CHINAR SHADE : SOMETHING FROM UPNISHADS

THE VASTNESS
( Photo Autar Mota )

Autar Mota reading “ The spirit of Upnishads “ in English Translation. A Book of lofty thoughts or the Himalayas of Ancient Wisdom of India. The search of the man in universe around him and His relation with it . The rooted Identity and the affirmation of I am divine . “ Aham Brahmasmi “ Or I am the self Divine . “Soham “ or He am I expressed through the very life force , Breath: the “So” of Inhaling and the “Ham” of Exhaling. The story of ATMAN or the soul or the self . Call it by any name . The philosophy of Truth ( Satya ) and Bliss ( Ananda ). The beginning of Journey and the end of it.

Prayers for peace on earth , water and sky . Peace in plants and animal kingdom. Prayers to lead all from darkness to light , From unreal to real, From Sorrow to bliss from hate to love , from disintegration to integration from separation to unity and from discord to concord. Prayers for common intents and utterances of human beings.

Pray we follow one leader . Pray we prosper together . Pray we live together . Pray we rise together ..

The pearls of Wisdom from Katha Upnishad , Kena Upnishad, Chandogya Upnishad , Mundaka Upnishad , Mandukya Upnishad , Taittiriya Upnishad , Brihad Aranayka Upanishad, Athar Veda , Yajur Veda and Rig Veda . Yes upnishads are perhaps the greatest tools to tear apart the veils of darkness while seeking reply to the fundamental question of existence; WHO AM I ?????

I quote …..

The Infinite , is where one sees nothing else ,

Hears nothing else,

And understands Nothing else .

The finite , is that in which one sees something else ,

Hears something else ,

And knows something else .

That which is infinite is immortal,

And that which is finite is mortal.

The infinite is below ;

It is above ;

It is to the west ,

East , south and North .

The infinite is the whole universe .

( From Chandogya Upnishad )

That which is not expressed by speech ,

But that by which speech is expressed ;

Realize that alone as Brahaman ( True self )

And Not what people here worship…..

( Kena Upnishad )

Without sound ,

Intangible , Formless , Constant …

That eternal , which can neither tasted nor smelt ,

Which has no beginning and No end ..

Immutable and beyond nature is the self .

By discerning that ,

One is liberated from the Jaws of Death.

That one ruler ,

The self within all beings ,

Transforms his one form into many .

The wise who perceive him within their self …

To them alone belongs eternal happiness :

To none else ,

To none else !

( Katha Upnishad )

Let The son be loyal to his father ,

And of the same mind as his mother ,

Let the husband and wife speak to each other

with words that are full of sweetness .

Let not brother hate a brother ;

Nor a sister hate a sister ,

Unanimous , Of one common intent ,

Speak you words in friendliness .

May all Beings dwell in Happiness .

May all beings dwell in peace .

May all beings attain oneness .

And may all beings attain auspiciousness .

Peaceful be the heavens ,

May the earth be calm ,

And the spacious atmosphere gentle ,

May the flowing waters ,Rich in moisture be soothing ;

May all plants and herbs be beneficial to us .

( Athar Veda )

Sweet wafts the wind ,

And the rivers pour forth sweetness .

So may the herbs be filled with sweet juices .

Pleasant be our nights and sweet our dawns .

May the dust of the earth be full of sweetness !

May the plants be sweet to us !

Pleasant for us be Father Heaven!

May the sun be imbued with sweetness !

And may our milch- Kine be sweet for us .

( Rig Veda )

Be not parted, Rest united,Intelligent,thriving together,

Moving together under a common yoke.

Come speaking sweetly each to other;

And here I make you have one aim and be of one mind

(Athar Veda)

Beyond the senses is the mind,

Beyond the mind is the intellect,

Higher than intellect is the Atman,

And greater than Atman is the unmanifest...

(Katha Upnishad)

The killer thinks he kills,

The killed thinks he is killed,

Neither of these know the reality,

Neither the self kills nor is it killed....

(This sloka from Katha upnishad is close to what saint poetess Lal Ded says in her vaakh...kuuss murrie taai kuss maaran ?....Who shall die and who shall be put to death ?????)

May God protect us,

grant us wisdom's fruit;

May we gain energy to know the Truth;

May our intellects grow clear and bright;

May we cherish no ill feelings toward anyone.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

( Taittiriya Upnishad )

As rivers, flowing down,

become indistinguishable on reaching the sea

by giving up their names and forms,

so also the illumined soul,

having become free from name and form,

reaches the self-effulgent Supreme Self -

( Mundaka Upanishad )

( Autar Mota )

BRAHMAN is a vast term with varied meanings. Apart from True self , It also means the transcendent and immanent ultimate reality of the One Supreme Cosmic Spirit.

" It is also the universal substrate from which material things originate and to which they return after their dissolution. In Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. According to Advaita Vedanta, consciousness is not a property of Brahman but its very nature. Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of material phenomena (including the original identity of the human self) that cannot be seen or heard, but whose nature can be known through the development of self-knowledge. "

" Brahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, incorporeal, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal, both transcendent and immanent, absolute infinite existence, and the ultimate principle who is without a beginning, without an end , who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe."