The four sentences that sum up Vedanta wisdom

The Upanisads are a unique repository of wisdom, distilling the core of the Vedas. While there are 130-odd of them coming at the end of each of the four Vedas, ten (or eleven) of them are considered the core of the Upanisadik tradition. In The Upanisads (Aleph Books), Nachiketa Jha, a senior IPS officer, has translated ten key Upanisads (Aitareya, Isa, Katha, Kena, Chandogya, Taittiriya, Prasna, Brhadaranyaka, Mandukya, and Mundaka) into English. He has annotated his translation based on Sankaracarya’s classical exegesis. It has a highly readable introduction that brings this spiritual treasury closer to the contemporary reader.

Here is an excerpt from the Introduction:

The relationship between Atman and Brahman: the four mahavakyas

One of the central questions that the Upanisads seeks to address is the relationship between atman, the self, and Brahman, the ultimate reality, the supreme being. The Upanisads assert the identity of atman and Brahman. The four mahavakyas (great sentences) seek to proclaim the identity of the atman and Brahman and are interrelated and mutually reinforcing statements. They are:

Tat Tvam Asi

This mahavakya is found in the Chandogya Upanisad (Ch. 6.viii.7). It is translated as ‘That thou art’ or ‘You are that’. It conveys the underlying unity of the atman and Brahman. In this Upanisad, Aruni says to Svetaketu: ‘The entire phenomenal universe is traced to the universal, all-pervasive principle of Being. This is the basis of all including humankind.’ The self without any limiting adjuncts is the same as the underlying universal principle. This is one of the central pillars of the Advaita system of thought. This vakya is said to have the foremost place among all vakyas.

According to Vedanta, the body is, in the ultimate analysis, an illusion. Once a person understands this then it becomes clear that there is nothing other than Brahman left. In this mahavakya, the word ‘thou’ (tvam) does not mean the physical body. It stands for the pure consciousness that is the nature of the self. ‘That’ (tat) stands for pure consciousness which is the nature of Brahman. This identity is not a tautology. It aims to show that, that which due to error and illusion is viewed as distinct, is actually one and the same. In reality, the self and Brahman are the same. The self, due to our erroneous identification with the body stemming from ignorance, appears as finite, mortal, and limited. But it is in fact infinite, immortal, and all encompassing, like the Brahman.

Aham Brahmasmi

Translated as ‘I am Brahman’, this mahavakya is found in the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (Br. 1.iv.10). The verse states that all who realized this, such as the gods, saints, and other humans, became this (Brahman). Indeed, whoever realizes this mahavakya attains Brahman. Once again here the unity of the self and Brahman is stressed. The knower and the known are the same. Thus, in the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says: ‘I am the self O Arjuna (dwelling in the mind of all beings).’ (B.G. X.20)

Ayam Atma Brahma

Translated as ‘This self is Brahman’, this vakya is found in the Mandukya Upanisad (Verse 2). This verse states that all is Brahman including the self. The unity of the self and the universal principle is reiterated.

Prajnanam Brahma

This mahavakya found in the Aitareya Upaniad is translated as ‘Consciousness is Brahman’. (Ai. 3.i.4) All creatures are driven by consciousness. This consciousness is Brahman. The word prajna in this verse has variously been understood as consciousness, intelligence or knowledge.

“The underlying reality, when freed of all distinctions, is taintless, beyond words, thoughts and attributes. Brahman, when associated with pure intelligence, is called antaryami, inner controller. When associated with cosmic intelligence, it is known as Hiranyagarbha, the seed of the manifested world. When associated with the cosmic body, it is called Prajapati, Virat. It is Brahman which is given various names and forms when conditioned by divergent bodies.”

Mukti

Liberation or mukti is the ultimate aim of the Upanisads. It is attained when there is a realization that the self is Brahman and the illusory distinction between the self and Brahman ceases. Bondage (bandhana) consists in the erroneous distinction between the self and Brahman.

Karma, which can be defined as actions, works, or deeds and their consequences, play a crucial role in causing bondage. Three types of karma are distinguished. Prarabdha karma is that type of karma the effects of which have started manifesting; sancita karma is that type of karma whose effects are not yet manifested and lie dormant; and sanciyamana or agami karma is that karma that we gather in the present life.

True knowledge extinguishes sancita karma and prevents agami karma. But those karmic effects that have manifested cannot be undone. Thus, the body, which is a product of prarabdha karma, persists through the present life of even the liberated soul.

This is why the word for liberation in this tradition is jivan mukti. However, the jivan mukta is not affected by the world. He is beyond pleasure and grief. The jivan-mukta may undertake activities for the emancipation of those still stuck in the mire of sa msara. The Upanisads provides us with different examples of liberated souls who chose to renounce the world or engage with the world as per their personalities and temperament. Thus, Janaka was a king while Yajnavalkya chose the life of a renouncer.

Liberation as conceived of in Vedanta is not a new state. It is the realization of what always existed. Liberation is nothing but the realization of the identity of the self and Brahman. With the dawn of true knowledge is dispelled the illusion of the distinction between the self and Brahman. As the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad and the Mundaka Upanisad tell us, they who know Brahman become Brahman. The jivan-mukta at the end of this lifespan attains the disembodied state of liberation or videha-mukti.

Liberation in the Upanisads is a state that is not merely limited to the absence of suffering or grief. It is also the positive state of bliss (ananda). Actions performed by the liberated soul do not bind him. In fact, people are encouraged towards the performance of selfless action (niskama karma) to escape from the clutches of the ego.

The Vedas and the Upanisads mention characteristics associated with the state of liberation. It is said to be beyond the scope of time. It entails freedom from the cycle of birth and death. On attaining this state, one is released from the laws of karma. In fact, it is stated that the laws of karma prevail in the realm of sa m sara. Once the self is realized, we are beyond the purview of our deeds. Thus, all and any deeds or acts, good or bad, have no effect on a liberated person. There is a complete end of bondage (bandhana). Bondage is itself the product of ignorance. With knowledge is ignorance dispelled. Knowledge also leads to the extinguishing of all desires.