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Wk06 Wednesday, Oct 30

Today

Olivelle’s Upaniṣads– Muṇḍaka, Māṇḍūkya, Īśāvāsya

Supplemental readings:– Williams, Kyle Lee. 2008. "Understanding Oṃ (Aum),

Turīya, and the Three States of Consciousness in the Maṇḍūkya Upaniṣad."

– Jones, Richard H. 1981. "Vidyā and Avidyā in the ĪśaUpaniṣad."

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Next Monday

Intro to the Yoga Sūtras– Preface and Introduction to Stoler Miller,

Barbara. 1998. Yoga: Discipline of Freedom, pp. ix-xxx, 1-28.

– Hamilton, Sue. 2001. "The Witness and the Watched: Yoga and Sāṃkhya. Indian Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction, 107-117

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Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad

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Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad

Defaults to Atharva Veda Younger than KaU

– “last few centuries BCE”– no geographical clues

muṇḍaka meaning?– shaven headed = monk– shaving away ignorance– chapter – “head-vow” 3.2.11

Vedic rituals ↓ Brahman ↑ Asceticism Vedānta, Sāṅkhya

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Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad

Verse form Considered part of AV Closely connected with ideas of the Black

YV– Shares quotes of Kaṭha Upaniṣad

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MuU 1.1

Taught by Brahmā → Atharvan … Aṅgiras →Śaunaka

“What is it, by knowing which one comes to know this whole world (3)?” Cf. CU 6.1 RoS

2 kinds of knowledge– Lower: Vedas, auxiliary sciences– Higher: By which one grasps the imperishable (5) (6)

invisible, ungraspable, eternal, all-pervasive, subtle, immutable Creation metaphors (7)

1. Spider web – causality2. Plants on earth – spontaneity3. Hair on living beings – consciousness

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MuU 1.1.8-2.6: Ritualist view

Heat (tapas) → food →breath, mind, truth, worlds, immortality in rites (1.8)

Omniscient (he) →Brahman, name, form, food?? (1.9)

2.1-6: Rites are path to heaven, only worthy destination; (1.2.3)

Brahman / Brahmā ambiguity (2.6, brahma-loka)8

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MuU 1.2.7-13: Response to Ritualists

Rites → heaven, from which one returns! (7-10)– back to “this abject world (10)”– Karma – bank balance analogy

In contrast, others (11):– live in wilderness, calm & wise– penance and faith– beg for food

These persons go to immortality, puruṣa

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MuU 1.2.7-13, cont’d

12-13 p. 270: The uncreated (akṛta) cannot be attained

by deeds/rites (kṛta)! Hence:

– “disgust” for worlds attained through rites– approach a teacher “properly” to learn Brahman, imperishable puruṣa

– teacher: versed in Vedas, Brahman– student: tranquil mind, senses controlled

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MuU 2.1: Imperishable puruṣa

Source of all things, return to it– sparks from a fire

Divine, formless, within, without, unborn, radiant Source of breath, mind, organs, 5 elements

– wind, fire, water, space, earth

4-10: Echoes: – RV 10.90, puruṣa sūktam, Cosmic Man– hidden in the cave, cf. KaU 1.14, 2.20, 4.6-7– cut the knot of ignorance, cf. KaU 6.15

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MuU 2.2: Brahman

Lodged in the cave (1) where the veins come together (6) In Brahman are:

– what moves, breathes, blinks– what is most desirable (1)

On Brahman is woven:– earth, int. region, sky, mind, breaths (5)

Brahman is:– smaller than the smallest, support of all worlds, beings (2)– imperishable, immortal (2), omniscient (7a) omnipresent (11)– breath, speech (2), taking birth in many ways (6)– self (5, 7a), thought, controller of body & breath (7b)– source of the radiance of sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire (10)

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MuU 2.2: Oṃ

Bow = the great weapon of the Upaniṣad, Oṃ (4) Arrow = veneration/meditation, ātman Target = imperishable Brahman Meditate on Brahman/self as Oṃ (6)

– Oṃ = Brahman = ātman

Result:– knot of the heart is cut, cf. KaU 1.14, 6.15– doubts dispelled– karma destroyed (8)

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MuU 3.1-2: Achieving Brahman 1-2: Two birds, relation? 2: “She who is not the Lord” anīśā, possibly prakṛti. 3: puruṣa, womb of Brahman, Lord, creator 4: out-talking

Grasped by:– truth (satya), austerity (tapas), right knowledge,

chastity → asceticism (5)– meditation, knowledge (8)– self’s choice! (3.2.3)

Not grasped by:– senses, austerity(!), rites (7)– teachings, intelligence, great learning (2.3) 14

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MuU 3.1-2, cont’d 1.6: satyam eva jayate, nānṛtam

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MuU 3.1-2, cont’d

Asceticism, austerity, renunciation (1.5, 2.6) Meditation & Yoga? (1.8, 2.5-6) Desires → rebirth (2.2) Theism? 1.2-3, 2.1. Liberation

– after death? 2.6 (also 1.2.5,11)– while living? 1.3, 2.5, 2.7-8

Sāṅkhya & Vedānta ideas

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Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad

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Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad

From the Atharva Veda, prose– No śākhā affiliation– Early CE?

Shortest Up. – only 12 ‘verses’– usu. accompanied by Gauḍapāda’s Kārikas (215 vv)

Śaṅkara’s teacher’s teacher – Advaita school

Builds on – CU 6.8.1 (sleeping = entering into oneself)– BU 4.3.9-15 (dream, deep sleep)

Tied to three syllables of Oṃ– 3+1 18

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MāU 1-2

Oṃ = this whole world– past, present, future and beyond these 3

times

All is this Brahman This ātman is Brahman

– four quarters

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MāU 3-5: 3 quarters1. Waking state, Vaiśvānara “Universal One”

– externally directed– 7 limbs? = sky, sun, wind, space, water, earth, fire– 19 mouths? = 5 sense organs, 5 organs of action, 5 breaths,

mind, intellect (buddhi), ego, citta– Enjoys “gross” things, i.e., coarse

2. Dream state, Taijasa “Brilliant One”– internally directed – 7 limbs, 19 mouths– Enjoys “refined” things, i.e., subtle

3. Deep sleep, Prājña “Intelligent One”– no desires/dreams– mass of cognition, bliss

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MāU 6: Īśvara

Ātman is: Lord / knower / womb of all Inner controller Origin & dissolution of beings

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MāU 7: 4th qtr.

Cognitively– not inwardly/outwardly/both ways cognitive– not mass of cognition– not cognitive (prājña), not uncognitive

Negatively:– unseen, beyond transactions, ungrasped, without marks,

unthinkable, indescribable

Its essence is knowledge of itself Cessation of phenomenal world Tranquil, auspicious, non-dual/“without a 2nd”/“unique” Ātman, to be known!

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MāU 8-11: OṃSelf = Oṃ = a + u + m → Om

– Phonemes ↔ quarters

9. Vaisvānara = a, first, obtaining– all desires

10. Taijasa = u, heightening, intermediate– continuity of knowledge, no ignorance of Brahman in lineage,

“common” (samāna) equal/universal

11. Prājña = m, construction miti, merger/dissolution apīti12. Ø, beyond ordinary transaction, cessation of world,

auspicious, non-dual

One who knows this enters ātman by ātman

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Understanding Oṃ, Turīya, and the Three States of Consciousness

in the MāU

Williams paper

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Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad

Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad

Usually first in traditional lists of Ups. Only upaniṣad from saṃhitā

– Śukla YV, metrical – Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā– also known as Saṃhitā Up.

Theistic? devotional? ritualistic?

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Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad

Two rescensions, Mādhyandina & Kāṇva– K: 9-11, 12-14, 15, 16, 17-18– M: 12-14, 9-11, (17), - , 15-16– 3 ~ BU 4.4.11

Demonic ← Joyless; who kill the self ← not learned/wise

– 9 = BU 4.4.10; – 15-18 = BU 5.15.1-4

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Īśā 1-3

1a: Īśā = “by the Lord” = by Brahman? ātman? 1cd: renunciation? 2: “performing works” = ritual

– 100 years = full lifespan – “smearing off” – developed further in BG

3: Killing the self– literal = suicide / destroying life– metaphorical = denying the self

contradicts KaU 2.19 (hantā cenmanyate hantuṃ…) Also BG 2.20

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Īśā 4-8: the self

4: – not moving / swifter than the mind– standing / outpaces runners

5: – moves / does not move– far away / near at hand– within this world / outside it too

6-7: all beings ↔ one’s self no sorrow, monism8: reached the seed/śukram the shining, self-existent,

all-encompassing29

Īśā 9-11, 12-14

9-11: ignorance / nescience (avidyā) vs. knowledge/learning (vidyā)

12-14: non-becoming (asambhava) = destruction (14) vs. becoming (sambhava)– Undifferentiated prakr̥ti vs. Creation– Analysis vs. Synthesis

Beyond death – Rebirth?

Immortality– Relative (being with gods) vs. Absolute

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Īśā 15-18

= BU 5.15 Prayer of ritualist to

– Pūṣan related to Sun god (golden dish) escorts dead to world of ancestors

– 18: Agni

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Vidyā and Avidyā in the ĪU

Jones paper