isha upanishad commentary - Page 3

Shivani Devi · #21 01-01-2019, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handy guy

hmm, is there a "ground hog day" type movie element also going on there?

Yes, EXACTLY!

Somehow, I need to get myself off to a pujari ASAP and have Shani Puja done and get a Mantra Kavacham...I was born under very bad astrological circumstances..and they all warned me of this.

Aum Namah Shivaya

handy guy · #22 01-01-2019, 11:11 PM

one from you tube if you like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXTuvg1tMP8

Still_Waters · #23 02-01-2019, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handy guy

Isha upanishad, verses 7-9

"7) To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?

8) It is He who pervades all—He who is bright and bodiless, without scar or sinews, pure and by evil unpierced; who is the Seer, omniscient, transcendent and uncreated. He has duly allotted to the eternal World—Creators their respective duties.

9) Into a blind darkness they enter who are devoted to ignorance (rituals); but into a greater darkness they enter who engage in knowledge of a deity alone."

Commentary on verse 9, found on web:

"The verse can be understood at various levels and it has multiple layers of meaning. This verse must be understood together with the subsequent two verses.

In one layer of interpretation, Avidya refers to Karma Anushtana- performance of one's duties, whereas Vidya refers to Devata Upasana- worship and meditation of the Devatas. Karma Anushtana is called 'Avidya' because Avidya is root of all actions. Hence, Karma Anushtana is called as 'Avidya Upasana'. It is to be noted that the usage of Upasana with the term Avidya shows that it is a positive term and does not refer to all actions. It specifically refers to practice of Dharma (righteous duties) that leads one to Pitr Loka (realm of ancestors) when done in Sakaama way and to purification of mind when done in nishkaama way. Similarly, Vidya Upasana refers to Devata Upasana, because Devatas preside over various aspects of Universe and hence denoted by the term Vidya. By Devata Upasana one attains Devaloka. The verse is saying, those who practice either Karma or Bhakti alone, they will attain limited fruit and will have to return to physical universe. Hence, they will still be inside Samsara and hence called as Darkness. The darkness appears to be more in case of practice of Devata Upasana alone is stated because, by practicing Devata Upasana and attaining Devaloka, one may come under false impression that he/she has attained Moksha and hence may become egoist or may become attached to realm of Devas. In that case his bondage will be far more. The gist of the verse is that for spiritual progress one must simultaneously, or successively practice both Karma and Bhakti.

In the second layer of interpretation, Avidya not only refers to just Karma, but to Devata Upasana as well. Because, from the stand point of Brahman, all attempts at human level is rooted in Avidya. Hence, the verse is saying, those who practice either Karma or Bhakti or both, as long as they have not realized Atman, they cannot attain Moksha and hence they will remain in Samsara, hence Darkness. On the other hand, those who practice Vidya alone, they will end up in darkness as well. This is so because, Vidya is understood here in the primary sense of Jnana and hence Vidya Upasana is a reference to Jnana Sadhana or Vichara marga (sravana, manana, etc.) that leads one to ultimate Atma-Jnana and Moksha. The verse is saying that those who try to practice Jnana Sadhana, without first attaining the required competencies like purification of mind, dispassion, etc., (which are got from practice of Dharma and Bhakti), they will only be groping in the dark. Because, without required competencies, Jnana Sadhana is useless for a person and he will end up falsely imagining himself as going nearer to Brahman, but in reality he will be groping in dark and hence he will be in a greater darkness.

I hope this was useful.

PS: On a personal note, I conduct an online Isha Upanishad classes through email/skype to help people understand this very important Upanishad and if anybody is interested, they can drop in an email- [email protected] Details- Learn Isha Upanishad Online"

The Isha Upanishad is verily one of my favorite Upanishads and I actually have a CD with sung versions of both the Isha Upanishad and the Kena Upanishad.

I have several books on the Upanishads and have seen various translations and interpretations of verse 9. Your interpretation of the second part of the verse ("but into a greater darkness they enter who engage in knowledge of a deity alone") raised questions in me. Sivananda translates that phrase as simply "vidya alone" with no reference to the deities. In looking at the actual Sanskrit (I'm not a Sanskrit expert) transliteration, the phrase does seem to be vidya alone with no reference to the deities ("ya u vidyayam ratah").

I hadn't thought about that verse in a long time so I have to ponder this more as I had initially interpreted the phrase as getting bogged down in intellectualism. However, that may be due to the fact that the overly-intellectual approach was a major hindrance for me personally in my spiritual unfolding so my interpretatio may be biased since it is based on English words (not the original since I can't read Sanskrit) and my own personal reaction to those English words.

handy guy · #24 02-01-2019, 05:05 PM

hello Still waters, Sure the topic is open to disscussion...Btw that is not my interpretation, it is something I found on the internet and quoted, which as I say is open to discussion. For example what about Grace as also being a critical key?

Still_Waters · #25 03-01-2019, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by handy guy

hello Still waters, Sure the topic is open to disscussion...Btw that is not my interpretation, it is something I found on the internet and quoted, which as I say is open to discussion. For example what about Grace as also being a critical key?

Nonetheless, it's still a good basis for starting a dialogue.

May I ask how you define "Grace" since you mention it as "being a critical key". That word is often used very loosely and can mean very different things to different people especially in Christian circles where the term is commonly used.