The Cosmic Tree Rooted in Brahman🔗

❀ This is the ancient, beginningless Banyan tree [aśvattha] existing from time eternal, that has its root going upwards and branches spreading downwards. That verse (which is the root of the tree) is Ever Pure, Absolute Radiant, That indeed is Brahman (the original source of existence); That alone is called the Immortal (the eternal 2.3.1 space of complete completion). On That alone, all the worlds are fixed and rest upon (during creation, substanence and dissolution). Nothing whatsoever goes beyond That. This truly is That Brahman, Cosmic Consciousness. This verse glorifies the origin of the Cosmic Banyan tree, which has Its source root as Brahman, the Cosmic Consciousness, and sends its branches downward into the phenomenal world. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain, completion and incompletion, birth and death, and all the changing conditions of the mortal realm–these are the branches; but the origin of the tree, the Brahman, is eternally pure, unchanging, free and deathless. From the highest divine forms to the minutest atom, all created things have their origin and complete completion in Him. He is the foundation of the Universe. There is nothing beyond Him.

verse 2.3.1 ūrdhva: upwards; mūlaḥ: roots; avāk: downwards; śākhaḥ: branches; eṣaḥ: this; aśvatthaḥ: banyan tree (like world); sanātanaḥ: eternal; tat: that; eva: indeed; śukraṁ: ever pure, absolute radiant; tat: all; brahma: Brahman, Consciousness; tat: that; eva: alone; amṛtam: immortal; ucyate: called; tasmin: on which; lokāḥ: all worlds; śritāḥ: rest upon; sarve: all; tat: that; u: only; na: nothing; atyeti: [?] beyond; kaścana: whatsoever; etat: this; vai: truly is; tat: that (self) [?]

The Cosmic Law Of Brahman, by the Fear of which, Everything Does Its Authentic Actions

verse 2.3.2

❀ Whatever there is in the Universe, emerges and vibrates because of the energy of Brahman, and rests and sustains in It. That is a mighty terror, like an upraised thunderbolt about to strike. They, who know and realize That Brahman, Consciousness become immortal, being established in the space of deathlessness.

The thunderbolt analogy explains this — just as the upraised powerful thunderbolt is used by the Divine Ruler, Indra to command over his subordinate energies, to be obeyed by anyone big or small, similarly, the Universe consisting of the sun, the moon, the planets and galaxies, constantly follow the command of the mighty Brahman, in terror of It. Upraised thunderbolt is likened to Brahman, with Its impartial and uncompromising nature of upholding the Cosmic law. Knowing this Brahman as the source and witness, the ruler of all activities, from the macrocosmic worlds to microcosmic minds, one becomes deathless.

verse 2.3.2 yat: which; idaṁ: this; kiñca (kim ca): whatever; jagat: world; sarvam: all; prāṇa: life-energy of Brahman; ejati: vibrates, moves; niḥsṛtam: emerged; mahat: is a mighty terror; bhayaṁ: fear; vajram: thunderbolt; udyatam: about to strike; yaḥ: those who; etat: this, all this; viduḥ: know; amṛtāḥ: immortal; te: they; bhavanti: become

verse 2.3.3 ❀ From the fear of It, the Fire heats and burns, from the fear of It, the Sun heats and shines. From the fear of It, Indra, the king of all gods as the divine energies and Vāyu, the deity of air energy, and Death, the fifth deity as the protectors and enrichers of the world, actively speed forth into their respective authentic actions. Just as the body cannot live or act without the Soul, similarly nothing in the created world can exist independent of the Brahman, who is the basis of all existence. His position is like that of a king whom all must obey; hence it is said that the gods of sun, moon, wind, rain, live and act to their peak authenticity by abiding to Him or It.

verse 2.3.3 verse 2.3.3 bhayāt: from fear; asya: of It; agniḥ: fire; tapati: heats, burns; bhayāt: from fear; tapati: shines; sūryaḥ: sun; bhayāt: from fear; indraḥ: indra, king of divine energies of nature; ca: and; vāyuḥ: air; ca: and; mṛtyuḥ: death; dhāvati: runs, speeds forth into authentic action; pañcamaḥ: the fifth (deity)

Degrees of Perception of the Self

verse 2.3.4

❀ If one individual soul, with the conscious space of possibility, succeeds in realizing and completing into the Cosmic Soul or Brahman here (while still living) before the dissolution of the body, one becomes liberated (and lives advaita); else because of that non-realization and incompletion, one becomes embodied again in the created worlds.

