Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad Text 12

TEXT 12
अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं य एवं वेद ॥ १२ ॥

amātraś caturtho’vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo’dvaita
evam oṁkāra ātmaiva saṁviśaty-ātmanātmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda

The fourth state is not conveyed by any syllable. He is beyond worldly experience. He removes all material bondage. He is all-auspicious and one without a second. This is oṁkāra, the Supreme Consciousness. One who knows Him understands their position as an individual unit of consciousness, and by the mercy of the Supreme Consciousness, attains Him.

Commentary

The final verse states that the fourth stage of Turīya/Vāsudeva is amātra – not conveyed by any syllable. This is known as nāda, or the subtle reverberation at the end of pronouncing oṁkāra.

aṇvīṁ jīva-kalāṁ dhyāyen nādānte siddha-bhāvitām

This subtle form of the Supreme, who gives life to the jīvas, is experienced by perfected yogīs in the last part of the vibration of oṁkāra. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.27.23)

Although it seems that nāda only manifests at the end of oṁkāra, in reality, it appears at the beginning also because it is an eternal sound vibration. Thus, the śruti states:

yo vedādo svaraḥ prokto vedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ

The Supreme is that sound (oṁkāra) that is pronounced at the beginning of the Vedas, and which also has its foundation in the last part of the Vedas. (Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 12.17)

This is also confirmed in the Bhāgavatam (12.6.37-39) wherein nāda appeared within the heart of Brahmā at the time of creation and then manifested the syllables A, U and M:

samāhitātmano brahman brahmaṇaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ
hṛdy ākāśād abhūn nādo vṛtti-rodhād vibhāvyate
yad-upāsanayā brahman yogino malam ātmanaḥ
dravya-kriyv-kārakākhyaṁ dhūtvā yānty apunar-bhavam
tato’bhūt tri-vṛd oṁkāro yo’vyakta-prabhavaḥ sva-rāṭ
yat tal liṅgaṁ bhagavato brahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ

Nāda manifested from the ether within the heart of the great Brahmā, whose mind was steady. Nāda can be perceived when all mental fluctuation ceases. By worship of nāda, yogīs purify themselves of the contamination produced by the object, the activity and the sense of doership. Thus, they attain freedom from repeated birth and death. From nāda arose oṁkāra composed of three syllables, whose origin is indiscernible and is self-manifest. Oṁkāra represents Bhagavān, Brahman and Paramātmā.

In this connection, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura further reveals the significance of the three syllables in relation to the Lord’s names and potencies in his Bhajana Rahasya (1.29):

brahma ātmā bhagavān liṅga-traya tantra
a-kāra u-kāra āra ma-kāra nirdeśa
oṁ hari kṛṣṇa rāma nāmera viśeṣa

He systematically appears in three forms as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. The three syllables a, u and m found in oṁ specifically indicate the Names Hari, Kṛṣṇa and Rāma.

Unfortunately, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda does not go into detail how the three syllables found in oṁ signify the three aspects of divinity. However, from śāstra, we may assume the following:

A (Hari): A-kāra represents jāgrata, the state of external wakefulness. It also represents sat (existence) and the sandhinī-śakti. A-kāra is the first sound in the universe and the root of all existence. One of the meanings of Hari is ‘He who removes ignorance’ (haraty avidyāṁ tat kāryam ato harir iti smṛtaḥ). As the remover of ignorance, Hari acts in the waking stage to dissolve the illusion of material reality. By removing the attachment to external phenomena in the waking state, He reveals one’s eternal existence. As the representation of existence, a-kāra also represents the state of Brahman.

U (Kṛṣṇa): U-kāra represents svapna, the state of sleep. It also represents cit (consciousness) and the saṁvit-śakti. Svapna is the bridge between external reality and internal reality. In the stage of svapna, there is still consciousness of one’s existence. One of the meanings of Kṛṣṇa is ‘all-attractive.’ Thus, Kṛṣṇa is able to attract the consciousness of the living entity (cittam-akarṣāya). As the representation of consciousness, u-kāra can also represent the state of Paramātmā, who is the super-consciousness that pervades all things.

M (Rāma): Ma-kāra represents suṣupti, the state of deep sleep. It also represents ānanda (bliss) and the hlādinī-śakti.In this state, one is fully unaware of one’s existence and feels peace, or bliss. Bliss is the function of the Lord’s hlādinī-śakti. The name Rāma means ‘one who gives His devotees bliss’ (ramate bhajataś cetaḥ). Since Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of bliss, He is represented by ma-kāra.

The words avyavahārya, prapañcopaśama, śiva and advaita found in Text 7 of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad are also reiterated in this verse to describe Turīya/Vāsudeva. Śrī Madhva explains in his commentary that the reason these words are repeated here is to stress that one who comes in connection with Vāsudeva also attains similar transcendental qualities.

