Section 7.3 (third khaṇḍa) (five texts)

Upaniṣad text:

These are the ‘True Desires’ hidden by the untrue; though they are true, they are hidden by the untrue; for whoever departs from here,—him one cannot see again in this world.—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

For the purpose of encouraging aspirants to adopt the means to accomplish the contemplation of the. Self as‘described above, the text, would by compassion, says:—It is really a great pity that these ‘True Desires though subsisting in the Self and quite capable of being fulfilled are hidden by the untruth. Though the ‘Desires’ subsist in the Self and rest in men’s own selves,—yet they are ‘hidden’ by the untruth, the term ‘Untrue’^:stands for—(a) the longing for such external things as women, food, clothes and the rest, and (b) the consequent freedom of action,—these are called ‘untrue’, because they are due to false knowledge, and when the ‘True Desires’ are not fulfilled on account of this false knowledge, this latter acts like a ‘covering’.

Question—“In what way is the non-fulfilment of the Desires due to the Covering of the Untrue?”.

Answer—Whoever related to this Man,—be it his son, or brother or other loved person,—departs from this world—dies—him—the loved one, Son or Brother,—one cannot see again in this world,—even though he is present in the Ākāśa of one’s own heart (and that is because it is hidden by False Knowledge).—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

Now, those of his people who are alive and those who are dead, and whatever else there is which, though desiring, one does not obtain,—all this one finds when he goes there. As here are his ‘True Desires hidden by the untrue’. And just as people-who do not know the place walk over the ground and do not know the golden treasure hidden under-ground,—so do all those creatures, though daily going to this Brahman-Region, know it not; as they are carried away by the untrue.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Now those of his—the knowing man’s—people who are alive,—are living, such as his sons, brothers and others.—and those who are dead,—friends and relatives,—and whatever else there is—in the world, in the shape of clothes, food, drink and the like and grams and other such

things—which, though desiring, one does not obtain,—all this one finds when he goes there,—i.e. into Brahman called the Ākāśa in the Heart, one finds all this in the manner described above. As here,—in this Heart—Ākāśa,—are all his ‘True Desires hidden by the Untrue’, as described above.—“But how can this unreasonable thing happen?”

Answer—Just as the golden treasure—gold buried underground, for future use, by hoarders is called ‘Treasure’—this golden treasure under the ground, those people do not know who do not know the place,—i.e. who are unable to discover the land with treasure buried underground, with the half of the Science of Buried Treasures,—though they walk over the place, they do not know the treasure, though it can be easily discovered;—in the same manner, all these creatures—who are beset with nescience (ignorance)—though daily going to the Brahman-Region—Brahman itself as the Region—during deep sleep,—know it not,—i.e. they do not realise that ‘I have today become merged in the Brahman-Region; as they are carried away—led away by the untrue,—as described above; that is, they become drawn from their real forms by ignorance and other defects. Hence it is that this calamity befalls all creatures that though Brahman is quite within their reach, they do not reach it.—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

This Self verily, is in the heart. Its etymological explanation is this—This (‘ayam’) is in the heart (‘hṛdi’); hence it is called ‘Hṛdayam’ (Hṛdi-ayam). One who knows this goes to the Heavenly Region everyday.—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

This Self,—which has been spoken of in the present context as ‘free from evil’, is recalled by the particle ‘vai’ (verily);—the sense being that this Self, which is going to be described, is in the heart,—in the white lotus of the heart,—and this same Self has been referred to above by the term ‘Ākāśa’. The etymological explanation of this,— of the Heart. ‘Hṛdaya’—is this,—none other. Because this—Self—exists—in the Heart, therefore it is ‘Hrdayam’, ‘Heart’. What is meant is that, even under the well-known explanation of the name ‘Hṛdaya’ (Heart), the Self should be understood to lie in one’s own Heart. Every day—day after day—one who knows this—who knows that the Self is in the Heart,—goes to the Heavenly Region,—the Brahman in the Heart.

“As a matter of fact, even one who does not have this knowledge reaches the Brahman in the Heart, during deep sleep; as it has been, declared that ‘at that time my dear, he becomes merged in Being”.

