves, by our own eyes, by our own बुि , through these Upanishad words.

िस्थरॆ: अङ्गॆ: तु ुवाँस: तनूिभ: - Keeping the mind and बुि free from restlessness and distractions of any kind, may we be able to praise, by words, the Glory

of परमे र, which reveal The Nature of परमे र Itself.

व्यशेम देविहतं यदाय:ु - As long as we live, may we enjoy good health, to be able to engage ourselves in actions which are totally in accordance with Vedic Teachings, so that we can really grasp Upanishad Knowledge.

स्विस्त न इन् ो वृ वा: - May Lord इन् bless us to be able to gain ानन्द - The Exalted Happiness

स्विस्त न: पूषा िव वेदा: - May Lord Sun bless us with the ability to understand, appreciate and enjoy Upanishad Knowledge.

स्विस्त न: ता य अिर नेिम: - May Lord Vishnu bless us with a clear

obstruction-free path in our pursuit of िव ा Knowledge.

स्विस्त नो बहृस्पित: दधातु - May बहृस्पित - the teacher of all देवाs, bless us

with a good teacher for the pursuit of िव ा Knowledge.

ॐ शािन्त: शािन्त: शािन्त: May we enjoy freedom from all the three kinds of obstructions to the study of this Upanishad, namely,

freedom from unknown and unpredictable obstructions over which we have no control

freedom from obstructions from our immediate surroundings over which we have no control, and

freedom from obstructions from within ourselves, such as ill-health, restlessness of mind, etc.

That is the prayer.




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Now, the Upanishad begins. Like every other Upanishad, here also a teacher and student are involved. The student seeks knowledge and the teacher responds. The student's request and the teacher's response, together constitute the Upanishad. This is how the Upanishad starts.

अथ आ लायन: भगवन्तं परमेि नं उपसमेत्य उवाच

अथ - Then

अथ is a very meaningful Upanishad word. It means, through proper preparation, when one has become ready for the knowledge that one is seeking

अथ - Then

आ लायन: भगवन्तं परमेि नं उपसमेत्य उवाच - Ashvalayana, the student,

seeking knowledge, approaching respectfully and reverentially his परमगुरु - The Great Teacher, said as follows:

In the Vedantic literature, आ लायन is well-known as a great teacher of Rig Veda.

Even today, many who belong to the tradition of Rig Veda follow आ लायन सू - the Vedic rituals formulated by Rishi Ashvalayana. Before he became a great teacher

himself, Ashvalayana is said to have received his education in िव ा from जी - The Creator Himself, who is referred here as भगवन्तं परमेि नं, as परमगुरु - The

Great Teacher. On the other hand, in our context here, Ashvalayana could be any well-qualified student, seeking knowledge from any distinguished teacher who can

always be referred to as परमगुरु - as a mark of respect. Therefore, let us understand that Ashvalayana, a well-qualified student, approached a distinguished teacher, and said as follows:

अधीिह भगवन िव ां विर ां् सदा सि : सेव्यमानां िनगूढाम ।् यया अिचरात सवर्पापं व्यपो् परात्परं पुरषं याित िव ान ॥् 1




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Addressing the teacher as भगवन ्- O! Lord. O! Respected teacher

अधीिह - Please teach me (please bring into my बुि , what?)

अधीिह िव ां - Please teach me Brahma Vidya.

It is here that the initial word "अथ - Then" becomes meaningful. The student knows

exactly what he wants from the teacher, because of his prior preparations, discipline and readiness for the knowledge he seeks. Why does he want this knowledge? Because,

विर ां, means े ां. Brahma Vidya is the most exalted among all forms of

knowledge, since It is मोक्ष शा - It is about the highest पुरुषाथर् - the highest

purpose of human existence, and It is about The Absolute Reality behind all forms and names of transient reality. What exactly he wants to know about Brahma Vidya?

सदा सि : सेव्यमानां - He wants to know That knowledge which is constantly

being sought by सि : - all सत पुरुष् s, all people who are blessed with the

predominance of सत्व गुण - all the highest among ई र भ s - devotees of

परमे र. The only thing such people constantly seek is मोक्ष- Total Union with

परमे र Itself, nothing else and nothing less.

िनगूढाम ् - That परमे र, That destination they seek, appears deeply hidden somewhere beyond the reach of one's sense organs. Therefore, the student seeks the help of the teacher to give him That knowledge.

यया - by which, by which knowledge

अिचरात ्- quickly, naturally and spontaneously

सवर्पाप ंव्यपो - totally exhausting, totally eliminating, all पापs, all वासनs of past

कमर्s obstructing the realization of That Knowledge




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िव ान याित ् - the िव ान,् the one who is blessed with That Knowledge, goes to gain, which means reaches

परात्परं पुरषं - That परात्पर पुरष, That उ म पुरष, The पुरुषो म, The

परमे र Itself

Thus Ashvalayana requests his teacher to teach him That हमिव ा Knowledge by

which he can quickly overcome all obstacles to the realization of That Knowledge and

reach That परात्पर पुरष, The पुरुषो म, The परमे र Itself, quickly, naturally and

spontaneously (अिचरात)्.

There are two words here, namely, अिचरात ् and परात्पर पुरष, which we must understand clearly.

अिचरात ्means "quickly, naturally and spontaneously with no time lag in between". It always takes time and effort to create the conditions necessary for gaining any knowledge. But when the conditions are proper, the knowledge itself takes place

अिचरात ्- naturally and spontaneously, because ज्ञानं is वस्तु तन् ं - knowledge

is centered on वस्तु - the object. When the object of knowledge, and the means of gaining that knowledge are properly aligned, knowledge itself always takes place

अिचरात ्- spontaneously, independent of one's will. For example, if an object is in front of my eyes, and if my mind and eyes are properly aligned towards that object, I see the object as it is, naturally and spontaneously, whether I want to see it or not.

The situation is different with respect to कमर् - any action, because कमर् is पुरष तन् Ç. कमर् is centered on the will of the person. One may will to do the कमर्, or not to do the

कमर्, or do it in a different way. In each case, the result also is different.




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Now about परात्पर पुरष. We talked about पर and अपर before. पर is Unmanifest,

and अपर is manifest. For example, a huge tree can come from a tiny seed, but one

cannot see the tree in the seed. Therefore, with respect to the tree, which is अपर -

manifest, the seed is पर - unmanifest.

But each seed is पर only with respect to a particular tree. There are countless trees and

hence countless seeds, which means, there are countless परs - countless unmanifest

beings. If there is ONE unmanifest पर, which includes all seeds in ONE, all the

countless परs and अपरs in ONE, That all-inclusive ONE पर is परात्पर. As we

have seen in the पुरुषो म योग of भगव ीता, That परात्पर पुरुष is पुरुषो म,

The परमे र, which includes both क्षर and अक्षर, जगत ्and माया, and at the same

time transcends both. That पुरुषो म is परात्पर पुरष, The परमे र, The Absolute Reality of all that exist.

