Upanishads are
otherwise called VEDANTA! They come at the end of the Vedas and hence are
called so. Upanishads are also called “Brahma Vidya” They describe the Supreme
Reality that is formless and which can be realized with great concentration and
tapas! These Upanishads are intended to help the ordinary mortal to release
himself from the bondage of family life and escape from the cycle of birth and
death! Every Upanishd describes the same thought about the Absolute reality in
its own inimitable language!
Isavasya Upanishad points out that the entire
Universe, the stationary and the mobile objects are pervaded by God! It is pointed out that the Brahman, though
UNBORN manifests himself in many forms
--- “ajayamano bahudha vijayathe” There is not a single object in the world that
is not pervaded with the soul or spirit which the principle of life! None can
deny it. It is the duty of every single individual to realize this and elevate
himself to a higher level! The Upanishad counsels people not to covet! Who is
the owner of this universe? Man’s
existence is transitory. That is why he
is called mortal! There is nothing that he can take with him when he leaves the
world! God is the owner and we are all his tenants! We have to pay rent to god
by our good conduct and spirituality! The Upanishad points out that man should
involve himself in KARMA- doing his duty as a man and live for hundred years!
It is impossible to live without action physical or mental or good or bad.
All the
Upanishads seem to make conflicting statements outwardly! But they convey
subtle and philosophical meanings! The spiritual aspirant alone can understand
those statements! Says the Upanishad, “The self is unmoving, indivisible; It is
swifter than thought. The senses never reach it as it is ever ahead of them.
Though standing still, it out strips those who run” The Gita says of the soul, “nainam
chindanti sasthrani nainamdahati pavakaha---“The atma or soul cannot be cut
through by any instrument. It cannot be made wet or dried. We know that the
manas is the swiftest of man’s possessions but the atma is swifter than manas!
Our sensory perceptions are limited and can in no way compete with the velocity
of the atma or soul It is this atma , the moving spirit in man!
Isavasya Upanishad revels in describing the
Self in opposites! “it moves and it moves not; it is far and likewise near; it
is inside of this and it is outside of all this” How contradictory all these
sayings are! The Brahman remains stable and moves every object in the universe It is near for those who meditate and to its devotees. Ordinary mortal are far
away from God! Brahman is the ‘ antaratma’- the indwelling spirit of all
beings! At the same time It pervades the entire universe! The most important and essence of
spiritualism is pronounced by this Isavasya Upanishad.” And he who sees all beings in the Self, and
the self in all beings--- he never turns away from it” This is the quintessence
of all our philosophy! Man must see the same self or soul is in all creatures
and at the same time feel that they are in his own atma or soul! In other
words, he should identify himself with every object created by God or the
Brahman! He should not see any plurality between himself and other
creatures! But this is easier said than
done! Such a person shall never be separated from the Brahman
The qualities
of the Brahman or the Absolute are differently described by the Isavasya
Upanishad! “ He is radiant, invulnerable, sinewless; he is
pure and untouched by evil He is the seer, wise, all pervading and self
existent—He has disposed all things rightly through endless years!”The Brahman
glows with coruscating brilliance! None can defeat Him. He has no sinews or
form. He is the very form of purity untouched by evil. Above all he is the
seer, the witness of everything that happens in the world! He is impartial and
has created all nature and creatures rightly from time immemorial! He is
called ‘saksibhuta’! If a man has
realized the nature of the SELF or atma,
no sorrow or maya or delusion can affect him says the Isavasya
Upanishad!
The Upanishad
continues and reiterates that one who realizes what is knowledge and what is
not knowledge overcomes Death and attains
life eternal through knowledge! Knowledge here refers to the knowledge
of the Self or Self Realization! You should realize that you are none other
than the atma. You are not the body but the eternal Soul! Anything else is not
knowledge. Under the illusion of maya man mistakes that he is the body! Body is
different from the Self! This realization that he is not the Body but the
eternal Soul will lead him to moksha or emancipation!
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