Mandukya Upanishad, Class 64

Beginning from 29 verse, Gowdapadha
is giving the teaching of vedanta as presented by Mandukya Upanishad. The
experienced universe has to be extended to jagradh prabajna and swapna
prabanja. Both worlds are experienced universe and anything experienced
is mithya. Even though the jagradh and swapna prabanja are different,
they are mithya. We are only negating the absolute reality of the
experienced universe and not the relative reality. Relative reality means
for its own time and for its own observer that will be real. In swapna
all the objects will be real because there will be relative validity will be
there. When you find out absolute reality, all of them will be
negated. For the dreamer the waker’s world is invalid and for the waker
the dreamer’s world is invalid. The only validity is the
consciousness. The practical benefit of this knowledge is whatever
happens in mithya field can’t affect the sathyam, adhishtanam. The
objects in this world, including time and space cannot affect or limit
me. The freedom from this mithya world is the benefit.

Verse 40

The entire prabanja are
mithya. The world is mithya, doesn’t have absolute reality and therefore
an absolutely real world has not come out of Brahman. Similar to half the
cup is full or half cup is empty, you can say either unreal world is born, or a
real world is not born. Therefore, you can’t discuss karana kariya
sambandha. Gowdapdha takes four types of possible kariya karana sambandha or
cause effect relationship and negates every one of them:

Asat vasthu Can’t’ produce an asat vasthu. A nonexistent
thing can’t produce a nonexistent thing, because a nonexistent thing can’t
produce anything. A human horn produces a rabbit’s horn; A human
horn can’t produce anything let alone a nonexistent rabbit horn.
Asat vasthu can’t produce a sat vasthu. A nonexistent
thing can’t produce an existent thing. From nothing, nothing can
come.
A sat vasthu can’t produce a sat vasthu. An
existent thing can’t produce an existent thing. From clay we are
able to produce pot; so, sat seems to be produced. So superficially
looking, there appears to be kariya karana sambandha between clay and
pot. But there is no cause effect relationship between clay and
pot. Any relationship requires two entities. Without duality
you can’t talk about any relationship. Clay and pot are not two
distinct substances to have a relationship. They are two different
names given to the same substance. Previously it was called clay and
now it is called pot because the shape has changed. Clay and pot are
one and the same substance at different time.
A sat vasthu can’t product an asat vasthu. An
existent thing can’t produce a non-existent thing. A nonexistent
thing can’t be produced. This is also grammatically wrong; saying a nonexistent
thing is born is grammatically wrong.

Conclusion is nothing is born; there
is no creation at all. The creation we talk about is a wrong name for
Brahman because of ignorance. An ignorant people call snake, a wise
person calls rope. There are only two dhrishti – agya dhrishi and vigya
dhrishty. Mistaken Brahman is world. Mistaken consciousness is
matter. There is no matter at all.

Verse 41

This mistake of taking Brahman as
world is committed by all people in jagradh and swapna avastha. We commit
the same mistake in both jagrath prabanja and swapna prabanja. First, I
take the rope as snake, you get closer and call it as garland. You have
progressed from mistake 1 to mistake 2. Similarly, we only progress from
swapna to jagradh. In sushukthi, we do not commit the error, but when you wake up,
we continue to commit the error. We continue to commit this error in the
next jiva and shrishty. This mistake is corrected only by gyanam.

Nothing wrong in pursuing a mithya
object if one has the knowledge it is mithya. Nothing wrong in going to
movie, with the understanding it is a movie. the moment the movie is
over, you understand that it is only a movie. Nothing wrong in pursue the
mithya world as husband, wife etc. as long as we realize it is
mithya. Perceiving mithya is not wrong; but taking it as sathyam is
tragedy; erroneous perception. We commit this mistake not only in jagradh
avastha but continue in swapna avastha. In dream also we perceive unreal
objects, when I am actually in dream, they appear very real. If you can
see the dream with the knowledge that it is dream, then you can enjoy it.
Samsara continues in both swapna avastha and jagrah avastha. This is one
reason for exhausting karma in swapna avastha. In dream, even though the
sick person has not died, we dream as though that person is dying. That
dream experience shakes a person so much, that exhausts karma.

Verse 42

Ultimate truth is there is no
duality at all. Brahman alone was, Brahman alone is and Brahman alone
will be. There is nothing other than Brahman. Majority of humanity
is not prepared to accept this teaching. How can I accept this tangible
world as unreal? The world is outside, it is tangible, and it has its own
functions perfectly according to order.

First problem is majority can’t accept the negation of
the world.
Second problem is that we all feel we need relationship
with people around to feel secure and comfortable. Relationship is
possible only in dwaidam and not in advaidam. As a result, everyone
considers dwaidam as security. They consider advaidam is insecurity
because in advaidam no relationship is possible. If there is a
person with no relationship, the world looks up on those people
negatively. Advaidam is looked up on as a status of orphan.
When there is such a well-entrenched notion, people do not accept
advaidam. That is why, advaidam is not discussed in the beginning. In the beginning veda accepts dwaidam and
talks about jivatma, paramatma and world. At that point, it also
accepts creation also. Brahman is accepted as cause and world is
accepted as result with a hope that the student will gradually become an
uthama adhikari. Until then shrishti is accepted. They say experience
is reality, but it is not a proof for reality e.g dream. They also
say the world is in perfect order.