Here Ashvalayana is asking his teacher to teach him how to reach That परात्पर पुरष - That Unmanifest, All-inclusive Absolute Reality, अिचरात ् - naturally and spontaneously. The teacher responds by saying:

तस्मॆ स हो वाच िपतामह ाभि ध्यानयोगात अवॆिह ॥ ् 2

स: िपतामह: च तस्मॆ उवाच ह - The Great Teacher (परमगुरु - ाजी - िपतामह) gladly accepting Asvalayana as a student, said to him as follows:

ाभि ध्यानयोगात अवॆिह ् - The Knowledge you are seeking is something that you have to learn to know, you have to learn to discover, by yourself, in yourself,

through ा, भि and ध्यानयोग, all together, each being पूणर्म ्- in full measure.




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ा is पूणर् ा - Absolute Faith in yourself, Absolute Faith in the Knowledge that you seek, and Absolute Faith in your ability to gain That Knowledge and reach your

Destination. भि is पूणर् ई र भि , rooted in Upanishad Knowledge on ई र,

together with the attitude of पूणर् ई र शरणागित; and ध्यानयोग is constant

meditation and contemplation on That परात्पर पुरष, The पुरुषो म, The परमेशव्र.

As Sri Krishna says, मिच्च¨É: सततं भव - Be in परमे र-consciousness at all

times. Such ध्यानयोग itself is पूणर् ा and पूणर् ई र भि , which makes

ाभि ध्यानयोग as ONE (singular).

Thus, through such ाभि ध्यानयोग, all together, you have to learn to discover

That परात्पर पुरष, The परमे र, by yourself, in yourself. Further, you must know:

न कमर्णा न जया धनेन त्यागेन एके अमतृत्व ंआनश:ु । परेण नाकं िनिहतं गुहायां िव ाजते यत यततो िवशिन्त ॥ ् 3

वेदान्तिवज्ञानसुिनि ताथार्: सन्यासयोगात यतय् : शु सत्वा: ते लोकेषु परान्तकाले परामतृात पिरमुच्यिन्त सव ॥ ् 4 (See also मु 3 - 2 - 6) These two verses are very well known in Vedanta. They are often used to welcome

people with scholarship and maturity in वेदान्तिवज्ञानÇ - Upanishad Knowledge. In the context here, the Teacher says:




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The Destination that you want to reach, namely The Abode of That परात्पर पुरष, The

पुरुषो म, That वॆष्णवं परम ंपदं, is अमतृत्व ं - The state of Immortality, The state of Total Freedom from any change, time and death.

अमतृत्वं आनश:ु - That state of Immortality is gained, is reached

न कमर्णा - not by doing any action

न जया धनेन - not by the services of other people, nor by any kind of material

wealth. But it is gained

त्यागेन एके - only by त्याग बुि - an attitude of renunciation, by giving up

identifications with one's body, mind and intellect, and कमर्s and कमर् फलs - actions

and their results, and seeking only the grace of परमे र to reach परमे र Itself. As Sri Krishna says:

सवर्धमार्न पिरतज्य मां एकं शरण ं ज्

Thus, only the attitude of total identification with परमे र, through पूणर् ई र शरणागित बुि , can one reach That अमतृत्व ं - state of Immortality. What is That state of Immortality?

परेण नाकं - It is That state which is far higher than all the heavenly joys. It is The

State of ानन्द - Eternal Infinite Bliss. Where is That State?

िनिहतं गुहायां - That state of ानन्द lies hidden in the cave of one's own बुि ,

in the region of one's बुि not accessible to one's recognition because of internal obstructions

िव ाजते यत ्- That which shines in your बुि as "Pure I", "The Self I", without

any उपािध, like body, mind, etc., is indeed That परेण नाकं, ानन्दं - The

परात्पर पुरुष, The पुरुषो म, The परमे र, Which is what you want to reach, and which is what you have to learn to recognize, in yourself, by yourself.




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यतय: िवशिन्त - The Enlightened Ones, the rishis, striving through पूणर् ा ज्ञानलक्षणई रभि , ध्यान योग and त्याग बिु , they are the ones who reach

and enter into That state of ानन्दं, That वॆष्णवं परमं पदं, That अमतृत्व,ं That state of Eternal Immortal Bliss.

Now, who are those यतय: - The Enlightened Ones? How did they become महात्माs and rishis? Those Enlightened Ones are:

वेदान्तिवज्ञानसुिनि ताथार्: - those who have well ascertained, doubt-free, Vedantic Knowledge, gained through

सन्यासयोगात यतय् : शु सत्वा: - their exclusive pursuit of परमे र, by virtue

of their पूणर् ा, ज्ञानलक्षणई रभि , ध्यानयोग and त्यागबुि with their

अन्त:करण - mind and बुि , purified by their कमर्योग way of life.

ते - Those Enlightened Ones

लोकेष ु - already being ONE with न,् which means, having already gained

मोक्ष in this life itself, having already reached The Abode of परात्पर परुुष, The

पुरुषो म, The परमे र already in themselves.

परान्तकाले - at the time of the natural death of their body vehicles

परामतृात ्- because of their already gained State of Immortality

पिरमुच्यिन्त सव - they are totally liberated from all their कमर्s, both ारब्ध कमर्s and संिचत कमर्s - both their already begun कमर्s in their present life and their

accumulated, not yet fructified past कमर्s, which means, all their वासनाs - lingering impressions, having disappeared, they are free from any rebirth. They are Immortal.

They have already become ONE with परमे र forever. Thus, the Teacher tells Ashvalayana:




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The Knowledge that you are seeking is something that you have to learn to gain through

ा, भि , and ध्यान योग - all in ONE. That which shines in your बुि as "I", The Pure I, independent of your body, mind, intellect and other limitations, That Pure I is

indeed That परात्पर पुरुष - The Unmanifest, All-inclusive परमे र which you are

seeking, and which you have to learn to recognize by your own self through ध्यान योग - meditation and contemplation on That परमे र Itself.

So saying, the Teacher then proceeds to describe how to get started in such ध्यान योग, which we will see next time.




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Kaivalya Upanishad


As we saw last time, Ashvalayana, a qualified and interested student, approached a

distinguished teacher, a िव ाचायर्, in the proper manner, with this request:

अधीिह भगवन िव ां विर ां ् - Please teach me That Exalted िव ा Knowledge by which one can quickly overcome all obstacles to the realization of That

Knowledge and reach The परात्पर पुरुष - The पुरुषो म, The परमे र, naturally and spontaneously. The Teacher responds by saying:

ा भि ध्यानयोगत अवॆिह ् - The Knowledge that you are seeking is

something that you have to learn to discover by yourself, in yourself, through ा, भि and ध्यानयोग, all together in full measure. Having said that, the Teacher now proceeds to describe how to get started in such

ध्यानयोग. The Teacher says:

िविव देशेच सुखासनस्थ: शुिच: सम ीव िशर: शरीर: । अत्या मस्थ सकलेिन् यािण िनरुध्य भक्त्या स्वगुरंु णम्य । हृत्पुण्डरीकं िवरज ंिवशु ं िविचन्त्य मध्ये िवशदं िवशोकं ॥ 5

अिचन्त्य ंअव्य ं अनन्त रूपं िशवं शान्तं अमतंृ योिनं ।




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तथाऽऽिद मध्यान्त िवहीनमेकं िवभुं िचदानन्दं अरूपं अ तं ॥ ु 6

उमासहाय ंपरमे रं भु ंि लोचन ंनीलकण्ठं शान्तं । ध्यात्वा मुिनगर्च्छित भतूयोिनम ्समस्त सािक्षम ्तमस: परस्तात ॥् 7

स ा स िशव:सेन् : सोऽक्षर: परम स्वराट् स एव िवष्णु: स ाण: स कालोऽिग्न: स चन् मा: ॥ 8

स एव सवर्म यत भूतं यच्च भव्य ंसनातनम ।् ् ् ज्ञात्वा तं मतृ्यु ंअत्येित नान्य: पन्था िवमु ये ॥ 9

सवर् भतूस्थं अत्मानं सवर्भतूािन च आत्मिन संपश्यन परम ंयाित नान्येन हेतुना ॥् 10

This is a short exposition on ध्यानयोग - meditation and contemplation on परमे र. The teacher first describes how to get started in ध्यानयोग, and then tells what is to be meditated upon.

