Eight Adhyaya, First and Second Khandas (18 mantras)

Mantra 8.1.1.

1. (The teacher says) “Now in this city of Brahman, there is this palace, the small lotus (of the heart). Within this, there is the small Ether. That which is within this, He is to be sought for, He is to be understood.”—522.

Mantra 8.1.2.

2. And if they (the pupils) should say to him: “Now with regard to that city of Brahman, and the palace in it, i.e., small lotus of the heart, and the small Ether within the heart, what is there within, that deserves to be sought for, or that is to be understood.”—523.

Note:—The doubt of the pupils is: “How the all-pervading Brahman, who contains all, be contained in the small ether of the heart?”

Mantra 8.1.3.

3. Then let the Teacher say, “as large as is this All-luminous (Lord pervading the external space), so large is also that All-luminous (Lord who is) within the Ether of the Heart. Both (the Free and Bound Devas of) Heaven and Earth are contained within Him, both (sorts of) Fire and Air, both (kinds of) Sun and Moon, both (sorts of) Lightning and Stars, and whatever that exists here namely the (Bound Jīvas), and whatever is not (namely all Free Jīvas), all that is contained within the Brahman (who exists in the Ether within the lotus of the heart).—524.

Mantra 8.1.4.

4. If his pupils should ask him “if everything that exists is contained in that Brahman the Full, all Beings and all Desires, then what is left of this body, when old age reaches it and destroys it.”—525.

Note:—If when this body dies this Brahman wore to vanish, what is the use of inquiring about this Brahman, who is dependent upon the body and grows old, decays and dies with the body.

Mantra 8.1.5.

5. Then the Teacher should say unto them “By the old age of the body this Brahman does not grow old, by the slaying of the body He is not slain; this Brahman is the full, is the true, in Him are contained all desires, He is the Ātman free from sin, free from old age, from death and grief, free from hunger and thirst. All His desires are true, because His will is irresistable; as His commands are obeyed on this Earth by all people who have obtained release, similarly they get according to their merits whatever they desire, whatever country or place they may wish, all that they get, by depending upon Him (and through His grace).—526.

Mantra 8.1.6.

6. And as here on Earth, (the body) which has been acquired by Karma perishes, so there the world acquired by sacrifices also perishes (for him who does not know the Lord). Therefore, who pass away from this world, without knowing the Self and these true desires, for them there is no freedom of movement in all the worlds. But those who pass out after knowing the Lord here that all his desires are true (as mentioned before) for them there is freedom of movement in all the worlds.—527.

Mantra 8.2.1.

1. If he desires “may my ancestors get the world (of the Lord),” then for that free soul, by his mere willing, his male ancestors become free from Saṃsāra, and surround him; and thus surrounded by his male ancestors, he is honoured (by all).—528.

Mantra 8.2.2.

2. If he desires “may my female ancestors get the world of the Lord,” then for that free soul, by his merely thus willing, his female ancestors become free from Saṃsāra and surround him, and thus surrounded by his female ancestors, he becomes honoured.—529.

Mantra 8.2.3.

3. Now if he desires “may my brothers and cousins get the world of the Lord” then for that free soul, by his merely thus willing, his brothers and cousins become free from Saṃsāra, and surround him, and thus in the company of his brothers and cousins, he becomes honoured.—530.

Mantra 8.2.4.

4. Now if he desires “may my sisters and female cousins get the world of the Lord” then for that free soul, by his merely thus willing, his sister and female cousins become free from Saṃsāra and surround him, and thus in the company of his sisters and female cousins, he becomes honoured.—531.

Mantra 8.2.5.

5. Now if he desires “may my friends get the world of the Lord,” then for that free soul, by his merely thus willing, his friends become free from Saṃsāra and surround him, and thus in the company of his friends he becomes honoured.—532.

Mantra 8.2.6.

6. Now if he desires to enjoy perfumes and garlands, by his merely willing, the perfumes and garlands surround him, and he thus enjoying perfumes and garlands, becomes honoured.—533.

Mantra 8.2.7.

7. Now if he desires to enjoy food and drink, by his merely willing, the food and drink surround him, and he thus enjoying food and drink, becomes honoured.—534.

