Virāt | Cosmic Consciousness

Virat

Virāt (IAST)
Translation: "Cosmic Consciousness"

Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)

Commentary: "Virāt (the Cosmic waking state) is a name that we give to Consciousness as animating the physical universe. Just as we have consciousness animating our physical body, there is a Consciousness animating the physical universe. This vast cosmos; with all its stellar and planetary systems, with all its milky ways, with all its space-time and causal laws, is the physical cosmos, and this is animated by a Consciousness, just as our bodies are animated. This animating Consciousness is the Antaryāmin, so called because of His being immanent in all things, hidden behind all things, secretly present in everything, whether conscious or unconscious. For this Virāt-Puruṣa, there is no difference between living being and dead matter. There is no such thing as inorganic substance and biological stuff, the distinctions that scientists do make, because inanimate matter, the vegetable kingdom, the animal world, and the human species are distinctions made on account of the observation of degrees in the manifestation of Reality, by us, as human beings. No such distinction obtains to the Virāt Himself. He is present in the inanimate as well as in the animate by means of what are called the Guṇa of Prakṛti – Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas – composure, activity, and inertia – properties of matter. When He manifests Himself through Tamas alone, we call it inanimate existence. Such objects as stone, rock, which, from our point of view, do not seem to have any consciousness animating them, are revelations of the Virāt-Puruṣa through Tamoguṇa Prakṛti, a quality of Prakṛti in which Rajas and Sattva are hidden, Tamas predominating over Rajas and Sattva. When Rajas and Sattva slowly reveal themselves more and more in larger quantity and extent, there is animation, life creeps into existence, and from the inanimate we come to the animate. The first manifestation of life is through what we call Prāṇa – the vital sustaining power in all living beings. While Prāṇa does not operate in inanimate objects like stone, there is Prāṇa functioning in the world of plants, vegetables, etc. Plants breathe; they do not merely exist like rock. But plants do not think as animals do. The function of thinking belongs to a higher order of Reality we call the animal world, with all its instincts and sensations. Here we have a still greater degree of the manifestation of Reality. There is an approximation to Sattva in the human level, where we have not only functions of breathing and thinking, but also of understanding, ratiocination, and logical discrimination. This is the condition of Vijñāna as distinguished from Manas, to which alone the animal world is confined, and from Prāṇa, to which alone the vegetable kingdom is constrained, and from Annā, to which alone the inanimate world is restricted. But the Vijñāna, to which we have reached at the human level, the fourth degree, we may say, of the revelation of Reality, is not all. There is a higher step that we have to take above the human, beyond the Vijñāna. That step which is above Vijñāna or the human level is the realm of Ānanda or divine delight. So, from Annā we come to Prāṇa, from Prāṇa to Mānās, from Mānās to Vijñāna, from Vijñāna to Ānanda.

This Ānanda is equivalent to Cit and Sat – Consciousness and Being. All that was in the lower levels gets absorbed into this Ānanda. Whatever meaning we saw in the inanimate level, in the levels of the plants, animals, and humans, all this meaning is found in the level of Reality as Ānanda; and here, existence, consciousness, and bliss become one, while in the lower levels they get separated. There is only existence or ‘Sat’ in rocks, no Cit and Ānanda. Rocks exist, but they do not think; they do not feel; they do not understand; and do not experience joy. But a slow process of the revelation of thought-functioning takes place in the higher levels, until it reaches a kind of perfection in the human consciousness. Here we have Sattva mixed up with Rajas and Tamas, on account of which we are very active; sometimes lethargic, and due to the element of Sattva manifest as a fraction, we feel happy at times, though not always. But happiness at times is of no use, being undependable[...]

...to the Virāt, the Consciousness is, “I am; there is no world outside Me”. The whole world is ‘I’; therefore He is called Vaiśvānara, the Cosmic Being, the Person who feels, and has the Consciousness that He is all-this-cosmos. According to the Upaniṣad, the description is as if He has seven limbs. He has, indeed, infinite limbs. Thousands of arms has He. He is Viśva Mūrti, omni-faced is this Lord of the cosmos; and when we say He has seven limbs, we only give a broad outline of His Cosmic Personality, just as we can describe a human being as one with seven limbs – head, heart, arms, nose, eyes, ears, feet, etc. But if we give a more detailed description, we may go into the minutiae of the personality."

The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form

From the 11th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita translated by Sri Swami Sivananda

Summary of Eleventh Discourse

Arjuna’s doubts having been removed through a clear description of the nature of the Ātman and the origin and destruction of all created things, he is now ready to behold the Cosmic Vision.

Krishna grants him the divine sight by means of which Arjuna beholds the Lord as the vast Cosmic Manifestation. The vision is at once all-comprehensive and simultaneous. In every direction Arjuna sees the Lord as the entire universe. All the created worlds, gods, beings, creatures, and things stand revealed as the one gigantic body of the Lord.

Arjuna further sees that the great cosmic drama is set in motion and controlled by the all-mighty power of the Lord. His Will alone prevails in all things and actions, both good and bad. The Lord exhorts him to fight, he being only an apparent cause of the destruction of his enemies.

Arjuna is unable to bear the pressure of the sudden expansion of consciousness and is filled with fear. He begs the Lord to assume once more His usual form.

Krishna reiterates that this vision cannot be had through any amount of austerities, study, sacrifices, or philanthrophic acts. Supreme devotion is the only means by which one can have access to His grand vision.

Arjuna said:
1. By this explanation of the highest secret concerning the Self, which Thou hast spoken out of compassion towards me my delusion is gone.
2. The origin and the destruction of beings verily have been heard by me in detail from Thee, O lotus-eyed Lord, and also Thy inexhaustible greatness!
3. (Now), O Supreme Lord, as Thou hast thus described Thyself, O Supreme Person, I wish to see Thy Divine Form!
4. If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the Yogis, show me Thy imperishable Self!
The Blessed Lord said:
5. Behold, O Arjuna, My forms by the hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine and of various colours and shapes!
6. Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Asvins and also the Maruts; behold many wonders never seen before, O Arjuna!
7. Now behold, O Arjuna, in this, My body, the whole universe centred in the one—including the moving and the unmoving—and whatever else thou desirest to see!
8. But thou art not able to behold Me with these, thine own eyes; I give thee the divine eye; behold My lordly Yoga.
Sanjaya said:
9. Having thus spoken, O king, the great Lord of Yoga, Hari (Krishna), showed to Arjuna His supreme form as the Lord!
10. With numerous mouths and eyes, with numerous wonderful sights, with numerous divine ornaments, with numerous divine weapons uplifted (such a form He showed).
11. Wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with divine unguents, the all-wonderful, resplendent (Being), endless, with faces on all sides,
12. If the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze out at once (simultaneously) in the sky, that would be the splendor of that mighty Being (great soul).
13. There, in the body of the God of gods, Arjuna then saw the whole universe resting in the one, with its many groups.
14. Then, Arjuna, filled with wonder and with hair standing on end, bowed down his head to the Lord and spoke with joined palms.
Arjuna said:
15. I behold all the gods, O God, in Thy body, and hosts of various classes of beings; Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus, all the sages and the celestial serpents!
16. I see Thee of boundless form on every side, with many arms, stomachs, mouths, and eyes; neither the end nor the middle nor also the beginning do I see, O Lord of the universe, O Cosmic Form!
17. I see Thee with the diadem, the club and the discus, a mass of radiance shining everywhere, very hard to look at, blazing all round like burning fire and the sun, and immeasurable.
18. Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy of being known; Thou art the great treasure-house of this universe; Thou art the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma; Thou art the ancient Person, I deem.
19. I see Thee without beginning, middle or end, infinite in power, of endless arms, the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy mouth, heating the entire universe with Thy radiance.
20. The space between the earth and the heaven and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone; having seen this, Thy wonderful and terrible form, the three worlds are trembling with fear, O great-souled Being!
21. Verily, into Thee enter these hosts of gods; some extol Thee in fear with joined palms: “May it be well.” Saying thus, bands of great sages and perfected ones praise Thee with complete hymns.
22. The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Visvedevas, the two Asvins, Maruts, the manes and hosts of celestial singers, Yakshas, demons, and the perfected ones, are all looking at Thee in great astonishment.
23. Having beheld Thy immeasurable form with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed, with many arms, thighs and feet, with many stomachs, and fearful with many teeth, the worlds are terrified and so am I!
24. On seeing Thee (the Cosmic Form) touching the sky, shining in many colors, with mouths wide open, with large, fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart and find neither courage nor peace, O Vishnu!
25. Having seen Thy mouths, fearful with teeth, blazing like the fires of cosmic dissolution, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace. Have mercy, O Lord of the gods! O abode of the universe!
26. All the sons of Dhritarashtra with the hosts of kings of the earth, Bhishma, Drona and Karna, with the chief among all our warriors,
27. They hurriedly enter into Thy mouths with terrible teeth and fearful to behold. Some are found sticking in the gaps between the teeth, with their heads crushed to powder.
28. Verily, just as many torrents of rivers flow towards the ocean, even so these heroes of the world of men enter Thy flaming mouths.
29. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing fire for (their own) destruction, so also these creatures hurriedly rush into Thy mouths for (their own) destruction.
30. Thou lickest up, devouring all the worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths. Thy fierce rays, filling the whole world with radiance, are burning, O Vishnu!
31. Tell me, who Thou art, so fierce in form. Salutations to Thee, O God Supreme! Have mercy; I desire to know Thee, the original Being. I know not indeed Thy doing.
The Blessed Lord said:
32. I am the mighty world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without thee, none of the warriors arrayed in the hostile armies shall live.
33. Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivaled kingdom. Verily, they have already been slain by Me; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna!
34. Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and all the other courageous warriors—these have already been slain by Me; do thou kill; be not distressed with fear; fight and thou shalt conquer thy enemies in battle.
Sanjaya said:
35. Having heard that speech of Lord Krishna, the crowned one (Arjuna), with joined palms, trembling, prostrating himself, again addressed Krishna, in a choked voice, bowing down, overwhelmed with fear.
Arjuna said:
36. It is meet, O Krishna, that the world delights and rejoices in Thy praise; demons fly in fear to all quarters and the hosts of the perfected ones bow to Thee!
37. And why should they not, O great soul, bow to Thee who art greater (than all else), the primal cause even of (Brahma) the creator, O Infinite Being! O Lord of the gods! O abode of the universe! Thou art the imperishable, the Being, the non-being and That which is the supreme (that which is beyond the Being and non-being).
38. Thou art the primal God, the ancient Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe, the knower, the knowable and the supreme abode. By Thee is the universe pervaded, O Being of infinite forms!
39. Thou art Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the creator, and the great-grandfather. Salutations, salutations unto Thee, a thousand times, and again salutations, salutations unto Thee!
40. Salutations to Thee from front and from behind! Salutations to Thee on every side! O All! Thou infinite in power and prowess, pervadest all; wherefore Thou art all.
41. Whatever I have presumptuously uttered from love or carelessness, addressing Thee as O Krishna! O Yadava! O Friend! regarding Thee merely as a friend, unknowing of this, Thy greatness,
42. In whatever way I may have insulted Thee for the sake of fun while at play, reposing, sitting or at meals, when alone (with Thee), O Achyuta, or in company—that I implore Thee, immeasurable one, to forgive!
43. Thou art the Father of this world, unmoving and moving. Thou art to be adored by this world. Thou art the greatest Guru; (for) none there exists who is equal to Thee; how then can there be another superior to Thee in the three worlds, O Being of unequaled power?
44. Therefore, bowing down, prostrating my body, I crave Thy forgiveness, O adorable Lord! As a father forgives his son, a friend his (dear) friend, a lover his beloved, even so shouldst Thou forgive me, O God!
45. I am delighted, having seen what has never been seen before; and yet my mind is distressed with fear. Show me that (previous) form only, O God! Have mercy, O God of gods! O abode of the universe!
46. I desire to see Thee as before, crowned, bearing a mace, with the discus in hand, in Thy former form only, having four arms, O thousand-armed, Cosmic Form (Being)!
The Blessed Lord said:
47. O Arjuna, this Cosmic Form has graciously been shown to thee by Me by My own Yogic power; full of splendor, primeval, and infinite, this Cosmic Form of Mine has never been seen before by anyone other than thyself.
48. Neither by the study of the Vedas and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by severe austerities, can I be seen in this form in the world of men by any other than thyself, O great hero of the Kurus (Arjuna)!
49. Be not afraid nor bewildered on seeing such a terrible form of Mine as this; with thy fear entirely dispelled and with a gladdened heart, now behold again this former form of Mine.
Sanjaya said:
50. Having thus spoken to Arjuna, Krishna again showed His own form; and the great soul (Krishna), assuming His gentle form, consoled him who was terrified (Arjuna).
Arjuna said:
51. Having seen this Thy gentle human form, O Krishna, now I am composed and restored to my own nature!
The Blessed Lord said:
52. Very hard indeed it is to see this form of Mine which thou hast seen. Even the gods are ever longing to behold it.
53. Neither by the Vedas, nor by austerity, nor by gift, nor by sacrifice, can I be seen in this form as thou hast seen Me (so easily).
54. But by single-minded devotion can I, of this form, be known and seen in reality and also entered into, O Arjuna!
55. He who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna!

Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the eleventh discourse entitled:

“The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form”

References:

1. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 45-48.
2. Sivananda, Swami (2000). Bhagavad Gita. Uttar Pradesh, Himalayas: The Divine Life Society. p. 84-95.

Jāgrat | The Waking State

Jagrat

Jāgrat (IAST)
Translation: "The Waking State"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verses 3, 9)

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: जाग्रत्
Transliteration: Jāgrat
Translation: "the waking state"

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: जाग्रत्
Transliteration: Jāgrat

Commentary: "The waking consciousness is the first foot of the Ātman, as it were, the first aspect or phase of experience that we are studying and investigating. The waking consciousness is Jāgarita-Sthāna, that consciousness which has its abode in the wakeful condition of the individual. And what is its special feature? Bahiṣ-Prajñaḥ: It is conscious only of what is outside, not conscious of what is inside. We cannot even see what is in our own stomachs. How can we see what is in our minds? We are extroverts, aware of only what is external to our bodies, concerned with things which are external to the bodies, and busy with those objects which are other than our own bodies. We deal with things, but all these dealings are with ‘other’ things, not with ourselves. This, is the peculiar structure of the waking consciousness which is engaged in action, and is busy with other things, but not with itself. We are worried over others, not ourselves. We are engaged in the study, observation, experimentation and dealing of other objects and persons; not ourselves. This is the peculiarity of the waking consciousness, conscious only of what is external. Saptānga Ekonavimśatimukhah: Seven-limbed and nineteen-mouthed is this consciousness. It looks as if it is a Rāvana multiplied, with so many heads, as it were. Seven limbs this consciousness has, and nineteen mouths it has, and it eats the gross – Sthūla-Bhug. It swallows, consumes what is gross. And what is its name? Vaiśvānara is its name. This is the first foot of the Ātman. This is the outermost appearance of the Ātman."

"What do the nineteen mouths of the Jīva consume? Physical objects. What do we see? Physical objects. What do we hear? Physical things.What do we taste? Physical objects. And what do we grasp with our hands? Physical objects. Where do we walk with our feet? On the physical earth.What do we think in our minds? Physical objects. All the functions of ours through these nineteen mouths are connected with the physical world. Even the ideas that we may entertain in our minds are connected with physical objects. We cannot think only subtle things, because even the subtle things that we may try to think are only impressions of the perception of physical objects. We cannot think anything super-physical. We are therefore on earth, in a physical world, in a physical universe. Our consciousness is tethered to the physical body, and the counterpart, cosmically, of this physical consciousness, is Vaiśvānara. This is Jāgarita-Sthāna, the waking abode of consciousness, waking in the sense that it is wakeful to the physical world, it is aware of the physical world, and it knows nothing other than the physical world."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 43, 50.

Vaiśvānara | The Self of the Waking State

Vaishvanara

Vaiśvānara (IAST)
Translation: "The Self of the Waking State"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verses 3, 9)

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: वैश्वानर
Transliteration: Vaiśvānara
Translation: "universal being"
Definition:

1. The self of the waking state. It is the self that leads all creatures in diverse ways to the enjoyment of different objects.
2. The locus of meditation on Vaiśvānara is the right eye.
3. According to Advaita Vedānta, it stands for the cosmic self in waking, while Viśva stands for the waking individual self.

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: वैश्वानर
Transliteration: Vaiśvānara
Translation: "lit. Where all beings live and who is in all beings"

Definition: "The gross macrocosmic aspect of the universal soul is called Virāt and the microcosmic is known as Vaiśvānara. The Śruti mentions here only of the Viśva or the Vaiśvānara and not of the Virāt, thereby Śruti tacitly alludes that the same Ātman in the gross who is viewed from the individual standpoint as the Individual soul is also the Universal Soul."

The Upanishads: Volume II (Swami Nikhilananda)

Selected from Gauḍapāda's Kārikā, Chapter I: Āgama Prakaraṇa:
"Viśva is all-pervading, the experiencer of external objects. Viśva is the cognizer through the right eye. Viśva experiences the gross. The gross object satisfies Viśva. Viśva is conditioned by cause and effect. Viśva is associated with dreaming. When it is desired to describe the identity of Viśva and the letter A, the chief ground given is the fact that each is the first in its respective sphere. Another reason for this identity is the all-pervasiveness of each. Through meditation on A, the seeker attains Viśva."

Mandukya Upanishad (James Swartz)

"The waker’s consciousness is turned outward, the Self shining through the senses, mind, intellect, illumining their respective objects. When idealistic metaphysics claims there is no world apart from the perceiver, it is simply saying that the Self doesn’t see a world unless it shines through the body, mind or intellect, not that the physical world doesn’t exist. Though existing independently of the waker’s perceptions, it doesn’t exist apart from Consciousness, the Self.

The waker, Viśva, is a consumer of experience. The Sanskrit literature describing the waker calls it “the one with thirteen mouths.” The “thirteen mouths” refer to the ten senses, mind, intellect, and ego. These instruments are mouths in that, powered by the momentum of past experiences, they aggressively seek experience in the present. The physical body consumes matter, the five elements in various permutations combinations; the mind constantly chews emotion; the intellect eats ideas; and the ego gobbles any experience it believes will make it feel whole, adequate, and happy."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
3. Nikhilananda, Swami (1952). The Upanishads: Volume II - Śvetāśvatara, Praśna, and Māndukya with Gauḍapāda's Kārikā. New York, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers
4. Swartz, James (1996). Mandukya Upanishad: An ancient Sanskrit text on the nature of Reality. Retrieved from https://www.holybooks.com/mandukya-upanishad-an-ancient-sanskrit-text-on-the-nature-of-reality/. p. 7.

Saptāṅga | "seven-limbed"

Saptangga

Saptāṅga (IAST)
Translation: "seven-limbed"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verses 3, 4)

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: सप्ताङग
Transliteration: Saptāṅga
Translation: "seven-limbed"

Commentary: "It is described elsewhere in the Śruti that the head of Vaiśvānara is the heaven, the sun His eyes, the air His breath, the sky His body, water His lower organ, and the earth His feet. So these are the seven limbs of the Viśva referred to here."

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: सप्ताङग
Transliteration: Saptāṅga
Translation: "seven-limbed"

Commentary: "The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad has a beautiful Mantra to which reference is made by the word, Saptāṅga (seven-limbed):

Agnir Mūrdha, Cakṣuṣī Candra-Sūryau, Diśah Śrotre, Vāk Vivṛitāsca Vedāh; Vāyuh Prānah, Hṛdayam Viśvamasya, Pādbhyām Pṛthvī; Eṣa Sarva-Bhūtāntarātmā.

This is the all-pervading Paramātman, residing in all beings: Eṣa Sarva-Bhūtāntarātmā. Who is this Being? Agnir Mūrdha: The shining regions of the heaven may be regarded as His head. The topmost region of creation is His crown. Cakṣuṣī Candra-Sūryau: His eyes are the sun and the moon. Diśah Śrotre: The quarters of the heavens are His ears, through which He hears. Vāk Vivṛitāsca Vedāh: The Vedas are His speech. Vāyuh Prānah: His breath is all this air of the cosmos: Hṛdayam Viśvamasya: The whole universe is His heart. Pādbhyām Pṛthvī: The earthly region may be regarded as His feet. This is the Universal Ātman, from the point of view of the waking consciousness. This is the Virāt, or the Universal Person, who is sung in the Puruṣa-Sūkta of the Veda. This is the Virāt whom Arjuna saw, as described in the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-Gītā. This is the Virāt who was exhibited in the Kaurava court, by Sri Kṛṣṇa, when He went for peace-making. This is the Virāt which Yaśoda saw in the mouth of the baby Kṛṣṇa. This is the Cosmic Man, Nahapuruṣa, Puruṣottama, Virāt-Puruṣa. He is also called Vaiśvānara, from the term Viśvā-Nara. Viśva is the cosmos; Nara is man. He is called Vaiśvānara, because He is the Cosmic Man, the only Man in the whole cosmos. There is only one Man, and He is this. We are reminded here of the opinion of saint Mīrā who is reported to have said that there is only one Puruṣa: There are not many men in this world. There is only one Man, and this is the Man: He is Vaiśvānara."

References:

1. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
2. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 44-45.

Ekonaviṃśati-Mukhaḥ | "nineteen-mouthed"

Ekonavimshati-Mukhah

Ekonaviṃśati-Mukhaḥ (IAST)
Translation: "nineteen-mouthed"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verse 3, 4)

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: एकोनविंशतिमुखः
Transliteration: Ekonaviṃśati-Mukhaḥ
Translation: "nineteen-faced/mouthed"

Definition: "i.e., possessing five Jñānendriya (sensory organs), five Karmendriya (motor organs), five Prāṇa (vital energy) and four Antaḥ-Kāraṇa (four aspects of the mind). These are called mouths because through these He enjoys the external world."

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: एकोनविंशतिमुखः
Transliteration: Ekonavimśati-Mukhaḥ
Translation: "nineteen-faced/mouthed"

Commentary: "Its mouth is the organ by which we consume things, take in objects, appropriate material by assimilation into our bodies, digest them into ourselves, as it were. This is the function of the mouth. The medium of the reception of objects into our own self is the mouth. In one sense, the eyes also are the mouth, the ears, are the mouth, because they receive and absorb certain vibrations through different functions. Vibrations impinge on our personality through the avenues called the senses, viz., eyes, ears, etc., and all these may be regarded as mouths; in this sense, everything that is cognized by the senses is Āharā or food for this personality. Anything that we consume with our senses is Āharā. Āharā-Śuddhau Sattva-Śuddhiḥ: When there is purity of food, there is illumination by means of Sattva from within, says the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. It does not mean that we should take only milk and fruits every day, which we usually regard as Sāttvica diet, while we may think evil thoughts, see ugly sights, hear bad news, and so on. Sāttvica Āharā is the purified vibration which the senses receive and communicate to the personality through all their functions, at all times. So, the senses are the mouths, and every kind of sense may be regarded as a mouth."

Lessons on the Upanishads (Swami Krishnananda)

Commentary: "Consciousness has nineteen mouths through which it eats the food of objective experience. What are these nineteen mouths? They are the five senses of knowledge: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. With these five sensations we come in contact with things in the world outside and enjoy them with the actions and reactions produced by means of such sensory contact. These five mentioned are called senses of knowledge, or Jñāna Indriya. They are so-called because they give us some sort of knowledge of either sight or sound or taste or smell or touch.

Apart from these five senses of knowledge, there are five organs of action. They do not give us any independent knowledge, but they act. The hand that grasps is one organ of action; the speech that articulates words is another organ of action; the feet that cause locomotion or movement are also organs of action; the generative organ and the excretory organ are also two of the active elements, or organs of action. They act, but they do not give any new knowledge. Whatever idea, knowledge, experience, etc., we may have through any one of these organs of action comes through the sensations already mentioned – namely, the Jñāna Indriya. Even when the organs of action act and we are conscious that they are acting, this consciousness is available only through the Jñāna Indriya and not separately through the organs of action. They do not give additional knowledge. It looks as if we have some sensation even through the organs of action, but actually it is not so. The sensation, the experience of the actions of the Karma Indriya, as they are called, arises on account of the simultaneous action of the Jñāna Indriya, or senses of knowledge. So these five senses of knowledge and five organs of action make ten mouths of consciousness.

There are five Prāṇa. The Prāṇa, or the vital energy in us, operates in five ways. When we breath out, expel the breath, the Prāṇa is active. When we breath in, when we inhale the breath, the Apāna is active. The Vyāna is the third form of the operation of this energy. It causes circulation of blood and makes us feel a sensation of liveliness in every part of the body. The operative action of the bloodstream is pushed onward in a circular fashion throughout the body by the action of a particular function of Prāṇa called Vyāna. There is another action of the Prāṇa, which is Udāna. It causes the swallowing of food. When we put food in the mouth, it goes inside through the epiglottis and it is pushed down by the action of a Prāṇa called Udāna. Udāna has also certain other functions to perform; it takes us to deep sleep. Our Jīva consciousness, our individualized consciousness, is pushed into a state of somnolence. That also is the work of Udāna. Udāna also has a third function to perform, namely, the separation of the vital body from the physical body at the time of death. Three actions, three performances are attributed to Udāna. The fifth Prāṇa, Samāna, operates through the navel region and causes the digestion of food. It creates heat in the stomach and in the navel region, causing the gastric juices to operate, and so we feel appetite. Hunger is created, and food is digested by the action of Samāna. Thus, there are five Prāṇa: Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna. Five senses of knowledge, five organs of action, and five Prāṇa make fifteen ways in which we contact things.

There are four functions of the psychic organ. The internal psyche, which is generally called Manas – or mind, in ordinary language – has four functions. In Sanskrit, these four functions are designated as Manas, Buddhi, Ahaṅkāra, and Citta [Antaḥ-Karaṇa-Catuṣṭaya]. Manas is ordinary, indeterminate thinking – just being aware that something is there. That is the work of the mind; that is Manas. Buddhi determines, decides, and logically comes to the conclusion that something is such and such a thing. That is another aspect of the operation of the psyche – Buddhi, or intellect. The third form of the mind is ego, Ahaṅkāra, affirmation, assertion. “I know that there is some object in front of me and I also know that I know. I know that I am existing as this so-and-so.” This kind of affirmation attributed to one’s own individuality is the work of Ahaṅkāra, known as egoism. The subconscious action, memory, etc., are called the Citta, which is the fourth function. Thus, Manas, Buddhi, Ahaṅkāra, and Citta are the four basic functions of the internal organ, the psychological organ.

Hence, we have five senses of knowledge, five organs of action, five Prāṇa, and four operations of the psyche totaling nineteen. Consciousness grasps objects from outside through these mouths. We feel secure and happy because all these nineteen aspects are acting at the same time, in some form or other, with more or less emphasis. Any one of the nineteen can act at any time under special given conditions. Inasmuch as anyone can act at any time, it is virtually saying that all are acting at the same time. Therefore, we are actively, objectively conscious through the nineteen operative media of the individual consciousness in the waking condition. We are aware of this vast world of sensory perception, and we go on contacting these objects of the world through these media."

References:

1. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
2. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 48.
3. Krishnananda, Swami (1991). Lessons on the Upanishads. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/upanishad.html. p. 98-100.

Bahiṣ-Prajñaḥ | "consciousness is outward"

Bahish-Prajnah

Bahiṣ-Prajñaḥ (IAST)
Translation: "consciousness is outward"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verse 3)

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: बहिःप्रज्ञा
Transliteration: Bahiḥ-Prajñā
Translation: "outer knowledge"
Definition

1. In the waking state, an individual’s awareness extends outside. One operates (knows) through one’s ten senses (Indriya), five vital airs (Prāṇa), and the internal organ (Antaḥ-Kāraṇa). Through these, one receives stimuli from the external world and reacts to them in diverse ways.

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: बहिष्प्रज्ञः
Transliteration: Bahiṣ-Prajñaḥ
Translation: "whose consciousness is outward"

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Transliteration: Bahiḥ-Prajñā

Commentary: "Now, we consider the meaning of Bahiḥ-Prajñā: outwardly conscious. While both the Jīva and Īśvara may be regarded as outwardly conscious, there is a subtle distinction between them. The Jīva is outwardly conscious in the sense that it is aware of things, substances, objects, outside it. But Vaiśvānara’s consciousness of externality is of a different kind. It is a Universal Affirmation of ‘I-am,’ ‘I-am-ness,’ ‘Aham Asmi.’ This is the first manifestation of Self-consciousness – Cosmic Ahaṅkāra. Therefore, it has no opposing objects in front of it. This Ahaṅkāra does not wage a war with others. It has no misunderstandings with other persons or things, and it has, therefore, no pains of any kind. It has, also, no dealings with other persons and things, because it is Vaiśvānara, and not Viśva. We cannot even imagine this state of the “I-am-ness” of the Virāt. We have never been in that state, and so our minds are not capable of imagining that condition. To some extent, they say, this condition may be compared to the initial state of our becoming aware of ourselves immediately after we wake up from deep sleep. Generally, we do not think of this condition when we get up from sleep. We remain in a state of half-consciousness, and we plunge into our usual activities afterwards; so that we do not meditate upon this intervening period between deep sleep and waking consciousness in terms of the outer world. We have a subtle feeling of our ‘being,’ before we become aware of the world outside. We are not asleep; we have woken up; and yet we are not fully aware of the Saṃsāra that is outside us. This state of consciousness where it is aware that it is, and yet not aware that other things are, is the state of I-am-ness, Asmitā, Aham Asmi, that can be a feeble apology for Reality. A perpetual establishment of oneself in this consciousness would land us in the experience of the Cosmic. When this consciousness relates itself to other objects and persons, it becomes the individual, Jīva. The Bahiḥ-Prājñata or the externality-consciousness of Īśvara is not a binding factor to Him, because of there being no dealings of this consciousness with outer things, while this Bahiḥ-Prājñata or externality consciousness of the Jīva binds it to what is called Saṃsāra, and this bondage is due, not merely to its being aware of the world outside, but because of its evaluating the world, judging the world, wanting it or not wanting it in some way. There is no desire in the Virāt, while in the Jīva there is desire. This is the only difference, if at all, between Jīva and Īśvara. Jīva, without desire, becomes Īśvara; and Īśvara, with desire, becomes Jīva."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
3. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 53-54.

Akāra | "the letter "A""

Akara

Akāra (IAST)
Translation: the letter "A"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verse 8, Verse 9)

A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (Monier-Williams)
Sanskrit: अकार
Transliteration: A-kāra
Translation: "the letter or sound a"

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: अकार
Transliteration: Akāra
Translation: "the letter A"

Definition: "According to the Sanskrit orthography, A is the primal sound, which is included in all other sounds or letters utterable by man. It is produced by the wind striking the larynx, the very first part of the sounding board of the mouth, as it were. And hence, all other sounds produced by other parts of the mouth must necessarily include this primal note. In this sense, the blessed Lord says in the Gītā that of all letters, he is the letter A."

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: अकार
Transliteration: Akāra

Commentary:  "What is the first state of the Ātman? It is Vaiśvānara. The Vaiśvānara, or Viśva, is the first manifestation of the Ātman, which can be compared with the first manifestation of the three-syllable Praṇava, or Oṃkāra. The Jāgarita-Sthāna, or the waking condition of the Vaiśvānara, is the Prathamā Pāda, or the first foot, of Praṇava or Om. Jāgarita-Sthāna Vaiśvānaro’kāraḥ Prathamā Mātrā: The Jāgarita-Sthāna, or the waking condition of the Ātman, called the Viśva, or Vaiśvānara, is the first syllable of Om – Akāra. Āpterādimattvādvā: ‘A’ is comparable, in a very peculiar way, with the first phase of the Ātman. All states of consciousness, relatively speaking at least, begin with the waking state, in which the other states, viz. dream and sleep, may be said to be comprehended. From the point of view of the Jīva – not from the point of view of Īśvara – the waking condition is the cause, and dream and sleep may be regarded as its effects. If dream is the effect of impressions of perceptions in the waking state, sleep is a condition in which all the unfulfilled impressions are wound up into a latent state, ready for manifestation, subsequently. In this sense, we may say that the waking state is the beginning of the other states. Likewise, ‘A’ is the beginning of all letters, the first syllable in the series of letters in the alphabet; and in this Akāra, all other word-formations are said to be contained, because the moment you open your mouth to speak, the sensation is towards the utterance of ‘A’. And, thus, it is regarded by the Upaniṣad as the beginning of word-formation. This beginning of word-formation is compared with the beginning of experiences in consciousness, which is the waking state. This condition of the Ātman in the waking state is comparable, therefore, with Akāra, the first syllable of Oṃkāra. And the Upaniṣad also says that by meditation on this harmony between Akāra of Om and the waking state of the Ātman, one achieves the fulfillment of all desires – Āpnoti Ha Vai Sarvān Kāmān. One becomes, also, the foremost among all persons, and almost the beginning of all things in the sense that everything comes to that person, even uncalled for – Ādiś-Ca Bhavati. This achievement of the Yogi by meditation is described, also, in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the context of the description of a technique called the Vaiśvānara Vidyā. Though the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is very brief in its description of Vaiśvānara, the Chāndogya Upaniṣad goes into great detail by way of a clarification of the Vidyā, or meditation, on the Vaiśvānara. By a meditation on this Cosmic State of the Ātman, called Vaiśvānara, the Yogi achieves a power which cannot be faced by anything else in the world, and everything comes to him without his asking for them. Real power is that which summons things even without expressing it in words. You do not tell a person, ‘do it’; he simply does it. And that is the height of all power. This is achieved by meditation on the Vaiśvānara. Ya Evaṃ Veda: One who knows this secret of meditation on the harmony between Akāra and the waking state of the Ātman, who meditates on the Vaiśvānara-Ātman as designated by the first phase, or syllable of Oṃkāra, becomes a master over all things, a perfected Siddha does he become, and he is an adept in Yoga. This is in relation to the waking state, Jāgarita-Sthāna which is Vaiśvānara, Prathamā Pāda, Akāra, which brings about a result of this nature, when one resorts to meditation in this manner."

References:

1. Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European languages. Oxford: Clarendon Press
2. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
3. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 91-93.