The one who meditates upon That परात्पर पुरुष - The Unmanifest, All-inclusive

परमे र with पूणर् ा ज्ञानलक्षण ई रभि and सवर्कमर्फल त्याग बुि is

a मुिन - मननशील: - one who can steadily concentrate and reflect, and hence fit

to meditate and contemplate on परमे र. Even as the teacher is describing a मुिन - a




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successful meditator on परमे र, simultaneously, Ashvalayana is engaging himself in

such meditation and contemplation on परमे र.

Describing the process of successful meditation on परमे र, the teacher tells Ashvalayana:

िविव देशे - In a quiet place, at a quiet time, with a quiet mind and बुि , with a

mind and बुि free from agitations of any kind

सुख आसन स्थ: - as the meditator, you should be seated comfortably, with good posture, so that you do not feel disturbed, and you do not have to change positions during meditatiopn

शुिच: - you should be clean, both inside and outside It is relatively easy to be clean outside - take bath, wear clean clothes, and choose clean surroundings; that is having outside cleanliness. Having inside cleanliness is not

that easy. It is ususally achieved through some kind of prayer, भजन ्or ritual, prior to

meditation, to invoke an atmosphere of auspiciousness in the mind and बुि . Inside cleanliness is also a matter of daily life. Make sure that your daily life is proper, so that you can sit and meditate. If the daily life is not proper, no matter what you do, you

cannot meditate on परमे र. Therefore

िविव देशे च सखुासनस्थ: शुिच: - In a quiet and clean place, at a quiet time,

with a quiet mind and बुि , seated comfortably and invoking an atmosphere of

auspiciousness in the अन्त: करण - mind and बुि , the meditator is getting ready to

begin meditation on परमे र. In further preparation for such meditation,

सम ीव िशर: शरीर: - sit erect with the neck, head and trunk in one straight line. Also,




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अत्या मस्थ: - for the period of meditation, be in अित आ म - The last आ म,

the संन्यास आ म, in terms of attitude.

The संन्यास आ म is the stage of absolute retirement from all worldly involvements.

At this stage of life, one naturally frees oneself from playing any role in society. One is just oneself, and nothing more. One does whatever happens to be one's duty, but one has no identification with any role, any relationship, any possession, etc. One spends

one's time entirely in meditation and contemplation on परात्पर पुरुष, The परमे र in oneself and in every self, even while being actively engaged in one's daily business of life. Such meditation and contemplation will be possible only if the preparation for this

stage of life starts very early in life, even in the very first stage in life, चयर् आ म itself.

The teacher says here: "For the period of meditation, even if it is only for a very few

minutes, you should be in अत्या म - The संन्यास आ म in attitude, which means you should completely detach yourself from all worldly roles, relationships and

possessions. That is अत्या मस्थ: - being in अत्या म.

सकलेिन् यािण िनरुध्य - Withdrawing all your organs of perception and action,

including mind and बुि , from all sense objects

भक्त्या स्वगुरंु णम्य - clearly understanding that स्वगुरु - one's own teacher is

really only परमे र Itself, already in oneself. Therefore, do नमस्कार to परमे र in the form of your इ देवता, with the attitude of पूणर् ई र शरणागित - total

surrender to परमे र.

All that has been said so far is preparation for meditation. Now, िविचन्त्य - start to meditate.




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हृत पुण्डरीकं िवरजं िवशु ं् , िविचन्त्य मध्ये िवशदं िवशोकं - Meditate

upon That Unmanifest हृत पुण्डरीकं ् that already exists deep within yourself.

In Vedic language, हृत ् indicates heart and head - emotion and intellect together.

पुण्डरीक is The Lotus Flower in full bloom, indicating पूणर् आनन्द स्वरूप आत्मा - The Pure Consciousness because of which alone one is conscious of anything and everything, including nothing. For example, you are conscious of many things while you are awake. In deep sleep, you are still conscious, but you are conscious of nothing.

मध्ये indicates That innermost unmanifest Conscious Being, The त्यग आत्मा, which is the center of all centers of perception, feelings, emotions, thoughts,etc. Thus

िविचन्त्य मध्ये हृत पुण्डरीकं् means meditate upon That त्यग आत्मा - That

Pure Unmanifest Conscious Being, deep within yourself. Can one really meditate upon something which is unmanifest? Yes, one can. How? By

one's बुि - by knowledge and through pointers to That Knowledge.

Here is a simple example. Consider a perfect circle. It has a real center, because there can be no circle without a center - it is a matter of knowledge. Now where is the center of the circle? The center is a point, with no dimensions, and hence unmanifest. Then how do you locate the center? All radius lines drawn from any location on the circumference of the circle meet at the same ONE center. These radius lines are the arrow marks pointing to the same ONE center. This is also a matter of knowledge. Now, in order to indicate the location of the center, one may put a pencil mark, a dot, where all the radius lines appear to meet. Is that dot the center of the circle? No, because even the dot has dimensions. One may mark the center of the first dot by a second dot, the center of the second dot by a third dot and so on, until finally, at the center of all center-dots, the dot vanishes, leaving only the dotless reality of the Unmanifest center of the circle. That center of all

centers is indicated here by the word मध्ये - which is the innermost unmanifest center.




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One's बुि can recognize the reality of That innermost center by virtue of one's knowledge about the circle and radius lines. Further, all radius lines being arrows pointing to the same ONE Reality of the center of the circle, there can be any number of such arrow pointers, each being different from the other, and many pairs being diametrically opposite to each other, but still pointing to the same ONE unmanifest Reality.

The mode of recognition of That Unmanifest हृत पुण्डरीकं् , The त्यग आत्मा - The

Pure Self I, is similar, but far more comprehensive. By the knowledge of the आत्मा gained from िव ा, and with the help of many different Upanishad pointers to that

आत्मा, one recognizes आत्मा as ज्ञान ं - The Pure Consciousness in oneself,

and in every self, by one's िववेक बुि . The teacher now proceeds to give several

such pointers to help Ashvalayana, the meditator, to recognize That innermost objectless Pure Consciousness within oneself. That Pure Consciousness is

िवरजं िवशु ं िवशदं िवशोकं

िवरजं - untainted by the agitations of the mind and disturbances of the intellect

िवशु ं - It is absolutely Pure, Being The Whole, ONE without a second. It has nothing other than Itself, and hence It is absolutely Pure

िवशदं - It is absolutely clear, being ONE which illuminates everything else

िवशोकं - It is absolutely free from any sorrow or grief, being independent of one's mind

and बुि . Further

अिचन्त्य ंअव्य ं अनन्त रूपं अिचन्त्य ं- It is not an object of thought. It is beyond the reach of thoughts

अव्य ं - It is not an object recognizable by senses

अनन्त रूप ं- Its form is endless and unlimited, being in everything and everywhere at

all times in Unmanifest state. Further




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िशवं शान्तं अमतंृ योिनं िशवं - It is ever-auspicious, Absolute Happiness

शान्तं - It is Absolute Peace, being ever-quiet, alert and vigilent

अमतंृ - It is ever-Immortal, never subject to change, never subject to time

योिन ं - It is the very womb of the Creator, meaning, It is the cause for this entire creation

तथा - Similarly

आिद मध्यान्त िवहीनमेकं िवभुं िचदानन्दं अरूपं अ तुं आिद मध्य अन्त िवहीन ं - It is without any beginning, middle or end, being infinite in all dimensions

एकं - It is ONE without a second. It is पूण - The all-inclusive Whole, The Total

िवभुं - It is all-pervading. It is everywhere, in everything.

िचदानन्दं - It is Total Awareness, Pure Consciousness, The Pure SELF I, whose very nature is Absolute Bliss

अरूपं - It is Formless, Limitless

अ तंु - It is Wonder beyond all description

उमासहाय ंपरमे रं भु ंि लोचन ंनीलकण्ठं शान्तं उमासहाय ंपरमे रं - It is also उमा and परमे र together, कृित and पुरुष together, The manifest and Unmanifest together

भुं ि लोचनं नीलकण्ठं शान्तं - It is also The Ever Peaceful, Ever Auspicious Lord Siva, whom we worship in the name and form as Trilochana and Neelakanta

ध्यात्वा मुिनगर्च्छित भतूयोिनम समस्त सािक्ष् म ्तमस: परस्तात ् ध्यात्वा - So meditating upon That त्यग आत्मा - Innermost Consciousness




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मुिन: भूतयोिनम गच्छित ् - The meditator goes to, reaches भूतयोिनम ् - the

cause of all beings, The न ्Itself, which is

समस्त सािक्षम ्तमस: परस्तात ्-The Ever-present Witness of everything, and which is beyond both darkness and light. As Pure Awareness, you are beyond darkness and light, being aware of both That Pure Awareness, The Innermost Self I in yourself

is indeed That परात्पर पुरुष you seek. Further, pointing to That हृत पुण्डरीकं ् - The

Pure Consciuousness, The Pure Awareness, The Pure Self I in oneself, the Teacher says:

स ा स िशव:सेन् : सोऽक्षर: परम: स्वराट् स एव िवष्णु: स ाण: स कालोऽिग्न: स चन् मा: स ा - That is ा, The Creator

स िशव: - That is Lord Shiva in Whom ultimately everything gets resolved

स इन् : - That is Lord Indra Whom we worship in all rituals

स अक्षर: - That is The Changeless Eternal Truth

स परम: - That is The Supreme Absolute Reality

स स्वराट् - That is Infinite Consciousness that functions in every Being. It is Self-luminous

स एव िवष्णु: - That is The All-pervading महा िवष्णु स ाण: - That is ाण - life in every living Being

स काल: - That is Time

स अिग्न: - That is Agni - The Fire

स चन् मा: - That is The Moon. In other words, That is everything. Further

स एव सवर्म यत भूतं यच्च भव्य ं् ् सनातनम ।् ज्ञात्वा तं मतृ्यु ंअत्येित नान्य: पन्था िवमु ये ॥




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स एव सवर्म यत भूतं यच्च भव्य ं् ् - That Transcendental Consciousness alone is all that was in the past, and all that will ever be in the future

सनातनम ्- That is Eternal

ज्ञात्वा तं मतृ्यु ंअत्येित - The person who comes to recognize and reach That

आत्मा, who becomes ONE with That आत्मा, and who comes to recognize everything in the plane of Infinite Consciousness, that person crosses death. That person becomes Immortal.

न अन्य: पन्था िवमु ये - There is no other way for Total Liberation. Recognition

of The Great Self I in oneself, transcending all that is transient in this body, is the only

way to gain अमतृत्व ं- the state of Immortality, Total Liberation.

सवर् भतूस्थं अत्मानं सवर्भतूािन च आत्मिन संपश्यन परम ंयाित नान्येन हेतुना ॥्

सवर् भतूस्थं अत्मानं सवर्भतूािन च आत्मिन संपश्यन ्- Again, clearly seeing, recognizing ONESELF in all beings, and all beings in ONESELF

परम ंयाित - one goes, one reaches That Limitless न ् - That परात्पर पुरुष

न अन्येन हेतुना - not by any other means

Only by recognizing the same Pure Consciousness, The Pure Self I in every being, can one see ONESELF in all beings, and all beings in ONESELF. Such recognition is

possible only by one's बुि , by the Knowledge of न ्as सत्य ंज्ञान ंअनन्तं ,

and the various Upanishad pointers to That न ् as indicated in the process of meditation described above.

Listening to, and totally following the content of all these teachings, Ashvalayana is still in deep meditation. The teaching continues, which we will see next time.




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Kaivalya Upanishad


आत्मानं अरिणं कृत्वा णवं च उ रािरणीम ्ज्ञान िनमर्थन अभ्यासात पाश ंदहित पिण्डत् : ॥ 11

स एव माया पिरमोिहतात्मा शरीरं आस्थाय करोित सवर्म ।् ी-अन्नपानािद िविच भोगॆ:

स एव जा त ्पिरतिृ मेित ॥ 12

स्वप्ने स जीव: सुखद:ुख भो ा स्वमायया किल्पत जीवलोके । सुषुि काले सकलेिवलीने तमोिभभतू: सु रूपमेित ॥ 13

पुन जन्मान्तर कमर् योगात ्स एव जीव: स्विपित बु : । पुर ये ीडित य जीव: ततस्तु जातं सकलं िविच ं। आधारमानन्दमखण्डबोध ंयिस्मन लयं याित पुर य ंच ॥् 14

एतस्मात जायते ाण् :




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मन: सविन् यािण च । खं वाय:ु ज्योितराप: पिृथवी िव स्य धािरणी ॥ 15

यत परं सवार्त्मा् िव स्य आयतनं महत ।् सू मात सूमतरं िनत्यम् ्तत त्व ंएव त्व ंएव तत ॥् ् 16

जगत स्वप्न सुषुप्यािद् पञ्चं यत काशते ।् तत ाहं इित ज्ञात्वा् सवर्बन्धॆ: मुच्यते ॥ 17 Simultaneously following, in all details, the instructions of the teacher, Ashvalayana is

still in the process of meditation and contemplation on आत्मा - The परात्पर पुरुष,

The परमे र, The सत िचत आनन्द स्वरूप न् ् ् already in oneself. But his

अन्त:करण - his mind and बुि has not yet reached That न,् because of his own

internal obstacles in the form of still lingering worldly bondages of many kinds. The teacher recognizes this difficulty. In order to help the student to gain total freedom from all such worldly bondages, the

teacher now leads the student further in the process of contemplation on आत्मा, using a familiar Vedic ritual, to illustrate the process. This ritual is called ज्ञान िनमर्थन ं"Churning out the Fire of Wisdom in one's बुि "




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In the Vedic age, every time people perform a Havan कमर्, they freshly create the fire to

light up the fuel pile in the Havan kund. The process of creating this fire is itself a very significant ritual, and the process is also simple. Sparks of fire are generated by the friction caused by rubbing two small blocks of wood. That fire is caught by a piece of cotton, which is then transferred into the fuel pile in the Havan kund. The process of generating the initial sparks of fire is the ritual here. This is how they do. Two small flat circular blocks of wood are held, one above the other, with the flat

surfaces in contact. Each block of wood is called अरिण. Thus there is a lower अरिण

and there is an upper अरिण. Each block of wood has a hole scooped at the center, to

accomodate a perpendicular wooden rod, which is firmly fixed into the hole of the lower

अरिण. The rod snugly passes through the hole of the upper अरिण. A length of rope

is wound, a few times, around the rod. One चािर - a Vedic student, firmly holds the

upper अरिण by his hand, and another चािर rotates the lower अरिण and rubs the

upper अरिण by pulling the rope around the rod, back and forth, exactly like what we do

in churning butter in a milk pot. Both the चािरs chant the मन् ओँ, ओँ, ओँ... repeatedly as the rod turns back and forth during this churning process. Out of this churning process arise sparks of fire which are recognized as The Sacred Fire of Wisdom. That is the Vedic ritual. Calling attention to this Vedic ritual, the teacher says:

आत्मानं अरिणं कृत्वा णवं च उ रािरणीम ्ज्ञान िनमर्थन अभ्यासात पाश ंदहित पिण्डत् : ॥ 11 Let us understand this - there is no ritual or Havan involved here. What is involved

is only meditation and contemplation on आत्मा, using one's बुि faculty of

understanding and discrimination, and one's िव ा knowledge on the content of

the ओँ mantra. Mantra means word of knowledge and power. Uplifting Ashvalayana in

his meditation process, the teacher says: Reset your mind. How?




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आत्मानं अरिणं कृत्वा - Make your बुि with all its notions about yourself as the

lower अरिण, and

णवं च उ रािरणीम ्- make your knowledge about णव मन् ओँ, gained from

िव ा education as the upper अरिण.

From your िव ा Knowledge, you already know that ओँ is न.् ओँ is सत िचत ् ्आनन्द स्वरूप आत्मा - The Pure Self I, the Pure Consciousness, That परात्पर पुरुष, The पुरुषो म, The सत्यं ज्ञान ंअनन्तं . Let That Knowledge on the

content of the ओँ mantra be the Upper अरिण. Now, contemplate on that ओँ Knowledge. How?

ज्ञान िनमर्थन अभ्यासात ्- By repeated practice of churning of That Knowledge

on ओँ by your बुि . This is how you do that. All your bondages constitute the rope - the

पाश, for the churning process. By pulling the पाश (the rope) back and forth, which

means, by repeatedly uttering the mantra ओँ, ओँ, ओँ.., contact your बुि back

and forth repeatedly on the content of your knowledge on ओँ mantra. That is the process of contemplation. By the repeated practice of such contemplation, sparks of the fire of wisdom will arise, and they will progressively burn the entire rope, which

means, all bondages with past कमर्s and कमर्फलs will ultimately disappear naturally. That is how

पाश ं दहित पिण्डत: - a wise person burns up all bondages with कमर्s and

कमर्फलs, making the बुि totally free to reach आत्मा naturally and spontaneously. While the above illustration itself appears clear, some difficulty may be experienced in the practical process of the required contemplation, because:




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• all bondages are only in one's बुि

• all Upanishad knowledge on ओँ mantra is also in one's बुि ; and

• the fire of wisdom also has to take place in the same बुि

When that is the case, what process of contemplation on आत्मा can churn the बुि

in That ओँ Knowledge, to bring about the required freedom and wisdom to the बुि ?

Anticipating this question, the teacher now unfolds, in the next few verses, an

apprpriate process of contemplation, through अवस्था य ि या - an analysis of

the three fields of experience of an individual जीव in the waking, dreaming and deep

sleep states of existence. A clear understanding and appreciation of this analysis can

churn out the required fire of wisdom. Therefore, focussing the बुि in the 3-fold

experiences in one's own daily life, in terms of the िव ा Knowledge on ओँ, is the

theme of contemplation here. Describing the जीव in the waking state of existence, the teacher says:

स एव माया पिरमोिहतात्मा शरीरं आस्थाय करोित सवर्म । ् ी-अन्नपानािद िविच भोगॆ:

स एव जा त ्पिरतिृ मेित ॥ 12

स एव माया पिरमोिहत आत्मा - That आत्मा, The Self I, The Pure Infinite

consciousness manifesting Itself through the सू म शरीर - the subtle body as a जीव,

appearing as an individual person with a deluded mind and बुि (पिरमोिहत आत्मा), completely overpowered by माया गुण वासनाs - the left-over impressions

of one's past actions, both in this life and previous lives, that जीव, the individual person




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शरीरं आस्थाय करोित सवर्म ् - identifyting oneself with the body-mind-intellect

complex with all its attributes, performs all actions, all पुण्य कमर्s and पाप कमर्s - all good actions and bad actions; and

स एव जा त ्पिरतिृ मेित - that same जीव, the individual person, in the waking state of existence, as a waker, seeks to gain supreme satisfaction in life. How?

ी-अन्नपानािद िविच भोगॆ: - By going after endless varieties of transient pleasures of various kinds, foods, drinks, etc.

Thus, the आत्मा, The Pure Infinite Consciousness, manifesting Itself as a जीव, as an

individual person with a deluded mind and बुि , because of one's माया गुण वासनाs, identifies oneself with the body-mind-intellect complex, and all its attributes,

and performs all good and bad actions. And, in its waking state of existence, as a

waker, the जीव seeks to gain supreme satisfaction in life, going after varieties of pleasures available in this transient world. Further

स्वप्ने स जीव: सुखद:ुख भो ा स्वमायया किल्पत जीवलोके । सुषुि काले सकलेिवलीने तमोिभभतू: सुखरूपमेित ॥ 13

स्वप्ने स जीव: - In the dreaming state of existence, the very same जीव, the very same individual person who was a waker before, and who is now a dreamer,

सुखद:ुख भो ा स्वमायया किल्पत जीवलोके - becomes the experiencer of joy

and sorrow in the dream world, created by one's own माया गुण वासनाs - residual effects of one's past actions - thoughts, words and deeds. The difference between the waking state of existence and the dreaming state of existence must be clearly understood. The world one experiences in the waking state of




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existence is a manifestation of the totality of all माया गुण वासनाs of all जीवs in this creation (which means that any action by any one, anywhere, at any time, leaves a continuing effect on every one in this creation) whereas the world one experiences in

the dreaming state of existence is a manifestation of the माया गुण वासनाs of that

particular जीव only. That is the difference.

Again, the same जीव, the same individual person

सुषुि काले - in the dreamless, deep-sleep state of existence, as the sleeper

सकले िवलीने - when all experiences dissolve into the consciousness of total absence of everything (We must understand that absence of a thing is also an object of consciousness. When I say "I see nothing", I am conscious of the absence of the thing. Thus, the characteristic of the deep sleep state is the consciousness of total absence of

everything - सकले िवलीने)

तमोिभभयू: - being overpowered by तमस गुण ् of माया - the state of simple ignorance

सुखरूपम एित ् - the जीव enjoys a kind of सुख आनन्द - a kind of happiness in

deep sleep, even though the person is blissfully unaware of that happiness while sleeping.

