Kaivalya Upanishad

With Advaita Commentary

9,902 words

The Kaivalya Upanishad is an advanced philosophy and is in reply to the plea of Ashvalayana, already advanced in both years and practice. Ashvalayana askes for the full understanding and realisation of the truth of his non-dual identity with the Absolute Brahman or God....

9. He alone is all that was,  and all that will be,  the Eternal.  Knowing Him,  one transcends death.  There is no other way to freedom.

"He alone is all that was,  and all that will be,  the Eternal"

This statement is the established fact of the scriptures.  Upon this fact is based the highest understanding.
With the Primal Singularity of Existence established it is empirically observable that nothing new comes into existence and also there is no-thing that leaves or goes out of existence (all things merely change) therefore the Absolute is "all that was,  and all that will be" Existence is Eternal.

"Knowing Him,  one transcends death"

The term "Knowing Him" means to have Realised the truth of the Absolute.  The wise man that sees this Truth will understand that all that he is,  is but The Absolute Itself Alone,  this is the fact of Non-Duality.  Knowing this the Realised Sage knows himself to be Eternal ("transcends death").

"There is no other way to freedom"

It is immediately understood by the wise that only the truth,  realised in consciousness,  can lead that consciousness to freedom.  Any understanding,  action or way of life that does not consciously encompass the truth of Non-Duality cannot result in true freedom,  ignorance is a prison because it leads the consciousness to the repetition of the unreal.  The definition of ignorance here is the forgetting of our true identity with the Non-Dual Absolute or God,  the Unity of Existence.

This means that this Singularity of Existence has to be known and Realised.  Only by becoming fully conscious of this reality can one escape the consciousness of duality,  birth and death.

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