Knowledge and experience of the Supreme Consciousness, which is the goal of life, liberates a person. But if he fails to attain It before his Soul is separated from the body, then he must take other bodies and return again to this realm of birth and death, until through experience, he realizes the nature of the Supreme and his oneness with It.

verse 2.3.4 Authenticity is the space of possibility (ceta) that makes the individual soul expand and unite into the Cosmic Soul and realize its Infinite Oneness with the Whole or Brahman, which it its original nature and state of completion. verse 2.3.4

iha: here; cet: being competent, conscious of possibility; aśakat: succeeds; boddhum: in knowing, awakening, realizing; prāk: before; śarīrasya: of the body; visrasaḥ: dissolution disintegration, falling off; tataḥ: because (of that non-realization); sargeṣu: created; lokeṣu: in the worlds; śarīratvāya: for becoming embodied, for embodiment; kalpate: becomes, happens.

✽ As in a clear mirror of purified intelligence, so is It seen within one's self; as in a dream with a hazy vision, so (is It seen) in the world of the forefathers, the departed verse spirits; as in the water (with a more blurry vision), so (is It seen) in the world of Gandharvas, the celestial realm. As the light and shadow, so (is It 2.3.5 seen) in the world of Brahmā (the Creator). ✽

verse 2.3.5

The importance of the rare human birth is elaborated here. Consciousness cannot be realized in the other worlds like heaven, ancestral, celestial worlds etc. Oneness with Consciousness or 'Living Advaita' is possible in life here on earth. Only here, on earth, can we experience liberation, the Complete Completion, not in any heavenly to lower realms. When, by the means of a purified intelligence, one beholds the Divine within, the image is distinct as in a polished mirror; but one cannot have clear vision of Consciousness by attaining to various realms known as heavens, where one reaps the fruit of his good acts. It is only by realizing Oneness with one's Consciousness here in this life that the complete vision of Divine is experienced.

verse 2.3.5 yathā: just as; ādarśe: sees in the mirror; tathā: so, in the same way; ātmani: within the self; yathā: as; svapne: in dream; tathā: so; pitṛloke: world of forefathers (departed souls); yathā: as; apsu: in water; parī: self; iva: like; dadṛśe: seen; tathā: similarly, so also; gandharva: celestial; loka: in the world; chāyā: shadow; tapayoḥ: light; iva: like; brahmaloke: world of Brahmā

❀ Knowing that the senses are of a different nature (from the ātman) and also that their rising and setting, which is like the waking and sleeping states, originate differently (from the ātman), a wise, authentic, complete being [dhīraḥ] does not grieve.

verse A dhīraḥ, wise, authenic person never confounds the ātman, which is birthless and deathless, with that which has beginning and end. Therefore, 2.3.6 when he sees his senses and his physical self waxing and waning, he knows that his real Self within can never be affected by these outer changes, so he remains unmoved.

verse 2.3.6 indriyāṇām: of the senses; pṛthak: distinct, different; bhāvam: nature, essence, state; udaya-āstamayau: their rising and setting (like waking and sleeping, or creation and dissolution); ca: and; yat: who; pṛthak: different, separate; utpadyamānānam: having originated separately; matvā: knowing; dhīraḥ: wise, authentic being; na: does not; śocati: grieve

indriyebhyaḥ: from the senses; param: higher, superior, greater; manaḥ: mind; manasaḥ: from the mind; sattvam: intelligence or true cognition; uttamam: higher, superior,

verse greater; sattvāt: than the intelligence; adhi: more, above; mahān: greater; ātmā: self; mahataḥ: greater; avyaktam: the unmanifest; uttamam: superior, greater, ultimate

2.3.7

verse 2.3.8 ❀ Beyond even the Avyakta, 🔴 Unmanifested is the Cosmic Being, Puruṣa, who is, indeed all-pervading 🔴 [vyāpakaḥ] and formless [aliṅgaḥ], devoid of any attributes (and uncognizable by the mind or senses). By knowing It experientially, the mortal man becomes liberated and attains immortality, the space of eternal life, beyond death. verse avyaktāt: to or than the unmanifest; tu: even; paraḥ: superior, beyond; puruṣaḥ: cosmic being; vyāpakaḥ: all-pervading; aliṅgaḥ: formless, bodyless without attributes; eva: 2.3.8 indeed; ca: and; yaṁ: him; jñātvā: by knowing him experientially; mucyate: get liberated; jantuḥ: people, everyone; amṛtatvaṁ: immortality, space of eternal life beyond life and death; ca: and; gacchati: go, experience, attain

❀ Its form does not exist as an object of vision; no one can see It through the eye (or any other sense organ). This Cosmic Self reveals Itself in the heart (where It resides), when the intelligence, the ruler of the mind purifies the mind by the subtle act of intranalyzing and constant contemplation on the Self (being unoccupied by any objects). Those who know this Self become immortal, deathless.

verse 2.3.9 The Supreme, Cosmic Self (puruṣa) being formless (aliṅgaḥ), cannot be cognized by the senses, hence all knowledge of It must be grasped by the subtler faculties of heart, intellect and mind, which are developed only through the purifying practice of manana, intranalyzing–which is analyzing the Truth, the Self for the sake of internalizing It, not for rejecting it. verse na: does not; saṁdṛśe: as an object of vision; tiṣṭhati: exist, stays; rūpam: form; asya: its; na: not; cakṣuṣāḥ: through the eyes; paśyati: sees, perceives; kaścana: anyone, no one; enam: 2.3.9 this self; hṛdāḥ: in the heart; manīṣāḥ: by intelligence, the ruler of the mind, mental faculties; manasā: through or contemplation, intranalyzing; abhikḷrptaḥ: is revealed, realized; ye: those who; etat: this (that self is Brahman); viduḥ: know; amṛtāḥ: immortal, deathless; te: they; bhavanti: become

Highest State Of Yoga Defined

❀ When the five senses of knowledge (and fives sense organs of perception) become still and come together to merge into the mind (the internal organ); and the intelligence (characterized by the matured cognition of mind stuff) also ceases to be active, and rests into the Self: that state of restful awareness is verse called as the highest, ultimate state and goal [paramām gatim]. 2.3.10

The Master now opens up the process of the ultimate state, Yoga—the uniting of the individual self into the Cosmic Self, the object into the subject; the many into the Oneness—to Naciketā. The pañca jñānendriya–eyes, ears, etc. and karmendriya–outgoing senses–seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, along with their sense-organs, the restless mind and intelligence, everything objective, must be indrawn, absorbed within and stilled. The state of restful awareness, deep meditation of merging into the Self, thus attained is called the highest state, because all the forces of one's being become united and focused; and this surely leads to the state of Oneness-the self-vision of that subtlest Cosmic Self.

verse 2.3.10

verse 2.3.10 yadā: at the time, when; pañcā: the five; avatiṣṭhante: are at rest (in the self); jñānāni: of knowledge; manasāḥ: with the mind; saha: along, together, merging into; buddhiḥ: intelligence; ca: and also; na: does not, ceases; viceṣṭati: active, engage in its activities; tām: that (state); āhuḥ: they call, is called; paramāṃ: ultimate, highest; gatim: state, space, abode

तां योगमिति मन्यन्ते स्थिरामिन्द्रियधारणाम् । अप्रमत्तस्तदा भवति योगो हि प्रभवाप्ययौ ॥११॥ ❀

verse 2.3.11

❀ The state of steadying and centering your energy and awareness through the senses on one object [sthiram indriya-dhārāṇām] is what is known as Yoga. Then, one should become absolutely watchful and conscious at that very time, for the state of Yoga comes and goes, being subject to growth and decay.

verse 2.3.11

tām: that state; yogam: yoga; iti: as; and energy on one object; apramattaḥ: unerring, ever careful, vigilant; tadā: at that time, then; bhavati: becomes;

manyante: is considered, is known; sthirām: steady, firm; indriyaḥ: senses;

dhāraṇām: of the centering of your awareness yogaḥ: yoga; hi: for; prabhava: rise, subject to growth; āpyayau: fall, subject to decay

verse 2.3.11 Since Brahman, Cosmic Self or Consciousness is not an object of intelligence or memory that can be defined as ‘such and such’ or ‘this is it’ and since it also cannot be experienced by the cessation of the restless mind and active intelligence, having no instrument of cognition to measure It, then It may wrongly be understood as non-existent for the lack of objectivity to define or measure it. To remove and negate this wrong cognition that may arise, thus, Upaniṣad declares....