Isavasya Upanishad for Beginners : Post - 14. Swami Gurubhaktananda (Chinmaya Mission).

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Sunday, August 23., 2020. 9:37.. AM.
ISAVASYA UPANISHAD -  “The VISION of TRUTH”
Wave 4: Mantra-s 15-17 (3 No.)
Mantram-15 :  The Face of Truth
Post-14.
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Mantram : 15.

"1.Hiranmayena paatrena, 2 satyasya apihitam mukham;
3 tat twam pooshan apaavrinu, 4 satya dharmaaya drishtaye."
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Translation :

1.Hiranmayena paatrena,          = By a golden vessel or lid
2 satyasya apihitam mukham;   = is the face of Truth covered;
3 tat twam pooshan apaavrinu, = O Sun, remove the covering (or open the lid)
4 satya dharmaaya drishtaye.    = so that I may behold the Truth I am striving for.
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Discourse : 

[This Mantram forms the Theme Song of the Upanishad Ganga TV series produced by the
Chinmaya Mission screened weekly on DD2 since 12th March 2012, over one year. At
Sandeepany, the class was availed the opportunity of seeing each episode live on TV.]

This Mantram pairs up well with the opening verse which stated that the whole world
was “covered” or “enveloped” by the Truth. Here, in a prayer addressed to the Divine, the
seeker prays to the Sun (the deity of the physical sun) to remove that covering so that he
may be behold the Truth. The similarity of the two verses is in conformity with the scriptural
practice of Upakrama-Upasamhara, to convey the subject essence at the beginning and the
end of the text. For this reason, Maadhyandina considers this to be the last verse of the
Upanishad. Rishi Kanva considers verses 15-18 to form one concluding prayer to the whole
Upanishad. In both cases the idea of the scriptural practice is accepted.

The Covering of Truth :

1-2 We cannot look at the sun due to its brilliance; the very brilliance of the sun acts
as a screen to shield it from our view. The Truth also has a “golden disc” shielding it from
our vision. We cannot see the Truth because it is too brilliant. The brilliance can be thought
of as an Upadhi which hides the Truth. An Upadhi, like our body and mind, is a de-limiter; it
limits the the appearance of a thing; it attenuates the intensity of a thing by making the
thing appear less intense than the original.

We can take an ordinary example of the country’s President. If we are asked to go
and meet the President, we make special arrangements to do so. We are awed by the
greatness of the ‘Upadhi’ of the President’s Office. His status far exceeds that of our own
and so we stand in awe of him. But the family members of the President do not see his
‘Office’. They are quite at ease with him, even when he is in his office.

When we actually meet the President, we say, “Oh, he is such a simple person. He
even shook my hand! And he smiled at me!” Every little act of his fills us with wonder. So,
too, it is with Truth, whose Upadhis are enormous. It is so well hidden. It cannot be seen just
for a song. One has to become worthy of seeing It.

Some commentators interpret the disc or cover to mean Maya Herself. This is slightly
different from seeing it as an Upadhi. Upadhis are a product of Maya. With reference to
Truth, the Upadhi is Maya.

The Expanded Meaning of Truth :

3a Pooshan: In Vedic times, the Personal Gods were the Deities of the respective
elements. The Puranic Deities came at a later period. The Sun Deity is addressed by many
names, according to the aspect of it being invoked. Here the name Pooshan is being used.
‘Pooshan’ means “nourisher or sustainer”. The Sun, though it remains still, is the source of
the energy which makes the whole universe dynamic and powerful. The Sun provides the
driving force. In the Vedic scriptures, the Sun is the perfect symbol for the Atman or Self
within each individual. The Atman, too, fulfils the same function as Pooshan, the Sun.
Pooshan is a very appropriate choice of word in another context. ‘Pooshan’ expands
the scope of meaning for Truth. It not only means the Sun, but it is also a name for Ishwara,
the supreme Creator. It is also a name for Consciousness or Existence itself, which is the
supreme Reality, the Absolute Brahman. Thus, by using the word Pooshan, the Truth could
be interpreted to mean relative truth or Absolute Truth; meaning that the Truth is both
transcendental (beyond creation) as well as imminent (within creation).

The Prayer of the Seeker:

3-4 The seeker of Truth, the devotee, asks Pooshan to uncover the disc. The conversation between devotee and Pooshan can be imagined as follows :

Pooshan: “Why, what do you want to see?”

Devotee: “O Sun, I wish to behold the face of Truth.”

Pooshan: “But what is so special about you that I should uncover the Truth for
your sake?”

Devotee: “Believe me, Sun, I am a Satya Dharmaaya, a practitioner of Truth. I
do the Upasana for Truth daily. Can you not please grant me my heart’s desire?”

Pooshan: “Well, let me check out your records first to see if your request is
valid. I will get back to you by email.”

Devotee: “O, don’t check too thoroughly, please! I know I have made many
errors in my Upasana. Be a little lenient with me if you do find anything wrong.”

The devotee leaves, only to trouble Pooshan again the next day at the first crack of
dawn. Still no email. He goes the next day, and the next….until his wish is finally granted.

Truly, Guruji’s subtle ways to get the message through to us has to be commended!

Guruji followed this with a delightful story of a little boy who asked Santa Claus for
some special gifts on Christmas. “Santa, will you give me a video-game machine, a laptop, an
i-pad, a cellphone with lots of games in it, and…”

Santa said, “Wait a minute. I will check out what good deeds you have done for the
current year.”

The boy quickly replied, “Oh, Santa, just the video-game machine will do!”

NEXT : Mantram - 16: The Vision of Truth

To be continued ....

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