The जीव went to sleep because its body required rest. After a good sleep, the जीव - the person automatically wakes up again. Why? If the person enjoys sleeping, why does

the जीव wake up? Because it cannot sleep any more. It has कमर् to do. It came into

the world only for the purpose of doing कमर् to exhaust all its वासनाs- lingering impressions of past actions. Therefore,

पुन जन्मान्तर कमर् योगात ्स एव जीव: स्विपित बु : ।




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पुर ये ीडित य जीव: ततस्तु जातं सकलं िविच ं। आधारमानन्दमखण्डबोध ंयिस्मन लयं याित पुर य ंच ॥् 14

पुन: च स एव जीव: - Again, the very same जीव - the very same individual person who was earlier the waker, then the dreamer, and then the sleeper, That very

same जीव

जन्मान्तर कमर् योगात ्- (कमर्योग here is कमर् संबन्ध - connection to कमर्) because of its connection to कमर्, arising from वासनाs of कमर्s of past lives

स्विपित बु : - the जीव wakes up automatically, and that waking also is स्विपित

- another kind of dream, because the जीव is not waking up to Absolute Reality, but it is waking up to this outer world of transient reality, which is only a manifestation of the

totality of the वासनाs of all जीवs in this creation. Let us understand this clearly: The Upanishad is telling here something very significant. Even when we are awake, as we think that we are right now, we are not really awake, because we are not awake to Absolute Reality. Our waking state is only another kind of dreaming state, where we continue to be ignorant about the true nature of ourselves. The Upanishad continues:

पुर ये ीडित य जीव: - That Pure Conscious Being, which is in every जीव,

That Pure Consciousness, The आत्मा, in whose presence alone the जीव plays the role of waker, dreamer, and sleeper in the three states of existence, namely the waking state, the dreaming state and the deep sleep state respectively

ततस्तु जातं सकलं िविच ं - it is from That Pure Consciousness alone, from That

आत्मा, The Pure Self I alone, that all these amazingly varied beings, in different




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forms and names in this creation are born, which means that there is nothing in this

creation which is independent of That आत्मा.

Ashvalayana is already in deep ध्यानयोग with पूणर् ा, ज्ञानलक्षण ई र भि and त्यागबुि , intently listening to and absorbing the content of every word of the teacher. By the above analytical description of the three states of existence of a

जीव - an individual person, what the teacher tells Ashvalayana is the following. The teacher says:

Recognize yourself, as you are, by your बुि . The waker, the dreamer and the sleeper

are simply different roles played by the जीव in the three states of existence. Please understand this. The waker is not in the dream state of experience, or in the deep-sleep state of experience. Again, the dreamer is not in the waking state of experience, or in the deep sleep state of experience; and likewise the sleeper is not in the waking state of experience, or the dreaming state of experience, but you are in all the three states of experience, which means The waker is you, but you are not the waker. The dreamer is you, but you are not the dreamer. The sleeper is you, but you are not the sleeper. Who are you, then? You are That ONE invariable conscious Being in all the three of them. While the waker, the dreamer and the sleeper are dependent on your existence, you exist in all of them, independent of all of them. As the waker, you are conscious of all the experiences in the waking state. As the dreamer, you are conscious of all the experiences in the dreaming state. And as the sleeper, you are conscious of the absence of every experience in the deep-sleep state. That Pure Consciousness in you is common in all the three fields of experience, in all the three states of existence.

As Pure Consciousness, you are in every thought, in every perception, and in every kind of cognition, and you are also in all in-between thoughts where there is no thought, in all in-between perceptions where there is no perception, and in all in-between cognitions of any kind where there is no cognition of any kind.




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That unchanging, continuous, unbroken Pure Consciousness You are. Therefore, That

which is indicated by the content of ओँ mantra, you are. That सत िचत आनन्द ् ्स्वरूप आत्मा you are. That सत्यं ज्ञानं अनन्तं you are. You are सत्यं - ever-existent Absolute Reality. You are indeed

आधारं आनन्दं अखण्ड बोध ंयिस्मन लयं याित पुर य ंच ् You are the basis of all existence, limitless and undivided Infinite Pure Consciousness, in which all the three fields of experience, all the three states of existence resolve

themselves into ONE पूणर् आत्मा. That पूणर् आत्मा you are. Now recognize That

पूणर् आत्मा as Yourself.

एतस्मात जायते ाण् : मन: सविन् यािण च । खं वाय:ु ज्योितराप:पिृथवी िव स्य धािरणी ॥ 15

It is from That Pure Consciousness alone, from That पूणर् आत्मा alone, the ाण, the

mind and बुि , all organs of perception and action, the five great elements - आकाश, वाय,ु अिग्न, आप:, पिृथवी which sustain this entire universe, all of them are born.

(see म ु 2-1-3)

यत परं ् सवार्त्मा िव स्य आयतनं महत ।् सू मात सूमतरं िनत्यम् ्तत त्व ंएव त्व ंएव तत ॥् ् 16




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यत परं ् - That which is The Limitless न ्

सवार्त्मा - That which is The आत्मा - The Pure Self I of all beings, That which is the Truth of every one and everything in this creation

िव स्य आयतन ंमहत ्- That which is the Abode of this Great Universe, and at the same time

सू मात सूमतरं ् - That which is more subtle than the most subtle one can think of

िनत्यं - That which is eternal existence, unbound by time

तत त्व ंएव ् - That you are, certainly so

त्वं एव तत ्- You are indeed That

Thus the teacher effectively points out the identity of Pure जीव and परमे र, and

that the true nature of every individual person is परमे र Itself. The teacher concludes his teaching by saying

जा त स्वप्नसुषुप्यािद पञ्चं यत काशते ।् ् तत ाहं इित ज्ञात्वा सवर्बन्धॆ् : मुच्यते ॥ 17

यत जा त स्वप्सुषुप्यािद पञ्चं काशते ् ् - That न ्which illuminates the waking world, the dream world and the deep-sleep world, and also all the infinitely mixed worlds of existence and experience

तत अहं इित ज्ञात्वा ् - realizing That न ्as The Absolute Reality of The

Self I in oneself, recognizing "I am That न"्

सवर् बन्धॆ: मुच्यते - one is totally released from all bondages. One gains total freedom from all bondages. Here ends the teaching.




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Even as the teacher has been unfolding This Truth, Ashvalayana, who is already in

deep ध्यानयोग, finds himself totally released from all bondages, and recognizes

his identity with न ्Itself.

That is the process of contemplation called ज्ञान िनमर्थनं - churning out the fire of

wisdom in one's बुि . The wisdom is direct and immediate recognition of oneself as

अहं - I am न.् The result is सवर् बन्धॆ: मुच्यते - total release from all

bondages. Such release is indeed मोक्ष - gaining जीव ऎक्य ं - becoming ONE

with न ्Itself.

Thus Ashvalayana has now gained मोक्ष, and has now become ONE with न ्Itself. We will be completing this Upanishad next time. By doing so, we will also be completing

this entire second cycle of our िव ा scripture readings next time.