Mantra 8.2.8.

8. Now if he desires to enjoy songs and music, by his merely willing, the songs and music surround him, and he thus enjoying songs and music, becomes honoured.—535.

Mantra 8.2.9.

9. Now if he desires to have a sight of women, by his merely willing, he gets the sight of women and he thus being surrounded by women, becomes honoured.—536.

Mantra 8.2.10.

10. Whatever objects he desires, whatever worlds he wants to get, all that, by his merely willing, surrounds him, and being thus surrounded by it, he is honoured.—537.

Note.—Every Mukta-Jīva becomes a Satya-kāma, namely one whose desires are ever fulfilled, with the grace of God and by His Command. This khaṇḍa gives some illustrations of Satya-kāma. The words Pitṛ and Mātṛ, translated as male and female ancestors, are taken by some as meaning sons and daughters and lower descendants. By the mere willing of the Mukta, his descendants get release. It may be objected that if the will of the Mukta can confer release on his descendants and others, then the Law of Karma is violated. To this, we reply, that a Mukta desires release, only for those who deserve release. If a person does not deserve release, the idea of releasing him, will never enter the mind of the Mukta-Jīva. The word Loka in this Khaṇḍa sometimes means “the sight of,” and at other places it means “the enjoyment of.” The will of the Mukta is supposed to be uttered in these words: “May my descendants and friends get the world of Viṣṇu, and then after their so getting it, let me also get that world.” For it is natural for the Mukta-Jīva to participate others in his felicity and happiness.

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

In the preceding Adhyāyas has been taught the Brahma Vidyā, as far as is related to things external. Now will be taught the same, as far as it relates to things interior, the knowledge which is common to all descriptions of aspirants. This Vidyā is called the Doctrine of the Lotus-heart. Even those who can obtain release by worshipping the Lord in outside nature, should now and then, for a short time, meditate upon him in the heart. The first Mantra of this Adhyāya begins with the verse Yad Idam Asmin Brahmapure, which may mean “in this town of Brahman” and then the word Brahampura [Brahmapura?], being a genitive compound, would mean “the whole body”; which is the meaning taken by Śrī Śaṅkara Ācārya. The Commentator shows that it is not only a genitive compound but karmadhāraya also.

The word Brahampura, in the sentence “in this Brahampura” does not only mean ‘the city of Brahaman [Brahman?]’; but it means also Brahman called the Puram. The Supreme Brahman is called Puram, because lie is Pūrṇa [Pūrṇam], the full. It also means the city of Brahman, in that case, it is a genitive compound, and refers to the body; thus the word Brahmapura [Brahmapuram] has both meanings, namely Brahman the ‘Full,’ and ‘the city of Brahman’. Thus in the verse, “having” reached the invincible Brahma-pura I am dwelling like a king”. Here the word Brahmpaura means the Brahman the Full.

Then the question is asked, if everything that exists is contained in that Brahma-pura, all beings and all desires, whatever can be imagined of, then what is left of it, when old age reaches it or when it falls to pieces.

To this question the answer is given in the Śrūti [Śruti?] thus:—

By the old age of the body that Brahman deos not age, by the death of the body that Brahman is not killed, that Brahman is the True Brahampura [Brahampuram], Brahman the Full; in him all desires are contained. He is the Ātman free from sin, free from old age, from death and grief, from hunger and thirst; who desires nothing, but what he ought to desire; and imagines nothing, but what he ought to imagine. Therefore the Commentator says

The word Brahmapura has both these meanings, it means the city of Brahman or body and it also means Brahman the Full.

Thus in mantra 4 and 5 of the first khaṇḍa the word is used in the sense of Brahman the Full. And if his pupils should ask him: “If everything that exists is contained in that Brahmapura, all beings and and all desires, then what is left of this body, when old age reaches it and destroys it. Then he should say: ‘By the old age of the body, that (the Brahman called Brahma Pura) does not grow old, by the slaying of the body, He is not slain. That (Brahman) is the true Brahmapura (not the body). In Him all desires are contained. He is the self, free from hunger and thirst. All His desires are true, because His will is irresistable.”

In the above the word Brahmapura means the Supreme Brahman, because the attributes like free from sin, free from old age, free from death; cannot apply to any body but to Brahman. The word Brahampura there cannot mean the body; because it is not deathless, etc. The words of the Lord “Prāptaḥ Avadhyam Brahampuram [Brahmapuram?] Rājā Iva Nivasāmi Aham”—“having reached the invincible Brahampura I live like a king” also show that Brahampura here means the Brahman the Supreme.

This word Brahmapura also means the body which is the city or temple of God. Thus in the following two texts it is taken in the sense of body:—

“Dahram Vipāpam Vara-Veśma-Bhūtam, Yat Puṇḍarīkam Pura Madhya Saṃstham; Tatrāpi Dahre Gaganam Viśokam Tasmin Yad Antas Tad Upāsitavyam”. “This heart, in the form of a lotus, is small (of the size of a thumb), free from sin, (because it is the place for the concentration of the mind), it is the palace of the highest (for the Supreme Self is found in this heart and is to be meditated herein), which is situated in the middle of the city (Puram meaning city refers here to the body, for the heart is situated in the middle of the body). In this small lotus of the heart there is a small ether, wherein there exists an Ether free from sorrow, that ought to be meditated upon.” (Taittirīya Āraṇyakam X. 10-7).

In this passage, the word Pura [Puram] is shown as the container of the lotus, namely, the heart exists in this Pura [Puram]. Therefore the Puram here must mean the well-known physical body. With reference to this passage, the word Brahmapura is taken to mean the city of Brahman or the body, in which there is a small lotus called the heart.

The next Śruti also shows that the phrase “temple of God” applies to the body.

“Yad Idam Śarīram Tad Etad Ādyam Deva Sadanam”.—“This body is verily the first temple of God.” Thus the body is called Devasadana. From these two texts we learn that the body is regarded as a temple of God. Therefore, Brahampura [Brahmapura?] has this meaning also.

If the word Brahampura means God the Full, then how do you explain the phrase “In the Brahmapura, there is a small lotus, which is a palace”. For it would then mean that within God the Full, there is a small lotus, which is a palace, and thus this lotus would be in the God and not in the body. But the heart is in the body and not in the God; while the God is within the heart. To this objection, the Commentator says that the God is not only within the heart, but He also upholds the heart, for the heart is within him.

The following text shows that the God is not only within the heart, but it surrounds the whole physical body of man and thus He contains the heart within it. “He who is outside the Jīva, pervading the whole physical body of the Jīva, He is the All-luminous (Ākāśa), Heis verily this Brahman” (Chāndogya III 12-7).

This shows that the Brahman, who has been thus described as immortal with three feet in heaven, and as Gāyatrī, is the same as the Ākāśa which is around us. Similarly in the Śruti next quoted, the same idea is conveyed. “He who sees all beings in the Ātman” (Īśā vāsya). This also shows that the heart is within the Supreme Self; for when everything exists in the Self, the heart also must exist therein.

In the phrase “Daharaḥ Asmin Antar Ākāśaḥ” within this is a small Ākāśa, this word Ākāśa is taken to mean by some to be the Supreme Brahman. They say the question “what is within that,” is asked as an Ākṣepa. According to them this Ākāśa contains nothing in it. Their whole explanation is given below:—

In this small palace, there is a smaller inner Ākāśa which is Brahman; as will be described below: Ākāśa is its name; this being based upon the fact of its being, like Akāśa, immaterial, subtle, all-pervading. That which is within this Ākāśa, is to be sought after; and that is to be understood, that is to say having been sought after by such means as having recourse to the teacher, attentive listening to him and the like. It is to be directly perceived.

If they should say to him: “Now with reference to the small lotus, in this city of Brahman, which is a palace, and the smaller Ākāśa within this, what is it existing therein, which has to be soght [sought?] after and to be understood,” he should reply in the words of the Śruti,

When the teacher has said this, if the students might object that, in this city of Brahman itself being limited, and the small lotus palace lying within this, and smaller than this latter too being the Ākāśa inside it, in the first place, what could there be in the lotus-palace itself? And then how could there lie anything within the Ākāśa that is said to be within that palace? The meaning being that the Ākāśa within this being smaller, what could exist in it? Even if there do exist something of the size of a plum, what is the good of wishing to search for it, or even to know it?

Hence that which is neither to be sought after, nor to be understood what is the use of such a thing? When they have raised this objection, the teacher should say this:—

“As large as this is Ākāśa, so large is the Ākāśa, within the heart; both heaven and earth are contained within it; both Fire and Air, both Sun and the Moon, the Lightning as well as the Stars, and whatever there is in this world, of the self and whatever is not, all is contained within it.”

This explanation of the verse is incorrect. The ether within the heart is not the Supreme self: and the question “what is within that which is to be searched,” is not asked in a saracastic way. It does not imply that there is nothing within it which is to be searched. Therefore, the Commentator says:

The Ākāśa within the heart is small, in that Ākāśa there exists some one who is to he searched out. In this sentence, within it there is a small Ākāśa what exists there,” the word Ākāśa is used to denote the elemental ether. The phrase “what exists within it,” is to be supplemented by the following sentence in order to complete its sense“In this elemental ether (Bhutākāśa) there exists another Ākāśa called Para Brahma.”

When the word Ākāśa is applied to the Supreme Lord it has any one of these three meanings

1. All-luminous, (“ā”=all, “kāśa”=light or light-giver.)
2. Eater of all joys, (“ā”=all; “kaṃ”=pleasure “aś”=to eat, enjoy).
3. Eater of all desires (“ā”=all, “kāma”=desires, “aś”=to eat).

The word Ākāśa in the first sense is a compound of Ā+Kāśa. “Ā” meaning “all,” and “Kāśa”=illumination, All-illuminor. In its second sense, it is a compound of three words, “Ā”=all. “Kām”=Joy, and “Āśnāti”=to eat: meaning ‘he who eats or enjoys all happiness.’ In its third sense, it is a compound of “Ā”=all, “Kāma”=desires, and “Āśnāti”=eats, “he who eats or experiences all desires,” and this we learn from the text of the Upaniṣad which says “in it all desires are centred.”

The Supreme Lord, with all His fullness, exists within the small ether, as much as He exists in the infinite space outside. There is no diminution, in His qualities, by His existing witbin the small compass of the ether of the heart. The reason of this is that His attributes are always infinite and full. It is not impossible, in the case of God, that a small quantity may have infinite qualities; because the powers of the Lord are mysterious and unthinkable; and so it is possible that He may be in a small space and be at the same time infinitely Great. This idea is conveyed by the following text also:—“Yasmin viruddha-gatayo pyaniśam patanti, Vidyādayo vividha-śaktaya ānupūrvyā”:—“I take shelter under that Brahman, in whom exist various powers, like Vidyā, etc., moving in contrary directions, simultaneously and uninterruptedly as taught by the Śrutis.” The word Ānupūrvyā means “according to the authority of the Śruti,” as says the Lexicon:—“The words Ānupūrvī, Śruti, Veda, and Āmnāya all mean sacred scriptures.” The word Ānupūrvyā does not mean here “consecutively,” it does not mean that the various powers exist in the Lord in succession; it does not mean that the Lord is possessed of different contradictory and conflicting attributes which manifest in succession, but not simultaneously. If it meant that, then the word Aniśam in the above verse would be useless. For it means ‘simultaneously,’ ‘incessantly uninterruptedly.’ That the Lord has all conflicting attributes, we find from another passage of this very Upaniṣad, where it is said:—“He is my Lord within the heart, smaller than a corn of rice, smaller than a corn of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary seed. He is also my Lord within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky greater than heaven, than all these worlds” (Ch. III. 14. 3). This text clearly shows that the Lord within the heart is both infinitely Small and infinitely Great. The following text also shows the same:—“all conflicting attributes mentioned in the scriptures exist in the Lord (God), and even such attributes which the scriptures do not mention, also undoubtedly exist in Him, whether they are thinkable or whether they transcend all thought. But in Him there exists no evil though persons ignorant of the true meaning of scriptures, say that in Him exists all evil also, for He is both Good and Bad.’ Similarly the following verse of the Garuḍa Purāṇa shows the same; “verily there exists in Him only good attributes, whether they are mentioned in the scriptures or they are not so mentioned, (such as smallness and greatness, etc.) but no faults ever exist in Him, whether known or unknown.” In fact the conflicting qualities exist in the Lord, only so far as, they are good qualities, the conflicting qualities of evil do not exist in Him at all, for there is no evil at all in Him.”

The word Hṛdaya means not only heart, but the ether of the heart also. When it means not only heart, but the ether of the heart, it is a compound of Hṛd and Aya, meaning that which moves in the heart. When the question is put, “what exists in this Hṛdaya,” it means what exists in this ether of the heart. The full sense, therefore, is “in this ether (Ākāśa) called also Hṛdaya (Mover in the heart) there exists an Ether (Ākāśa) called Brahman.” The elemental Ether in the heart is not Brahman, for then this elemental Ether in the heart, which is very small in quantity, would be equal to infinite Ether outside the heart, which is an impossibility, for the Ether within the heart is said to be small, in the phrase “Dahraḥ Asmin Antara Ākāśaḥ”. While the Ākāśa or Ether outside the heart is infinite. Moreover, the Being mentioned in answer to the question, “what exists within it,” is described as being infinitely great in size, as the Ether outside. Therefore, this Being is Brahman Ākāśa and not any elemental Ākāśa.

If the Ether within the heart did not mean the elemental Ether, but Brahman itself, then we are landed in this absurdity. The Śruti says “that which is within this that must be sought after, that must we understand,” which would then mean, that which is within Brahman deserves to be sought for and that is to be understood. But the object of search and understanding is Brahman himself, and not something within Brahman. If the Ether within the Heart were Brahman itself, then it would contradict also the text of Taittiriya, already given before, which says ‘in this small lotus of the heart there is a small Ether wherein there exists an Ether, which is free from sorrow, that ought to be meditated upon’. This text of the Taittiriya also shows that the Ether within the heart is not Brahman, but He is within the Ether of the heart. For the attribute Viśokam ‘free from sorrow' applies to Gagana [Gaganam] or Ether or Sky, which exists within the Ether of the heart. Moreover, another text says that He has thousand heads, thousand eyes, etc. This text follows immediately after the above text of the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka. This clearly shows that the Ether within the heart is not to be meditated upon as God, but the God Himself who exists within this Ether.

We give below the whole of this text

(1) Vedādau Svaraḥ Proktaḥ Vedānte Ca Pratiṣṭhitaḥ; Tasya Prakritilīnasya Yaḥ Paraḥ Sa Maheśvaraḥ.

(2) Sahasraśirśam Devam Viśvākṣam Viśvasaṃbhuvam Viśvam Nārāyaṇam Devam Akāṣaram Paramam Prabhum.

“That syllable (Om) which is employed in the beginning of the Vedas, which is maintained in the Vedantas as svara, beyond, this Om, must be meditated upon the Supreme Lord: merged in Prakriti. The Supreme God has infinite number of heads, has eyes in all directions, has senses everywhere, the good of the whole universe flows from Him, this God moving upon waters is the Imperishable the Supreme Lord.”

This clearly shows that the Being within the Ether of the Heart is the Supreme Lord and not the Ether of the heart.

The word in the text is that “the Lord has thousand heads, etc.,” which cannot apply to the Ether of the heart.

In the text it is said “that which is within, that must be searched for.” Now if the Ether within the heart meant Brahman, then it would mean “that which is within Brahman, that ought to be searched.”

Therefore the Commentator says:—

Verily there is nothing within Lord which deserves to be sought after or to be understood than the Lord Himself. In fact, the Lord Himself is to be understood, the Lord Himself is to be sought for, for such is the force of the word “Tad Vāva,” “He alone.”

If it be taken that the Ether within the Heart is the Supreme Brahman, and he who is within this Ether is the lower Brahman, then also there would be incongruity. For this Being within the Ether of the heart is described to be “the Supporter of all, as not touched by old age, and not dying with the death of the body, not being killed when the body is killed, that is the true Brahmapura, in it all desires are contained, this is the Self free from sin, free from old age, free from death and grief, etc.” All these attributes cannot apply to the lower Brahman. Therefore the Ether within the heart is Elemental Ether, and the Being within it is the Supreme Brahman. The result is, that when the pupils ask the question “what is there within that deserves to be sought for or that is to be understood,” the answer to it is “he who is called Ākāśa [Ākāśaḥ] the All-luminous and who exists within the Ether of the heart.”

If it be said why don’t you take the question and answer to mean that the Heaven and Earth, the Fire and Air, Sun & Moon, etc., are contained within this Brahman and therefore they ought to be inquired into. May not this Śruti be taken as teaching men to inquire into the facts of nature and to learn God by learning His handiwork. To this the Commentator replies

If the scripture taught that inquiry should be made into Heaven and Earth, etc., and the object of the question is to teach such inquiry, then we say it is wrong. For the scriptures do not teach merely inquiry into Heaven and Earth, etc. Their highest aim is to incline men’s heart towards inquiry after Brahman. As we find from the following text:—“Know Him alone as the Self, leave off every other talk.” (Br. Up.)

The “Ubhe” in the phrase “Ubhe Asmin Dyāvā Pṛthivī”, etc., means both the freed and the non-freed, and released and the bound condition of these deities called Heaven and Earth, etc. This we say because of the last phrase of the verse which says “whatever there is (useful) for him here, and Whatever is not,” Now “whatever there is, for him here” means whatever is useful for his condition as a transmigrating Jīva, i.e., other bound Jīvas, and the phrase “whatever is not for him” means whatever is of no use to him as a bound Jīva; namely all freed Jīvas. The word Asya in that line means “for him,” namely for the Transmigrating Self.

Admitted that Jīvas passing through the Cycle of transmigration may be called as “Asti” or existing; but why should the freed Jīvas be called “Nasti” or non-existing. To this the reply is:—

With reference to the bound Jīvas the freed souls are called nonexistent, because they are unknown to the former and can be of no good to him (consciously). He is said to be non-existent with regard to another, who cannot help the other (i.e., of whose help the other is unconscious), and though he is existent, of course, yet relatively he is non-existent. As a man who has no wealth, may say there is no wealth, not meaning that there is absolutely no wealth in the world, but that it is in the possession of some one, where it can be of no use to him.

The word Yathā occurs in this khaṇḍa (verse 5) it means according to their merit and their fitness. All freed creatures enter into the Lord, into that aspect of Him for which they are fit, and they enter into Him under the command of the Lord.

The phrase “Yam, Yam Antam”, etc., in that verse means that the freed souls get whatever desires they desire, whatever place they want to go to; all through the Grace of the Lord. (They are not independent in getting these things, but depend upon the Lord for them). (The next verse teaches that the place obtained through good works is transitory. It does not mean that all good works are transitory in their effect). Only persons, who do not know the Lord, acquire worlds which are transitory, by their good deeds; and in their case only, such goods are transitory in their results; (but in the case of those who know the Lord, their good deeds are fruitful of permanent result).

The phrase “Etān Ca Satyā Kāmān”, does not mean that a freed soul becomes absolutely a “Satya Kāma”; he becomes a “Satya Kāma” only under the command of the God: and the “Satya Kāmān” here refers to the true desires of the Lord and not to the desires of the freed souls The freed soul must know the Lord on this Earth and must know also that all the desires of the Lord are also True.

The Lord Viṣṇu is called Brahmapura, because, He is Great (Bṛhat) and Full (Pūrṇa), because all His desires are ever satisfied. In that Viṣṇu exists this body, which is also called Brahmapura or the temple of God. In this Brahmapura or temple of God; there is in the centre, the heart, called the Palace; within this heart, is the Ether, called the Cardiac Ether, in that Cardiac Ether there is the Lord Viṣṇu Himself, and in Him there exists all this Universe. He is the Satya Kama, the Lord whose desires are ever fulfilled, for whatever He wills, that cometh to pass; all desires of every man find the fulfilment in Him, therefore, it is said ‘in Him all desires are centred.’ For the freed souls invariably get all their desires fulfilled by His command alone. Therefore, the released souls are also called “Satya Kāma”; but they are dependent on the Lord for the fulfilment of their desires, as the reflection depends on the original fount of light for all its light and glory.