Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad Text 7 & 8

TEXT 7
नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् ।
अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययासारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥

nāntaḥ prajñaṁ na bahiṣ-prajñaṁ nobhayataḥ prajñaṁ na prajñāna-ghanaṁ
na prajñaṁ nāprajñam adṛṣṭam avyavahāryam agrāhyam alakṣaṇaṁ
acintyam avyapadeśyam ekātma pratyaya-sāraṁ prapañcopaśamaṁ
śāntaṁ śivam advaitaṁ caturthaṁ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ

The fourth aspect, the Supreme Consciousness, is to be realised – He does not give awareness of the internal world, the external world, nor both states together. He is also beyond the state of deep sleep. He is not simply consciousness, nor is He unconscious. He is unseen, unlimited, incomprehensible, beyond inference, inconceivable, and indescribable. He removes material suffering. He is that One Supreme Consciousness, who is knowledge and bliss. He is tranquil, auspicious and one without a second.

Commentary

The previous four verses explained the waking, sleeping and deep sleep states of consciousness, but let us first turn our attention to modern neuroscience in relation to these three stages of consciousness.

Neural oscillations, or brainwaves, are rhythmic patterns of neural activity within the central nervous system, and were first discovered by the Polish physician Adolf Beck in 1890. In essence, they are produced by synchronised electrical pulses from masses of neurons that communicate our emotions, thoughts and behaviour with each other. Brainwaves have different bandwidths according to various functions and can be compared to musical notes – low frequency waves are like the beats of deep percussion instruments, whereas higher frequency waves are like a high-pitched flute. When lower frequency brainwaves dominate, we feel drowsy and slow; when higher frequencies dominate, we feel awake and alert. Brainwaves are measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and are divided by their speed (slow, moderate and fast). The divisions are as follows:

1) Beta brainwaves (12.5 to 30 HZ) relate to the conscious mind. These are fast waves of a high frequency found during the waking period. They are sub-divided into three types –

1. A) Low Beta (Beta 1) – indicating idle thought or contemplation
2. B) Beta (Beta 2) – indicating high engagement
3. C) Hi Beta (Beta 3) – indicating highly complex thought, or anxiety

Beta corresponds with the state of vaiśvānara, the waking stage.

2) Alpha brainwaves (7.5 to 12.5 HZ) are the resting state of the brain. When Alpha is dominant, we feel mentally balanced, peaceful and healthy.

3) Theta brainwaves (6 to 10 HZ) are low frequency and occur during sleep and sometimes during meditation. It is the twilight state where we generally withdraw from the external world and drift off to sleep. Alpha and Theta correspond with taijasa, the dream stage.

4) Delta brainwaves (.5 to 3 HZ) are deep and penetrating frequencies generated during deep sleep and deep meditation. When Delta waves are dominant, they suspend external awareness. During deep sleep, Delta brainwaves help rejuvenate the body and mind. Delta corresponds with prājña, the deep sleep stage. *

* There is another neural pattern, Gamma, which is still being researched in relation to the practice of meditation. However, at present definitive scientific information is inconclusive and the findings are debated by neuroscientists.

From this information, we may deduce that vaiśvānara is the ‘conscious state,’ taijasa is the ‘unconscious state’ and prājña is the ‘subconscious state.’

Now, Text 7 explains turīya – the ‘super-conscious state.’ In yogic terms, turīya corresponds to samādhi, the goal of the pure aṣṭāṅga-yoga process. The stage of turīya is ruled over by Vāsudeva, the fourth member of the catur-vyūha, from whom Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa and Aniruddha all manifest. He is the presiding Deity of citta (consciousness) and viśuddha-sattva (pure goodness).

This text describes the nature of turīya and of Vāsudeva – He is beyond the consciousness of the internal dream state (antaḥ prajña) controlled by Pradyumna, as well as the consciousness of the external waking state (bahiṣ-prajña) presided over by Aniruddha, as well as both states of consciousness together (ubhayataḥ-prajña). He also transcends the third state of deep sleep directed by Saṅkarṣaṇa wherein the jīva is merely consciousness (prajña-ghana). He is not simply an impersonal consciousness devoid of any other attributes (na prajña). Neither is He unconscious (nāprajña). He is only seen by transcendentalists. He cannot be perceived with mundane eyes, or by any of the knowledge-acquiring senses., thus He is referred to as ‘unseen’ (adṛṣṭa). He is not limited by words, and He cannot be understood by the working senses (avyavahārya). He cannot be simply seized by the hands, and cannot be fully conceived with the mind (agrāhya). He is beyond our logical experience and cannot be understood through inference (alakṣaṇa). He is inconceivable (acintya), and cannot be fully described (avyapadeśya). He is the One Supreme Consciousness who is knowledge and bliss personified (ekātma pratyaya-sāra).*

