By: JayakrishNa Nelamangala
॥ॐ श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः हरिः ॐ ॥
In the previous mantra, we learnt that it is necessary that we derive the meaning of Veda from brahma-mImAmsA-shAstra (which is another name for vedAnta) which also has the name uttara-mImAmsA of bAdarAyaNa. In the geetA, it is confirmed that the maker of vedAnta is none other than VedavyAsa. Readers are encouraged to study the geetA fifteenth chapter shloka “vedaisca sarvair ahameva vedyo vedAntakrit vedavit eva cAham”.
Just as it is necessary that coveting for worldly things is to be given up, so also performing one’s prescribed duty is a pre-requisite for obtaining the knowledge of Parabrahman, from the Veda. This upanishat makes this point clear in the next mantra.
उपनिषत् upaniShat
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेत् शतँ समाः ।
एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे ॥ २॥
kurvanneveha karmANi jijIviShet Sata~M samAH |
evaM tvayi nAnyathetosti na karma lipyate nare || 2||
This meaning of this mantra opens up in two ways: for one who has the indirect knowledge paroksha-jnyAna) and for the one who has direct knowledge (aparOksha-jnyAna). By listening, understanding and contemplating on what is understood, one gets the indirect knowledge. It is called indirect because, it is not in the direct experience of the knower. When we study vedOpanishats, we often will be reading and listening to someone else’s description of his experience. This is similar to the knowledge of swimming, when you have never been in a pool of water. You have only read about swimming and heard about swimming. You have only seen others swimming, and this is paroksha type of knowledge of swimming.
Descriptions of experiences of joy, sorrow etc., are mere words just like any other set of words. After reading them, there is no rule that the reader should also experience it the same way that the author did. Experience by itself is highly subjective, limited to just that one person and is non-verifiable by others. So, mere experience cannot be taken as the universal pramANa. Similarly, a mere word description that is in no one’s experience remains a fiction and so cannot be the highest pramANa either. Observing these truths, vedAnta has taught us “शास्त्रार्थ युक्तो अनुभवः प्रमाणं उत्तमं” “shAstrArtha yukto anubhavaH pramANaM uttamaM”. The best pramANa is experience that is in line with shAstrArtha. Here the object of that knowledge is Parabrahman as given by Veda. For the person with ‘fittedness’, these two stages of knowledge viz., indirect and direct, are the two growth stages. There is a common knowledge that, all the performance of karma is needed only at the ‘indirect’ stage, and that it is not required at the ‘direct’ stage. This second mantra of this upanishat teaches us that, both a parOksha-jnyAnI and an aparOksha-jnyAnI equally need to perform karma in the form of worship of God. karma without jnyAna and jnyAna without karma, are only so called.
It is jnyAna in one form that gets to be called as karma, and it is jnyAna in another form that gets to be called as bhakti, it is jnyAna in yet another form that gets to be called as vairAgya. In the bhagavad geetA, Lord SriKrishNa has brought out these facts as, ‘na ca sanyasanAdeva siddhiM samadhigacchati’ and so on.
One who does not perform karma that is prescribed in shAstra, the effects of that non- performance will stick to him. This is how it has always been understood in vedAnta of Sri VedavyAsa from immemorial times. In another work called nAradeeya-purANa, Sri VedavyAsa teaches “अज्ञस्य कर्म लिप्येत कृष्णोपास्तिं अकुर्वतः । ज्ञानिनोपि यतो ह्रास आनन्दस्य भवेत् ध्रुवं ।अतो अलेपेपि लेपस्यादतः कार्यैव सा सदा”. One who does not have knowledge, ‘karma-phala’ will stick to him. Who is the one who does not have knowledge? is elaborated as “कृष्णोपास्तिं अकुर्वतः” – one who does not have “upAsanA” on SriKrishNa. Previously it was mentioned that brahma-jignyAsA or inquiry is of the form shravaNa-manana-dhyAna. This dhyAna is also called upAsanA / tapas / nidhidhyAsanA. Without manana i.e., contemplation there is no dhyAna.
Without learning in shravaNa, there is no contemplation. Thus, when dhyAna is mentioned, all the three are automatically mentioned. We should remember all these important facts when we study shAstra. Thus, the ‘ajnya’ mentioned here is the one who has not gotten his knowledge through brahma-jignyAsA. Even for the knowledgeable, the Ananda in his mukti gets diminished without a doubt and for this reason, those who are considered not to be smeared by karma, even for them, karma will smear. Therefore, the upAsanA in the form of brahma-jignyAsA or veda-vicAra-jignyAsA must be done without a break. For an ‘ajnya’ who is clueless about this brahma-jignyAsA, how can he escape from the smear of karma? This is the gist. Since karma and jnyAna are not two seperate entities, karma is jnyAna-roopa-karma which is also called vidyA-karma elsewhere. In the geetA, SriKrishNa stresses the fact that karma needs to be done for the sake of jnyAna, then only it becomes karma-yOga.
With this background, we may now study the second mantra of IshAvAsya.
उपनिषत् upaniShat
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेत् शतँ समाः ।
एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे ॥ २॥
kurvanneveha karmANi jijIviShet Sata~M samAH |
evaM tvayi nAnyathetosti na karma lipyate nare || 2||
One should live his/her full life, by the performance of prescribed duties without fail, the nishkAma-karma which is performed as worship of God. To you who is doing such a vidyA-karma, although you are a mere mortal human being, that karma does not stick to you, i.e., you will get “fit” for the knowledge of Vedic Brahman, and there is no other way.
What is that other way? If we don’t do this vidyA-karma in this manner (therefore an ajnyAnI) then the pApa-karma ‘will’ stick to us. A person considered jnyAnI who does not perform karma, is no exception either.
Shree krishNArpaNamastu,
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