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Kaivalya Upanishad कॆवल्य उपिनषत ्

Volume 4

ि षु धामासु य ोग्यं भो ा भोग य वेत ्। तेभ्यो िवलक्षण: साक्षी िचन्मा ोऽहं सदािशव: ॥ 18

मय्येव सकलं जातं मिय सवर्म िति तम ।् ् मिय सवर्म लय ंयाित तत अ यं आस्म्यहम ॥् ् ् 19

अणोरणीयान अहं एव त त् ्महानहं िव महं िविच ं । पुरातनोऽहं पुरुषोहं ईशो िहरण्मयोऽहं िशवरूपं अिस्म ॥ 20

अपािणपादोऽहं अिचन्त्य शि : पश्यािम अचक्ष:ु स णृोिम अकणर्: अहं िवजानािम िविव रूपो न चािस्त वे ा मम िचत ्सदाऽहम ॥् 21

वेदॆरनेकॆ: अहं एव वे ो वेदान्तकृत वेदिवदेव चाहम ।् ् नपुण्यपापे मम नािस्त नाशो ने जन्म देहेिन् य बुि रिस्त ॥ 22




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न भूिमरापो न च वि रिस्त नचािनलो मेऽिस्त न चाम्बरं च । एवं िविदत्वा परमात्मरूप ंगुहाशय ंिनष्कलं अि तीय ं॥ 23

समस्तसािक्षम सदसि हीनं् याित शु ं परमात्मरूपम ॥् 24 ॐ शािन्त: शािन्त: शािन्त: As we saw last time, having absorbed the entire content of the words of his teacher, Ashvalayana finds himself naturally and spontaneously released from all bondages, and

he recognizes himself as ॆवाहं अिस्म - I am indeed न ् Itself. Having gained

That Wisdom, he now contemplates within himself on his extraordinary Self-discovery

as a Self-recognized जीव, as The Pure continuous, undivided, ever-existent,

Unchanging Conscious Being, as परात्पर पुरुष, as पुरुषो म, The सत िचत ् ्आनन्द स्वरूप परमात्मा, The न ् Itself. Being न ् Itself, this is how he now

recognizes Himself as He is:

ि षु धामासु य ोग्यं भो ा भोग य वेत । ् तेभ्यो िवलक्षण: साक्षी िचन्मा ोऽहं सदािशव: ॥ 18

िचन्मा ोऽहं - I am That objectless infinite unchanging conscious Being, which illuminates all objects of awareness everywhere. I am That Pure Consciousness Itself.

अहं सदािशव: - I am, at all times, The Ever-auspicious, Absolute Happiness,

Absolute Fullness, पूणर्म ्- Absolute Reality behind this entire creation




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ि षु धामासु - In all the three states of existence and experience, namely the waking, the dreaming and the deep-sleep states, and also in all the three in-between states of existence and experience

य ोग्य ंय वेत ्- whatever is, or whatever can be the kind of experience

य ो ा य वेत ् - whatever is, or whatever can be, the role played by the experiencer

य ोग य वेत ्- whatever is, or whatever can be the object of experience in all of them

िचन्मा :अहं - I remain as That Pure Infinite, Unchanging Consciousness Itself. At the same time

तेभ्य: िवलक्षण: अहं - I, as That Pure Consciousness, am uniquely distinct from,

and totally independent of all kinds of experiences, all kinds of experiencers, and all kinds of objects of experience. I, as Pure Consciousness Itself, transcend all of them

साक्षी अहं - as That Pure Conscious Being, I am The Ever-present Witness in all states of existence, for all forms of experience. Further

मय्येव सकलं जातं मिय सवर्म िति तम । ् ् मिय सवर्म लय ंयाित तत अ यं आस्म्यहम ॥् ् ् 19

मय्येव सकलं जातं - This entire creation is born of ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness alone

मिय सवर्म िति तम ् ् - This entire creation and everything in it, have their being in ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness, I am

मिय सवर्म लय ंयाित ् - This entire creation and everything in it ultimately resolve into ME, The Pure Infinite Consciousness that I am

तत अ यं अहम अिस्म ् ् - I am That न,् which is अ यं पूणर्म ्ONE

without a second, ONE which is all-inclusive, all-pervasive. I am ा, िवष्ण ुand िशव all in ONE. Further




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अणोरणीयान अहं एव त त् ्महानहं िव महं िविच ं । पुरातनोऽहं पुरुषोहं ईशो िहरण्मयोऽहं िशवरूपं अिस्म ॥ 20

अणो: अणीयान त त अहं एव ् ् - That which is smaller than the smallest particle of matter one can think of, That is what I am. At the same time

महान अहं् अिस्म - I am महान ्without qualification, which means I am bigger than the biggest one can think of. I am smaller than the smallest, and at the same time, bigger than the biggest that one can think of, which means that I have no dimensions. Again

िव महं िविच ं - िव िविच ं अहं अिस्म - This entire amazingly varigated Universe, That is what I am. Further

पुरातनोऽहं पुरातन: अहं अिस्म - I am ancient at all times. I am Eternal. There is no date of birth for me, I am unborn.

पुरुषोहं अिस्म - I am That परत्पर पुरुष, The पूणर् पुरुष, The पुरुषो म. I am The Whole, All-inclusive, All-pervasive, Undivided and Indivisible Being.

ईश: अहं अिस्म - I am The Lord of everything. I am परमे र Itself

िहरण्मयोऽहं अिस्म - I am िहरण्मय - The Totality of All-knowledge

िशवरूप ं अिस्म - I am the very manifestation of Lord Shiva, Ever-auspicious

ानन्दं, Absolute Happiness, The Absolute Reality behind all existence, That is what I am. Further,

अपािणपादोऽहं अिचन्त्य शि : पश्यािम अचक्ष:ु स णृोिम अकणर्:




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अहं िवजानािम िविव रूपो न चािस्त वे ा मम िचत ्सदाऽहम ॥् 21

All these hands, legs, eyes, ears, mind, बुि , etc., they all belong to this body. I am not

the body. I am िचन्मा : - That Pure objectless Infinite Unchanging Consciousness. Being so

अपािणपाद: अहं अिचन्त्य शि : - Without hands and legs, I am Limitless Power beyond comprehension

स (अहं) पश्यािम अचक्ष:ु णृोिम अकणर्: - Without eyes I, as Pure

Consciousness (स:), see all that is to see, and without ears, I hear all that is to hear

अहं िवजानािम िविव रूप: - I am Formless, but, as Pure Consciousness, I illuminate all the varieties of forms in this creation. I am the Knower of all forms in this creation. I am the Knower of all forms in all details, but

न च अिस्त वे ा मम - there is no one who knows Me, My true nature. I am not an object of knowledge for any one

िचत ्सदाऽहम ्सदा अहम िचत स्वरूप् ् : - at all times, I remain as the Pure Objectless, All-pervasive, manifest and unmanifest Consciousness Itself. Further

वेदॆरनेकॆ: अहं एव वे ो वेदान्तकृत वेदिवदेव चाहम ।् ् नपुण्यपापे मम नािस्त नाशो ने जन्म देहेिन् य बुि रिस्त ॥ 22

वेदॆ: अनेकॆ: अहं एव वे : - By the study of all the Vedas and the Upanishads, I alone am the ONE to be known, understood, appreciated and recognized. All the

देवताs mentioned in the Vedas and all the rituals described in the Vedas are all meant to gain knowledge about Myself only. Not only that




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वेदान्तकृत ्च अहम ्- I am the author of all the Vedas and the Upanishads. I am the

ONE who is the initiator of वेदान्त अथर् सं दाय कृत ्- the tradition of teaching the meaning of the Vedas and the Upanishads, which means, I am Sri Narayana, the author and The Original Teacher of all The Vedas and the Upanishads

वेदिवत एव च अहं ् - naturally, I am The ONE who knows the meaning of all the Vedas and the Upanishads. The ONE who gains the Knowledge of the Vedas and the

Upanishads is also Myself, because, as the Upanishad says िवत ॆव भवित ् -

The Knower of न ्becomes न,् is न ्Itself.