True, this is so; but there is a difference. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, all creatures are really Being, Brahman,—yet the man who has been taught that ‘that thou art’ and comes to realise it that ‘I am pure Being, nothing else’, and thence becomes Being itself. In the same manner, though the man with knowledge, and the man without knowledge, both attain Being during deep sleep, yet it is only the man with knowledge who goes to the Heavenly Region,—as asserted here; because, even on the falling off of the body, the reward of knowledge must accrue to him (and going to Heaven is that reward, which does not accrue to the man without knowledge); this is the difference.—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

Now, this serene and happy Being, after having risen out of this body and having reached the highest light, becomes merged in his own true form; that is the Self,—he said. This is the Immortal and the Fearless, this is Brahman; and the name of his Brahman is ‘Satya’ (the True).—(4)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

During deep sleep, the Man, merged into Being, his Self, becomes serene and happy,—i.e. he shakes off the impurity born, during the waking and dream states, of contacṭ of objects with sense-organs though the term ‘serene and happy Being’ is applicable to all creatures,—yet, inasmuch as the subject-matter of the context is one who has been spoken of as ‘one who knows this goes to the Heavenly Region,’—it is this person who is spoken of here as 'this serene and happy Being’, because of the special stress that is laid upon the term ‘this’.—Now, this serene and happy Being, on renouncing the body and having risen out of the body,—i.e. giving up the notion that the Body is the Self,—the term ‘rising’ cannot be taken in the ordinary sense of rising from a seat (for instance); because the text speaks of ‘his own form’, one’s ‘own form’ is not to be attained by rising out of something else; in fact, it would not be ‘his own form’ if it had to be reached;—having reached the Highest Light,—in the form of the Supreme Self, of the nature of pure consciousness.—that is, having realised his real nature;—becomes merged in his own true form. Before this mergence into his true form, the man, under the in fluence of ignorance, regarded the body itself as his highest form; and it is in comparison with that position that the present is spoken of as ‘his own form’ in fact, ‘being with a body’ is the ‘own form’ of the Self. That— Highest Light which is the ‘own form’ reached by the serene and happy Being,—is the Self,—he said. The person referred to here as ‘he’ is the Teacher who has been advised by the Veda above as ‘he should say’ to the disciples (under VIII. i. 5.). Further, this is the Immortal,—imperishable, Infinite; as has been declared above ‘that which is Infinite is immortal’;—and because it is immortal, it is Fearless; because the infinite has no second:—hence this is Brahman;—and the name of this Brahman is ‘Satya’ (True).—“What is True?” True is that which is never unreal, and Brahman alone is this; as asserted above—that is the true, that is the Self’,—“Why is this name of Brahman mentioned here?”—For the purpose of eulogising^: rṇethod of meditating upon it.—(4)

Upaniṣad text:

These are the three letters—‘Sa ’, ‘ti’ and ‘yam’; the ‘sat’ is the immortal,—the ‘ti’ is the mortal,—and ‘yam’ for that whereby one joins both; because by it one joins both, therefore it is ‘yam’—one who knows this daily goes to the Heavenly-Region.—(5)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

These are the three letters—in the name of Brahman—(1) ‘sa’—(2) ‘ti’—(3) ‘yam’.—i.e. the letter ‘sa’, the letter ‘ta’ and the syllable ‘yam’; as a matter of fact, the ‘t’ (in ‘sat’) and the ‘i’ (in ‘ti’) have been inserted only for the purposes of pronunciation; because these are again spoken of by the short syllable themselves. That which is ‘sat’,—i.e. the letter ‘sa’,—is the Immortal;—it is immortal, because it denotes the Immortal in Being—Brahman; that is why the ‘sa’ has been mentioned along with ‘t’;—that which is ‘ti’ that is, the letter ‘ta’ is the mortal;—and that which is ‘yam’,—by that letter one joins both,—that what were two, mortal and immortal, is joined and combined one, the Imperishable,—one joins these, controls them—brings under one’s own control.

Because by it one joins both, therefore it is ‘yam’; so that it is this controlled and joined together that the two together are spoken of as ‘yam’.—That the letters composing the name of Brahman are themselves endowed with such character as immortality and the like,—is in itself a sign of great fortune;—what to say of Him who bears that name?—such is the praise sought to be bestowed upon the object of meditation.—One who knows this—i.e. who knows Brahman, the bearer of the name, through the said explanation of the name,—daily goes to the Heavenly Region; as already explained before.—(5)

End of Section (3) of Discourse VIII.