Concept of Oneness in the Upanishads (study)

by Chandra Shekhar Upadhyaya | 2015 | 52,584 words

This page relates ‘Concept of Oneness in Isha Upanishad’ of the study dealing with the Concept of Oneness in the Upanishads—Spiritual teachings of ancient India in the form of Sanskrit literature. The Upanisads teach us the essential oneness of humanity and guide us to the truth that the whole world is a family.This concept of oneness is the very essence of spiritualism, which constitutes the solid structure of Indian culture.

Concept of Oneness in Īśa Upaniṣad

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The Īśa Upaniṣad also known as Īśāvāsyopaniṣad, which sums up the whole Vedānta teaching, belongs to the Vājasaneyī school of Yajurveda. This Upaniṣad derives its name from the first word of its first mantra Īśa. It consists of only eighteen mantras which shows the essential unity between Īśa, i.e., the Paramātman with all creatures and gives importance on renunciation or tyāga for making a social-balance and co-operation in life. The Īśa Upaniṣad is very famous for its thought and expression in the eyes of the scholars.

In the very first mantra the Īśopaniṣad says:

īśavāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiṃca jagatyām jagat/
tena tyaktena bhuñjithā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyasvid dhanam//’^[1]

Here the Upaniṣad asserts that Īśa, i.e., the Supreme Brahman or Ātman pervades the whole universe. All existing beings related to the one eternal truth. There is nothing in this universe which is not controlled by this Supreme. Here in this mantra the term ‘vās’ indicates enveloping or wrapping or covering, i.e., this whole universe is pervaded by one Reality, which is known as Īśa or Brahman or Ātman. “The Light of Consciousness Illumines all our perceptions, feelings and thoughts. It illumines our sense organs, mind and intellect. It pervades all and nothing pervades It. And yet, the paradox is that the world-of-plurality covers so successfully the vision of Truth, in whose Light alone the plurality can be experienced.”^[2] The whole universe does not stand apart from this Reality. This all pervading Reality is in the heart of each living beings as inner self.

That is why, the Śrimad-bhagavadgītā says:

‘īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛddeśe’rjuna tiṣṭhati/’^[3]

The Īśopaniṣad states that as all the created beings are equal to Supreme Brahman so, there can not be the existence of separatism among us. By giving equal respect towards all we should try to live happly in this world. The Īśopaniṣad accords high value to renunciation or tyāga. It has given stress on the fact that our enjoyment should be in the mode of sacrificing something for others. According to this Upaniṣad giving is the secret of happiness in this life Through renunciation or tyāga one can enjoy the true happiness. Sacrificing something for others, who are living in the same society is the true enjoyment of wealth. As these whole is pervaded by Īśa or Brahman and nothing is apart from it, so every human being possesses equal value in the society. The Īśopaniṣad says that we should enjoy only limited things that is needed for a basic livelihood. Not coveting others wealth and giving equal importance towards all, we can feel happy in our life. At the same time, the Upaniṣad states that we should desire to live hundred years by doing such karmas only which are beneficial to others.^[4] Doing such type of karmas we become very much close to that Parama Brahman, which gives total detouchment to the worldly enjoyments. According to the Īśopaniṣad, human life is superior than any other beings in this world. Taking birth as a human being in this world, the primary duty of a man is to try mokṣa or liberation by performing his actual duties, which can not envelope him in this worldly attachment and always helps him to realise the actual nature of the Supreme Truth.

The Upaniṣad states:

‘asūryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ/
taṃste pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātmahano janāḥ//’^[5]

Here, this mantra clarifies that getting a golden opportunity in this human life one who misuses his life, and does not offer his karmas to the Parama Brahman through the service of mankind, he is really the self killer. As a result he again and again takes birth and death and faces various types of hells. They are really ignorant persons who become fail to understand their real nature and spend their life in completely selfish manner, enjoying worldly pleasures and gathering sorrows and sufferings for long long periods. The fact, ‘ātmanaṃ biddhi’, i.e., realise the Ātman is the main door to achieve liberation in this human life.

The Īśopaniṣad states:

‘yastu sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmanyevānupaśyati/
sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ tato na vijugupsate//’^[6]

yasminsarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūdvijānataḥ/
tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ//’^[7]

The Īśopaniṣad Upaniṣad remarks in these mantra that he who realises the nature of Ātman, he sees him in all bhūtas and all bhūtas in him.

The Śrimad-bhagavad-gītā states:

‘sarvabhūtasthamātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani/ īkṣate yogayuktātmā sarvatra samadarśanaḥ//’^[8]

[Trans: The Yogī who is united in identity with the all pervading, infinite consciousness, whose vision everywhere is even, beholds the Self existing in all beings and all beings as assumed in the Self.]^[9]

In that state he becomes free from hatred, jealousy and all kinds of activities which bring separatism and destruction to the society. In this way, realisation of all beings in one’s own self gives birth to the concept of oneness among all the creatures being and removed from all kinds of sorrows and delusions. Sorrows and delusion comes to that person who completely fails to ascertained the secret behind our life, but not to him who is able to understand the absolute oneness of the self. Swami Chinmayananda has pointed out that, “The entire world of perceptions, feelings and ideas exist only in the Supreme Reality, just as all kinds of waves, bubbles, froth and whirls exist only in the ocean. We cannot have a wave but in the ocean; in fact, the wave is nothing other than the ocean; waves are but expressions of the strength, might and power of the ocean. Similarly, whatsoever (Yat-Kiñcha) names and forms are there in the Universe, all of them are but expressions of the glory of the Eternal Truth; in themselves they are nothing other than the Spirit.”^[10]

Illustrating the nature of vidyā and avidyā, the Īśopaniṣad states:

‘andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye’vidyāmupāsate/
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ//’^[11]

[Trans: Those who worship Avidyā; enter into terrific darkness in the form of ignorance., those who indulge in Vidyā (who are proud of their knowledge); they (enter into) even greater darkness; as if.]^[12]

Here in this mantra the Upaniṣad says that being attracted by material pleasure, one who takes resort to avidyā, i.e., performs various types of karmas, enters into darkness and takes birth again and again. He is unable to achieve Brahman, which is the ultimate destination of life in this world. He suffers in this world being entangled in the cycle of birth and death. On the otherhand one who boasts of his false knowledge of Brahman and thinks that he has nothing to do in this world, he gives up all his activites. He comes under the grip of sensual pleasure and begins to act whimsically against the injunction of the Śāstras. For these activities he takes his birth in the lower category and suffers severely in this world.

At the same time the Īśopaniṣad remarks that:

‘andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye’saṃbhūtimupāsate/ tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u saṃbhūtyaṃ ratāḥ//^[13]

In this mantra the term ‘saṃbhūti’ indicates ‘The fact of being born; an effect, too, that has this (quality of being born)’^[14] and the other than that is called asaṃbhūti. According to this Upaniṣad, those who worship unreal enter into the blinding darkness. In the same way those who worship Parama Brahman and falsely proud of their attachment to the Supreme, enter into greater darkness. Those type of worshippers misguide others through their arguments and lead the people to the unreal path, where they are always diverted from the truth. These type of persons finally gain the hells like kuṃbhipāka and suffer for their karmas which already they have done. That is why, realisation of the proper nature of own Ātman which is the real thing in this universe, is very very important. The inquisitiveness about Ātman or Brahman leads one to know the Ātman and its proper nature.

The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad starts with this inquiry thus:

‘kiṃ kāranaṃ brahma kutaḥ sma jāta jīvāma kena kva ca saṃpratiṣṭhāḥ/ adhiṣṭhitāḥ kena sukhetareṣu vartāmahe brahmavido vyavasthām//’^[15]

It is found to be observed that the inquiry of Ātman surely helps the people to comprehend the true nature of that Spirit which is behind every created beings. According to the Īśopaniṣad, the mouth of that Supreme Brahman, which is the root cause of everything, from where we come, exist and return at last, is covred by a golden lid.

Therefore, after removing the cover of golden lid, one is able to ascertain its real nature:

‘hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham/ tattvaṃ pūṣannapāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye//^[16]

Paramātman is here and there. But for our ignorance we cannot understand It and think that worldly enjoyments are only the real things and we should enjoy these things. Attachment of different things in this world creates distance from the Reality, i.e., the Brahman. But, without comprehending the nature of the Supreme no one can achieve the salvation in this human life. In this purpose we should remove ignorance, which is the main cause of our bondage and try to understand the Reality. Reality is that our own inner self is the Supreme Brahman and there is no difference between the two. One who realises the nature of his own Ātman, realises the fact ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ and sees oneness in whole. In this context A.K. Srivāstava says that,”Our ultimate aim of life is to realise the truth of the self, not its appearance. And in order to do so, we have to remove our ignorance or ‘Avidyā’. This ignorance is not a reality, but an illusion. It is not a positive reality, and hence it can be removed. Ignorance consists in our egoism, which separates the self from God. Egoism leads us to the fulfilment of our selfish and narrow desires. In the course of the fulfilment of these desires, an individual has to undergo so many sufferings and miseries. It has to face many obstacles and yet his desires remain unfulfilled. The soul then realises its finitude and limitations. It thinks then, that it is completely separate from God, because the nature of God is totally different from its nature.”^[17]

In this way, totally avoiding the fulfillment of our selfish desires which are the root cause of our sufferings and sorrows, we shall try to comprehend the nature of that consciousness, which is behind the every elements in this universe. That is to be known which is immobile, beginning of all, which has no limitations, which moves and also does not moves, which is far from far and near from near and is within and without, for ultimate liberation from this world.^[18]

In this context Swami Chinmayananda’s remarks is remarkable when he states that,

“A man who has thus fully and completely experienced the Life Principle, the Self, within him, which is the one that is All-pervading, such an individual’s realisation alone is true wisdom, Eternal, Immortal and True. The one who has thus realised the core of all beings, as the core in himself, and his own Self as the Self in every name and form, he is a sage, a prophet, a God-man, a true leader of the people and a guiding power in the Universe.”^[19]

The Īśopaniṣad recognises Ātman as the Supreme Being and all the living and non-living objects have no separate existence. Everything emanate from Him and mingles in Him. Realising the fact ‘īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvam’, we should think all beings as our own self. The Īśopaniṣad guides us to enjoy our life without taking others properties or what belongs to others. According to this Upaniṣad thinking for others and enjoying through renunciation create the feeling of universal brotherhood and ultimately leads a person to the Supreme Brahman. By serving the mankind we can understand the Reality. In this way, probably it can be said that renunciation is the main door for self realisation. One who realises the proper nature of one’s own self, will refrain from all activities and attitudes, which will bring destruction to the society. A man by taking birth only can not claim himself as a good human being. The main objective of human being is to raise himself into divinity. That is why, the realisation of the nature of oneness is very very important, which will prompt him to serve humanity and encourage to build a world of brotherhood, where each and every people irrespective caste, colour and religion can exist happily.