ISAVASYOPANISHAD - 15.

08/01/2019
Mantras 12 to 14.

Into dense darkness they enter, who worship the Unmanifest; into greater darkness, as it were, they enter, who worship the Manifest. The results of these two Upasanas are different from each other. When the knowledge of the Manifest and of the Unmanifest are combined, one crosses over death through the Unmanifest and becomes immortal through the Manifest. The Unmanifest is the original condition of equilibrium of gunas, viz., sattva, rajas and tamas.

This condition is the primordial matter that is the substance of the universe in its causal condition. This is the same as maya or prakriti. It is also called avyakrita or the undifferentiated. One who worships or adores this Unmanifest gets dissolved in the Unmanifest and becomes unified with that dark equilibrium where there is no consciousness and hence no effort is possible. When this Unmanifest manifests itself, those who are dissolved in the Unmanifest are reborn as individuals. This Unmanifest is the origin of both the causes and effects of all actions and hence, it is concerned only with the universe and not with Brahman.

The Manifest is that which is produced from this Unmanifest. This is the same as Hiranyagarbha. One who worships Him enters into greater darkness, as it were, because he is tempted by the glory of the region of Hiranyagarbha, and does not attempt at the higher salvation. The eight siddhis and all possible greatness come to one who attains this Hiranyagarbha; but there is the danger of being satisfied with this state, and hence it is worse than getting dissolved in the Unmanifest which at least gives rise to the pain of birth and death and makes one realise the unsatisfactory condition one is in.

Knowledge that is not perfect and is within the ken of prakriti is productive of egoism. Vikshepa or distraction is worse than Avarana. The state of Hiranyagarbha is one of vikshepa, because there is universal objective consciousness and cosmic enjoyment in it. But even Hiranyagarbha gets dissolved in the Absolute and hence his state is less than the Absolute. The state of getting dissolved in the Unmanifest is called prakriti-laya, which is not the same as moksha, but a temporary winding up of all activities. The word prakriti-laya has got a special meaning.

All beings are dissolved in prakriti at the end of the universe, but these cannot be called prakriti-layas, because they have got the potentiality of reverting to ordinary individuality, since, even in this state of dissolution, their individualistic samskaras are not destroyed. A prakriti-laya is one who does not once again become an ordinary individual, but being reduced to the fundamental finest essence of the omnipresent prakriti becomes the omnipresent Lord of the universe.

To be continued  ....