[Advaita-l] 'United, we stand, divided, we fall' - Message of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

[Divya Meedin]

Namaskaram sir,

Thanks you for this post.

Regards,
Divya

On Thu, 11 Jun, 2020, 13:40 V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> This slogan 'United we stand, divided we fall' is one shouted by workers in
> their protest demonstrations. However, the heart of this slogan is the
> central teaching of the Vedanta. In the  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.6 we
> have this mantra:
>
> ब्रह्म तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो ब्रह्म वेद क्षत्त्रं तं
> परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः क्षत्त्रं वेद लोकास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो
> लोकान्वेद देवास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो देवान्वेद भूतानि तं
> परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो भूतानि वेद सर्वं तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः सर्वं
> वेदेदं ब्रह्मेदं क्षत्त्रमिमे लोका इमे देवा इमानि भूतानीदं सर्वं यदयमात्मा
> ॥ ६ ॥
>
> The central theme of the mantra is: All this is Atma (Brahman), there is
> nothing other than Brahman.
>
> Translation: (Swami Madhavananda)  The Brahmana (Jati) ousts one who knows
> it as different from the Self. The Kshatriya ousts one who knows him as
> different from the Self. The worlds oust one who knows them as
> different from the Self. The gods oust one who knows them as different from
> the Self. The beings oust one who knows them as different from the
> Self. All ousts one who knows it as different from the Self. This Brahma,
> this Kshatriya, these worlds, these gods, these beings, and this all
> are the Self.
>
> Shankara's Bhashya: ननु कथम् अन्यस्मिन्विदिते अन्यद्विदितं भवति ? नैष दोषः
> ; न हि आत्मव्यतिरेकेण अन्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति ; यद्यस्ति, न तद्विदितं स्यात् ; न
> त्वन्यदस्ति ; आत्मैव तु सर्वम् ; तस्मात् सर्वम् आत्मनि विदिते विदितं
> स्यात् । कथं पुनरात्मैव सर्वमित्येतत् श्रावयति — ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणजातिः तं
> पुरुषं परादात् परादध्यात् पराकुर्यात् ; कम् ? यः अन्यत्रात्मनः
> आत्मस्वरूपव्यतिरेकेण — आत्मैव न भवतीयं ब्राह्मणजातिरिति — तां यो वेद, तं
> परादध्यात् सा ब्राह्मणजातिः अनात्मस्वरूपेण मां पश्यतीति ; परमात्मा हि
> सर्वेषामात्मा । तथा क्षत्रं क्षत्रियजातिः, तथा लोकाः, देवाः, भूतानि,
> सर्वम् । इदं ब्रह्मेति — यान्यनुक्रान्तानि तानि सर्वाणि, आत्मैव, यदयमात्मा
> — योऽयमात्मा द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्य इति प्रकृतः — यस्मात् आत्मनो जायते
> आत्मन्येव लीयत आत्ममयं च स्थितिकाले, आत्मव्यतिरेकेणाग्रहणात् , आत्मैव
> सर्वम् ॥
>
> The gist of the Bhashyam: If one were to consider/know the Brahmana jati as
> different from the Atman, that Brahmana jati would 'oust' such a knower.
> What does this mean? The perceiver considers the Brahmana jati as different
> from himself, as anatma. So, that 'anatma' retaliates by punishing him by
> letting him to be finite, paricchinna, limited, and therefore, to continue
> in samsara, in ignorance.  Everything in creation, if viewed as anatma,
> that is something having an existence of/by itself, independently, will in
> turn show this perceiver also to be finite, a mithya vastu. The idea is:
> when we see a serpent, owing to error, in a rope, till such time the
> rope-knowledge has not arisen, we continue to view that serpent as 'real',
> having an independent existence. But, as is well known, such is not the
> case. The superimposed snake is appearing to be real only on the borrowed
> existence of the rope. In the same way while everything in creation exists
> only due to the Atma, the grand substratum, if anyone were to see it as
> existing independently without the supporting, sustaining, Atman, that is,
> bereft of Atman, then such a view itself will continue to keep the
> perceiver in bondage, ignorance.
>
> This idea is deftly conveyed by Shankara Bhagavatpada in this commentary to
> the Brahmasutra 1.4.19 'vaakyaanvayaat', a very important adhikaranam:
> Shankara encapsulates the central teaching of Vedanta in these powerful
> words. Those requiring the translation may look up the book by Swami
> Gambhirananda.
>
> यत्कारणमात्मविज्ञानेन सर्वविज्ञानं प्रतिज्ञायानन्तरेण ग्रन्थेन तदेवोपपादयति
> — ‘ब्रह्म तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो ब्रह्म वेद’ इत्यादिना ; यो हि
> ब्रह्मक्षत्रादिकं जगदात्मनोऽन्यत्र स्वातन्त्र्येण लब्धसद्भावं पश्यति, तं
> मिथ्यादर्शिनं तदेव मिथ्यादृष्टं ब्रह्मक्षत्रादिकं जगत्पराकरोतीति
> भेददृष्टिमपोद्य, ‘इदꣳ सर्वं यदयमात्मा’ इति सर्वस्य
> वस्तुजातस्यात्माव्यतिरेकमवतारयति ; ‘दुन्दुभ्यादिदृष्टान्तैश्च’ (बृ. उ. ४ ।
> ५ । ८)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S05_V08&hl=%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A
> >
> तमेवाव्यतिरेकं
> द्रढयति ; ‘अस्य महतो भूतस्य निःश्वसितमेतद्यदृग्वेदः’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ५ । ११)
> <
> https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S05_V11&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%83%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%83
> >
> इत्यादिना
> च प्रकृतस्यात्मनो नामरूपकर्मप्रपञ्चकारणतां व्याचक्षाणः परमात्मानमेवैनं
> गमयति ; ‘तथैवैकायनप्रक्रियायामपि’ सविषयस्य सेन्द्रियस्य सान्तःकरणस्य
> प्रपञ्चस्यैकायनमनन्तरमबाह्यं कृत्स्नं प्रज्ञानघनं व्याचक्षाणः
> परमात्मानमेवैनं गमयति । तस्मात्परमात्मन एवायं दर्शनाद्युपदेश इति गम्यते ॥
> १९ ॥
>
> Thus, the Vedanta teaches:
>
> 1. If we are divided, that is, hold the view that I am different and the
> rest of the creation is different, then we 'fall', that is, we remain in
> ignorance.
> 2. On the other hand, if we gain the 'total view', akhanDa darshanam, we
> stand firm as the Atman, Brahman, with nothing in the universe to limit us
> and bind us.
>
> Om Tat Sat
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