7(a). The Concept of Mind in the Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad

The Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad contains only twelve verses and is the smallest of all Upaniṣads. It proclaims in its second verse the infinite dimension of man in a pregnant utterance—one of the four mahāvākyas or ‘great utterance’ of the Upaniṣad:—‘this Atman is Brahman’.^[1] It is short but metaphysically an important one.

Muktikopaniṣad states about the Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad:

māṇḍūkyamekamevālaṃ mumukṣūṇāṃ vimuktye |^[2].

It is that the Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad is the only reliable source of mumukṣu. Śrī Gaudapāda commented on the Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad , called Māṇḍūkyakārika, as the very foundation and the gist of the Advaita philosophy which is the crest of the whole spiritual experiences and the most lucid text of the Vedanta. It is the very essence and epitome of all the Vedantic knowledge. It states:

māyāmātramidaṃ dvaitamaddhaitaṃ paramārthataḥ || ^[3]

The Māṇḍūkyakārikā is divided into four chapters, technically called prakaraṇās, namely, āgama, vaitatya, Advaita and alātaśānti prakaraṇa. This short Upaniṣad goes straight into the problem of consciousness. This Upaniṣad explains the symbol AUM in three different states and adds a fourth part corresponding to which there are different states of consciousness. The Vedic thinkers were concerned not only about the order in the outer universe but also about the order in the inner world. This is clear from the fact that the whole of Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad is devoted to a study of the altered states of consciousness as they are now called.

The great originality of the Māṇḍūkya consists in positing the four stages of consciousness, namely, wakefulness, dream, sleep and a fourth un-namable state of consciousness. It can be considered as four functions namely, viśva, taijasa, prājñā and turīya. All are verily allied to this Atman or Brahman. The dissolution of each of the first three aspects and the union of all into one that follows it, leads to the emergence of the fourth aspect of Atman. The second verse of this Upaniṣad contains one of the mahāvākyas, the great utterance of the Upaniṣad, namely ‘ayamātmā brahma’ ie, ‘the self is Brahman’. It proclaims that Atman is Brahman, one and non-dualistic.

Yet the Māṇḍūkya-upaniṣad proclaims the states of consciousness in the way of four aspects but the Guadapādakārikā advocates the position of mind in different states. The second prakaraṇa of the kārikā states that the various experiences of the waking state are grasped by the mind only. They have no existence in reality. In the waking state the mind appears as the different objects and persons. This is similar to a dream state.

The existence of mind as described in the third part the Advaita prakaraṇa proclaims that in deepsleep mind is illuminated differently as in a waking state:

yathā svapne dvayābhāsaṃ spandhate māyayā manaḥ tathā jāgrat dvayābhāsam spandhate māyayā manaḥ^[4]

In dream and in the waking state the Atman appears as the different objects in the mind.

The objects perceived by the mind are the various manifestations of the Atman:

advyaṃ ca dvayābhāsaṃ manaḥ svapne na saṃśayaḥ advyaṃ ca dvayābhāsaṃ tathā jāgrannasaṃśayaḥ || 
manodṛśyamidaṃ dvaitaṃyatkiṃcit sacarācaram manaso hyamanībhāvedvaitaṃ naivopalabhyate || ^[5]

Śrī Śankara comments on this:

ātmaiva satyatma satyaṃ, mṛttiketyeva satyaṃ (chā.u.6.1.4) iti śruteḥ tasya śāstrācāryepademanvavabodha ātmasyānubodhaḥ tena saṅkalapyābhāvāttanna saṅkalpayate dāhyābhāve jvalanamivāgneḥ yadā yasminkāle, tadā tasmin kāle amanastāṃ amanobhāvaṃ yatiḥ, grāhyābhāve tat manaḥ, agrahaṃ grahaṇavikalpanāvarjitamityarthaḥ |^[6]

When one realizes the Atman as the essence of consciousness, the mind ceases to form ideas and consequently ceases to be mind. The mind cannot function or there is no idea to separate from the Atman. Mind is the intermediate form that acts as a way of realization. The mind loses sleep and it does not come under control. It becomes the Brahman; it is possessed of the light of consciousness. The dual nature of the world can be seen by the mind.

So in the absence of mind they can never see:

līyate hi suṣupte tannigrahītaṃ na līyate tadeva nirbhayaṃ brahma jñānālokaṃ samantataḥ || ^[7]

All yogins attain their state of Brahman when their minds are controlled.

Cessation of sorrow, spiritual enlightenment, and calmness of mind are attained at the level of mental conquest:

manaso nigrahāyattaramabhayaṃ sarvayogināṃ duḥkhakṣaya prabodhaścāpyakṣayā śāntireva ca || ^[8]

The controlled mind becomes steady as it does not slip into the dropper and the yogins reach Brahman-hood. It is said that:-

yathā na līyate cittaṃ na ca vikṣipyate punaḥ aniṅganamanābhāsaṃ niṣpannaṃ brahmatattadā || ^[9]

The nature of mind is said to be that becomes motionless it like a lamp in a windless place and does not appear before any outside objects. Such a mind attains Brahman or identified with Brahman.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mā.Up. -2

[2]:

Muktikopaniṣad-1.26

[3]:

Māṇḍūkyakārikā-1.17

[4]:

Ibid -3.29

[5]:

Ibid -3.30

[6]:

Māṇḍūkyakārikā Śānkarabhāṣyam -3.30

[7]:

Māṇḍūkyakārikā -3.35

[8]:

Ibid -3.40

[9]:

Ibid -3.46