Vāsudeva is called avyavahārya, or beyond our worldly experience. Another word for this in Sanskrit is adhokṣaja. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī defines adhokṣaja in his Bhāgavata Sandarbha, verse 29, as, adhaḥ-kṛtam atikrāntam akṣajam indriya-jñānaṁ yena saḥ – “He is that Personality to whom knowledge derived from the senses (akṣajam) is inferior (adhaḥ).” In other words, He cannot be attained through mundane sensory perception. He is only approachable through faith (śraddhā), not by intellectual wrangling, logic or argument. We can never attain the Infinite when we attempt to drag Him down to the level of our gross finite experience. In a similar way, the individual ātmā is also adhokṣaja in the sense that its very nature transcends any material definition. The ātmā cannot be perceived by the physical senses.

na hy ātmāśakyate draṣṭum indriyaiḥ kāma-gocaraiḥ
pravartamānair anekair durdharair akṛtātmabhiḥ

Indeed, the ātmā cannot be identified using the sense-organs that are subject to lust, that function in various ways, that are uncontrolled and dull. (Brahma Purāṇa 237.79)

Being the superior energy (taṭasthā–śakti) of the Supreme, the ātmā is full of knowledge (vijñānamaya), self-illuminated (svayam-prakaśata) and replete with spiritual bliss (ānandamaya). However, when it comes into contact with matter, it’s pure nature becomes hidden, like a fire covered by ashes. When the living being takes to the process of bhakti and rejects the futility of material logic, reason and mundane religion, the eternal relationship between the ātmā and the Paramātmā can be fully realised.

The word prapañcopaśama is also repeated in this verse. This temporal world is called prapañca because it is a manifestation of the five material constituents (earth, water, fire, air and accommodating space). Prapañcopaśama refers to Vāsudeva as ‘He that gives relief from the material world.’ In other words, the effects of the physical world of Aniruddha, the mental world of Pradyumna and the subtle world of Saṅkarṣaṇa are all overcome by the grace of Vāsudeva.

Prapañcopaśama also means, ‘one who is free from the effects of the five material elements,’ indicating the perfected living being who is no longer affected by the five gross elements and the three modes of material nature.

nārāyaṇe turīyākhye bhagavac-chabda-śabdite
mano mayy ādadhad yogī mad-dharmā vaśitām iyāt

That yogī who fixes his mind upon Me, as Nārāyaṇa, who is known as Turīya, full of all opulence (Bhagavān), attains My nature which is unaffected by the modes of nature. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.15.16)

As previously stated in Text 7, Vāsudeva is supremely auspicious (śiva), one without a second and the remover of erroneous misconceptions (advaita). Due to his intrinsic eternal nature, the perfected jīva is also full of auspicious attributes and continually feels great bliss. He is also advaita because the ātmā is not comprised of the material dualities of this world (a-dvaita).

When the impersonalists encounter the word advaita within the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, their knee-jerk reaction is to postulate that, at the turīya stage, the jīva realises his non-difference from Brahman in all respects and extinguishes his individual existence. To claim that this is the ultimate goal of human life is an absurd proposition since no sane person desires self-annihilation. The śāstra never advocates spiritual suicide by consigning the individual jīva to an eternal abyss of impersonal nihilism.

paramātmātmanor yogaḥ paramārtha itīṣyate
mithyaitad anyad-dravyaṁ hi naityanya-dravyatāṁ yataḥ

It is said that the supreme goal is the merging of the Paramātmā and the individual ātmā. This is false because one substance can never acquire the nature of another substance. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 2.14.27)

The eternal nature of the jīva is minute consciousness (anu-caitanya), whereas the eternal nature of the Supreme is infinite all-pervading consciousness (vibhu-caitanya). The jīva always retains his finite subordinate disposition. Even when he attains liberation, still there is no brahmaikya, or oneness between the jīva and Brahman. In his liberated condition, the jīva continues to worship the Supreme Lord. The Vedānta-sūtra (4.1.12) confirms this:

āprāyaṇāt tatrāpi hi dṛṣṭam

He (the Supreme) is worshipped before liberation and even after it is also seen.

The śruti-śāstra also says:

sarva-dainam upāsīta yāvad vimuktiḥ muktāäapi hy enam upāsate

One should worship the Supreme every day, until attaining liberation. Upon attaining liberation, one should continue to worship the Lord. (Sauparṇa-śruti)

The text continues, evam oṁkāra ātmaiva – ‘This is oṁkāra, who is indeed the Supreme Consciousness.’ In this context the word ātmā refers to the Supreme Consciousness. The upaniṣad began with an explanation of oṁkāra, and now it ends with oṁkāra. Again, it reminds us that oṁkāra and the Supreme Consciousness are identical. They are not two distinct things.

