Isa vasya Upanishad : Aurobindo on the first eight Mantras
2010-12-17 13.09.13 : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
Sri Aurobindo has also given us a translation and commentary on the Upanishads.
Thus far I have given Sankaracharya‘s view and my view on the first eight Mantras of the Isa Vasya Upanishad. (That is a pre-requisite for this post.)
Aurobindo brings out some interesting points, as he tries to bring out Yajnavalkya’s (Yagnyavalkya) point of view. I would like to highlight a few points of difference and interest.
- Is’A vAsyam : Aurobindo says that vAsyam could also mean “to be lived in” and that this meaning fits better than “To be covered by” as given by Sankaracharya. Thus the entire moving world is to be lived in by the Isa. Since it is already lived in by the Is’a, I don’t see the point of “should be” part of the phrase. To my mind Sankara’s interpretation of this word makes more sense.
- karma na lipyate nare : Aurobindo says that this means that “karma does not stick to man.” I like this, it makes sense to me. I have always tried to find who this “Karma” sticks to. The body and manas which die or the sinless atman which is eternal. Sankaracharya says that once you realise this your karma will fall away from you. Just like Hanuman was bound by the Brahmastram only by his choice, we are bound by karma by our own choice. Being bound by karma requires an active imagination and effort on your part.
- asUryAh : Sankaracharya takes the reading asuryAh or Asuric, and Aurobindo takes the reading as asUryAh..or sunless. I think Aurobindo is right because the next phrase is “which are covered by blinding darkness”, and also the final mantras of this upanishad are all related to pUSan. Aurobindo does not have my struggle with the phrase AtmahanAh and accepts that “souls can be slayed”. In this context I would rather go with Krishna who says that the Atman cannot be destroyed and Sankaracharya who says AtmahAni refers to the damage to the mind of “holding on to ignorance”.
- tasmin apah mAtaris’vAh dadhAti : Aurobindo’s translation is “In that, the Master of Life (Wind), establishes the waters”. I continue to be unhappy with this phrase.. neither what Sankara says nor Aurobindo says finds any resonance in me. Like I said before, I am waiting to find what Krishna said about this.
- Fifth Mantram is the same.
- Sixth Mantram is the same.
- bhUtAni Atma eva abhUt : Aurobindo stresses on sarvANi bhUtAni abhUt Atma eva – all beings have become the Self.
- yAthAtathyatah arThAn vyaddhAt s’As’vatibhyah samAbhyah : Aurobindo’s interpretation is different from mine and Sankara’s. He says the Atman has ordered objects perfectly according to their nature from years eternal.
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