THE
UPANISHADS ON DEATH AND BEYOND
Dr.
Ch. Durga Prasada Rao
Centre for Consciousness Studies
Dayalbagh Educational Institute
Dayalbagh, AGRA-282005 INDIA.
The concept of death is a mysterious
aspect, daunting humanity from time immemorial.
Even the mere mention of this word 'death' makes one to tremble. It
causes great anxiety, creates unbearable fear in the minds of every one. Though man is aware of the unavoidable nature of
death, is still afraid of facing it for he thinks that it is the end of every
thing. But all this is due to the wrong understanding of the concept. The fear, caused by wrong understanding of a
particular concept is removed when it is properly understood. Death, according to
general understanding, is the permanent
cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. And if we
define death in terms of consciousness, the living organism can be said to have
died when consciousness ceases to exist.
In the absence of consciousness, the body is simply a lump of inert
matter. So it is very essential to
understand the nature of death to overcome the fear.
The role played
by the Upanishads in analyzing the nature of death is unique and appealing,
only some of the important aspects are however
focused which give solace to the departed soul as well as the relatives
of the departed soul. . The Upanishads,
also known as Vedanta are the concluding portions of the Vedas. They are the
essence, the cream, the culmination of the Vedic Philosophy . Being esoteric in
nature they deal with the principles of creation , nature of the ultimate
reality relation between individual soul
and Supreme Soul, Dissolution of the world , goal of life and so on. The word Upanishad is derived from the
root 'shad' and the two
prefixes upa and ni which together mean the guru's proximity. It
is a curious fact that Upanishad is also derived from the root 'shad' meaning gati, the movement , as it leads the listener to the highest goal which is
realisation of Self. There is still another meaning for the same root 'shad' – destruction of the innate ignorance of man
that causes fear of birth , old age and death and leading him to enlightenment and the Upanishadic
salvation. Upanishads being the
quintessence of Vedic knowledge and wisdom, combined philosophy with experience
and have been influencing human mind for
the last several centuries by paving the way for transcendence from humanity to divinity.- According to them, death is not the complete cessation of one's
existence.
Our Sastras, by
suggesting a philosophical way out,
warn us not to be afraid of death. Oh fool! Why are you afraid of death?
Do you think that Yama, the God of death will spare you even if you are afraid? But it is certain that he will not catch hold of an unborn . Therefore, try not to be born again
in this world.
मृत्यो: बिभॆषि किं मूढ! भीतं मुंचति वै यम: |
अजातं नैव गृह्णाति कुरु यत्नमजन्मनि ||
(Mrutyorbibheshi kim
mudha
bhitam munchati vai Yamah
Ajatam naiva grhnati
kuru yatnamajanmani)
Here the word
Ajanmani i.e.,
birthlessness constitutes three aspects:
1. The realization of the inevitable nature of
death
2. Proper understanding of the nature of
death
3. Belief in the permanent existence of
soul.
The
word' Mrityu ' which means death is used several times in the
Upanishads. Isavasya Upanishads declares that those who devote themselves both
to the Knowledge of mundane (worldly) and supra- mundane (knowledge of the
ultimate reality ); by the knowledge of
world they over come death and by
knowledge of ultimate Reality they
attain immortality.
विद्यां
चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयं तथा
अविद्यया
मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययाSमृतमश्नुते ( ११)
For
the proper understanding of the nature of death, both worldly and other worldly
knowledge is essential. Hence, it is said in the Mundakopanishad that
there are two kinds of Vidya para
and apara . para is Supra-mundane while apara is
mundane and both are equally
worthy of acquit ion as the supreme function of them bring relief from the
worldly entanglements and leads to the realization
of Atman while Aparavidya enables one to acquire knowledge of the physical
world.
द्वे
विद्ये वेदितव्ये इति ह स्म यद्वद्ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति परा चैवापरा च | तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेद:
सामवेदोSधर्ववेद: शिक्षा
कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो ज्योतिषमिति | अथ परा यया
तदक्षरमधिगम्यते| (५)
By this it is evident that the knowledge of
both is necessary to overcome the fear of death and to attain immortality.
The discussion about
death, at length, is found in the Katha
Upanishad. Nachiketa, cursed by his father Vajasaneya reached the abode of
Yama. He was bestowed with three boons by Yama,
and Nachiketa asked Yama to explain
the nature of death as the third
boon.
He asks: When a man dies
, there is this doubt; some say that this Atman continues after death ; some
say that it ceases to be . I would like to know the truth taught by you.. This
is the third of my boons. Then, Yama to divert his attention, told him that it was very difficult to
understand even to gods. Since the truth
regarding death is subtle, Yama asked Nachiketa to choose some other boon instead . But Nachiketa
insisted to explain that knowledge as it was very difficult to understand, and there was no better teacher
than him to expound of it and nothing else was
equal to that knowledge. Yama
again tried his best to divert the attention of the boy by granting a number of
worldly pleasures such as long life, wealth and worldly comforts, but all his
attempts were in vain. Ultimately,
Nachiketa's inquisitiveness and firm determination that ' No other boon this Nachiketa will
ask made Yama pleased
at heart and he explained the
secret of death.
The knowledge of the
secret of death constitutes three aspects.
I. WHAT IS BORN MUST DIE:
The general dictum Jatasya
maranam dhruvam explains that death is inevitable to a person who is born.
An allegorical expression about death depicts the same thing very interestingly.
There is a cage like body
of which all the nine doors are
open. There is dwelling an air like
bird. It is surprising how it is still
surviving and nothing to surprise if it goes off.
उद्घाटितनवद्वारे
पंजरे विहगो sनिल:
यत्तिष्ठति
तदाश्चर्यं प्रयाणे विस्मय: कुत: (Udbhatacharya's poem)
Nachiketa has already an idea about the transitory
nature of life. He, without any fear,
responded to the curse of his father by requesting not to repent over it and
also added that like corn, a man ripens and falls to the ground; like corn, he
springs up again in his season.
अनुपश्य यथा पूर्वे प्रतिपश्य तथा Sपरे
सस्यमिव मर्त्य: पच्यते सस्यमिवाजायते पुन:(
कठ उपनिषद्१/६)
The un -
avoidability of death is stressed in the Bhagavadgita also which is also
considered to be the quintessence of the Upanishads. Lord krishna speaks to
Arjuna
He says: one that is born death is certain and certain
is birth for the one that has died . Therefore for what is unavoidable, thou
shouldst not grieve.
जातस्य हि धृवो
मृत्यु:
धृवं जन्म मृतस्य च
तस्मादपरिहार्यॆsर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि (II-27)
On some other occasion
also Krishna consoles Arjuna by explaining the nature of death. Arjuna! every thing in this world is created for a
purpose. The movement the pus pose is served it is not needed any more. . It is
even so with men. Each man is set on this strange eventful journey called life.
He has been sent into this world with a purpose. Once that purpose is served ,
the earth has no more need of him. It is the case with all of us , even me . I have created myself on this earth for
a purpose. It is not yet over. Some thing still remains . The moment it is
finished , I will die too, and so will you and your dear brothers. Do not grieve.
In Dhammapada it is said “ Not in the sky nor
in the depths 0f ocean nor having entered caverns of the mountains, nay such a
place is not to be found in the world where a man may dwell without being
overpowered by death. Many parables are also there in our literature to explain
this truth.
Mahabharata went to the
extent of ridiculing the peculiar mind set of the people who thinks that life is permanent even though
they witness the death of every living
in every movement. Yudhisthira, being asked by Yaksha whether there is any amazing thing in the
world replies that every moment , some body somewhere is breathing his last ;
yet the wonder of wonders is that who are alive
for the moment feel as though they are assured of their lives.
अहन्यहनि भूतानि
गच्छन्ति यममन्दिर
मन्ये
शाश्वतमिच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमत:परम्
So it is necessary to
realize the certainty of death.
II. DEATH IS LIFE AND
LIFE IS DEATH:
As rightly pointed out
by the French Philosopher Pierre Chandain “ we are not physical beings having
spiritual experiences but spiritual beings having physical experiences”. But man, being attached to mundane objects,
ignores one's own divine nature and
confines himself to the physical domain. It is our bounden duty to realize our
true nature to uplift the humanity
.
The idea of life in this
world actually being a death is no means new.
The Greek Philosopher
and mystic , Heraclitus ( c.535-475 BCE) , clearly fond of the word play
Suggested by the idea,
wrote:
Our life is death and
our death life.
(Heraclitus, in golden
verses of Pythagoras, 52-53, HVPp 105)
He went to the extent of
saying that life in this world, though it is called life, is in fact spiritual
death. The metaphorical expression of him sounds this idea.
The name of the bow (bios)
is life (bios), but its work is death.
(Heraclitus ,
Fragment,115,HPWp.91) A treasury of Mystic Terms, 6.2 p 160-161.
Upanishads state that
death is the real state of one's own existence and it is the natural state
while life is artificial. According to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj , a yogi, Death
is a change in the living process of a particular body. Integration ends
and disintegration sets in. In the Mahabharata, when Arjuna was grieving over
the sad demise of his son Abhimanyu, Krishna
sought to disabuse his mind in the following way: Oh Arjuna ! This boy, whom
you are claiming as your son, came down in to life from an unseen metaphysical
realm. He has now gone back to that realm. He does not belong to you, even as
you don't belong to him. What is the good of your wailing over a matter , over
which you have no control?.
अदृश्यात्स समुद्भूत: पुनश्चादृश्यतां गत:
नाsसौ तव न तस्य त्वं कुतो हि
परिदॆवना?
Kalidasa also expressed
the same view when Aja, the son of Raghu was wailing over the death of his wife
Indumati . It is said that we are in an unnatural state while in life and death
reinstates us to our natural state. So man is expected to be satisfied with
what ever span of life he lives and he should not grieve over death, because it
is his natural state.
मरणं प्रकृति: शरीरिणां विकृतिर्जीवितमुच्यते
बुधै:
क्षणमप्यतिष्ठते
श्वसन्यदि जन्तुर्ननु लाभवानसौ|
(रघुवंश:/ Canto
VIII/87.).
Johann Gottlieb Fitchte ( 1762-1814), the
German philosopher, who lived several centuries after kalidasa
of the same view who opined that “ what we call life is perhaps death,
and what we call death takes us back to the realm from which we are shot down
to this life.
DEATH IS FOR THE BODY
NOT FOR SOUL
In the Katha Upanishad, Yama explains Nachiketa, in a nutshell that
the man who has the knowledge of Atman neither takes birth nor dies. Because
Atman has neither cause nor effect. It
is unborn, permanent and eternally remains the same ; ancient; it is not killed
even if the body perishes.
न जायते म्रियते वा
विपश्चि
न्नायं कुतश्चिन्न
बभूव कश्चित् |
अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोSयं पुराणो
न हन्यते हन्यमाने
शरीरे||(२/१६)
SEEING PLURALITY IS ALSO DEATH:
According to the Upanishads, Consciousness which
is one without a second, is the primary and fundamental aspect of
Reality. It is both empirical and transcendental. The entire
universe is cradled in consciousness which arises where there is perfect order
and harmony. It plays different roles in
different states of human life and beyond. The
states such as waking, dreaming,
deep sleep are obvious and
mundane and the fourth state, also known
as Turiya is
extra-ordinary hence it is supra- mundane. The conscious Self in waking
state is
called Vishva, a gross enjoyer of external objects; in dream state,
it is Taijasa,
subtle enjoyer of internal
objects. The same consciousness in deep sleep, is prajna,
is a mass of cognition unified,
consisting of bliss and enjoyment
of bliss. The same consciousness, devoid of these qualities, is said to be the fourth(transcendental) state, Turiya. Unlike
the other three, it is
supra - normal, unseen, beyond empirical determination,
beyond the grasp of mind, unthinkable, indescribable, consciousness alone where
all phenomena cease, unchanging, peaceful, non dual, action less,
incomprehensible, uninferable and in
essence, it is the state of Pure Consciousness.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that
Consciousness also known as Atman is here ; the same is there ; that which is
there ; the same is here { this world)
he sufffers death after death who perceives Atman as many. Every thing
is only the manifestation of Atman .
There is nothing different from it . One who finds diversity is
repeatedly subject to birth and death.
By the mind I.e
initiation alone it is to be perceived.
There is in fact no diversity
.
He gets death after death ,
Who perceives here
seeming diversity? Br.Up. 4/4/222)
katha Upanishad also expresses the same view by
using verbatim twice. मृत्यो: स: मृत्युमाप्नोति
य इह नानेव पश्यति| (2/4/10-11)
On the
close perusal of the Upanishads, we can realize that the underlying principle
of them is consciousness which is
immortal and the realization of
which keeps one beyond death and
makes him the enjoy er of Supreme Bliss.
Chandogya Upanishad also states that the nature of Atman (soul) is Sat,
Chit and Ananda; Ever-existent, Consciousness and Bliss. All beings here are
indeed, born from Bliss, having been born, they remain in Bliss, and on
departing, they enter into Bliss
यतो वा इमानि भूतानि
जायन्ते येन जातानि जीवन्ति य
त्प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति
तद्विजिज्ञासस्व तद्ब्रह्मेति (तै.उ.३-४)
(yato va imani bhutani jayante
yena
jatani jivanti yatprayantyabhisamvisanti
tadvijijnasasva tadbrahmeti)
Taittiriya Upanishad emphatically declares that the enlightened man who
realizes his own nature as Bliss is never afraid of any thing
आनन्दं ब्रह्मणो विद्वान्न बिभेति कुतश्चन
(Anandam brahmano vidvan na bibheti
kutaschana) ( Taittiriya -2-9-1).
THREE BODIES AND FIVE SHEATHS
For the realization of one's own nature, the
knowledge of the metaphysical nature of
human body is quite essential.
As
analyzed in the Upanishads, the human
frame consists of three bodies and five sheaths. The bodies are 1. Gross 2. Subtle 3.
Causal and sheaths are Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and
Anandamaya.
For
example the shell of a tamarind corresponds to the Gross body. The pulp
represents the subtle body. The seed corresponds to causal body. To explain the
same in a scientific way, ice represents the gross body, water represents the
subtle body and H 2 O represents the causal body. (Practice of
Vedanta by Sivananda Saraswati- p.47)
GROSS BODY
The gross
body, also known as physical body, is made up of five elements. They are Earth,
Water, Fire, Air and Space. It constitutes the Annamayakosa, the food sheath. It disintegrates into its
component parts only after death. This body is the resultant product of our
karmas. We experience the existence of this body in waking state. When the
karmas are consumed up on the dawn of the knowledge of the Supreme Self, we no
longer take up any new body.
SUBTLE BODY:
This is
composed of seventeen elements and represents three sheaths viz., the sheath of vital force Pranamayakosa, mind Manomayakosa, and intellect
Vijnanamayakosa. The elements constitute five sensory organs such as
skin, eye, ear , tongue and nose and five motor organs such as mouth, hand, leg,
anus and genital organ and five vital forces viz., Prana, Apana,
Vyana, Udana and Samana and mind and intellect. This body is very subtle and more expansive
and extensive than physical body. This subtle body, inside the physical body is
compared to be a bladder in a foot ball. (Practice of Vedanta, by Sivananda saraswati- p 48.)
It is the
seat of desires and emotions. It is this body that goes to the heaven and hell
and comes back after experiencing the fruits of its actions. Death means the
separation of this subtle body from the physical body. It is the subtle body
that operates in dream state. This body has the capacity to expand and
contract. It contracts in small creatures,
and expands in big animals. This subtle body will get dissolved only
after Videhamukthi. Physical body
cannot do any thing without the help of this subtle body.
CAUSAL BODY
The causal body is the cause for the two other
bodies. It is formed of the ultra-fine mental energies of causal matter and
contains the impressions in a seed form. This body accommodates Anandamayakosa
and functions in deep sleep. Atman
is distinct from these three bodies. So It is neither physical body nor subtle
body nor even causal body. It is beyond these three. It is Pure Being, Pure
Consciousness and Pure Bliss. But it is
misunderstood as the individual self or false self due to the identification of
the body and senses which have no independent existence.
Atman, being different from all these and
beyond, has nothing to do with them. It never dies when the body dies.
Since the happiness we
get in this world is inferior to that of eternal happiness, Death is said to
be a door way to eternal happiness (bliss). Aeschylus, a Greek
poet and dramatist ( 525-456B.C) also expressed the same opinion by saying that
' call no man happy till he is dead'.
When
man dies it means that soul leaves the body but not otherwise, because, it is
not soul that needs the body, it is the body that needs soul. Here Swami
Vivekananda distinguishes the Indian view from that of Western by saying that Hindus believe that a man is a soul and
has a body, while Western people believe
he is a body and possesses a soul.( the complete works of swami
Vivekananda, Vol:VIII, page236.) So, death is the real state of our eternal
existence.
This
identification is really a mistaken knowledge and this mistaken knowledge is
not the outcome of an indescribable matter. This misidentification of the Atman
with the body-mind complex is in the experience of every one. This false
identification has no beginning or end, but this can be eliminated by the right
knowledge of the real self/Atman.
Mistaking one thing for the other is the result of not knowing the real
nature of that particular thing. Knowing the Atman as the body-mind complex and
the body-mind complex as the Atman is a mistaken/false knowledge. We have
conceived difference between ourselves and the Supreme Reality owing to this
mistaken knowledge only. If this mistaken knowledge is subjugated as such by
the right kind of inquiry it is stultified by the true knowledge which results
in self-realization. Then the Atman, which is the core of one's being reveals Himself as Pure Being, Pure
Consciousness and Pure Bliss. The stultification of the mistaken knowledge and
the birth of the new knowledge of one's
True Being, the all-pervading
Atman, are two events that happen
simultaneously on approaching and receiving the
instructions from a Guru who is
both a Jnani (man of wisdom) and a Tattvadarshi
(Seer of the truth). (B. G. IV. 34)
THE PROCESS OF DEATH:
Even though there is no difference of opinion
about the death as disintegration of body and soul the process differs from
individual to individual. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explains the process of
death in the following way. When the self becomes weak and senseless, as it
were the organs come to it .. it comes to the heart ( Br.Up- 4/4/1); again the
top of the heart brightens. Through that brightened top the self departs,
either through the eye or through the head or through any other part of the
body ( Ibid 4-4-2). By this, it is evident that at the time of departure the
soul together with the organs comes to the heart. At that moment the departing soul,
on account of its past karmas, has a peculiar consciousness picturing to it its
next life, and goes to the body which is revealed by that consciousness. It further explains the plan of
consciousness to its next life, the way of departure from the body, the nerves
which consciousness passes through. Various
conditions of the soul at death, the condition of soul of unreleased and soul
of released after death.
DEATH IS NOT THE END OF
EVERY THING:
Then the self is endowed
with particular consciousness and afterwards passes on to the body that brought
to light by that consciousness. This consciousness is determined by one's past
karmas. So, every one is expected to be careful of his actions. One should do
good deeds avoid the bad ones. It is not a sin, if he cannot do any good to others
but doing badly to others is severely condemned. Gita, the quintessence of all
the Upanishads, assured us that good karma will never go waste and unnoticed.
It will lead for the betterment of the individual in the next birth. The saying
goes like this:
नहि
कळ्याणकृत्कश्चिद्दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति (६/४०)
शुचीनां श्रीमतां
गेहे योगभ्रष्टो Sभिजायते| (६/४१)
The span in between death
to another birth is also discussed in the Brihadaranyaka. It states
that just as a leech dwelling in grass , catches another support and withdraws
itself , so does this Self set aside the present body -make it sense less, take
up a new body and withdraw itself.
तद्यथा तृणजलायुका
तृणस्यान्तं गत्वा न्यमाक्रममाक्रम्यात्मानमुपसंहरति,एवमेवायमात्मेदं शरीरं
निहत्य, अविद्यां गमयित्वा , अन्यमाक्रममाक्रम्यात्मानमुपसंहरति| (४/४/३)
BY LOOSING BODY ONE
LOOSES NOTHING:
Man looses nothing in death. As soul passes in this body through childhood,
youth and age, even so is its taking on of another body. The sage is not
perplexed by this.
देहिनोsस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं
जरा
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्ति:धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति.१/१३
The statement of Jalaluddin Rumi, a famous Sufi saint is also
worth mentioning here in this context.
I died as mineral and
became a plant.
I died as plant and rose
to animal
I died as animal and I
was man
Why should I fear when I
was not less by dying?
Yet once more I shall
die as man
To soar with angels
blest
But even from angelhood
I must pass on.Masnavi .
It is quite evident that
the study of the Upanishads dispels the fear of death. The Schopenhauer's
statement that ' the study of the Upanishads has been the solace of my life, it
will be the solace of my death' is the real truth.
SELECT
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3. Bhagavadgita
with commentary by S. Radha Krishnan
4. Brahma-Sutras,
with text, word for word Translation,
Swami VIRESWARANANDA, Advaita
Ashrama November 2008.
5.
I
am That, Sri Nisarga Datta Maharaj, Chetana pvt Ltd.
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of Sri Vedavyasa.
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Publication series.No.344.1989.
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Sankara's Advaita Siddhanta, by S. Vitthala Sastri, Sri Sacchidananda Printers
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.
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