Mandukya Upanishad

With an Advaita Commentary from our Understanding

by Kenneth Jaques | 31,733 words

The Mandukya Upanishad is a short, just twelve verses, description of the material manifestation and the eventual return to unmanifest form of the Universe....

Introduction to the Mandukya Upanishad and Om

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 KJV Bible

The Mandukya Upanishad is a short,  just twelve verses,  description of the material manifestation and the eventual return to unmanifest form of the Universe.

Being of material form,  the Universe is described as being in the realm of sound.  The sound of this knowledge becoming manifest,  although obviously indescribable,  is said to be its name.  This name is symbolised as AUM,  or OM.

Therefore,  Om is the word sounding the creation of the universe and all its contents;  Om will sound from the start to the finish of Creation doing its work at every stage.  As you read this very sentence,  Om is still sounding as the knowledge of the Absolute,  that is,  this universe is unfolding in accordance with that Knowledge and its laws.

It appears that this sound of Om was known to the Greek philosopher Pythagoras as  'The Harmony of the Spheres' 

To astronomers the sounds of Om would be the 'interplanetary harmonics'.

To those seekers (scientists) speaking in material terms,  for them the sound Om would be the  'The Big Bang'

We presume Om will continue to sound the life cycle of the Universe for many millions of years yet,  before returning to the stillness and silence of being once more unmanifest.  However,  that might be no more than the cycle of another "day" with the eternal Absolute.

The Mandukya Upanishad will describe the coming into being and the winding down of the material universe as a cycle that will be repeated as a result of its cause once more arising.

However,  there is a prediction which according to an interpretation of the laws of thermodynamics,  which says that entropy will ultimately reduce the universe,  or all that exists,  to a state of unrecoverable energy,  also described as "heat death".  So to answer any questions arising from this apparent conflict we should explain.

Firstly,  these observed laws of Thermodynamics reach incorrect conclusions simply because they are based on an assumption of duality.

Such a final state of entropy for existence would only apply in an infinite environment,  or an environment that was unrelated to its contents.  Such an environment would be a duality and this is the error here.

Duality allows for there to be an  "outer space"  an infinite void that  "happens"  to contain the universe.
The philosophy of Advaita,  Non-Duality,  explains that Existence Itself is an Absolute,  a singularity.  Existence Itself could not "Be" without the primal knowledge of "how it could Be".  This Absolute Knowledge is the Singularity from which the apparent void and this universe is projected and supported by and to which it has to eventually return.
The fact of the Singularity of existence is undeniable to the wise.

The Divine Absolute  is  the totality of Existence.  The Absolute does not exist in an infinity;  infinity,  such as it may be,  exists only as the Knowledge that is the Absolute.
Therefore the void,  or  "outer space"  is ultimately the same as the objects it appears to contain.  Therefore,  there exists nothing else to support an envionment that can no longer support, or exert its own energy to support its own existence.  all will return to an Absolute Singularity because,  as said there is nowhere else existing.

Or,  to explain the meaning another way,  because the Universe is a singularity it cannot extend beyond itself into non-existence,  as it were.  The fact of a singularity is that it must always remain a singularity.  The Universe cannot extend beyond the boundaries of its own energy,  the same as an arm cannot extend beyond its unity with the body.

Or,  because all manifest forms (energy) are of this Singularity,  but this Singularity is greater than the manifest forms,  means all such manifest forms are maintained within this Singularity.

This Singularity is without origination,  it is not achieved through any of the forms of creation,  it is immutable therefore it is unaffected by the entropy of forms,  the knowledge or information of its existence exists eternally.
The forms of the universe are the lawful cause of the expansion of the void or universe.  After the entropy of those forms,  after the Dissipation of any particular energy,  the void and universe will collapse.  That is,  the unity or reality of Existence will reassert itself and the transient created void will return to that eternal singularity as primal knowledge alone.

Entropy is our inevitable return home to Divine unity as The Absolute,   or Atman,   or God.  The purpose of the Mandukya Upanishad is to explain this very fact.  Without entropy this material creation would be an eternal maze of being misled by the senses into believing this duality to be real.

No principle of law,  knowledge or understanding that does not take the primal unity of existence into account will have the basis of truth to ensure its enduring relevance.

In fact this vision of the great Seers of the scriptures can also be understood empirically through these very laws of thermodynamics.  The laws of thermodynamics and the conservation of energy  (and all that exists is energy),  state that energy cannot come into existence or go out of existence.
This means that this one Existence has always been and must always be.
This Truth is a basis of the philosophy of Advaita  ( what is Advaita? )

The meaning of the above is further discussed here in the accompanying Gaudapada's Karika.

With reference to this translation of Gaudapada-Karika,   with appreciation,   it is based on The 1953 translation of R.   D.   Karmarkar,   but with input taken from other translations to enhance the syntax,  so in itself it should not be referenced as accurate.

Gaudapada argues that the Absolute alone Exists without origination.  before Om,  before Creation,  before this Universe appeared,  the Absolute alone existed in stillness and silence.  Before creation there existed no Birth.  After this Creation there remains No Birth.  All that ever was,  all that is,  all that ever will be is the Absolute Singularity of Primal Consciousness and Knowledge Alone.

All of this Creation is transient,  empty of true existence therefore unreal.  This is the conclusion of Gaudapada's Karika on the Mandukya Upanishad.  Having no true Birth all remains dependent on the Absolute,  and will once again become subsumed within the Absolute.

The Eternal un-sounding name at rest,  in perfect stillness is Knowledge (truth) Consciousness and Bliss Alone.  Desiring the object of that knowledge,  creates that object causing the sound of Creation.

The primal sound of AOUM is the sound of all names (vibrations) giving rise to the cause,  maintenance and dissolution of Creation.

"That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above,  and that which is Above corresponds to that which is Below,  to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing".  Hermes tristmegistus

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