Adhikarana 1: The Time of Death

Adhyāya 4: The Results of Transcendental Knowledge;
Pāda 2: How a Person with Transcendental Knowledge Leaves his Material Body;

Viṣaya [thesis or statement]: In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad [6.8.6] it is said:

अस्य सौम्य-पुरुषस्य प्रयतो वाङ्-मनसि सम्पद्यते मनः प्राणे प्राणस् तेजसि तेजः परस्याम् देवतायाम्

asya saumya-puruṣasya prayato vāṅ-manasi sampadyate manaḥ prāṇe prāṇas tejasi tejaḥ parasyām devatāyām

“When a good person leaves his material body, the voice enters the mind, the mind enters the life-air, the life-air enters the element fire, and the element fire enters the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Saṃśaya [doubt]: Does the voice itself enter, or do only the activities of the voice enter?

Pūrvapakṣa [the opponent speaks]: Because the nature of the mind is not like the nature of the voice, and because the voice and other parts of the body are subordinate to the mind, therefore it is only the activities of the voice that enter.

Siddhānta [conclusion]: In the following words the author of the sūtras gives His conclusion.

Sūtra 4.2.1

वाङ् मनसि दर्शनाच् छब्दाच् च

vāṅ manasi darśanāc chabdāc ca

vāk – voice; manasi – in the mind; darśanāt – because of sight; śabdāt – because of sound; ca – also.

Because of what is seen and heard, voice enters mind.

Voice itself enters the mind. Why is that? The sūtra explains, darśanāt: “Because of what is seen.” This means that even when the external voice is silent, it is seen that the voice is still active in the mind. The sūtra also explains, śabdāt: “Because of what is heard.”

In the scriptures [Chāndogya Upaniṣad] it is heard:

वाङ् मनसि सम्पद्यते

vāṅ manasi sampadyate

“The voice enters the mind.”

Any other interpretation would do violence to the clear meaning of this quote. No evidence actually supports the idea that only the activity of the voice enters the mind.

Here someone may object: “Because mind does not possess the nature of the voice, voice itself cannot have entered the mind. It is only the activities of one thing that can enter another thing dissimilar in nature. An example of this is the activities of fire, which can thus enter water. This is so, for it is clearly seen.”

If this is said, then I reply: Voice and mind meet. They do not join together and become one. The meaning is that even though their natures are different, the two of them actually do meet.

Sūtra 4.2.2

अत एव सर्वाण्य् अनु

ata eva sarvāṇy anu

ataḥ eva – therefore; sarvāṇi – all; anu – following.

Therefore they all follow.

Here someone may object: “The voice may enter the mind, but the mind does not enter the element fire.”

If this objection is raised, the sūtra gives the following reply, sarvāṇi: “All.” This means, “The sense of hearing and all the other senses also enter.” The word anu here means, “they all enter, following behind the voice.”

In the Praśna Upaniṣad [3.9] it is said:

तस्माद् उपशान्त-तेजाः पुनर्-भवम् इन्द्रियैर् मनसि सम्पद्यमानैर् यच् चित्तस् तेनैष प्राण आयाति

tasmād upaśānta-tejāḥ punar-bhavam indriyair manasi sampadyamānair yac cittas tenaiṣa prāṇa āyāti

“When the fire of life is extinguished, the senses enter the mind, and the soul again takes birth. Accompanied by that mind, the soul is born again.”

In the Praśna Upaniṣad [4.2] it is said:

यथा गार्ग्य मरीचयो ‘स्तं गच्छतो ‘र्कस्य सर्व एतस्मिंस् तेजो-मण्डले एकी-भवति ताः पुनर् उदयतः प्रचरन्त्य् एवं ह वै तत् सर्वं परे देवे मनस्य् एकी-भवति

yathā gārgya marīcayo ‘staṃ gacchato ‘rkasya sarva etasmiṃs tejo-maṇḍale ekī-bhavati tāḥ punar udayataḥ pracaranty evaṃ ha vai tat sarvaṃ pare deve manasy ekī-bhavati

“O Gārgya, as the rays of sunlight enter the setting sun only again to emerge from the rising sun, in the same way the senses enter their deity, the mind.”

{END_SUTRA}