9(a). The Concept of Mind in the Aitareyopaniṣad

The Aitareya-upaniṣad properly so-called is only a part of the larger Aitareya Āraṇyaka beginning with the fourth section of the second chapter of the Āraṇyaka and going to the end of that chapter. It consists of three chapters all of which are important. It proclaims another of the four mahāvākyas, ‘Brahman is pure conscousness’.^[1] The first chapter gives us the secret of creation. Everything has been created out of the Atman or the Brahman. The second chapter lets us know of the three births of a man or the Atman. The Creator desired to continue this art of creation.

The third chapter deals with the nature of Atman:

oṃ vāṅmemanasi pratiṣṭhitā mano me vāci pratiṣṭhitam māvirāvīrma edhi vedasya ma āṇīsthaḥ śrutaṃ me mā prahāsīranenādhītena ahorātrān sandadhāmyṛtaṃ vadiṣyāmi | satyaṃ vadiṣyāmi tanmāmavatu tadvaktāramavatvavatu māmavatu vaktāram avatu vaktāram | oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ || ^[2]

The Aitareya-upaniṣad contains the mahāvākya, Prajñānam Brahma, consciousness is Brahman. According to this view, consciousness is neither an adjunct nor an evolute, but it has the essential nature of the Absolute. If consciousness does not manifest itself, it is due to some limitation in the organism or in the situation.

The formation of mind is explained by this Upaniṣad. The act of creation is a part of Atman or the duty of Atman. It is both the cause and effect. The whole world is made Upaniṣad of the five elements viz., space, air, fire, water and earth. The knowledge of Atman constitutes his wishes to have a mouth. Out of that mouth emerges the organ of speech; and then fire and air emerged. In the same manner, the universal human form, virat has two eyes, two ears and skin and their deities.

The deity of the inner sense, antaḥkaraṇa, is called the mind that emerges in the manner:

tamabhyatapattasyābhitaptasya mukhaṃ nirabhidyata yathāṇḍam | mukhādvāgvāco'gnirnāsikenirabhidyetāṃ nāsikābhyāṃ prāṇaḥ prāṇādyuyurakṣiṇi nirabhidyetāmakṣibhyāṃ cakṣuścakṣuṣa ādityaḥ karṇai nirabhidyetāṃ kārṇābhyāṃ śrotraṃ śrotrād diśastvaṅnirabhidyata tvaco lomāni lomabhya oṣadhivanaspatayo hṛdayaṃ nirabhidyata hṛdayātmano manasaścandramā nābhirnirabhidyata nābhyā apāno'pānānmṛtyuḥ śiśnaṃ nirabhidyata śiśnādroto retasaḥ āpaḥ |^[3]

Śrī Śankara commends on this in his bhāṣya;

yathā pakṣiṇo'ṇḍaṃ nirabhidyataitam | tasmānnirbhinnānmukhādvākkaraṇamidriyaṃ niravartata tadadhiṣṭhāta'gnistato vāco lokapālaḥ tathā nāsikenirabhidyetām | nāsikābhyāṃ prāṇaḥ prāṇādvāyuriti sarvatrādhiṣṭhānaṃ karaṇaṃ devatā ca trayaṃ krameṇa nirbhinnamiti | akṣīṇi karṇaitvagdhṛdayamantakaraṇādhiṣṭhānaṃ mano'ntakaraṇaṃ nābhiḥ sarvaprāṇabandhanasthanaṃ tasmādapānasaṃyuktatvādapāna iti pāyvindriyamucyate |^[4]

Again this Upaniṣad explains mind as the central factor:

agnirvāgbhūtvā mukhaṃ prāviśadvāyuḥ prāṇobhūtvā nāsike prāviśadādityaścakṣurbhūtvā'kṣiṇī prāviśaddiśaḥ śrotraṃ bhūtvā kaṇau prāviśannoṣadhivanaspatayo lomāni bhūtvā tvacaṃ prāviśaṃścadramā manobhūtvā hṛdayaṃ prāviśan mṛtyurapāno bhūtvā nābhiṃ praviśadāpo reto bhūtvā śiśnaṃ prāviśan || ^[5]

In his commentary Śrī Śankara says:

vāyurnāsikeādityo akṣiṇi diśaḥ kaṇau oṣadhivanaspatayastvacaṃ candramā hṛdayaṃ mṛtyurnābhiṃ āpaḥ śiśnaṃ prāviśan || ^[6]

The knower of the Atman and the knowing object are the same as mentioned. Hence the duality is of no veracity.

This Upaniṣad considers manas as a material and inert substance that cannot function without Atman. Awareness [saṃjñā], comprehension [ajñānaṃ], understanding [vijñānaṃ], knowledge [prajñānaṃ], retentiveness [medā], insight [dṛuṣṭiḥ], resolution [dṛutiḥ], opinion [matiḥ], memory [smṛtiḥ], reflection [manīṣā], impulse [jutiḥ], will [saṃkalpaḥ], purposed [kratuḥ], life [asuḥ], desire [kāma], control [vaśa] etc are the names of mind or knowledge [prajñānaṃ]. These are regarded as different names of our intellectual experiences.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Aitareya-upaniṣad-5.3

[2]:

Ibid -śāntimantra

[3]:

Aitareya-upaniṣad-1.1.4

[4]:

Aitareyopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-1.1.4

[5]:

Aitareya-upaniṣad-1.2.4

[6]:

Aitareyopaniṣad Śānkarabhāṣya-1.2.4