Isavasya Upanishad - 7. Swami Krishnananda.

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Saturday, April 16, 2022. 20:00  

Mantram-1. (Continued)

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Kasya svid dhanam? 


For this phrase also there are two meanings: 


One from the relative and the other from the absolute point of view. What has been given to you, of that you are the owner. What you have earned with the sweat of your brow, that you enjoy. But what is earned by other people's sweat of the brow, do not even look at that. Do not let your mind go towards that. It is unlawful to do so. It is against moral and ethical laws. You have no right even to look at what you have not earned yourself. If you look at it, would that not lead you to desire it? 

Therefore ma gṛdhaḥ—do not be greedy. 

1.This is from the worldly point of view.

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Whose is this wealth, this wealth of the Universe? 




2.This is from the view of the Absolute. 


As everything belongs to īśvara, you dare not even look at anything with a desire to possess it. This is unlawful. 


You have no business to do so. To desire objects of the world therefore is wrong. Let your mind desire īśvara. Let your mind go towards īśvara alone. The world belongs to Him; and it is not your property, and so do not run towards the objects of the world. When you run towards īśvara alone and you possess Him, you can possess the whole world also. But you cannot possess the world if you run after the world. 

When you are established in īśvara, He is in your possession; that means, He along with the world created by Him; that is, the world also becomes yours as your inheri­tance! 

Father's property goes to his children. 

So īśvara's property, viz., the world of creation comes to you as His inheritor. 

Thus you acquire the right of possession. When the cause is your property, the effect also logically becomes your own. Īśvara is omniscient and omnipresent. He is the all-embracing Cause; He is the cause and effect in every root of the hair in your body, in every cell of your being, in every atom of creation, sentient or insentient. Realising īśvara as such, with this wisdom enjoy īśvara's Bliss. Be happy with what God has given you. 


This is the second meaning.

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Through tyā­ga, tena tyaktena, 




by giving up the objects of the world, be happy with what has been earned by the sweat of your brow. Do your duty as an offering to God. Let your mind dwell upon God and God alone. Let your thoughts run ever and always towards God. Realising īśvara you can obtain ānanda, also the whole world, the universe itself. 

Why then run meaninglessly after petty objects saying “Oh! here is joy, there is joy, this object can bring me happiness, that other can”, and so on and so forth? 

Iśvara is parama sattā, the Parama Puruṣārtha, the Paramadhana, Transcendental wealth. 

When you run towards Him and possess Him, all this is yours. Thus should God be understood. Thus should God be contemplated upon. 

Thus should the mind dwell on īśvara—through tyaga thus be happy.

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Thus far in the first śloka, three points have been stated : 



(1) The metaphysics of the sattā; i e. the relationship of God, world and soul, 


(2) jīva and the world, and 


(3) the duty of jīva towards the world and īśvara. 


This is why Mahatma Gandhi stated that even if all the sacred texts are lost to the world, this one single śloka can be a substitute for all of there. All the tatva śāstras deal particularly and specifically on these three matters. 


(1) īśvara's sattā; (2) jagat's swarup (3) jīva's kartavya. 

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In other words, this is metaphysics, explaining the characteris­tics of the relationship of God, world and soul. All these factors have been stated in this very first sloka of this Īśāvāsyopaniṣad—firstly, of īśvara's existence, secondly, the nature of the existence of the world, and thirdly, man's duty.


Īśvara is all this world, īśvara is the primary cause of the world. The world exists on the substratum of īśvara. Because of īśvara's existence the world appears to exist. Therefore, the world has only a secondary existence. And because īśvara is Bliss-Absolute, due to His existence alone the universe enjoys happiness. Īśvara, Consciousness-Absolute penetrates into the world and hence the world also has consciousness. Thus is determined īśvara's sat or Existence.


Now, what is the nature of the world? 


Again, as already stated in the foregoing pages, the whole universe, every atom of it is filled with īśvara. The world has no existence without īśvara.


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Next

Mantram-2.

To be continued....




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