[Advaita-l] 'United, we stand, divided, we fall' - Message of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

[V Subrahmanian]

This slogan 'United we stand, divided we fall' is one shouted by workers in
their protest demonstrations. However, the heart of this slogan is the
central teaching of the Vedanta. In the  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.6 we
have this mantra:

ब्रह्म तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो ब्रह्म वेद क्षत्त्रं तं
परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः क्षत्त्रं वेद लोकास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो
लोकान्वेद देवास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो देवान्वेद भूतानि तं
परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो भूतानि वेद सर्वं तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः सर्वं
वेदेदं ब्रह्मेदं क्षत्त्रमिमे लोका इमे देवा इमानि भूतानीदं सर्वं यदयमात्मा
॥ ६ ॥

The central theme of the mantra is: All this is Atma (Brahman), there is
nothing other than Brahman.

Translation: (Swami Madhavananda)  The Brahmana (Jati) ousts one who knows
it as different from the Self. The Kshatriya ousts one who knows him as
different from the Self. The worlds oust one who knows them as
different from the Self. The gods oust one who knows them as different from
the Self. The beings oust one who knows them as different from the
Self. All ousts one who knows it as different from the Self. This Brahma,
this Kshatriya, these worlds, these gods, these beings, and this all
are the Self.

Shankara's Bhashya: ननु कथम् अन्यस्मिन्विदिते अन्यद्विदितं भवति ? नैष दोषः
; न हि आत्मव्यतिरेकेण अन्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति ; यद्यस्ति, न तद्विदितं स्यात् ; न
त्वन्यदस्ति ; आत्मैव तु सर्वम् ; तस्मात् सर्वम् आत्मनि विदिते विदितं
स्यात् । कथं पुनरात्मैव सर्वमित्येतत् श्रावयति — ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणजातिः तं
पुरुषं परादात् परादध्यात् पराकुर्यात् ; कम् ? यः अन्यत्रात्मनः
आत्मस्वरूपव्यतिरेकेण — आत्मैव न भवतीयं ब्राह्मणजातिरिति — तां यो वेद, तं
परादध्यात् सा ब्राह्मणजातिः अनात्मस्वरूपेण मां पश्यतीति ; परमात्मा हि
सर्वेषामात्मा । तथा क्षत्रं क्षत्रियजातिः, तथा लोकाः, देवाः, भूतानि,
सर्वम् । इदं ब्रह्मेति — यान्यनुक्रान्तानि तानि सर्वाणि, आत्मैव, यदयमात्मा
— योऽयमात्मा द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्य इति प्रकृतः — यस्मात् आत्मनो जायते
आत्मन्येव लीयत आत्ममयं च स्थितिकाले, आत्मव्यतिरेकेणाग्रहणात् , आत्मैव
सर्वम् ॥

The gist of the Bhashyam: If one were to consider/know the Brahmana jati as
different from the Atman, that Brahmana jati would 'oust' such a knower.
What does this mean? The perceiver considers the Brahmana jati as different
from himself, as anatma. So, that 'anatma' retaliates by punishing him by
letting him to be finite, paricchinna, limited, and therefore, to continue
in samsara, in ignorance.  Everything in creation, if viewed as anatma,
that is something having an existence of/by itself, independently, will in
turn show this perceiver also to be finite, a mithya vastu. The idea is:
when we see a serpent, owing to error, in a rope, till such time the
rope-knowledge has not arisen, we continue to view that serpent as 'real',
having an independent existence. But, as is well known, such is not the
case. The superimposed snake is appearing to be real only on the borrowed
existence of the rope. In the same way while everything in creation exists
only due to the Atma, the grand substratum, if anyone were to see it as
existing independently without the supporting, sustaining, Atman, that is,
bereft of Atman, then such a view itself will continue to keep the
perceiver in bondage, ignorance.

This idea is deftly conveyed by Shankara Bhagavatpada in this commentary to
the Brahmasutra 1.4.19 'vaakyaanvayaat', a very important adhikaranam:
Shankara encapsulates the central teaching of Vedanta in these powerful
words. Those requiring the translation may look up the book by Swami
Gambhirananda.

यत्कारणमात्मविज्ञानेन सर्वविज्ञानं प्रतिज्ञायानन्तरेण ग्रन्थेन तदेवोपपादयति
— ‘ब्रह्म तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो ब्रह्म वेद’ इत्यादिना ; यो हि
ब्रह्मक्षत्रादिकं जगदात्मनोऽन्यत्र स्वातन्त्र्येण लब्धसद्भावं पश्यति, तं
मिथ्यादर्शिनं तदेव मिथ्यादृष्टं ब्रह्मक्षत्रादिकं जगत्पराकरोतीति
भेददृष्टिमपोद्य, ‘इदꣳ सर्वं यदयमात्मा’ इति सर्वस्य
वस्तुजातस्यात्माव्यतिरेकमवतारयति ; ‘दुन्दुभ्यादिदृष्टान्तैश्च’ (बृ. उ. ४ ।
५ । ८)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S05_V08&hl=%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%88%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A>
तमेवाव्यतिरेकं
द्रढयति ; ‘अस्य महतो भूतस्य निःश्वसितमेतद्यदृग्वेदः’ (बृ. उ. ४ । ५ । ११)
<https://advaitasharada.sringeri.net/display/bhashya/Brha?page=4&id=BR_C04_S05_V11&hl=%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%83%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%83>
इत्यादिना
च प्रकृतस्यात्मनो नामरूपकर्मप्रपञ्चकारणतां व्याचक्षाणः परमात्मानमेवैनं
गमयति ; ‘तथैवैकायनप्रक्रियायामपि’ सविषयस्य सेन्द्रियस्य सान्तःकरणस्य
प्रपञ्चस्यैकायनमनन्तरमबाह्यं कृत्स्नं प्रज्ञानघनं व्याचक्षाणः
परमात्मानमेवैनं गमयति । तस्मात्परमात्मन एवायं दर्शनाद्युपदेश इति गम्यते ॥
१९ ॥

Thus, the Vedanta teaches:

1. If we are divided, that is, hold the view that I am different and the
rest of the creation is different, then we 'fall', that is, we remain in
ignorance.
2. On the other hand, if we gain the 'total view', akhanDa darshanam, we
stand firm as the Atman, Brahman, with nothing in the universe to limit us
and bind us.

Om Tat Sat