Isavasya Upanishad for Beginners : 3. Swami Krishnananda
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10/03/2020.
1.3 THE PATH OF SORROW
Mantram-3 : The Sunless Worlds
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Mantram-
" Asuryaah naama te lokaah, andhena tamasaa aavritaah;
taagm te pretya abhi-gacchhanti, e ke cha aatma hanah janaah."
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1 Asuryaah naama te lokaah, = Sunless (demoniac) are those worlds,
2 andhena tamasaa aavritaah; = and enveloped in blinding gloom,
3 taagm te pretya abhi-gacchhanti, = to which go, after death, those
4 e ke cha aatma hanah janaah. = people who are slayers of their own souls.
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It is interesting to note that in Shankaracharyaji’s Bhashya a comment is made that in comparison to the fit student for Vedanta who possesses all the Sadhana Chatushtaya,
even some people who may be considered very respectable in the eyes of the world, would pass as “Asuric” beings on Shankaracharya’s scale of values!
What happens to such people? This verse is devoted to answering this question in the hope that those reading it would take added care to avoid such a lifestyle.
1 From the Vedantic standpoint, Hell is where there is total forgetfulness of our true nature of Self-hood. The physical characteristics of hell commonly described are immaterial; hell is a mental condition of moral depravity. Poverty can become a positive contributor towards God-remembrance, in which case it would be considered to be a blessing.
2-3 Such people go to regions of blinding gloom on departing from the earth-plane. The Asuric worlds are blindingly gloomy and dark. It is not a very welcoming place to be.
Some even consider that this world itself is such a place. More pitiable than poverty-stricken conditions are the affluent conditions devoid of any spirituality.
4 There are several types of people who will qualify in this category:
i) The normally ignorant ones;
ii) the very ambitious ones;
iii) as above but with the added vice of having arrogance and wickedness;
iv) the indolent and lazy ones, good for nothing, living only to eat and sleep;
v) the Asura who lives only to indulge himself in vile carnal pleasures that are
demeaning, intoxicating, vulgar, destructive of one’s character and shameless.
Suicide – “Slayers of Their Souls”
One who identifies only with his body is the one who is truly ignorant. However learned he may be in the eyes of the world, if he has no idea of the Self and no desire to
know more about it, then he is an ignorant person destined to run out a wretched, meaningless life.
Such people, who are described here as “slayers of their souls”, are committing spiritual suicide. They are the real suicide victims, not just those who take their own life.
However, talking of suicide, Guruji said that it was an insult to the great opportunity they have been given to progress in this human birth. One may understand taking one’s life
once, but to take it in the spiritual sense birth after birth was unpardonable.
Some people falsely console themselves with the belief that once they have the human birth they will never lose it. That is only their belief. Guruji did not hide the fact that
it was easily possible for one to be born in lower bodies if one misused the human birth. A priceless treasure has to be guarded, else it will be taken away. That is easy for anyone to understand.
To be continued ...
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=====================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/03/2020.
1.3 THE PATH OF SORROW
Mantram-3 : The Sunless Worlds
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mantram-
" Asuryaah naama te lokaah, andhena tamasaa aavritaah;
taagm te pretya abhi-gacchhanti, e ke cha aatma hanah janaah."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Asuryaah naama te lokaah, = Sunless (demoniac) are those worlds,
2 andhena tamasaa aavritaah; = and enveloped in blinding gloom,
3 taagm te pretya abhi-gacchhanti, = to which go, after death, those
4 e ke cha aatma hanah janaah. = people who are slayers of their own souls.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is interesting to note that in Shankaracharyaji’s Bhashya a comment is made that in comparison to the fit student for Vedanta who possesses all the Sadhana Chatushtaya,
even some people who may be considered very respectable in the eyes of the world, would pass as “Asuric” beings on Shankaracharya’s scale of values!
What happens to such people? This verse is devoted to answering this question in the hope that those reading it would take added care to avoid such a lifestyle.
1 From the Vedantic standpoint, Hell is where there is total forgetfulness of our true nature of Self-hood. The physical characteristics of hell commonly described are immaterial; hell is a mental condition of moral depravity. Poverty can become a positive contributor towards God-remembrance, in which case it would be considered to be a blessing.
2-3 Such people go to regions of blinding gloom on departing from the earth-plane. The Asuric worlds are blindingly gloomy and dark. It is not a very welcoming place to be.
Some even consider that this world itself is such a place. More pitiable than poverty-stricken conditions are the affluent conditions devoid of any spirituality.
4 There are several types of people who will qualify in this category:
i) The normally ignorant ones;
ii) the very ambitious ones;
iii) as above but with the added vice of having arrogance and wickedness;
iv) the indolent and lazy ones, good for nothing, living only to eat and sleep;
v) the Asura who lives only to indulge himself in vile carnal pleasures that are
demeaning, intoxicating, vulgar, destructive of one’s character and shameless.
Suicide – “Slayers of Their Souls”
One who identifies only with his body is the one who is truly ignorant. However learned he may be in the eyes of the world, if he has no idea of the Self and no desire to
know more about it, then he is an ignorant person destined to run out a wretched, meaningless life.
Such people, who are described here as “slayers of their souls”, are committing spiritual suicide. They are the real suicide victims, not just those who take their own life.
However, talking of suicide, Guruji said that it was an insult to the great opportunity they have been given to progress in this human birth. One may understand taking one’s life
once, but to take it in the spiritual sense birth after birth was unpardonable.
Some people falsely console themselves with the belief that once they have the human birth they will never lose it. That is only their belief. Guruji did not hide the fact that
it was easily possible for one to be born in lower bodies if one misused the human birth. A priceless treasure has to be guarded, else it will be taken away. That is easy for anyone to understand.
To be continued ...
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