How to know that Brahman
The Supreme Peace
by Jankinath Kaul 'Kamal'
The
Upanisad (Kathopanisad) speaks of the secret Brahman:
ya esa suptesu jagarti
kamam kamam puruso nirmimanah
Tadeva sukram tadbrahma
tadevamrtamucatye
Tasminllokah sritah
sarve tadu natyeti kascana Etadvaietad
(Kath II.ii8)
'Purusa, who keeps awake and
goes on creating desirable things even when the senses fall asleep, is pure; and
He is Brahman, and he is called the Immortal. All the worlds are fixed in Him;
none can transcend Him. This is That'.
The knowledge of the unity
of the self, though validated by proof and reiterated more than once, does not
find a lodging in the hearts of those Brahmins of insincere intellect whose
minds are swayed by the intellect of numerous logicians; therefore, the Upanisad,
being eager to inculcate it, says again and again:
agniryathaiko bhuvanam
pravisto
rupam rupam pratirupo babhuva;
ekastatha
sarvabhutantaratma
rupam rupam pratirupo
bahisca
(Kath. II.ii.9)
'Just as fire, though one,
having entered the world, assumes separate forms in respect of different shapes,
similarly, the self inside all beings, though one, assumes a form in respect of
each shape; and (yet) it is outside'.
Another mantra follows
with another illustration of Air:
vayuryathaiko bhuvanam
pravisto rupam rupam pratirupo babhuva
ekastatha
sarvabhutantaratma rupam rupam pratirupo bahisca
(Kath. II.ii. 10)
Here the contingency arises -
If the one entity is the self of all, the sorrowfulness of the world will belong
to the Supreme Brahman itself. The Upanisad answers:
suryoyatha sarvalokasya
caksurna lipyate caksusairbahyadosaih
ekastatha
sarvabhutantaratma na lipyate lokadukhena bahyah
(Kath. II ii. 11)
'Just as the sun, which is
the eye of the whole world, is not tainted by the ocular and external defects;
similarly, the self, that is but one in all beings, is not tainted by the
sorrows of the world, it being transcendental' .
eko vasl
sarvabhutantaratma ekam rupam bahudha yah karoti
tamatamastham ye
nupasyanti dhiraste'sam sukham sasvatam netaresam
(Kath. II.ii. 12)
'Eternal peace is for those
(and not for others) who are discriminating and who realize in their hearts Him
who (being the One, the Inner Controller, and the Inner Self of all) makes a
single form multifarious'.
nityo nityanam
cetanascetananameko bahunamyo viddhati kaman
tamatamastham ye
anupdsyanti dhirastesam santih sas'vafi netaresam
(Kath. II.ii 13)
'Eternal peace is for those
(and not for others) who are discriminating and who realize in their hearts Him
who (being the eternal among the ephemeral, the consciousness among the
conscious) alone dispenses the desired objects to many' .
This was spoken by Yama to Nachiketa, an intelligent and earnest boy, who had approached the former in
order to know the Truth, the Supreme Peace. Then Nachiketa, the inquisitive and
self-reliant boy, put a question to the teacher Yama:
tadetaditi manyante
nirdesyam paramam sukham
katham nu tadvijaniyam
kimu bhati vibhati va
(Kath. II. ii. 14)
'How shall I know that
supreme, unspeakable Bliss which they realize directly as "This" ? Is
it self-effulgent ? Does it shine distinctly ? Or, does it not ?'
Yama answers how it is
both self-effulgent and shines distinctly (or multifariously):
nk tatra stiryo bhati na
candra tarakam
nema vidyuto bhanti kuto
yamagnih
tameva bhantamanubhati
sarvam
tasya bhasasarvamidam
vibhati
(Kath. II.ii. 15)
There - is Brahman which is
one's self- the Sun does not shine (i.e it does not illuminate that Brahman,
though it illumines all). Similarly, neither the moon, the stars nor these
flashes of lighting shine; how can this fire, that is seen by us, shine ? In
short, all, inclusive of these that shine, shine according as He, the supreme
Lord shines. Just as hot water, fire-brand etc, owing to their contact with
fire, burn according as the fire does, but not independently; similarly, it is
verily by His effulgence (tasya bhasa) that all this (sarvamidam) - the sun etc,
shines variously (vibhati). This being so, it is that Brahman itself that is
effulgent and shines variously. Through the various kinds of effulgence in the
effects, it is known that the characteristic of luminosity is intrinsic in that
Brahman. For that luminosity which does not exist naturally cannot impart itself
to others; for a pot etc. are not seen to illuminate others, whereas luminous
things like the sun etc are seen to do so.
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