by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 34
December. 2003

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 8

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

AUM is the name given for Bramhan. However, AUM as an indicator or description for Bramhan, is not simply an interesting character of a word or a sound. The deeper philosophy embedded in AUM is what the Mandukya Upanishad tells us.

Mandukya breaks down AUM into its components A, U, M and the pause of pregnant silence that follows. (Note- the A U M are not referred here to english alphabets but the phonetic equivalents as in sanskrt language).

We must also understand here, that AUM not only tries to describe Bramhan, but is also in itself, part of the procedure to reach out to Bramhan by experiencing stages after stages of consciousness.

The word 'experience' or 'awareness' or 'chaitanya,' all meaning broadly the same thing, are indeed the key words to be kept in mind while exploring Bramhan. Bramhan is never seen or grasped. We all know that. Bramhan is only experienced. Between us' and the Bramhan, there are layers and layers of experience. Therefore to reach Bramhan each of these stages must be overcome. Each veil has to be lifted. The Mandukya Upanishad deals with these successive stages that take us to the final stage.

Understanding Mandukya is always one of the most difficult tasks in front of the seekers - the jijnasu. Mandukya's conceptual depth is so profound that it requires rather a very high degree of concentration to understand it. But that should not frighten us. It is also one of the most fascinating Upanishads we have. Once you begin studying it, it is difficult to put it down. Another Upanishad called the Muktikopanishad, declares thus about Mandukya:

Mandukyamekamevaalam mumukshunaam vimuktaye

Mandukya alone, amongst the upanishads is sufficient for liberation

So let us allow Mandukya to take us through the various stages and explain the significance of this word AUM. The beginning of AUM is with 'A' (the first alphabet of the sanskrt language), the sound that emerges from the lowest point of our speech producing tract, from the vicinity of our navel. From this base, the sound rises turning into 'U'(the fifth alphabet of the sanskrt language), and travels up and up till it reaches the highest or the end point of the tract at the tip of the lips. There it is represented by 'M'(the thirtysixth alphabet of the sanskrt language). All sounds end there. Then there is silence or maunata. Here the jiva or the individual self simply contemplates on what it has just said. It has invoked Bramhan and is now fixed with a single thought, which is Bramhan. No other thought enters the mind at this moment or stage, the stage of pure silence after 'M'.

Mandukya Upanishad co-relates these four stages, to the four stages of the individual souls consciousness and shows how both end with the same goal, which is Bramhan.

What are these four stages? Like 'A' , the base sound at the lowest end, we have a base consciousness, which can only recognise the gross and physical things around us. It is not powerful enough to reach beyond what our physical sense organs and the physical mind can reach. At this level the jiva, remains confined and imprisoned with the awareness of the gross physical phenomenon of this creation, which can be grasped easily by the power of our physical indriyas. It is not only gross, but is also the limited surface consciousness of the physical world. It is only at surface i.e. a superficial consciousness. In this stage when we see a tree or a mountain, we are satisfied with its physical presence, not bothering much about the deeper knowledge as to -say- how and why these objects have come to exist etc etc. This world is the world of vaiswaanara, the world of viswa or the manifested world around us, the world of sight, sound, smell etc.

This is the stage when the jiva is physically awake- jaagrata- and is when his sense organs are fully awake. By the help of these organs the jiva experiences this outside world in front of him. Mandukya explains this as:

Jaagaritasthaanah vahisprajnah.. Sthulabhuk vaisvaanarah - prathama paadah