[Advaita-l] ईशावास्यम्... 'IshAvAsyam'...

[V Subrahmanian]

srIgurubhyo namaH

Here is  a short note on the first mantra of the Ishavasyopanishad. [This
note in its Sanskrit version is also appended below]

A portion of the bhashya is rendered here:

// He who is the supreme Ruler and supreme Self of all is the Lord.  For as
the indwelling soul  of all, He is the Self of all beings and as such rules
all.  (So) by that Lord, in His true form as the Self, should be covered.
What is to be covered? All this whatsoever on the earth.  All this is to be
covered by one's own Self, the Lord, through His supreme reality (present
in the realization): 'As the indwelling Self of all I am all this'; all
this that is unreal, whether moving or not moving, is to be covered by
one's own Supreme Self.  //

This expression of the bhashyam: ' to be covered by one's own Supreme Self'
could give one an impression that the Bhashyam is saying that 'all this
world is to be covered by the Supreme Self that is the Lord'.  That is, the
Lord should cover this entire world. To explain further, the Lord is the
one that  covers this entire world.

That such a thinking is not in line with the Bhashyam is being explained
below.

The bhashyam is not saying that the Lord is the one who 'covers'.  Nor is
it saying that the Lord is the covered.  On the other hand what it is
saying is: The world is to be covered 'with' the Lord.  This means: The
true knowledge pertaining to the Supreme Self, the Lord, is the one with
which the aspirant has to cover the world. So, it is this knowledge that
has to cover the world.  The bhashyam teaches that the Lord is the Self of
all and the aspirant is also within the 'all' and therefore his real Self
is also the Lord alone.  With this knowledge that 'I am all' the aspirant
has to look upon the world as none other than (his) Self.

What does 'covering' mean? It is nothing but seeing the world in its true
nature.  The knowledge pertaining to the Self of the world enables such a
knower to look upon the world as none other than the Self.  It is like
looking upon the illusory snake as none other than its substratum rope.
Here 'covering' does not mean concealing something from our view but
actually revealing the true nature of the thing.  The Upanishad is using
the metaphor of 'clothing' .  It is teaching that one has to 'clothe' the
world with the knowledge about its real nature.  In a physical object, when
it is clothed with a covering, the parts that are not visible are covered
by the clothing.  In the case of the world, however, the knowledge-clothing
renders the world of names and forms unreal while the substratum Brahman
alone forms the awareness.  Thus it could be said the Upanishad is asking
one to 'cover' the unreal aspect and thereby see that the real aspect is
revealed.  The Upanishad itself speaks of the fruit of such a vision:

6     The wise man beholds all beings in the Self and the Self in all
beings; for that reason he does not hate anyone.

7     To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion,
what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?

And the Mundakopanishad too says:

2.2.11 That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that
Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above
and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.

To illustrate what is meant by 'covering/clothing' here are two devotional
songs:

*http://dinman.com/index.php?Itemid=34&id=20&option=com_content&task=view
*

*१. रंग दे चुनरिया ,रंग दे चुनरिया | श्याम पिया मोरी ,रंग दे चुनरिया ॥ *

*ऐसी रंग दे कि रंग नाहि छुटे | धोबिया धोये चाहे सारी उमरिया ॥ *

*लाल ना रंगाऊ मैं , हरी ना रंगाऊ | अपने ही रंग में रंग दे चुनरिया |
*

*बिना रंगाये मैं तो घर नाही जाऊंगी | बीत ही जाये चाहे ये सारी उमरिया ॥*

*गानश्रवणमत्र - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBO5UFyjqUs&feature=related*

*२.
http://ww.smashits.com/archana-bhajan-om-vyas/maine-mehndi-rachai/song-81252.html
*

*मैंने मेहन्दी रचायी कृष्ण नाम की, मैंने बिन्दिया सजायी कृष्ण नाम की ..*

subrahmanian.v



> सर्वानत्र सविनयं प्रणम्य ’ईशावास्यम्.’ इत्यत्र यदुक्तमद्वैतिमतानुसारं तदत्र
>
किञ्चिदुच्यते केवलं विशदीकरणरूपेण ।
> तत्र भाष्यमेवं वर्तते - ईशिता परमेश्वरः परमात्मा सर्वस्य । स हि सर्वमीष्टे
> = सर्वजन्तूनामात्मा सन्प्रत्यगात्मतया तेन स्वेन रूपेणात्मनेशा वास्यम्
> आच्छादनीयम् । किम्? इदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च यत्किञ्चिज्जगत्यां पृथिव्यां
> जगत्तत्सर्वं स्वेनात्मना *ईशेन प्रत्यगात्मतया* ’अहमेवेदं सर्वम्’ इति
> परमार्थसत्यरूपेण अनृतमिदं सर्वं चराचरमाच्छादनीयं स्वेन परमात्मना । इति ।
> अत्र ’ईशेनाच्छादनीयम्” इति संपीण्डितार्थः गृह्यते यदि तर्हि इदं
> व्याख्यानमावश्यकं भवति -  नात्र ईश्वरकर्तृकाच्छादनम्, नापि
> ईश्वरकर्मकाच्छादनम्, अपि तु ईश्वरकरणकाच्छादनं विवक्षितम् । नाम,
> ईश्वरविषयकपरमार्थज्ञानेन साधकोऽयं आच्छादयेत् इत्युपदेशः । तादृशज्ञानं तु
> तन्मते साधकस्य वास्तविकं स्वरूपज्ञानमेव नान्यत् । अत एव सर्वस्य जगतः
> प्रत्यगात्मतया ईश्वरः प्रदर्शितः । सर्वेषां प्रत्यगात्मा ईश्वरश्चेत्
> अस्यापि साधकस्य तत्तदेवेति पर्यवसति ।
> ’ईशेन’ इति तृतीया ’मात्रा शिशुः पाल्यते’ इतिवन्न, अपि तु  ’माता
> अन्नक्षीरादिप्रदानेन शिशुं पालयति’ इत्यत्रस्थतृतीयावत् । ’आच्छादनम्’ अपि
> अत्र आ पादमस्तकं यः कोऽपि कम्बलेन स्वमाच्छाद्य स्वपिति तत्र अन्यैः
> कम्बलस्याधो विद्यमानस्य विशिष्टविज्ञानं न प्राप्यते दर्शनमात्रेण तद्वन्न ।
> किं तु आच्छाद्यवस्तुविषयकसम्यग्ज्ञानप्राप्तिर्यथा स्यात् तथा इति । यथा
> अधिष्ठानरज्जुज्ञानेन अध्यस्ताहिरसत्यतां गच्छति तद्वत् । ’यस्तु सर्वाणि
> भूतानि आत्मन्येवानुपश्यति सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते ॥ यस्मिन्सर्वाणि
> भूतानि आत्मैवाभूद्विजानतः । तत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः ॥’ इति
> अत्रैव फलश्रवणात् । ’ब्रह्मैवेदममृतं पुरस्तात् ब्रह्म पश्चात् ब्रह्म
> उत्तरतो दक्षिणतश्चोत्तरेण । अधश्चोर्ध्वं च प्रसृतं ब्रह्मैवेदं विश्वमिदं
> वरिष्ठम् ’ मुण्डक 2.2.11 ॥ ] इति श्रुत्यन्तराच्च ।
>
> तादृशाच्छादनविषये एवंजातीयकभक्तिगीतानि उदाह्रियन्ते मत्पक्षतः, *
> ईशावास्यमिति* मन्त्रपदस्वारस्यमादाय -
>
> *http://dinman.com/index.php?Itemid=34&id=20&option=com_content&task=view
> *
>
> *१. रंग दे चुनरिया ,रंग दे चुनरिया | श्याम पिया मोरी ,रंग दे चुनरिया ॥ *
>
> *ऐसी रंग दे कि रंग नाहि छुटे | धोबिया धोये चाहे सारी उमरिया ॥ *
>
> *लाल ना रंगाऊ मैं , हरी ना रंगाऊ | अपने ही रंग में रंग दे चुनरिया |
> *
>
> *बिना रंगाये मैं तो घर नाही जाऊंगी | बीत ही जाये चाहे ये सारी उमरिया ॥*
>
> *गानश्रवणमत्र - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBO5UFyjqUs&feature=related
> *
>
> *२.
> http://ww.smashits.com/archana-bhajan-om-vyas/maine-mehndi-rachai/song-81252.html
> *
>
> *मैंने मेहन्दी रचायी कृष्ण नाम की, मैंने बिन्दिया सजायी कृष्ण नाम की ..*
>
> *इति विधेयः*
>
> *सुब्रह्मण्यशर्मा
> *
>
> *
> *
>
>
>