23. Coming into birth may be real or illusory; both views are equally supported by the scriptures. But that view which is supported by the scriptures and corroborated by reason is alone to be accepted, and not the other. (tr-N)
Thus, as Śaṅkara would say it, the Vedāntin accepts the śruti declarations only when they are well ascertained through enquiry and when made intelligible through reason. If there be any statement in the śruti such as ‘Fire is cold’ the Vedāntin would not accept it as such because it is the declaration of a great sage. However great a sage may be, he cannot from the eminence of his pulpit, declare statements of contradiction that have no support of logic or reason. ~C
In the third chapter of Māṇḍūkyakārikā, Gauḍapādācārya extracts four important and profound messages about the status of the waking world, the world experienced by all of us. The messages are: 1. The existence of the waking world is to be negated. 2. The origination of the waking world from Brahman is to be negated. 3. The appearance and the experience of the waking world are to be accepted. 4. The cause for the appearance and experience of the waking world is to be understood as selfignorance or māyā. // Gauḍapāda is stressing these four points by addressing and analyzing them from various angles. He points out that this is a message found in not only Māṇḍūkya but the other Upaniṣads also. Māṇḍūkya is not different and unique but there is consensus among all the Upaniṣads with regard to the message. ~P
24. From such scriptural passages as, “One does not see any multiplicity in Atman” [Ka. Up II. i. 2.] and “Indra (the Supreme Lord), through maya, assumes diverse forms” [Ri. VI. xlvii. 18.], one knows that Atman, though ever unborn, appears to have become many only through maya. (tr-N)
In the first line of this stanza we have two very important quotations from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad which is the main scriptural textbook made use of very often by Gauḍapāda. // In the first quotation Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad definitely and pointedly refutes the pluralistic phenomenal world and in the second quotation we have an explanation of the world of plurality when Yājñyavalkya says that it is all because of the māyā (delusion) of Indra. // Indra is considered as the presiding deity of the mind. // Hence philosophically to say that the plurality is created by Indra is equivalent to saying that the pluralistic world is a delusion of our mind. ~C
25. Further, by the negation of the creation, coming into birth is negated. The causality of Brahman is denied by such a statement as “Who can cause It to come into birth?” (tr-N)
NEGATION OF THE CREATION: Compare: “Into a blind darkness they enter who worship only the creation.” (Is. Up. 12.) // THE CAUSALITY OR BRAHMAN ETC: Compare: “It has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprang from It.” (Ka. Up. I. ii. 18.) ~N
Bṛhadāranyaka Upaniṣad (Śākalya Brāhmaṇam 3.9.28g). This 28th mantra in the Upaniṣad is itself a group of seven verses. The seventh mantra is quoted here. The Upaniṣad is questioning, “Who can create this world?” By raising this question the Upaniṣad says that the cause for the origination of the world cannot be talked about. So Brahman can never become the cause of the universe. Other than Brahman, there is nothing else that can be the cause of the universe. Then, what is this world? That is called māyā. It is an appearance without any logical explanation. The more you probe into the creation, the more mysterious it becomes and our final answer will be, ‘I do not know’. That is called māyā, mūlā-avidyā. ~P
26. On account of the incomprehensible nature of Atman, the scriptural passage “Not this, not this” negates all [dualistic] ideas [attributed to Atman]. Therefore the birthless Atman alone exists. (tr-N)
THE SCRIPTURAL ETC: The reference is to Br. Up. II. iii. The section begins with the statement: “There are two forms of Brahman, gross and subtle, mortal and immortal, limited and unlimited.. .” It ends thus: “Now, therefore, follows the description [of Brahman]: ‘Not this, not this.’ ” Br. Up. II. iii. 6.) ~N
In the mantra, the Bṛhadāranyaka Upaniṣad divides the entire universe into concrete (mūrta) and abstract (amūrta) both at the micro and macro level. The physical body is mūrta universe and the subtle body, mind, and thoughts, etc., are amūrta universe. Matter is mūrta universe and energy is amūrta universe. The entire universe is classified into mūrta and amūrta. What is the truth? While revealing the truth, the Upaniṣad negates both the mūrta and amūrta through the statement, neti, neti. ~P
This language of negation is the only method by which we can indicate the experience of the Absolute, because the Infinite is not one that can be perceived by the intellect. It being thus, beyond the frontiers of our daily experiences, our worldly language cannot express positively the experience of non-duality. Negation of the world of plurality is the assertion of the Reality; the negation of the serpent is the means to discover the reality of the rope. ~C
Legend:
C: Chinmayananda
N: Nikhilananda
P: Paramarthananda
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