ASATOMA SAD GAMAYA( Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)

The three well known and very popular quotations from the Upanishads are “ Asatoma sad gamaya, Tamasoma jyotir gamaya, Mrutyorma Amritam gamaya from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.2.28). The meaning of these statements, respectively is “ Lead me from falsehood to truth, Lead me from darkness to light and Lead me from death to immortality!”. These three statements are referred to as the three Pavamana mantras originally meant to be recited during the introductory praise of the Soma Sacrifice by the patron sponsoring it. What is the significance of these profound mantras? What do the terms ‘ asat, sat, tamas, Jyoti, mrityu, and amirtam’ stand for? Can we take these terms in their casual or ordinary sense or is there any special and esoteric meaning? Coming from one of the great Upanishads, the statements cannot offer any mundane interpretation. They enshrine great philosophical truths which we have to try to understand. The Upanishads speak of “Brahma Vidya” and this is the purpose of all the Upanishads.The Vedantic and Advaitic principle of unreality of the world is implied in the statement!

‘Sat’ is what exists, real, including the Absolute Brahman. 'Asat’ is that which is unreal, nonexistent, and darkness is equal to death. Is the world real or unreal? It is seemingly real but as per Vedanta it is a classical example of unreality! Another Vedantic statement says, “ Brahma Satyam Jagan mithya”! Brahman is Truth, the world is illusion or Maya! How is it? Stepping upon the rope in darkness you step aside thinking that it is a snake! When you switch on the torch you know it is after all a rope!There is no snake at all! The shape and size of the rope,together with the darkness creates the illusion that it is a real snake! But when the torch is splashed, the reality is known! Darkness is avidya or ignorance.Torch or light is knowledge! So when Knowledge dawns, ignorance or avidya vanishes! So when the knowledge of the Supreme Brahman is realized, the world becomes an illusion! Until that state of realization arrives, which is extremely rare, the  world is real for all of us!

“Sat” can also mean Truth. How do you define Truth? It is always stable, changeless permanent. It does not change according to seasons and climate or position! Everything in the world changes. Nature changes according to seasons. Man changes according to stages in his life. Even the cells in the body die and are created again and again! How can, then, the ever changing world be called true or real? ‘Sat’ is imperishable, unchanging and eternal! Man is expected to discriminate between the eternal and the ephemeral.Therefore the need for moving from ‘.asat’ to field of ‘Sat’. ‘Tamas’ signifies darkness, indolence and death. Man is enveloped in darkness as there is no light of knowledge! According to the Upanishads ‘Brahma Vidya’ is the knowledge! All other branches of worldly wisdom, all sciences, arts, literature religion and philosophy are of no use. It is the realization of the Brahma that elevates man and takes him to the resplendent and radiating region of ‘Jyoti’! In fact, the very purpose of man in the universe is to realize himself, to know that he is not the body but the indestructible Soul or Atma that manifests in all creatures! “ ajo nityaha saswatoyam purano nahanyathe hanyamane sareere”.

“Jatasya maranam dhruvam” Death is certain for every birth! But death should be noble. We should not die a bad death like the other creatures in the world! We should achieve immortality through death! This is not leaving behind name and fame in the ordinary sense. You should merge into the Brahman and become Brahman itself which is real, true, imperishable, effulgent and immortal! That exactly is the goal and destiny of man. Most of us think we are living but the fact is that we are dead-- dead to the most essential aspect of the purpose of our existence viz Realization of our own Self! Hence the Upanishadic mantra, “ Mrutyorma Amritam gamaya”.

All the three portions of the mantra mean “ Make me Immortal". “ From the nonexistent, from the unreal, from the apparent, lead me to the other side of it, the Existent, the real, the Noumenon”. The mantra as well as the Upanishad reject the material world as “ unreal, dark and dead” in line with the philosophy of Vedanta. The mantra invokes a concept of transcendental reality! The prayer is for a total rise from this involved, insufficient conditioned ‘being’ to the absolutely independent unconditioned ‘being’ which is simultaneously ”Sat, Jyotir, and amirtham, Existence, Light, Enlightenment, consciousness, Omniscience and immortality! ”The Upanishad wants every human being to attain immortality by realizing himself and feel that he is the very BRAHMAN himself!