Mandukya Upanishad (Madhva commentary)
by Srisa Chandra Vasu | 1909 | 15,464 words | ISBN-13: 9789332869165
The English translation of the Mandukya Upanishad including the commentary of Madhva called the Bhasya. The describe the secret meaning of Om as the four names and aspects of the Lord (Vishva, Taijasa, Prajna and Turiya). This Upanishad is associated with the Atharva Veda and contains tweelve verses although Madhva reads the Gaudapada’s Karikas as ...
Mantra 3.2
2. (U9) The Lord in waking state is called Vaiśvānara and is designated by the letter “A”, and this is His first part: for the word āpti, the approaches begins with “A” or because it has a beginning (Ādi). He verily attains all desires, and Viśva becomes his Saviour who knows thus.—27.
Notes.
[Note.—Āpteḥ—because He brings (āpayati or prāpayati) all objects to the Jīvas, or He causes all Jīvas to grasp all objects in this state, therefore, it is a condition of āpti or acquiring.]
[Note.—Ādimatvāt—Having a biginning. The Viśva has two beginnings. To reach the waking state from that of sleep, the Viśva separates from the Prājña. Thus the first beginning is Prājña. From dream also it comes to waking, so Taijasa is the second beginning.]
[Note.—Ādiḥ (Ādi)—first, Saviour, Viśva becomes the ādi or saviour of such a person.]
Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:
Conventionally the Viśva is spoken of as the (Alpha or) “a” and so it is called akāra—He whose symbol is “a”. The Vaiśvanara, which has already been described in the preceding mantras, as the first mātrā or aspect of the Lord (see mantra 9) is again taught here and is symbolised by “a”. The Viśva is said to be ādimān—“He that has a beginning”.—because Prājña and Taijasa precede it in manifestation. When waking from deep sleep (supti) the Viśva separates from Prājña and so Prājña becomes its ādi or beginning. Similarly when waking from dream state, it separates from Taijasa. Thus these two are the beginning of Viśva. The word “ādi” in the text also means that the Viśva becomes the ādi or saviour of the worshipper of “a”.
Note.— Sometime a Jīva suddenly awakes from deep sleep owing to being violently shaken or roused and does not pass through the intermediate stage of dream. Thus Prājña becomes the beginning of Viśva. Similarly the Jīva, often as a general rule, arises from a dreaming condition to the waking state and so the Taijasa also becomes the ādi or beginning of Viśva.
Two reasons are given for the Viśva being called namely, that is the contracted form of either “āpti” “the Bringer,” or of “ādi,” the Saviour. We can derive the noun “a” the Bringer from the √āp, ‘pervade’ taken in a causative sense and adding the affix “डa”. The derivation of from is problematic.