Section 6.10 (tenth khaṇḍa) (three texts)

Upaniṣad text:

‘These rivers, my dear, flow along,—the Eastern ones to the East, and the Western ones to the West; they go from sea to sea, and they become the sea. And just as these rivers, while there, do not know I am this river or that.’—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

‘Just listen to an illustration; my dear, these rivers—the Gaṅgā and the rest,—the Eastern ones flowing towards the East and the Western ones—the Sindhu and the rest flowing to—towards the West; and these become drawn up from the sea by clouds and fall down again in the form of rain, into the Gangā and other rivers and flow into the sea again; and they become the sea; now these rivers, having become unified in:he ocean, do not know that I am this river Gaṅgā,—or I am that river—Yamunā,—or I am the Mahī;—in the same manner.’—(1)

[The Mahī is a river in Central India, 22’20 N, 73’5 E which falls into the Gulf of Cambay.]

Upaniṣad text:

‘In the same manner, all these creatures, having come from Being, know not they come from Being; and whatever these creatures are here,—a tiger, or a lion, or a wolf, or a boar, or a worm, or an insect, or a gadfly, or a mosquito,—that they become again.—(2)

Now, that which is the Subtle Essence,—in that has all this its Self;—That is the Self; That is the True; That thou art, O, Śvetaketu’.—‘Revered Sir, please explain this to me again’.—‘Be it so, my boy’,—he said.—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

‘In the same manner, my dear, all these creatures—who did not know that they had become merged in Being,—do not know that it is from Being that they are coming,—or have come again. And in this world, whatever they were in the past,—a tiger etc., etc.,—as before. In the ordinary world, it is seen that in water, there appear many such manifestations as ripples, waves, foam, bubbles and the like,—and they revert again to the same form of water, and are destroyed; as for living beings however, though they are, daily, becoming merged in their cause,—during deep sleep and at death and at Cosmic Dissolution,—they are not destroyed (they continue to exist in other forms’).—‘Explain this to me again, Revered Sir, by further illustrations.’—‘Be it so, my boy,’—said the father.—(2-3)

End of Section (10) of Discourse VI.