Adhikarana 6: The Atma of Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad 4.5 is Brahman and Not Jiva

Adhyāya 1: The subject matter of all Vedic literatures is Brahman;
Pāda 4: Some scriptural texts that may seem to describe the jīvas or some other topic actually describe the Supreme Brahman.;

Viṣaya: The materialistic impersonalist speculators again try to misuse the authority of the Vedic literatures to prove their theory that the pradhāna, not Brahman, is the source of creation, and that knowledge of the jīvas is the cause of liberation. In this example they try to redefine the word ātmā, which primarily signifies Paramātmā, the Supersoul or Self of existence.

There is a famous passage in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5 where Yājñavalkya teaches his wife Maitreyī about Brahman:

Yājñavalkya had two wives, and Kātyāyanī. Maitreyī was conversant with Brahman, but Kātyāyanī had only such knowledge as is commonly possessed by women. Yājñavalkya, when he was preparing to give up the life of a householder and enter into the forest, said “Maitreyī, certainly I am going away from this my house, into the forest. Let us make a settlement between you and Kātyāyanī.”

Maitreyī said “My lord, if all the wealth in this whole earth were to belong to me, tell me, would I be immortal by it, or not?” Yājñavalkya replied “No, your life would be like the life of rich people, but there is no hope of immortality by wealth.” Then Maitreyī said “What use is that by which I do not become immortal? What my lord knows of immortality, tell that clearly to me.”

Yājñavalkya said, “You who are truly dear to me, and you have increased what is dear to me in you. Therefore if you like, I will explain it to you, and mark well what I say.

“Verily a husband is not dear, that you may love the husband; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the husband is dear.

“Verily sons are not dear, that you may love the sons; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the sons are dear.

“Verily a wife is not dear, that you may love the wife; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the wife is dear.

“Verily wealth is not dear, that you may love wealth; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore wealth is dear.

“Verily cattle are not dear, that you may love the cattle; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the cattle are is dear.

“Verily the brāhmaṇas are not dear, that you may love the brāhmaṇas; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the brāhmaṇas are dear.

“Verily the kṣatriyas are not dear, that you may love the kṣatriyas; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the kṣatriyas are dear.

“Verily the worlds are not dear, that you may love the worlds; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the worlds are dear.

“Verily the devas are not dear, that you may love the devas; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the devas are dear.

“Verily the Vedas are not dear, that you may love the Vedas; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the Vedas are dear.

“Verily the living entities are not dear, that you may love the living entities; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore the living entities are dear.

“Verily everything is not dear, that you may love everything; but that you may love the Self [ātmā], therefore everything is dear.

“Verily, the Self should be seen, heard, worshiped, and always meditated on. O Maitreyī, by seeing, hearing, worshiping, and understanding the Self [ātmā], everything becomes known.”

“Whoever looks for the brāhmaṇas elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by the brāhmaṇas.

“Whoever looks for the kṣatriyas elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by the kṣatriyas.

“Whoever looks for the worlds elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by the worlds.

“Whoever looks for the devas elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by the devas.

“Whoever looks for the living entities elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by the living entities.

“Whoever looks for everything elsewhere than the Self, is abandoned by everything.

“These brāhmaṇas, these kṣatriyas, these worlds, these devas, these Vedas, all these living entities, all and everything is the Self.

“Now as the sounds of a drum being beaten cannot be seized externally by themselves, but the sound is seized when the drum is seized, or the beater of the drum; or as the sounds of a conch being blown cannot be seized externally by themselves, but the sound is seized when the conch is seized, or the blower of the conch; and as the sounds of a flute being played cannot be seized externally by themselves, but the sound is seized when the flute is seized, or the player of the flute; as smoke comes from a fire made with wet fuel, the Rg Veda, Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Vidyās, Upaniṣads, ślokas, sūtras, vyākhyās, and anuvyākhyās, come from the breath of the Supreme Person. As the ocean is the sole resting place of all waters, so the skin is the sole resting-place of all tactile sensations, the nose is the sole resting-place of all fragrances, the tongue is the sole resting-place of all tastes, the eyes are the sole resting-place of all forms, the ears are the sole resting-place of all sounds, the mind is the sole resting-place of all thoughts and desires, the heart is the sole resting place of all knowledge, the hands are the sole resting-place of all work, the genitals are the sole resting-place of all material bliss, the anus is the sole resting-place of all expulsions, the feet are the sole resting-place of all pathways, and words are the sole resting-place of all the Vedas. As a little salt merges into water and cannot be again extracted from it, although the water itself becomes salty, so does this great being, limitless, endless, and full of knowledge, rise from these elements and then vanish into them. When He has departed, there is no more knowledge, I say, O Maitreyī.” Thus spoke Yājñavalkya.

Then Maitreyī said, “Here, Sir, you have landed me in utter bewilderment. Indeed I do not understand Him [the Self].” But he replied, “Maitreyī, I say nothing that is bewildering. Verily, that Self is imperishable, of an indestructible nature. For when there seems to be duality, then one sees the other, one smells the other, one tastes the other, one salutes the other, one hears the other, one perceives the other, one touches the other, one knows the other; but when the Self only is all this, how should he see another, how should he smell another, how should he taste another, how should he salute another, how should he hear another, how should he touch another, how should he know another? That Self is to be described by ‘No, no!’ He is incomprehensible, for He cannot be understood; He is imperishable, for He cannot perish; He is unattached, for He does not attach Himself; unfettered, He does not suffer, He does not fail. How, O Beloved, should one know the Knower?

“Thus, O Maitreyī, you have been instructed; thus far goes immortality.” Having said this, Yājñavalkya went away into the forest.

The most significant verses in this passage are the following:

न वा अरे पत्युः कामाय पतिः प्रियो भवति

na vā are patyuḥ kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati

“A husband is not dear because the wife loves the husband; the husband is dear because she loves the Self [ātmā].”

He also says:

न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वं प्रियं
भवति आत्मनस् तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति

na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ
bhavati ātmanas tu kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati

“Everything is not dear because one loves everything; everything is dear because one loves the Self [ātmā].”

Again, he says:

आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेय्य् आत्मनो वा अरे दर्शनेन श्रवणेन मत्या विज्ञानेन इदं सर्वं विदितम्

ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyy ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānena idaṃ sarvaṃ viditam

“The Self should be seen, heard, worshiped, and always meditated on. O Maitreyī, by seeing, hearing, worshiping, and understanding the Self [ātmā], everything becomes known.”

Saṃśaya: In this passage which self is to be understood: the jīva [individual spirit soul] described in the Kapila-tantra, or the Paramātmā [the Supreme Personality of Godhead]?

Pūrvapakṣa: Because in this passage he describes the love of husband and wife and because in the middle of the passage he says: etebhyo bhūtebhyaḥ samutthāya tāny evānuvinaśyati na pretya-saṃjñāsti: “He leaves the material elements, his body is destroyed, he dies and is no longer conscious,” words that clearly describe a resident of the material world who is subject to birth and death, and because at the end he says: vijñātāram are kena vijānīyāt: “How should we understand the person who is the knower?” this passage should be interpreted to describe the jīva, who is the knower described in the Kapila-tantra.

You may object: “But it says that by knowing the Self everything becomes known. Certainly this refers to the Paramātmā and not the jīva.” but this objection is not valid. The jīva takes birth in this world with an aim to enjoy and one may figuratively say that by knowing the jīva one knows everything for one then knows the world around him meant for his enjoyment. You may again object, “This passage cannot refer to the jīva because the text says amṛtatvasya tu nāśāsti vittena: ‘By knowing Him one becomes immortal.’ Because it is only by knowing the Paramātmā that one becomes immortal, how can this passage refer to the jīva?” This objection is also invalid because one may also attain immortality by understanding that the jīva is by nature different from matter. In the same way, all descriptions in this passage that seem to refer to Brahman should be understood to refer to the jīva. Actually this entire passage describes the jīva. Therefore it should be understood that the material nature, which is under the control of the jīva, is the original cause of the world.

Siddhānta: In this matter: