Chandogya Upanishad (Shankara Bhashya)

by Ganganatha Jha | 1942 | 149,749 words | ISBN-10: 8170842840 | ISBN-13: 9788170842842

This is the English translation of the Chandogya Upanishad, an ancient philosophical text originally written in Sanksrit and dating to at least the 8th century BCE. Having eight chapters (adhyayas) and many sub-sections (khandas), this text is counted among the largest of it's kind. The Chandogya Upanishad, being connected to the Samaveda, represen...

Section 7.7 (seventh khaṇḍa) (four texts)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

It has been declared above (under VIII. iii. 4.) that ‘this serene and happy Being, after having risen out of this body and having reached the Highest Light, becomes merged into His own true form,—that is, the Self,—he said,—this is the immortal and the fearless, this is Brahman.’ Now arise the questions—“Who is this serene and happy Being?—How he is to be understood, that he ‘having risen out of this body and having reached the Highest Light, becomes merged into His own true form’?” “What is the characteristic of that Self, in whose true form he becomes merged?—For the Serene and Happy Being there are many forms, which are related to the Body, and which are not his own,—which then is that form, apart from these, which is his own?”—and these matters have to be explained; and it is for this purpose that the text proceeds with the next Section:—

Upaniṣad text:

‘That Self-which is free from evil, free from decrepitude, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger and thirst, with true desires and true volitions,—should be sought after, should be sought to be understood; he attains all regions—and all desires,—who has sought to know Self and understands It’;—so said Prajāpati—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

That Self, which is free from evil, free from decrepitude, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger and thirst, with true desires and true volitions,—for the purpose of meditating upon which the white lotus of the Heart has been declared to be the place when it can be perceived,—wherein are contained all true desires concealed by the untrue,—as a concomitant with the meditation whereof Celibacy has been declared to be a means,—and for the knowledge of the result of whose meditation, the passing out by the Artery in the Head has been described,—this Self should be sought after,—should be sought to be known through scriptures and the Teachings of the Teacher; and It should be sought to be understood,—more specifically understood, i.e. should be realised within oneself.

It is next explained what would follow from the said seeking and understanding: He attains all regions, and all desires,—who has sought to know that Self—in the prescribed manner through scriptures and the teachings of Teachers, —and understands It, realised It within himself. So that this—attaining of all regions and becoming the All-Self are the results.—So said Prajāpati.

The two expressions ‘should be sought to be known’ and ‘should be sought to be understood’ contain restrictive,—not originative—injunctions; the sense being that ‘It is to be sought to be known,—and sought to be understood,—in this particular manner’; that such is the restriction implied follows from the fact that both the acts—the seeking to know and seeking to understand,—serve perceptible purposes; that this is so is going to be shown repeatedly later on, in the texts, ‘I see no good in this etc., etc. (Section 9, below). When hitherto the Self has been known through the qualities of the Body, the sense—organs etc.,—if and when its own real form causes to be understood,—it leads to the perceptible result in the form of the cessation (disappearance) of the preceding wrong notion; for this reason the injunction in question should be taken to be a restrictive one, and an originative one, like the injunction of Agnihotra and other acts.—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

Both Devas and Asuras heard this, and they said—‘Well, we shall search for that Self by searching which one attains all regions and all desires’.—Indra, from among the Devas, went out, and so did Virocana from among the Asuras; and both, without communicating with one another, with fuel in their hands, approached Prajāpati.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Both etc.—the purpose of this story has been already stated befor.—What Prajāpati had said (as reported at the end of the last section)—both Devas and Asuras heard;—it came to their ears through long-continued tradition. And having understood what Prajāpati had said, what they did is next described: they said—the Devas in their own assembly, and the Asuras in theirs—‘Well,—if you all agree we shall search for that Self—which Prajāpati has spoken of,—we shall carry on a search for It,—by searching which one attains all regions and all desires’.— Having said this, Indra,—this king—from among the Devas—himself, leaving behind all other Devas and the all accessories of enjoyment, with his body alone—went out—towards Prajāpati; and so also did Virocana from among the Asuras. The text shows that Teachers have to be approached in due humility:—because Learning is superior even to the kingdom of the three regions; inasmuch as the king of the Devas and the king of the Asuras,—deserving and to the best of comforts, went out to meet the Teacher. They went, without comunicating with one another,—without consulting between themselves,—thereby showing their jealousy towards each other regarding the reward of Learning;—they went with fuel in their hands,—carrying loads of fuel in their hands, approached—came over to—Prajāpati.—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

They dwelt there as Religious students, for thirty-two years,—Then Prajāpati said to them—‘Desiring what, have you dwelt here?’—They said—‘They report a saying of yours, Sir, to the effect that— that Self which is free from evil, free from decrepitude, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger and thirst, with true desires and true volitions, should be sought after should be sought to be understood, and he attains all regions and all desires who has sought to know the Self and understands it;—it is desiring this that we have dwelt here.’—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Having gone to Prajāpati, both of them dwelt as Religious students, devoting themselves to service, —for thirty-two years.—knowing their intentions, Prajāpati said to them—‘Desiring what,—for what purpose in view,—have you dwelt here I’—thus asked, they said—‘that Self etc etc.,—is a saying of forms which cultured people report; hence it is with a view to find out that Self that we have dwelt here.’ Though, before coming to Prajāpati, the two persons were full of mutual jealousy, yet, in.view of the great importance of the acquisition of learning, both of them had renounced.all love, hatred, delusion, jealousy, and all such impurities (of character), while dwelling as religious students, with Prajāpati. This indicates the great importance of the Philosophy of Self.—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

Prajāpati said to them—‘the person that is seen in the eye,—that is the Self that I spoke of; this is the immortal, the fearless, Brahman.’—‘Sir, he that is perceived in water, and he that is perceived in the mirror,—which of these is That?’ He said—‘It is He himself—is perceived in all insides.’—(4)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Finding that the two pupils had passed through asceticism and had all their impurities cleared off and hence become qualified.—Prajāpati said to them—‘The person that is seen in the Eye,—by mystics, as the seer,—ihat is the Self,—endowed with such qualities as freedom from evil and the like,—that I spoke of—on a former occasion,—by the understanding whereof all regions and all desires are attained;—this is the Immortal,—named ‘the Infinite, and hence—fearless and hence—Brahman—the Highest.’—Having heard the words ‘the person seen in the eye’, the two pupils understood this person to be the reflected image in the eye; and having understood it thus, they asked Prajāpati, with a view to confirm it; ‘Sir, He that is perceived in water, and he that is perceived in the mirror,—the reflected image of one’s Self,—as also in such reflecting surfaces as the bright sword and the like,—which of these is that,—Self which you spoke of? Is it that which is reflected in one only? or in all?’ Thus questioned, Prajāpati said—‘It is He himself—the one seen in the eye, as the seer, which I spoke of; having kept this idea in his mind, he added—‘perceived in all insides— (inside all reflecting surfaces)’.

Objection:—“How can it be proper to accede to a wrong idea entertained by the pupils (the wrong idea being that ‘it is the reflected image in all reflecting surfaces that is the Self’)—for Prajāpati who is a Teacher entirely free from all deficiencies?”

True; but he did not accede to it.

“How so?”

As a matter of fact, both Indra and Virocana were persons who had arrogated to themselves learning, greatness and understanding; they are to be so in the world; that being so, if they were told straightway, by Prajāpati— ‘Both of you are fools and have understood things ‘wrongly’,—then it would have caused pain in their minds—and on account of this mental depression, they would not be encouraged to put further questions and learn things; hence Prajāpati thinks of saving His pupils (from such depression); His idea being—‘let them apprehend things as they have, I am going to remove their misconception by means of the illustration of the Cup of water (next section).

“Any way, it was not right for him to say—‘it is He Himself (that is seen in the eye)—perceived in all insides’,—which was evidently untrue.”

Nothing untrue has been said.

“How so?”

What Prajāpati himself had said in regard to the Person in the Eye, was closer in His Mind than the Self of the Reflections which had been understood by the pupils. The ‘inside of all is the all—inside’ says the Vedic text; and it was with reference to this ‘All—inside’ (that he declared that it was perceived in all insides). So that Prajāpati said nothing that was not true (His assertion that ‘the Person in in Eye is perceived in all-insides’ being perfectly true).

With a view to remove the misconception in the minds of his pupils, Prajāpati said (as follows).—(4)

End of Section (7) of Discourse VIII.

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