Upanishads are the collection of talks, where one asks the question and other gives the answer. Most of the scriptures in India are collection of useful talks.
The first step of a seeker is the curiosity – ‘why?’, ‘how?’, ‘where?’, and ‘what?’ – questioning and inquiry. And when s/he gets the solution from a Guru; the next step comes of experimenting the given technique or understanding, whatever Guru gives. When experiences happen: trust and faith come itself, and logic mind settles. If a seeker couldn’t have the questions or problems, no Upanishad or Gita would have been born. Isn’t it?
There are more than 100 Upanishads. I’ll discuss with you each one, gradually. The Upanishad, I want to discuss with you, is ‘Sarvasar Upanishad’.
Seeker: what is bondage? First try to discriminate between the soul and body. If you recall my previous post: Astavakra Gita (Easy to attain Wisdom, Liberation and Non-attachment), you can differentiate easily. The body is not a –soul, and whenever one forgets oneself (soul-consciousness) and lives as s/he is a –body (body-consciousness); then ego takes place, this is called: bondage.
Seeker: what is freedom? Freedom is reality; freedom is cessation of ego and body-consciousness.
Seeker: what is right learning (Vidya)? Right learning is always universal, it shows the reality; it finishes ego, and shows what is truthful, real and eternal.
Seeker: what is false learning (Avidya)? That takes you away from truth, and enhance your ego is false learning.
Seeker: what are the ‘walking’, ‘dreaming’, ‘sleeping’ and ‘turiya (the fourth)’ states? When mind & mind-stuff( these are 4), and other sense organs(these are 10) become sensitive to perceive sound, taste, smell, touch, visual and such objects; this is called walking state. Due to, un-fulfillment of walking state, when someone perceives sense objects in spite of their absence, it is called dreaming state. Due to, lack of knowledge & experience, when all the 14 organs are insensitive to sense objects, it is called sleeping state. Turiya (the fourth) is the state of a soul, when someone witness walking, dreaming and sleeping states, and their creation and dissolution. (Turiya is the state of a Yogi; that’s why, Krishna says to Arjuna: a Yogi never sleeps.)
Seeker: what are five bodies (Koshas) –Sheath of food (Annamaya Kosh), breath or vital (Pranmaya Kosh), mind (Manomaya Kosh), Knowing (Gyanmaya Kosh) and bliss (Anandmaya Kosh)?
Physical body is called: food-body. The 14 kinds of wind that circulate through the food-body are called: vital-body that is made up of vital force. When soul with the food-body and vital-body, thinks through the 14 organs; this is called mind-body. Merged and aligned with – food-body, vital-body & mind-body – when someone uses intelligence and wisdom; it is called knowing or knowledge-body. Merged and aligned with last four bodies, when one feels uncreated, autonomous and natural state of being (in fact, at this state one enjoys a lot with no reason at all), it is called bliss body.
Seeker: what is – kshetragya(knower of the field), witness( sakshi), the supreme( kutastha) and Antaryami ?
The consciousness dwelling inside bodies, is called –knower of the field (kshetragya). Witness is beyond creation and dissolution; it is observer of – the knower, the known and the knowable. The supreme (kutastha) is a consciousness that lives everywhere even after the destruction of gross and subtle elements. Antaryami permeated throughout the body.
Seeker: what is maya( temporary sensual world) ? Maya is ignorance, but to an ignorant person – it looks like real in past, present and future. Its real character can’t be explained, because it differs one to another.