* pratyayo jñāna-rūpatvāt sāra ānanda-rūpataḥ (Madhva’s commentary)

He removes the bondage created by the five gross elements (prapañcopaśama). He is most peaceful (śānta) as He is free of the ravages of birth, death, old age and disease. He is most auspicious and blissful (śiva)*, and He is one without a second (advaita)** – no other being has a similar nature to Him.***

* Madhva quotes the Māhātmyam thus – nirduḥkha-sukha-rūpatvā-cchiva-śabdaḥ śrutau śrutaḥ (‘The śruti states that He is known as śiva because He is free from distress and possesses bliss’).

** anyathāpratyayo dvaitaṁ śamyad taṁ yato hariḥ, advaitastena codriśṭasturīyaḥ puruṣottamaḥ – An erroneous misconception is called dvaita and Śrī Hari destroys that. Thus, the Supreme Person, who is Turīya, is known as advaita, ‘the remover of misconceptions.’ (Saṅkalpa Śruti, quoted by Madhva)

*** sajātīya-dvitīya-rahitaṁ (Raṅga Rāmānuja’s commentary)

One who comes into contact with Vāsudeva on the turīya platform also experiences similar transcendental feelings. Such qualities are inconceivable and inexpressible. One is flooded with a continual feeling of tranquillity and bliss. For such a person, the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease ceases and they realise their eternal constitutional position as a servant of the Lord. One of the meanings of the word ‘Vāsudeva’ is ‘He who manifests in the state of Vasudeva’.*

* vasudeve bhavati āvirbhavatīti tacchabdasyārthaḥ (Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s commentary to Bhāgavatam 4.3.23)

Therefore, the Bhāgavatam states:

sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditaṁ yad īyate tatra pumān apāvṛtaḥ

The plane of pure transcendental goodness (viśuddha–sattva) is known as Vasudeva because through this, the Supreme is revealed without any covering. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.3.23)

Lord Vāsudeva can only be realised when the coverings of the materially awakened state, the dream state and the deep sleep state have been removed. In actuality, the state of Vāsudeva/turīya is the original constitution of the jīva. The Bṛhad-Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad confirms this when it says, asaṅga hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ – the jīva is not associated with matter. However, in connection with the māyā potency, the jīvas imagine themselves to be the material body and identify with the mundane environment that surrounds them.

The mode of goodness (sattva) and ‘pure goodness’ (viśuddha–sattva) are distinctly different. Those who are dominated by the mode of goodness are conditioned to material happiness, piety and knowledge. The mode of mundane goodness can be a catalyst to proceed towards pure goodness, but in and of itself, it is not conducive for tangible spiritual advancement.

TEXT 8
सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्करोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥ ८ ॥

so’yamātmādhyakṣaram oṁkaro’dhimātraṁ pādā mātrā mātrāś ca pādā a-kāra u-kāro ma-kāra iti

He, the Supreme Self, is the imperishable oṁ, the greatest of all syllables. The (aforementioned) states are identical with the divisions of oṁ, and the divisions of oṁ are identical with those states. The syllables are thus A, U and M.

Commentary

Praṇava is comprehended in two ways – samasta–praṇava (with all syllables combined to form one monosyllable, oṁ), and vyasta–praṇava (with all syllables divided as A, U and M). This is also referred to as samitakara (combined) and asamitakara (divided). Samasta–praṇava relates to the Supreme, and vyasta–praṇava relates to the various levels of consciousness of the individual ātmā.

This text states that the three divisions of oṁkara correspond with the three states mentioned previously, namely vaiśvānara, taijasa and prājña. The fourth stage of turīya is represented by nāda, the subtle reverberation of oṁkara. This will be discussed more in the final verse.

Some Vedic texts, such as the Nārada Parivrājaka Upaniṣad, go further and dissect oṁkara into five, eight, nine, sixteen or one hundred and twenty-eight divisions. However, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad only discusses the standard four components that make up praṇava.

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