Advaita Prakaranam of Mandukya Upanishad (Chapter 3) Part 21

 

न भवत्यमृतं मर्त्यं न मर्त्यममृतं तथा ।

प्रकृतेरन्यथाभावो न कथंचिद्भविष्यति ॥ २१ ॥

na bhavatyamṛtaṃ martyaṃ na martyamamