Talk 118 Nov 07, 2010.pdf - arsha vidya kendra trust bangalore

Talk 118 - Nov 7, 2010 :
Karika 29 –
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amatronantamatrasca dvaitasyopashamah shivah.
omkaro vidito yena sa munirnaitaro janah.
Omkara is free from sound and magnitude. It is of infinite measure, the ground for the
resolution of duality and auspicious. One who knows this omkara (as parmatma) is munih
and not anybody else.
This is the last karika of the first chapter. The essence of this sloka is –
The person by whom omkara lakshya parmatma is understood very intimately, correctly, that
person is a sage ie, a wise person in the real sense, not anybody else . How knowing that
omkara makes the person a wise person, is given in the first line. By that the essence of the
entire chapter is given in this sloka.
Four words are used to describe omkara lakshya parmatma -
1)Amatra means one in which matra is not there.There are two meanings of the word
matra -
i) The sound component is called matra. Like omkara has conventionally 3 sound
aspects - Akara, ukara and makara. In its essential nature omkara is free from the sound
aspect . This is the first meaning of amatra.
In other words omkara in its essential nature is shantih ie, silence and that silence is free
from sound component. So shantasvarupa parmatma indicated by the word omkara is
amatrah.
ii) Another meaning of the word matra is measurement, magnitude.
Miyate Anaya iti matra – by which something is measured ie, measurement.
Amatra means na vidyate matra yasya - that which does not have any measurement
ie, immeasurable. So svaroopa drstya, omkara is amatrah, but upadhi drstya it has 3
matras. Or vacyartha (immediate meaning) drstya trimatrikah and lakshyartha (implied)
drstya amatrah ie, from the standpoint of immediate meaning omkara is having 3 matras and
from the standpoint of implied meaning, it is free form matra ie, measurement or magnitude.
Like the word ‘pillar’ brings to mind vacyartha ie, immediate meaning which is a particular
structural component. But if you say – “this person is the pillar of the organization”. Here
pillar is in the sense of support which is the lakshyartha or implied meaning of the word
’pillar’. So every word has vacyartha and lakshyartha.
Like the immediate meaning of the word ‘donkey’ is a particular type of 4 legged animal.
The implied meaning of the word ‘donkey’ is a foolish person.
Similarly the vacyartha of ‘Omkara’ is the word ‘Om’ having the 3 sound components. The
lakshyartha of omkara is silence awareness which is amatrah. This should be clear to
understand the essence of Mandukya Upanishad.

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The essence of the upanishad is that the reality is revealed thro’ the analysis of the word
omkara. this is the special feature of Mandukya Upanishad.
That is what is said here that omkara is amatrah- free from sound component, free from
measurement.
2) Ananta matra – Somebody may think that amatra is zero which has no dimension. Infact
in some religions they think that the reality is zero or void. Vedanta does not accept that
because ‘you’ are there. Everything can be negated, but the negater cannot be negated. To
negate the negater some other entity has to be there. Thus reality is the consciousness
principle in the presence of whom, things appear and disappear. Upanishad wants to
indicate that and therefore it immediately says anantamatra – Of infinite measure.
Somebody may point out that there is a contradiction – how can reality be both
without measure and infinite measure ?
To this Bhashyakara says by saying infinite magnitude, what upanishad wants to say is that
atma which is the lakshyartha of omkara cannot be limited by particular description.
Naitavatvamasya paricchettum shakyate ityarthah.
One cannot say that atma is this much and anything else is not atma.
So anantamatra means one for whom no limit of magnitude can be described ie, we cannot
say atma is this much. Initially we say atma-anatma viveka ie, separation of atma from
anatma. This is just to begin with. But afterwards we say there is nothing which is not atma.
This body also is non-separate from atma. Atma-anatma viveka is done because in the state
of ignorance a person thinks that I am this body only. To dismiss that wrong orientation, it is
said –You are not the body, not the mind…. But ultimate understanding after self-knowledge,
is that this body is also non-separate from me, the self.
The only difference between the two understanding is that earlier you were saying –‘ I am
this body only. That is not me’. Now you say – ‘I am this body also. Nothing is away from
me’. This is the difference between Vedantic vision and other philosophies.
They say- God is this much. We say – ‘Whatever was, whatever is, whatever is going to be
is God. There is nothing which is not God’. That is why here it is said - atma is anantmatrah.
Means the limited ability of your knowledge cannot restrict the nature of reality.
When we say atma is big, everybody will conceive a certain bigness. Really it is beyond the
scope of our understanding of bigness. Brahma means limitlessly big. There is no object
called Brahman, so we should not wait for something called Brahman. I the self am
limitless. The limitlessness of atma is indicated by the word Brahman. This should be
understood very well, otherwise we understand I am consciousness, but that I am this
limitless brahma is not understood. So anantmatra indicates that there is no limit to its
magnitude. Nothing is bereft of atma.
3) Dvaitasyopashamah – Dvaita abhava adhikaranam - The ground for the resolution of
dvaitam. It is that reality in which duality is not there. Upashamah means resolution.
This word can be understood in two ways –
1) Sabda prapanca upashamah – The world of words is not there in omkara which is

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amatra. All worlds are just mithya abhivyakti –apparent manifestations of shanta svaroopa
parmatma. Sound comes, sound goes, silence is. That silence is the ground for the
resolution of duality in the form of the world of words ie, all words whatever language they
may be, are resolved into silence. That silence is amatra omkarah. This is one way of
looking at omkarah – resolution of sabda prapanca.
2) Artha prapanca upashamah – Where all the objects are resolved. That also is
same omkara parmatma. So parmatma which is indicated by the word omkara is the
ground for resolution of all the objects referred to here by the word dvaitam. All things
and beings are resolved unto whom is parmatma implied by the word omkara.
So omkara is indicating parmatma which is the ground for resolution of sabda prapanca –
world of words and artha prapanca- the world of objects ie, both meanings and words are
resolved. This resolution is cognitive ie, understanding the reality of the objects is parmatma.
That is called resolution of the objects.
Like understanding the reality of this cloth as cotton is called resolution of the cloth.
Like this lamp is nothing but clay. This cognition is called understanding the reality of the
lamp and that is resolution of the mud lamp. Similarly everything is nothing but parmatma.
That understanding is called resolution of everything into parmatma. The world is no more a
world for a wise person. It is brahma. That is called resolving this world.
Napratitistayor badha kintu mithyartva niscayah.
The negation is not in the form of non-perception, but in the form of ascertainment of its
unreality. Like the negation of the pot is the ascertainment that it is not pot but clay only.
That negation is called upashamah here. Dvaitasya upashamah means where the entire
sabda and artha prapanca is negated . The adhishtanam or substratum of this duality is
omkara. That is indicated by the word dvaitasya upashamah.
4) This omkara which is parmatma is shivah. Means mangalsvaroopah,
kalyanasvaroopah, anandasvaroopah. Dukha is there only when there is duality. When
duality is not there, there is sukham which we experience everyday in sleep. In sleep
seer-seen difference is resolved and hence no dukha. Infact whenever we have experience
of happiness, then the wanting person is resolved and the mind is quiet just for that moment
and at that time anadasvaroopa of atma is manifested. That is why it is said here – omkara
lakshya amatra is shivah ie, anandasvaroopa.
This omkara which is advaita upashamah, shivah should be known not as an object, but as
oneself. One who has understood that I am this parmatma indicated by the word omkara,
that person is munih. Parmarthatattva Mananat munih – manyate janate iti munih - one who
knows the reality as oneself is munih. Also this understanding should be very clear and firm.
It is not based on quoting from different places. This indicates that the knowledge is not firm
and free of doubts. But this understanding should be so firm that nobody can shake it. It is
said -

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Yasmin stitho na dukhena, gurunapi vicalyate – Guruna has got two meanings – great or
teacher.
i) By great dukha also one who is not wavering from this understanding.
ii) Acaryena api na vicalyate – Even if the teacher changes his stand, then also the
student is not shaken. He knows he is parmatma.
The entire world may be against you, still you are not shaken. Like Galileo and Copernicus
understood certain facts about astronomy. They were harassed by the church and the state
and jailed, but they did not waver from their understanding. Similarly here I should be very
firm about it that I am parmatma. Generally when we get some crisis or sorrow, then our
conviction is shaken as to how can I be parmatma. If such doubts come, it means clarity is
not there. Sometimes it may be happening because of samskara. But if samsaya –doubts
and viparyaya – habitual errors are taken care of , then nobody can waver you.
There is a story about one place in Tamilnadu where poets have to present poems in tamil
with one condition that they should be free from defects. A big price was offered by the king
for the poem which is totally free from any defect. Naukiran, the asthana pandit who was a
great tamil scholar was the judge. Difference poets would present their poems and Naukiran
would find some mistake.
So one brahmana did tapas to Shiva. Shiva was pleased and appeared before him. The
brahmana asked Shiva to please write a poem free of defects which he can present in the
court and get a prize. Shiva is expert in Sanskrit, but not in Tamil. Anyway Shiva wrote a
poem in Tamil, but the brahmana requested Shiva to come with him to answer any question
posed by Naukiran. So Shiva in the form of a small boy went along with the brahmana to the
court. Brahmana read the poem in tamil and Naukiran found a mistake.
He asked Brahman - “how will you justify this particular line ?” The brahmana replied – “I
will not answer, this boy will answer.” Then the boy answered. In the answer itself Naukiran
found a mistake. This was justified by the boy and even in the justification , Naukiran found
another fine mistake. In this way the dialogue continued between the boy and the tamil
pandit Naukiran. Then Shiva showed his third eye sending this message to Naukiran who
was a great Shiva bhakta – “ I am Shiva, please pass this poem!”. Naukiran said –Whether
you are Shiva or anybody else, a mistake is a mistake. I cannot call it defect free.”
But then he tells the king – “The poem is defective. But please give this brahmana as much
wealth as he wants. For whom bhagvan himself comes as a child to help, that person cannot
be an ordinary devotee.” That is called conviction. Wrong is wrong. Even for his ishta devata,
Naukiran does not change his stand. Similarly even if Narayana comes and says – “You are
a baddha jiva.” But my conviction is –‘ I am the ever-free self.’ Such a person is called
munih.
Na itaro janah – not anybody else. Bhashyakara clarifies what is referred by anybody else –
sastravid api – knower of sastra. Even if a person is knowing the sastra, but if he does not
have this conviction, then also he is not munih.

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He may know all the Upanishads and he may give eloquent talks. But if he does not have
this conviction that I am omkara lakshya parmatma, then he is not munih.
Another commentator says – One may be very learned in sastra, but engrossed in sadhanasadhya
chinta, he worries about the goal and means because he still feels he has to achieve
a goal and he is doubtful about the means. So even though he is sastravit, still he is not
munih.
Munih is the one who has unshaken clear understanding that I am parmatma. If this much in
Vedanta is assimilated well, then your study of Vedanta has paid off well. Then you are
munih. You become a source of inspiration to others.
Generally it is said – a person who keeps maunam is munih or a person who stays in a
forest is munih. But in Mahabharata it is said – na maunat munir bhavati na aranyavasanat
munih – a person does not become a munih juts by keeping maunam nor by staying in the
forest. tribals and animals alos live in the forest and they are not munih. Then who is a
munih?
Svalakshanam tu yo veda, sa munih shreshtah ucyate – One who knows his true nature,
that person is munih whether he is staying in the forest or in the palace , whether he keeps
maunam or is talking. There is no difference. He is munih. Not anybody else.
So maunam is very useful to become munih because lot of energy is conserved.
It is said - Yogasya prathamam dvaram vang nirodhah – mastery over speech is the first
step in yoga sadhana. So it is important, but it is not enough to make you a munih.
So one who knows this parmatma tattva as oneself very clearly, very firmly , that person is
munih.
With this the first chapter called Agama prakarna is completed. It is called Agama
prakarana because agama ie, Upanishad is a very predominant part of this chapter. Here
Gaudapadacharyaji in his karika has just explained the Upanishad mantras. That is why this
chapter is called Agama prakarna.