नपुण्यपापे मम अिस्त - To ME, there is neither पुण्य nor पाप. I have no कमर् or

कमर्फल. Hence I have no वासनाs either

मम नािस्त नाश: - There is no death or destruction for ME. I am Immortal.

न जन्म देहेिन् य बुि : मम अिस्त - There is no birth, body, organs of

perception and action, mind, बुि , etc. for ME. I have no शरीर - no body vehicle.

िचन मा् : अहं - I am The Pure Conscious Being, The Pure Consciousness Itself. Further

न भूिमरापो न च वि रिस्त नचािनलो मेऽिस्त न चाम्बरं च । एवं िविदत्वा परमात्मरूप ंगुहाशय ंिनष्कलं अि तीय ं॥ 23

समस्तसािक्षम सदसि हीनं ्

याित शु ं परमात्मरूपम ॥् 24

The पञ्चमहाभूताs - the five great elements आकाश, वाय,ु अिग्न, आप:, पथृवी - all of them are the constituents of this subtle and gross body. I am not any of




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them. I am not the subtle body, or the gross body. I am परमात्मा - The Pure Infinite Consciousness, The Universal SELF. For ME,

न भूिम: अिस्त - There is no earth independent of Me

न आप: अिस्त - There is no water independent of Me

न वि : च अिस्त - There is no fire independent of Me न अिनल: च अिस्त ् - There is no air independent of Me

न अम्बरं अिस्त - Also, there is no space independent of Me All these five great elements have their being in ME, and I exist independent of all of

them. As परमात्मा, the Universal SELF, The Pure Infinite Consciousness there

exists only ONE SELF, and That is आत्मा - The SELF "I".

एवं िविदत्वा परमात्मरूप ं- Thus recognizing the स्वरूप of परमात्मा, the true

nature of ONESELF, The परमात्मा, The परात्पर परुुष, The पुरुषो म

गुहाशय ं- through one's िववेक बुि - faculty of understanding and discrimination

िनष्कलं - recognizing That परमात्मा as ONE undivided and indivisible

अि तीय ंपूणर्म ्- All-inclusive, All-pervasive ONE without a second

समस्त सािक्षम ् - That which is the witness of every event, and every experience in all states of existence

सत असत िवहीन ं् ् - That which is neither सत ्nor असत ्- neither Is nor Is NOT, which means That which is not the object of one's knowledge as "something is" or "something is not". That which is neither gross body nor subtle body

शु ं - That which ever remains Pure, Uncontaminated and Uncontaminable

परमात्मरूपम एवं् िविदत्वा - thus recognizing the true nature of ONESELF as

परमात्मा




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परमात्मरूपम याित ् - one reaches ONESELF, The परमात्मा. Thus knowing the true nature of ONESELF, one reaches ONESELF, one gains Self-realization and Self-recognition. That is how Ashvalayana recognizes himself now, as a SELF-realized, SELF-

recognized Pure जीव, The परमात्मा.

Here ends Ashvalayana's contemplation on Himself, on his discovery of आत्मा - The

SELF "I" in himself, by himself, as Himself.

ॐ शािन्त: शािन्त: शािन्त:

Thus ends The कॆवल्य उपिनषत ्and our own contemplation on the entire िव ा Knowledge. That completes this second cycle of िव ा scripture readings at this Temple.

हिर: ओँ




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Concluding Remarks

Today is a great and auspicious day for this Temple, as a Temple of िव ा Knowledge.

By The Grace of Sri Krishna, The परमे र, during the past, a little over 6 years,

through a series of 265 short scripture readings, we have heard, with some level of

understanding and appreciation, an extensive discourse on िव ा knowledge,

which includes the entire भगवत गीता् , together with six other Upanishads, all in their entirety, presented in a sequence of five continuous and yet distinct

segments, each segment including both भगवत गीता् verses followed by other

Upanishad teachings. This particular sequence of presentation contributes

enormously to a better appreciation of the िव ा Knowledge being communicated.

The first segment includes the भगवत गीता ् Chapters 1 and 2, followed by an

Introduction to Upanishads, then ईशावास्य उपिनषत ् and केनोपिनषत ् in that order.

The second segment includes the भगवत गीता् Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6, followed by

thee entire कठोपिनषत.् The third segment includes the भगवत गीता् Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12,

followed by the entire तॆि रीय उपिनषत.् The fourth segment includes the भगवत गीता् Chapters 13, 14 and 15 followed by

the entire मुण्डक उपिनषत.्

The fifth segment includes the भगवत गीता् Chapters 16, 17 and 18, concluding with

कॆवल्य उपिनषत.्




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All these five segments, together, especially in the sequential order of their

presentation indicated above, communicate the very essence of the entire िव ा knowledge, which is our true heritage, now and for ever. I hope that both the entirety and the sequential order of the five segments indicated above will continue to

be maintained in the next, and all the subsequest cycles of िव ा scripture

readings at this Temple. Today is also a great and auspicious day for any mature and young person in our

temple community, man or woman, who is blessed with unqualified ई र भि , and

ा in िव ा Knowledge, and who is ready and willing to commit oneself, firmly, to the scripture reading service at this temple, on a continuing basis. Certainly, this is not a trivial commitment. Still, I do hope that some appropriate

person in our Temple community does volunteer for this ई र कमर्, fully recognizing It

as the greatest service one can do to oneself. In the mean while, I have been asked to continue this service for the time being. I will do so, naturally, as long as it is necessary, or as long as my body can, whichever happens earlier. Today is also particularly a great and auspicious day for myself, personally. I wish to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to our temple administration for letting me present these scripture readings for the past so many years. By these scripture readings,I am fulfilled beyond words. I also wish to take this opportunity to express my deep admiration, appreciation and respect for the few individuals in our temple community, who, in the midst of their own very busy daily lives, have, of their own accord, taken the time and effort to transcribe, thousands of pages of hand-written scripture readings, involving both Sanskrit and English words, presented in a conversational language, into clearly readable printed format. I have already seen over 2000 printed pages of Pure

िव ा Knowledge made available for anyone who seeks such knowledge. A self-undertaken work of such complexity and magnitude can be accomplished only by

those naturally blessed with genuine dedication to िव ा knowledge, which is

indeed our most precious heritage. I wish to say नमस्कार to those few individuals,




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नमस्कार again and again, for their extraordinary dedication and accomplishment. May the blessings of Sri Krishna be ever with them. Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to personally address every one assembled here today, and also all the others who may have been present during scripture reading

times on any of the Sundays of the past several years. I wish to do नमस्कार to every one of you, and also to every one of them, both individually and collectively,

नमस्कार, again and again, and say "Thank you for listening".

That is all I have to say today. The third cycle of िव ा knowledge scripture readings will commence two weeks from today. Let us now conclude this session as usual.

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