Prasna Upanishad—Answers to the Fourth and Fifth Students’ Questions
Remove the impurities of the mind;
Fill your heart with supremely pure feelings.
The eye of wisdom will reveal to you that
The world is filled with the light of Brahman.
Why does a self-realized person need penance?
Of what need is spiritual effort to one who adheres to truth?
Does a guileless person need to do sacrifices and rituals?
These words of Sai convey the path of truth.
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Birth and death are natural, inevitable. Bhargava [Bhargava Vaidarbhi] was one who had recognized the mystery of birth and death, who grasped the secrets of uttarayana [June to December period] and dakshinayana [December to June period], and who knew the significance of the bright and dark fortnights. Upon listening to Pippalada’s wisdom, he was filled with contentment and bliss. He bowed to the sage in humility and expressed heartfelt gratitude.
Awareness during Sleep
At this point, the fourth disciple, Sauryayani [Sauryayani Gargya], the grandson of Surya [the Sun God], approached Pippalada and asked, “Swami, when the countless beings of the world sleep, who sleeps in reality? Who is awake at that time? Who dreams? Who forgets the body and mind, gets immersed in his awareness in a blissful state? When a living being sleeps, how is he able to sustain his life force?” He prayed, “Kindly impart these secrets to me and help me attain tranquility.”
Pippalada said, “Sauryayani, when the Sun sets, it appears as if he withdraws his rays into himself. The next morning, he sends them forth again for the benefit of mankind. In the same way, the senses recede into the mind during sleep. That is why a person cannot see, talk, hear, or taste while in slumber. The senses and their functions are dormant. However, five life forces—prana [the sensory force], apana [the excretory/generative force], samana [the digestive force], udana [the swallowing force], and vyana [the circulatory force]—are awake as five fires within the body. For example, inhalation and exhalation, which are involuntary, are possible because of samana.
“The individual soul experiences the peace of sleep. Man relives past and present sights and experiences in dreams. Impressions from countless past births that are unknown to him also emanate from his consciousness during dreams. Therefore, the five lesser life forces are awake during sleep. Man creates himself during dreams. He also creates others and his environment and undergoes illusory experiences. The mind is the root cause, the reason, for dreams and deep sleep. The mind alone is responsible for men’s bondage and liberation.”
The Nature of Om
When Pippalada had satisfied Sauryayani with such answers, the fifth student, Satyakama [Saibya Satyakama] came to the sage and said, “Swami, the scriptures assert that a man who is able to repeat Om (the first sound of creation) during his last breath attains the indestructible state of immortality. Is this true? Is this possible?”
Pippalada said, “Son, Satyakama, the whole cosmos is permeated by Om. It is the manifestation of God.” The sounds of a, u and m constitute the word Om [or aum]. The physical world, bhurloka; the higher astral world, bhuvarloka; and the highest world, svarloka—these three are pervaded by Om. The Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, and Sama-veda [Hindu scriptures] are also contained within Om. These three Vedas sing their song through the medium of Om.
Note the triples: bhurloka, bhuvahloka, and svahloka are the three worlds. The Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, and Sama-veda are the three scriptures. A, u, and m are the three primary sounds. Om alone pervades the three worlds, the three Vedas. It is also said that Om is characterized by eight kinds of prosperity.
God as sound, in living and non-living beings,
In light and speech,
Eternal happiness, transcendental principle,
Power of delusion, auspiciousness,
Prosperity, permanent awareness—
These are the characteristics of Om.
All the sounds in this world are born from Om. Those who deem Om to be just a sound—those who do not go beyond its mechanical recitation—receive only worldly benefits from its repetition. But those who contemplate on the significance of Om while chanting it with concentration are eligible to live in the pleasure-filled world chandraloka (lunar world) after death, so say the scriptures.
Sun and Moon Principles
Chandraloka is not to be confused with the physical moon that astronauts from America and Russia have set foot on. The “Purusha Sukta,” [a Vedic hymn] describing the cosmic Lord Narayana, says that from His mind emerged the moon, and from His eyes, the sun. When I speak of the moon and sun principles, you should not confuse them with the physical sun and moon.
The moon is a representation of the mind—meaning that with thoughts pertaining to the world, man attains chandraloka, a plane of existence where mental delights are experienced. The sun represents the light of the eyes. When your vision is merged with creation, you perceive the truth of the scriptures. Therefore, the term sastra (scripture) does not refer to certain books alone. The command of the eyes is sastra—meaning that the direct proof available through a clarified vision is the real scripture.
[Ancient Indian logic outlines specific truth-finding methods, three of which are direct cognition, inferential perception, and the authority of revealed scriptures.] For direct proof, the sun is the basis. For proof by inference, the mind or moon is the basis. For proof by sound, speech is the basis. Therefore, humanness is transformed into divinity only when you have unity and purity in thought, word, and deed.
The Golden Womb
God, as manifested in the outer, physical world, is called Viswa [the Universe]. God, as the inner presence in your mind, is called Hiranyagarbha [the Golden Womb]. From what has this distinction between “inner” and “outer” arisen? The mind principle is very pure. During times of agitation, when it contemplates on God, it is transformed into light. Thus, there is peace in unrest, light in peace, and supreme effulgence in light, and this supreme effulgence is the atma [soul]. So declare the Vedas. The mind principle is called Hiranyagarbha. Hiranya means “gold,” garbha means “womb.” Hiranyagarbha is “He who has a golden lingam in His body.” This lingam is present in His body near the heart. The entire cosmos is contained in the golden lingam. America, Japan, Germany, France, England, India, Pakistan … all are contained in that lingam! Why is Hiranyagarbha golden? Gold undergoes no change; it survives in the earth for any length of time. In the same way, the heart does not change, no matter how long the individual lives in this world. I am not talking about the “physical heart,” but the “spiritual heart” that conceals infinite powers. Divinity in man cannot be understood from a physical perspective.
The golden (Hiranya) principle resides as twelve manifestations in the heart. These forms are called Aditya Brahmas. Composed of the Aditya Brahmas, the sun shines with golden hue and traverses a path that takes twelve months to complete. Truly, there is no beginning or end to the sun’s motion, no sunrise and no sunset. When the sun comes above the horizon, you call that day. When it is hidden below the horizon, you call that night. There are not two suns, one for day and another for night! Pippalada explained such subtleties to Satyakama.
Vedic Terms
For the aspirant, there are two paths—feeling and spiritual effort. Someone who experiences Om with feeling cannot know his own divinity. Even if self-realization does dawn in him, it is temporary and he lapses into ignorance again. A person who does spiritual practices reaches the divine abode of the sun and, from there, enters into Brahman’s [the universal Absolute’s] abode.
Who or what is Brahman? You should not imagine Brahman to be merely a four-headed God or some other being. The term Brahma means “immense,” “measureless,” and “expansive.” To attain Brahma is to become vast in perception, like an ocean.
Science lacks this broad-mindedness. It strives to discern subatomic particles within the atom, smaller particles within these particles, and so on. But spirituality is vaster than the vastest. The nature of Brahman is vastness. The moon symbolizes the mind. The sun represents the brightness of the eye. Only someone who appreciates the significance of these terms in Vedanta can understand spirituality in its entirety.
For example, here is a lingam. What is this lingam? Is it present in the physical body? In Vedanta, it is called thumb-sized. You consider the word heart to mean the physical heart. No, no. The spiritual heart has a golden power—eternal, effulgent, all encompassing. This power is called the lingam. Here’s one small example: some of you have gone on pilgrimages to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Amarnath (in the Himalaya Mountains). Where do these places exist? They reside in your heart, through your recollections. Just close your eyes and think of Badrinath. The temple, the surrounding peaks, the Alaknanda River—all are printed in your memory. Whatever you have seen and done is recorded in your heart, strengthened by recollection. The whole world dwells within you.
The Spiritual Heart
Whatever you see outside is a reflection of the inner being. Whatever you speak is the reflection of the “inner talk.” Whatever you do is a reflection of the “inner action.” Hence, to act upon what is within you is dharma [right action]. To speak clearly and honestly of the matters in your heart is truth. To think about matters in your heart truthfully and clearly is peace. To “understand” your heart is non-violence. To trust your heart completely is love. Hence, truth, dharma, peace, love, and non-violence are only facets of your heart.
Humanness means unity in thought, word, and deed. What is meant by dharma? To project your thoughts as words and to demonstrate your words in action is dharma. Today these three are not in unity. The heart, meant to be pure consciousness, is becoming muddy and dirty. Why? Man’s selfishness. In which direction must your selfishness be channeled? Toward Hiranyagarbha, which is divine, bright, ever new, eternal, and blissful. That means you must focus on that which is changeless. Everything around you is temporary and false. In this context, the Bhagavad Gita [a Hindu scripture] declares that the world is temporary. Only the feeling emanating from the heart is true and permanent. Ideals practiced with this heartfelt feeling take one to immortality.
Illusion
What is immortality? Consider a snake that sheds its skin. The snake and its skin become separate, and the snake shines all the more. When you acquire divinity, the gross and conscious aspects become separate. The body is impermanent. The golden principle is true. Illusion is the blanket that hides awareness of this principle. Just as a snake is covered by its skin, illusion envelops man. Illusion does not exist as a separate power. It is your own delusion. When do you succumb to it? When wisdom is absent.
You look at a rope and mistake it for a snake. Why? You do not have enough light to see clearly. In other words, delusion arises when there is a mixture of light and darkness. When you shine a torch [on the “snake”], you realize it is a rope. It had been a rope even before you used the torch! It was a rope when you shone the torch. Before you used the torch, the snake had not left and the rope arrived. The disappearance of the snake and the advent of the rope are both delusions. Reality alone is present, always. The coming and going of opposites is illusion.
Truth is one; seers elaborate on it in various ways. The Vedas chant, Hiranyagarbhaaya namah (salutations to Hiranyagarbha). In your heart, in your stomach, there is a changeless, golden, permanent, true Divinity. This power emanating from the heart makes the eyes see, the ears hear, and the mouth speak.
Science and Spirituality
But scientists do not trust in this unseen power. Why? Their vision is limited to that which is accessible to the senses. Today’s research becomes outdated tomorrow. Tomorrow’s research is always considered the truth! This cycle of old-new, old-new, is misleading. Spirituality has no old and no new.
That is full, This is full.
From the full is born the full.
When the full is subtracted from the full,
What remains is the full alone.
The investigations of science depend on human intellect. Spiritual research is based on the heart. The heart is related to “right;” the head has to do with “responsibility.” The head is like a Polaroid picture. The heart is like a photographic negative. Any number of copies can be printed from a negative, but not from a Polaroid image. Therefore, man is infinitely more valuable than the machines he creates.
Scientists believe in machines, while spiritualists believe in chants. Scientists follow science, “saintists” follow spirituality! The saint deals with a full circle; the scientist, with a semicircle. Spirituality ends where it begins, like a full circle. When a full circle is erased to half, the resulting C shape is science. It begins somewhere and ends somewhere else, with a host of contradictions in between. In fact, there is no truth in science. Today’s truth is tomorrow’s falsehood. Spirituality has been true in the past, is true today, and will be true tomorrow and a million years hence.
Spirituality emanates from the heart. But man forgets his nature and wastes life. He is exhilarated at his technological prowess. Proud of the wealth he creates, he considers it his true property. No, no. Men are more important than all the wealth in the world. Man has invented the computer. When he asks the computer, “Now that it’s raining, what should I do?” it replies, “Carry an umbrella and take this route home.” Did the computer think of the response on its own? Or was it inserted in advance by man, only to be reproduced mechanically? The computer is nothing but rubbish!
You waste millions by relying excessively on computers. Man has a natural brain. It is man’s brain that is behind the computer’s. Without relying on your real brain, you trust in the artificial brain of the computer. When you pour seeds into the top of a hand mill, flour emerges out of the bottom. The computer is no different. It ejects whatever is inserted. If it truly had answers, couldn’t it tell you the date of your death? It does not know the answer. Why? Man, its creator, does not know the answer himself! The computer knows what the scientist knows. It is his reflection. Today man does not trust himself, but relies on his creation, his reflection.
Speech, Mind, Life Force, and Soul
Therefore, faith in yourself is very important. Develop self-confidence. There is nothing greater than the atma [soul]. Speech, the mind, and the chief life force together constitute the atma. Of these three, the life force is the most important. It has no end, although the body it dwells in must perish. It is present in all beings like a reflection in a mirror. When the mind, speech, and the life force come together, the fourth constituent, atma, emerges.
You know that in chemistry, when you mix some substances together, a new compound is formed. Those who chew betel leaves know about the betel nut. The nut is brown, the leaves are green, and the lime mixture added to it is white. However, when the three of them are chewed together, the resulting color is red. When man’s mind, speech, and life force come together, the atma is revealed. With the unity of these three, your life attains fulfillment.
Everything is contained within man’s heart. With this in mind, the Vedas address one in the sushumna [high meditative] state as Hiranyagarbha. In this state, unlimited bliss is experienced. Take a worldly example. When you find a copper coin somewhere, you’re happy, but not too elated. Even a piece of brass or silver fails to excite you. But if you find even a small piece of gold, you are exhilarated. Gold gives joy. What is this gold? It is also found in mud. But mud is found everywhere, while gold in mud occurs rarely. Therefore, gold is given greater value than mud. If gold occurred in abundance, nobody would have valued it. You find flesh, bones, muscles, and blood throughout your body. The heart is like valuable gold amid the inert body matter. Hiranyagarbha is the heart that bestows value, effulgence, and ideals on man.
“Progress” in Education
Keeping in view the atmosphere in the world, it is important to teach students about morality and ethics while also equipping them with worldly knowledge. “Progress” in science has caused erosion in moral values. What good is technological progress without human values? Education claims to be making progress, progress …
Morality and discipline remain relegated to books alone.
Hearts stink of pollution.
Hands engage only in selfish actions.
This is the “progress” in today’s education.
Those who impart education are derided.
The one who feeds is starved in recompense!
The one who helps is harmed in return!
This is the “progress” in today’s education.
Is this progress? No, no, no! Gratitude is your life breath. When you receive favors from others, you must demonstrate gratitude to them, even lifelong gratitude—meaning, love your parents and respect your teachers. Consider your fellow men as humans like you and develop appropriate relations with them. If you do not have such a sense of collective existence, what has education taught you? Tradition and values need to be cultivated along with knowledge.
Source: Summer Showers in Brindavan, 1991
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