North East India : Photo Credit : Son and Friends : All Rights Reserved
In the Isa Vasya Upanishad, which is the last part of the Sukla Yajur Veda, Yajnavalkya says, as he heard from Surya (in the form of an *as’va ),
tat Ejati : that moves
tat na Ejati : that does not move
tat dUrE : that is far
tat u antike : that is near
tat antarasya sarvasya : that is in everything
sarvasya asya bAhyatah : that is outside everything
Sankaracharya explains this as follows in his commentary.
The Atmatatva though still, is everywhere always and thus goes everywhere. It is unattainable by the unknowing and is far in that sense of the word, even though it is in all beings.
And as the s’rutis.. reveal, the “tat” is in and outside all beings.
What I think :
The Purusha Suktham tells us, the Purusha is in all beings with one pada (quarter/foot) is in the manifest universe and the other 3 padas outside it. So the “tat” is in all of us as well as outside all of us… A limited analogy is like the wind that is in us as prAna, apAna and then again, most of it is outside us.
Anything that is in us as well as extends beyond the manifest universe is both near and far.
How would something be still and move? If “tat” is everything there is including space and time, where would it go? It would be still in that sense. And yet everything in it is moving and changing all the time.. transforming itself. I think this is what I understand by a closed system. Matter to energy and energy to matter might keep on happening and stuff might move about.. but the total of energy plus matter is a constant and in that sense it could be unchanging.
*as’va is frequently used to refer to horse, but often also used as a symbol for spiritual and other knowledge. Please see : Hayagriva.
See Also : Is God in Me? : 9th chapter, Bhagavad Gita
In this context reconsider the term asva-medha not as horse-fat, but as spiritual knowledge and intellect. See where that thought takes you.
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
