10. The Psychological aspects in the Svetaśvataropaniṣad

The Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad is a part of Kṛṣṇayajurveda. It begins with the enquiry of the first cause of the world. The concept of mind is well explained in the second chapter of this Upaniṣad. This is in the form of a meditation technique. One should, in the beginning, meditate on a benedictory prayer to the divinities, to the sun and the fire to divert our mind and the sense organs from the external world.

It makes them fit to meditate on and attain the Paramātman. After diverting the mind, intellect and senses to the realization of the Atman, one should send all his praises and prayers to the Sun.

yuñjānaḥ prathamaṃ manastatvāya savitadhiyaḥ agnerjyotirnnicāyya pṛthivyā addhyābharata || ^[1]

The aspirant should meditate or pray to the Sun and to the fire which has got the power to make the object manifested to the eye, so that instead of making the external things perceivable or our mind fully to the senses, they should empower them to visualize the Atman and thus to experience a fraction of the bliss of the heavenly kind.

It says:-

yuktena manasā vayaṃ devasya savituḥ save suvargeyāya śaktyā || || ^[2]

The Sun-God is the only, all pervading, great and omniscient witness of all; and all performance of sacrifices depend upon him, a brahmine, who after diverting his mind, senses and intellect, applies them all for the realization of the Atman.

yuktvāya manasā devānsuvaryatodhiyo divam bṛhajjyotiḥ kariṣyataḥ savitā prasuvātitān || ^[3]

Let him then salute the divinities of the sense and of the Sun and then direct the power of his mind and senses towards the realization of the Brahman by means of mutation on the Praṇava:

yuñjate mana uta yuñjate dhiyo viprā viprasya bṛhato vipaścitaḥ ||
vi hotrā dadhe vayunāvidekainmahī devasya savituḥ pariṣṭutiḥ || ^[4]

The mind of such a person becomes more and more pure not only by the performances of the sacrifices but also by the practice of control over the senses that is through the prāṇāyāma–restrained in contemplation–and mind. All bliss, like the drinking of the nectar (soma-rasa), oozes out on account of the meditation.

Through the concentration of the senses there would emerge the concrete and direct realization of the Atman.

agiryatrābhimadhyate vāyuryatrādhirudhyate |
somo yatrātiricyate tatra saṃjāyate manaḥ || ^[5]

These are also seen in the Chāndogya-upaniṣad and the Bhagavad Gītā One should constantly serve the Atman as the Brahman, to fix his gaze upon the vision that, like the cotton by the fire, all his actions and enjoyments, along with all his desires, will be burnt by the fire of Ātmajñāna.

tadyatheṣīkatūlamagnau protaṃ pradūryataiḥ vaṃ hāsya sarvepapmānaḥ pradūyanteya etadevaṃvidvalagni hotraṃ juhoti || ^[6]

Even as a blasting fire burns the fuel to ashes, does so the fire of knowledge burns all actions to action.

yathedhāṃṣi sadiddhaḥ agnirbhasmasātkuruterjunajñānāgniḥ sarvakarmāṇi bhasmasātkurutetathā || ^[7]

This Upaniṣad also states the method of how one should meditate and control all the senses, mind and intellect. One should keep the three limbs of the body straight in one line and sit quite erect for meditation. The mind and sense organs are withdrawn from the external objects and controlled by resorting to Praṇava. Prāṇāyāma has its proper place in the process. It consists of three parts, pūraka (inhaling), kuṃbhaka (retention) and recaka (exhaling) of the breath.^[8]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad-2.1

[2]:

Ibid- 2.2

[3]:

Ibid -2.3

[4]:

Ibid -2.4

[5]:

Ibid -2.5

[6]:

Ibid -2.6

[7]:

Ibid -2.7

[8]:

Ibid -2.8,9