However, the phrase ātmaiva (ātmā ­+ eva) can also be interpreted as, ‘and even the individual ātmā.’ The beginning of Text 12 spoke about the transcendental qualities of Turīya and oṁkāra, but these qualities can also be seen in the liberated jīva, to a lesser degree. Thus, evam oṁkāra ātmaiva also means, ‘These are the qualities of oṁkāra, and even the individual jīva who has attained perfection.’

Finally, the text describes the results of the worship and realisation of Vāsudeva. Saṁviśaty-ātmanātmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda – ‘One who knows Him understands their position as the individual unit of consciousness, and by the mercy of Paramātmā, the Supreme Consciousness, one attains Him.’ In his commentary, Śrī Raṅga Rāmānuja also states that the result is that one attains (saṁviśati) the Paramātmā by the grace of Paramātmā (ātmana-ātmāna). In this way, the fourth state of Turīya/Vāsudeva is described.

However, there is a fifth state of being that is not mentioned in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, that surpasses even turīya. This is known as turīyātīta – the plane of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

turīyatīta evasau śrī-kṛṣṇaḥ prema-nayakaḥ
pañca-bhedai rasaty atra sarva-tejo-mayaḥ prabhuḥ

The hero of divine love, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, transcends the state of turīya. He manifests five forms* and performs pastimes here. He is the Supreme Master who is full of all potencies. (Kṛṣṇa Yāmala)

*Generally, it is considered that the five forms are para (Nārāyaṇa), vyūha (Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) vibhava (avatāras such as Rāma, Narasiṁha, Vāmana etc), antaryāmi (the Super Consciousness) and arcā (the Deity). However, in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava conception, para refers to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

yo’sau jāgrat-svapna-suṣuptim atītya turyātīto gopālaḥ

Gopāla surpasses wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep. He also transcends the state of turīya. (Gopāla Uttara Tāpanī Upaniṣad 95)

The plane of turīya is the realm of Vaikuṇṭha, where Nārāyaṇa, His expansions and His associates eternally reside. Here, Nārāyaṇa is known as Adhokṣaja (beyond the range of the material senses) and with His transcendental weapons such as Sudarśana, He destroys all the anarthas (unnecessary obstacles) of the jīva. Therefore, the Bhāgavatam says:

anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje

Anarthas are directly removed by Adhokṣaja when one engages in bhakti-yoga. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.6)

In other words, at the turīya stage, anarthas are eradicated by Adhokṣaja, who is worshipped in Vaikuṇṭha with awe and reverence (vidhi-bhakti). However, the plane of turīyātīta is aprākṛta – beyond even the transcendence of turīya. That is the land of Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa is worshiped in a mood of sweetness, simplicity and spontaneity (rāga-bhakti). Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda explains:

From the external perspective, that which is aprākṛta may seem mundane, but it is not. There is no feeling of reverence – only intimacy. Within the conception of aprākṛta, there are no anarthas. Only after anarthas are completely destroyed, the aprākṛta conception manifests. That aprākṛta object has two-arms, and He plays the flute. He is to be served with devotion. (Śrī Śrīla Prabhupāder Upadeśāmṛta 261)

How to attain turīyātīta, the fifth dimension of consciousness? Neither turīya nor turīyātīta can be achieved by mental speculation, book knowledge, ritualism or imagination – they can only be approached through śaraṇāgati, or complete surrender to a life of devotion. There are six divisions in the process of śaraṇāgati that are given in the Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā:

ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ pratikūlya-vivarjanam
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathāä
ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye ṣaḍ-vidhā–śaraṇāgatiḥ

Acceptance of those things favourable to devotion, the rejection of those that are unfavourable, the conviction that the Lord will give protection, considering the Lord as one’s guardian, full self-surrender and humility – these are the six divisions of surrender. (Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā 37.37.38)

These six divisions are explained by Śrīla Śrīdhara Deva Gosvāmī in his Prapanna Jīvanāmṛtam as follows:

kṛṣṇa-kārṣṇaga-sad-bhakti-prapannatvānukūlake
kṛtyatva-niścayas-cānukūlya-saṅkalpa ucyate

Unswerving determination to do all that is favourable in surrendering to Kṛṣṇa and His devotees is known as ānukūlyasya saṅkalpa (accepting that which is favourable).

bhagavad-bhaktayor bhakteḥ prapatteḥ pratikūlake
varjjyatve niścayaḥ pratikūlya-varjjanam ucyate

Strong determination to reject anything opposed to surrendering to the process of bhakti, the Lord and His devotees is known as pratikūlya-vivarjanam (rejecting that which is unfavourable).

rakṣiṣyati hi mām kṛṣṇo bhaktānāṁ bandhavaś ca saḥ
kṣemam vidhāsyatīti yad viśvāso’traiva gṛhyate

