Manduka Upanishad Bhashyam
पूर्णानन्दज्ञानशक्तिस्वरूपं नित्यमव्ययम् ।
चतुर्धा सर्वभोक्तारं वन्दे विष्णुं परं पदम् ।।
Mandukopanishad is an important Upanishad belonging to Atharvaveda. This is of the form of a conversation between Lord Sri Hari and Lord Varuna in the form of frog (Manduka in Sanskrit). The Upanishad gets its name because of this. It is divided into four Khandas. The Lord is extolled in this Upanishad as Complete, Blissful and Omnipotent.
The Central Theme
The central theme of the Upanishad is to give an exposition of the significance of OM. It explains the four forms of Vishnu namely Vishwa, Taijasa, Pragna and Turiya. Few theories of creation and its purpose are also discussed.
Mandukopanishad Bhashya
Sri Madhwacharya has composed a scholarly commentary on the Mandukopanishad. This commentary stands as a flag post of the boldness of the Bhashyakara. While the Advaita tradition of the Shankara School treats some portions of this Upanishad as Karikas composed by Gaudapada, Sri Madhwacharya had sprung a surprise to everyone by accepting those Karikas to be a part of the un-authored Upanishad itself. In the Tattvavada Tradition, these verses are believed to be revealed by Lord Sri Brahma to Lord Varuna. In fact, some of these verses are accepted to be Vedic passages by other commentators as well. Sri Ramanuja of Vishishtadvaita quotes the verse “anadi mayaya suptho yadaa jeevaha prabhudyate” in his Bhashya as a Vedic Text. Anandagiri, Brahmananda and Appayya Dixita of Advaita Tradition and even Sri Shankara himself quote them as Vedic passages elsewhere.
Presiding Deity of Mandukopanishad
According to Sri Madhwacharya’s Bhashya, Lord Sri Vishnu in his four forms of Vishva, Taijasa, Prajna and Turiya is the presiding deity of this Upanishad.
Meaning of OM
» Meaning of OM is manifold
» First the Upanishad tells us what OM means
» It also tells us who can be called as OM
» Brahman is called OM because of various reasons
» As He transgresses the past, present and future times He is eternally changeless
» Because the entire universe is in Him
Types of OM
OM is of two kinds
» Samasta Pranava - (Combination of A, U, M and Naada) denoting Akshara
» Vyasta Pranava - A, U, M and Naada presided by Vishwa, Taijasa, Pragna and Turiya respectively
Vyasta Pranava - Vishwa-Taijasa-Pragna-Turiya Forms in the Body
The Eternal Lord is present in the body in his four forms Vishwa, Taijasa, Pragna and Turiya which represent each of the syllables A, U, M and Naada of the Vyasta Pranava.
Vishwa - The Vishwa form of the Lord is presiding deity of the Awake State. Hence He is called Bahi Pragna. He is located in the Right Eye. He is called Sthula Bhuk, as He only enjoys the Sthula (Gross) bliss. He is also known as Vaishwanara as he does not have any of the following viz., a) Anityatvam (Perishability) b) Dehahani (Death) c) Dukhaprapti (Sorrow) and d) Apurnata (Incompleteness).
Vishwa form has 7 limbs - two legs, four hands and a trunk. Vishwa has nineteen heads, nine each on both sides and one in the center. The head in the center is like the head of an elephant. The others to the left and right are like the head of a human being.
Taijasa - The Taijasa form of the Lord is presiding deity of the Dream State. It is located in the neck. It is called Pravivikta Bhuk. The Taijasa form of the Lord also has 7 limbs and 19 heads. He is responsible for the dream state.
Pragna - The Pragna form of the Lord is presiding deity of the Deep Sleep State. It is located in the Heart portion of the body. He is called Ananda Bhuk due to special bliss.
Turiya - Turiya form of the Lord is present in the center of the head (At a distance of 12 inchs from the root of the nose). It is unknown to the people living in transmigration. It is presented in contrast to the other three forms Vishwa, Taijasa and Pragna. Turiya is responsible for granting liberation. It also controls the liberated. It is referred to as Advaita as it removes erroneous knowledge.
Meanings of A, U and Ma
A - Vishwa is the first among Vishwa, Taijasa and Pragna and Turiya. He is also responsible in bringing cognition of all entities. Hence he is called A.
U - Taijasa is responsible for detaching the Soul from gross bodily experiences. Hence he is called U. He is also called U because he is related to both sleep and experience (through the dream state).
Ma - Pragna takes all liberated into his fold. He also completely destroys the bodily attachment. Hence he is called Ma.
Naaada - This denotes the Turiya form of the Lord. Knowledge of this form makes one get a form similar to Lord Sri Hari.
Various points-of-view about Creation
The Upanishad puts forth various points-of-view regarding the creation
» Creation is a modification or manifestation of Brahman
» Creation is merely a projection, an illusion like a dream
» Time is the ground for all creation
» Finally, it negates all other options and concludes by revealing its final position which says - Creation is due to the Will of God
Points-of-view regarding purpose of Creation
Some people say that the Lord creates this Universe as he is bored without all the material pleasures from which he can derive enjoyment. The Upanishad outrightly rejects this position and concludes - As the Lord is ever blissful, there is no question of Lord deriving enjoyment out of the creation. He sportingly creates the universe for the benefit of the souls. He always experiences his innate bliss and needs no material enjoyment.
Meaning of the Shruti Text - Prapancho Yadi Vidyeta
As per the above Vedic Passage - In reality, the soul is not the controller of the body. But he feels the body is “his” and “he” has total control over it. Such a perceived ownership of the external body by the soul is called Prapancha. Actually such an ownership does not exist as every soul is completely dependent on the Lord. It only appears because of the Abhimana (Attachment). Let the “Prapancha” (ownership) exist because of Abhimana. In such a case, will it stay permanently? No says the Upanishad. The Prapancha can be removed by the grace of the Lord.
Maaya Matram Idam Dvaitam Advaitam Paramarthataha
The Upanishad coins special meaning to the words Advaita and Dvaita. It is to be noted that the popular meanings of these words denoting Shankara’s and Madhwacharya’s philosophies respectively are not honored here. If the Supreme Lord is correctly known or is known as He is i.e. known non-differently, then such knowledge is called Advaita. Dvaita stands for knowing differently than what He is, i.e., having incorrect knowledge of the Lord.
Importance of Guru - Upadeshat Ayam Vadaha
Though the attachment towards one’s body is there due to ignorance, it will be removed due to the guidance of a Guru. Hence by right knowledge the wrong knowledge should always be corrected. This is the path to eternal bliss.
Salient Points
» This Upanishad declares the Lord as the controller of Bondage and Liberation.
» The Lord’s “Will” is known as Maaya.
» The Soul remains in the eternal bonded state till he is under the influence of Maaya.
» When the soul wakes up from the Maaya, he gets a glimpse of the Lord.
» The Lord in all his four forms Vishwa, Taijasa, Pragna and Turiya is called Pranava.
» One who is immersed in the contemplation of the Pranava becomes devoid of all fear.
Conclusion
Sri Madhwacharya concludes his Bhashya by a closing invocation which succinctly summarizes the Upanishadic Thought. The Brahman who is one and who is without any distinctions in his essence takes four forms and controls various states of the soul. He is denoted by the various letters of OM and is also known as Pranava. Understanding the four fold forms of the Lord would remove one’s ignorance and lead him to eternal bliss.
एकोपि निर्विशेषोपि चतुर्धा व्यवहारभाक् ।
यस्तं वन्दे चिदात्मानं विष्णुं विश्वादिरूपिणम् ।।