Upanishad, Mundak
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Dharm and gyân
Pranav Khullar, Nov 2, 2019: The Times of India
The Mundaka Upanishad opens with Saunaka asking his guru, “Sir, what is that, knowing which, everything becomes known?” Touched by the sincerity of his disciple-seeker, Angiras tells him that the experiential knowledge of Brahmn, universal consciousness, with the guidance of a realised guru, can open the finite mind to its own cosmic expanse.
Dharma and jnana
Elaborating on the notion of realisation, Angiras draws a distinction between acquired knowledge, intellectually grasped or ritualistically gathered, and intuitive knowledge, which is the spiritual experience itself, beyond the web of mind. He goes on to differentiate between the transitory character of the materialistic path and its fleeting benefits and the permanent nature of the path of renunciation, which the sage saw as a prerequisite to attain real happiness. This distinction between dharma and jnana lies at the very heart of the Mundaka Upanishad.
In three beautiful similies, Guru Angiras posits the intricate relationship between the universe and Self : “As a spider throws afar its web and gathers it in as well, as plants sprout on earth, as hairs grow on the human body, so does the universe emerge from the imperishable Self.” The cause-effect phenomenon points to the underlying origin of all projected things, which, though are real from our time-space continuum, are also finite and limited in nature.
This leads to a metaphysical rhapsody about the all-encompassing nature of Virat, the Absolute, and Angiras draws another famous allegorical parallel about “Two birds living together, each the friend of the other, on the same tree … one eats the sweet fruit of the tree and the other simply looks on.” The first bird is the jivatma, the finite self, eating and thereby experiencing both pleasure and pain, all as part of the inexorable cycle of desire and karma. The observer-bird is the real Self, witness to the turbulence alongside, quietly nudging us back to the ‘real-reality’, while we tumble along in our search for the elusive musk fragrance (which, really, is hidden within).
Self-purification
Angiras lays down the process for disciplining and purifying the finite self, a four-fold measure which the great sage saw as cardinal to the spiritual quest: first and foremost was Truth, by which was meant a measure which was universally good.
Second was tapas, austerities, to focus on something higher than outward distractions. Third was wisdom, which could be seen as a measure of discrimination. The fourth and last one was chastity, which Angiras felt was necessary to transform the dross of basic instincts in man, though he held it up only as a pre-requisite for sanyas. Angiras then declares, “Satyamave Jayate!” – truth alone triumphs – the cardinal principle to be practised as a striving towards perfection, where the finite self would expand and merge into the universal consciousness.
Angiras expounds his concept of jnana in the central word of the Upanishad itself, ‘mundaka’, which, etymologically, refers to a person who has shaved his head. In the larger sense, Guru Angiras meant that munda, the shaving off, should actually be the shaving off of the layers of ignorance which cover us all, to enable us to see ourselves as being one with the universal Self.