“Kṛṣṇa will certainly protect me, because He is the friend of the devotees. He will definitely bless me with all good fortune.” In this way, such faith is maintained.

he kṛṣṇa! pāhi māṁ nātha kṛpayātmagataṁ kuru
ity evaṁ prārthanaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ prāptuṁ svāmi-svarūpataḥ
goptṛtve varaṇam jñeyaṁ bhaktair hṛdyataraṁ param
prapatty ekārthakatvena tad aṅgitvena tat smṛtam

“O Kṛṣṇa, please protect me! O Lord, please accept me as Your own.” This prayer to attain Kṛṣṇa as one’s master is the greatest solace for the hearts of the devotees, and is known as goptṛtve-varaṇam, (accepting the Lord as one’s guardian). Because it expresses one and the same ideal as complete surrender, it is accepted as the basis of the other divisions of surrender.*

* In his Bhakti Sandarbha, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī writes: aṅgāṅgi-bhedena ṣaḍ-vidhā tatra goptātve varaṇam evāṅgi śaraṇāgati-śabdenaikārthyāt anyāni tv aṅgāni tat-parikaratvāt – There are six divisions. The aṅgas (subsidiary divisions) and aṅgī (primary division) are different. Goptṛtve-varaṇam is the aṅgī because this word has the same meaning as śaraṇāgati. The other divisions are aṅgas, because they assist that. (Bhakti Sandarbha 236)

kṛṣṇāyārpita-dehasya nirmamasyānahaṅkrteḥ
manasas tat svarūpatvaṁ smṛtam ātmā-nivedanam

Offering one’s self to Kṛṣṇa without a mood of possessiveness and devoid of false ego is considered to be ātmā-nivedanam.

bhagavan rakṣa rakṣaivam ārta-bhāvena sarvataḥ
asamorddhva-dayā-sindhor hareḥ kāruṇya-vaibhavam
smaratāṁś ca viśeṣeṇa nijāti-śocya-nīcatām
bhaktānām ārti-bhāvas tu kārpaṇyaṁ kathyate budhaiḥ

“O Lord, protect me, protect me!” Praying thus in a mood of distress, while always remembering Hari as an unparalleled ocean of mercy, who is endowed with great compassion, and in particular, thinking upon one’s own pitiable nature – this distressed mood of a devotee is referred to by those that are learned as kārpaṇya.

One can only achieve turīya and turīyātīta through śaraṇāgati. Those devotees that are attracted to the majestic sovereignty of Vāsudeva and His avatāras in Vaikuṇṭha attain the state of turīya. Those who are drawn towards the informal sweetness of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the meadows of Vṛndāvana, attain the state of turīyātīta.

Thus, in 12 verses, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad traces the development of the living being’s consciousness – the physical experience of Vaiśvānara, the mental sphere created by Taijasa, the supramental realm produced by Prājña and the transcendental reality of Turīya, paving the way towards turīyātīta – the state of spontaneous divine love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Reality the Beautiful.

iti śrī-māṇḍūkyopaniṣad-bhāṣye samāptiḥ

Thus ends the commentary on Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, completed on February 9th 2017, the sacred appearance day of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, by the mercy of Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga.

• 📚 Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad Series
• 📚 Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda and the Gītā Series
• Bhakti Siddhānta (Devotional Conclusions) by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura
• Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda and the Gītā – Part 1 by Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja
• The Secret of the Destruction of Devaki’s Six Unborn Children by Śrīla B.P. Purī Mahārāja
• Kṛṣṇa – The Supreme Vedāntist by Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swami Prabhupāda
• Gītā-Govinda of Jayadeva Gosvāmī by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Gīta Govinda Revisited by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• The Literalist by Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasiṅgha Mahārāja
• Advaita Prakāśa Reviewed by Swami B.V. Giri
• The Heart-Pursuit and the Head-Pursuit by Gaura Gopāla Dāsa

• An Assembly to Preserve the Bhakti Śāstra by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Śrī Dayānanda Sarasvatī and the Tantra Śāstra by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Essence of the Ten Foundational Principles by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Śrīmad Bhāgavatam Daśa Mūla by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Daśa Mūla by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Āmnāya Daśa Mūla by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Bhagavad-gītā Daśa Mūla by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Secret of the Lord’s Appearance According to the Gītā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Vedānta Philosophy by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Philosophical Treatise by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• The Bhagavat – It’s Philosophy It’s Ethics and It’s Theology by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Preface to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Karṇāmṛta by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Introduction to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Vijaya by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• A Question and Answer Concerning Śrī Kṛṣṇa Saṁhitā by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Vedānta Śāstra by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• ‘Śrī Muralī Vilāsa’ by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
• Samālocana (A Critique) by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura