Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad Text 2

TEXT 2
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात् ॥ २ ॥

sarvaṁ hy-etad brahmāyam-ātmā brahma so’yamātmā catuṣpāt

Indeed, everything is the Supreme. That Supreme is the consciousness that dwells within all creatures and He has four aspects.

Commentary

As was explained in the commentary to the first verse, oṁ is everything (sarva), and is non-different from the Supreme. It was also described how the word sarva refers to the Supreme, who creates and pervades all things. The second text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad reiterates this point by saying sarvaṁ hy-etad brahma – ‘Everything is the Supreme.’ There is nothing in creation that does not exist due to Him and whatever has been created by Him is but a minute fraction of His potency.

nanto’sti mama divyānāṁ vibhūtīnāṁ parantapa
eṣa tūddeśataḥ prokto vibhūter vistaro mayā

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ mama tejo’ṁśa sambhavam

My divine glories are unlimited. Only a fraction of their extent has been explained by Me. Whatever exists that is wonderful, beautiful or glorious, know that it has manifest from but a particle of My power. (Bhagavad-gītā 10.40-41)

When finite humans create something, energy is expended, but when the Infinite creates, nothing is depleted. His nature is such that even though many things, that are complete in themselves, emanate from Him, He always remains complete in every respect.

pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

The Supreme is complete and His creation is complete. Whatever manifests from Him is complete. Even when that which is complete is subtracted from the Complete, He still remains complete. (Īśāvasya Upaniṣad)

In his commentary to this second verse of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, Ādi Śaṅkara states that oṁ refers to two aspects of the Supreme, which he terms as parāpara (lower and higher Brahman). In Advaita philosophy, the apara, or lower Brahman (saguṇa-brahman) is covered by the material mode of goodness and manifests form. Saguṇa-brahman is the creator of the universe and has various qualities such as omnipotence, omniscience etc. The second aspect, the para or higher Brahman (nirguṇa-brahman), is superior to saguṇa-brahman and is pure, untouched by the modes of nature, without attributes and formless. From the point of view of Ādi Śaṅkara and the proponents of the impersonalist school, scriptural quotations advocating nirguṇa, are of more importance than those that support saguṇa.

This monistic theory that there are relative and absolute states of Brahman is artificial and has been fabricated in order to compensate for the many quotations in the Vedic literature that describe the Supreme as simultaneously having qualities and no qualities. If the Vedas equally support two opposing theories about the nature of the Supreme, then the Vedas are contradictory and cannot be accepted as a valid means of acquiring knowledge about the Absolute Truth. However, such apparent inconsistencies are easily harmonised by theistic philosophers who explain that the Supreme Lord has all auspicious qualities (saguṇa) and no material qualities (nirguṇa). They are the same identical tattva – there is no lower and higher Brahman. Therefore, there is no reason to accord more importance to those quotes promoting nirguṇatva over those prescribing saguṇatva.

With their ‘Big Brahman, Little Brahman’ theory, the impersonalists encounter the same dilemma as was previously explained in the commentary to the first text in regards to māyā – if the Supreme is one without a second (ekam evādvitīyam), how can He be both the controller and the controlled simultaneously? Ādi Śaṅkara’s Advaita–siddhānta says that nirguṇa-brahman desires to become saguṇa-brahman, and then saguṇa-brahman becomes all the jīvas – but why and how did the desireless nirguṇa-brahman suddenly desire to become saguṇa-brahman and all the jīvas? All this creates duality which makes Ādi Śaṅkara’s monism redundant.

Although the impersonalists claim that saguṇa-brahman is specifically affected by the mode of material goodness, Kṛṣṇa declares unequivocally that He is transcendental to the modes of nature:

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāś ca ye
matta eveti tān viddhi na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi
tribhir guṇa-mayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat
mohitaḥ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam

Know that all things generated by the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance originate from Me alone. However, I am not in them but they are in Me. The whole world is bewildered by these three modes of nature. Thus, no one can understand Me because I am superior to these modes and unchanging. (Bhagavad-gītā 7.12-13)

This is also confirmed in other texts:

namaḥ sarva-guṇātīta ṣaḍ-guṇāyādi-vedhase

I offer my respects to the Lord who is complete with all good qualities and is beyond the material modes of nature. (Jitante Stotram 2.30)

bhakty-udrekāt pratuṣṭāva dhyānaika-tāna-mānasaḥ
parāt paraṁ guṇātītam paramānandam īśvaram

Absorbed in meditation, and with great devotion Brahmā offered prayers to the Supreme Lord who is the greatest of the greatest, beyond the modes of material nature and whose nature is supreme bliss. (Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa 1.5.93)

akṣaraṁ paramaṁ brahma jyotī-rūpaṁ sanātanam
guṇātītam nirākāraṁ svecchamayam anantakam

The imperishable Supreme is eternal, His form is effulgent, He transcends the modes of material nature, He has no material form, His desires are all fulfilled and He is unlimited. (Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa 4.3.21)

śabdātītaṁ guṇātītaṁ bhāvābhāva-vivarjitam
nirlepaṁ nirguṇaṁ sūkṣmaṁ sarvajñaṁ sarvabhāvanam

He is beyond all material sound, beyond the modes of nature, beyond material existence and non-existence. He is untouched by matter, without material attributes, He is most subtle, omniscient and the creator of all things. (Brahmā Purāṇa 51.1.12)

sattvādayo na santīṣe yatra ca prākṛtā guṇāḥ

Material goodness and other modes of nature that are found in prakṛti find no place within the Supreme. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.9.44)

karmādhyakṣaḥ sarva-bhūtādhivāsaḥ
sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaṣ ca

Residing in all the living entities, He witnesses all their activities. He is their life force, and remains transcendental to all material qualities. (Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11)

In fact, the impersonalist’s conception of saguṇa-brahman is thoroughly dismissed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā:

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram

Because they do not know My divine nature as the Supreme Controller of all living beings, those who are ignorant deride Me when I assume a human-like form. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.11)

The Bṛhad-Viṣṇu Smṛti also states:

yo vetti bhautikaṁ dehaṁ kṛṣṇasya paramātmanaḥ
sa sarvasmād bahiṣ-kāryaṁ śrauta-smārta-vidhānataṁ
mukhaṁ tasyāvalokyāpi sa-celaṁ snānam ācaret
paśyet sūryaṁ spṛśed gāṁ ca ghṛtaṁ prāśya viśuddhyati

One who considers the form of Kṛṣṇa to be material should be excluded from performing all activities connected to the śruti and smṛti. If by chance one sees the face of such a person, one should immediately take bath with one’s clothes on, gaze at the sun, touch a cow and drink ghee to purify oneself.

The Supreme Lord is eternally connected to all living beings, but He is never affected by their defects, therefore, the Īśāvasya Upaniṣad describes Him as apāpa-viddham – devoid of any negative material contamination. Although it has been explained in the śāstra that He presides over the mode of goodness (sattva-guṇa), He is never touched by it. He is always situated on the transcendental platform of viśuddha-sattva (pure goodness). The Viṣṇu Purāṇa states:

sattvena mucyate jantuḥ sattvam nārāyaṇātmakam

A being becomes liberated due to the mode of sattva. Sattva is born from Nārāyaṇa Himself. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.7.13)

Sattva-guṇa is capable of leading one to the plane of viśuddha-sattva. The cultivation of sattva-guṇa produces a conducive mentality to engage in bhakti, devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which ultimately leads to viśuddha-sattva. Sattva-guṇa is characterised by the development of proper knowledge, austerity, determination and sense-control. Yet, if one does not take advantage of the mode of goodness in order to promote oneself to the transcendental platform, sattva-guṇa becomes useless and forces one to remain in the world of repeated birth and death.

If the Supreme Lord possesses an eternal form which is unaffected by the modes of nature, what is that form composed of? Obviously, His form cannot be compared to those that we are familiar with in this world, that are comprised of flesh, blood, bone etc. Our material bodies are awarded to us based upon our karmic activities, but the Supreme is fully independent and thus never subjected to the laws of karma. His form is comprised of sat-cid-ānanda – eternity, cognisance and bliss. Generally, in this world we would consider these qualities as relative concepts rather than tangible elements, but in connection with the Supreme Person, such features are a substantial transcendental reality. In fact, when we come in connection with that Reality, it causes everything else that we experience in this physical world to seem like an abstraction. He is the One Absolute Eternal Reality – everything else that exists is transient and a victim of all-devouring time.

The second text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad continues by saying, ayam ātmā brahma. The followers of Advaitavāda misinterpret this phrase and consider ayam ātmā brahma to be one of the four mahā-vākyas – Vedic aphorisms that they have selected from the Upaniṣads. The mahā-vākyas and their monistic interpretations are:

1) tat tvām asi (‘You are Brahman.’) – Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7

2) prajñānam brahma (‘Brahman is knowledge’) – Aitareya Upaniṣad 3.3

3) aham brahmāsmi (‘I am Brahman’) – Bṛhad-Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.10

4) ayam ātmā brahma (‘The self is Brahman’) – Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1.2

Despite the importance ascribed by the monists to these verses, we do not find any evidence within the Vedas and Upaniṣads themselves that these four phrases overrule all other scriptural statements – it is only the impersonalists that have designated them as mahā-vākyas and misconstrued their context for the sole purpose of giving credence to their philosophy of ātmaikya, or absolute oneness between the jīva and the Supreme. However, according to Śrī Caitanya and the followers of theistic Vedānta, oṁkāra is the true mahā-vākya because it is the origin of all Vedic mantras.*(1) By laying unnecessary stress upon these four verses, the impersonalists have attempted to eclipse the significance of oṁ, because ultimately, oṁ relates to a personal Deity replete with transcendental qualities.

In his commentary, Śrī Raṅga-Rāmānuja states that ayam ātmā brahma means oṁkāraḥ sarvātmā-bhūtaṁ brahmaiva – “One should understand that oṁ is the same Supreme who resides as the Super Consciousness within all living beings.” The jīva is also known as ātmā, the individual unit of consciousness, and the principal ātmā who controls all other ātmās is the Paramātmā, or Super Consciousness. The Paramātmā, is described in the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka as antaḥ praviṣṭhaḥ śāstā jānānām sarvātmā – ‘He that enters within every living being and supports them from within.’ He controls and gives life and energy to each and every jīva, from the insignificant insect up to Brahmā, the highest being in creation – in this way, the Paramātmā, pervades the entire creation. However, we should not think of Him as simply a passive witness to everything that transpires in this world. He is an active controller. The individual jīvas are endowed with free will and accordingly, they fulfil their desires and are thus responsible for their actions. However, the jīva does not have the capacity to accomplish those desires without the Paramātmā’s sanction. Paramātmā allows the living being to fulfil his desires, but remains neutral and does not interfere with the free will of the jīvas. Thus, the jīva causes his own subjugation in the material world. Although the jīva is constitutionally spiritual, due to his minute nature and his free will, he becomes bewildered and is bound by the ignorance of māyā, the Lord’s deluding potency. Under the influence of māyā, the bewildered living being sometimes believes that the Supreme is alone responsible for his miserable worldly existence. The Lord however is equally disposed towards everyone:

na hy asyāsti priyaḥ kaścin nāpriyaḥ svaḥ paro’pi vā
ātmatvāt sarva-bhūtānāṁ sarva-bhūta-priyo hariḥ

He does not regard anyone as dear or inimical to Him. He considers no one as His relative, and no one is separate from Him. Because Hari is the Supreme Consciousness of all living entities, He is very dear to all beings. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.17.33)

vaiṣamya-nairghṛṇye na sāpekṣatvāt tathā hi darśayati

The Supreme is not partial or cruel, for the śāstra shows that the suffering of the jīvas is based on their previous activities. (Vedānta-sūtra 2.1.34)

However, although the Lord is equal to all, He still remains favourable towards His own devotees because they have fully dedicated themselves to His service.

samo’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo’sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham

I am equal to all living beings. I neither hate nor favour anyone. Yet whoever worships Me with devotion is with Me and I am certainly with them. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.29)

The Supreme Lord favours His devotees, regardless of their material position, birth, caste etc. But to those who are envious or antagonistic towards Him and His devotees, He remains neutral and does not bestow His grace upon them.

The second text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad states, “That Supreme is the consciousness that dwells within all creatures.” Ultimately, the basis of everything is consciousness. The Vedas teach that matter is a product of consciousness, and not vice-versa, because everything manifests from the Supreme Consciousness. Furthermore, consciousness implies personality – not simply some indefinable mass of light. This has been explained in detail by the great Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava saint, Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja as follows:

Everything has its representation in the original, personal, conscious, spiritual reality. Otherwise, there is no possibility of its being reflected into this plane as matter. First there is consciousness and then, when it is in a more gross condition, it appears to be matter. In the study of ontology, it is taught that when studying a particular thing, although we can know that it has certain attributes to the eye, and that it appears to the ear in a particular way, these are all appearances. Independent of appearances, the ontological aspect of a thing – what it is, the reality of a thing – is unknown and unknowable. My contention is that when consciousness is going to feel non-conscious matter it will have to pass through a conscious area to meet the material object. So, the full perception of that material thing cannot but be conscious; and consciousness always indicates person. First there is conception and then the material idea. The conscious world is very near and the material world is very far off. Therefore, the great ṛṣis, whose thinking is highly developed, address whatever they find within the environment as if they are all persons. In the Vedas, the ancient scriptural literature of India, we find that the saints and sages are always in the midst of so many persons; in the background everything is a person.

The conscious beings of this world have the free will to act according to their desires, but they have no free will to choose the consequences of their actions. That is determined by a Higher Consciousness. He is behind every aspect of our lives – our bodily movement, our sleeping, our dreaming etc. Nothing happens merely by chance. Everything is sanctioned by the Supreme Consciousness according to our necessity and our karma.

This leads us to the final part of the second text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad which states so’yamātmā catuṣpāt – ‘that Supreme Consciousness has four aspects.’ These four aspects are described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam:

vāsudevaḥ saṅkarṣaṇaḥ pradyumnaḥ puruṣaḥ svayam
aniruddha iti brahman mūrti-vyūho’bhidhīyate

sa viśvas taijasaḥ prājñas turīya iti vṛttibhiḥ
arthendriyāśaya-jñānair bhagavān paribhāvyate

aṅgopāṅgāyudhākalpair bhagavāṁs tac catuṣṭayam
bibharti sma catur-mūrtir bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ

Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the manifested forms of the Supreme Person Himself. The Supreme is realised in relation to viśva (awakened material consciousness), taijasa (sleep) prājña (deep sleep) and turīya (transcendental consciousness) which act respectively through knowledge gained via external objects, sensory perception and the mind. Hari, the Supreme Controller, as these four forms (Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) manifests limbs, associates, weapons and ornaments and governs these four stages of consciousness. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.11.21-23)

The manifestations of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are collectively known as the catur-vyūha who are expansions of the para, or Nārāyaṇa of Vaikuṇṭha. Whereas some schools of Vaiṣṇavism consider Nārāyaṇa to be the highest conception of theism, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the topmost aspect of Godhead. In actuality, there is no difference between any of the forms of the Supreme. The only distinction is in rasa, or transcendental mellows. Transcendental truth, or bhagavata-tattva, is twofold – aiśvarya-pradhāna (where reverence predominates) and mādhurya-pradhāna (where sweetness predominates). The forms of the Lord in the Vaikuṇṭḥa worlds are worshipped in a mood of formality, awe and reverence, whereas the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana is worshipped by His devotees in a mood of informal love. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava school of philosophy regards Śrī Kṛṣṇa as Svayam-Bhagavān, the original Supreme Absolute Truth. His first expansion is His brother, Balarāma who further expands into the first quadruple forms (ādi-catur-vyūha) of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha that reside in Mathurā and Dvārakā. Mūla-Saṅkarṣaṇa of the ādi-catur-vyūha then expands into Mahā-Nārāyaṇa (Vāsudeva) of Vaikuṇṭha who further expands into the secondary Saṅkarṣaṇa, who expands into Pradyumna, who expands into Aniruddha. This is the second catur-vyūha. The four aspects referred to in this text of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad denote the secondary catur-vyūha.

Whereas Vāsudeva remains aloof from matter, His expansions Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are very much present both in the macrocosmic world (samasti) as well as the microcosmic world (vyasti). They collectively manifest the universe, transitioning it from its subtle to its physical state, and similarly create the individual jīvas. In the śāstra, we find many correlations between universal creation and the formation of the individual entity – thus the material body of the jīva is sometimes referred to in Sanskrit as kṣudra-brahmāṇḍa (the microcosmic universe).*(2) The catur-vyūha and the four states of consciousness they govern will be explained in the following verses.

******

NOTES:

*(1) Mahāprabhu states as follows:

praṇava mahā-vākya—tāhā kari ācchādana
mahā-vākye kari tat tvam asira sthāpana

‘Oṁkāra is the actual mahā-vākya, but they (the monists) have hidden it by establishing tat tvam asi.’ (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādī-līlā 7.130)

*(2) See Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.12.25-30.

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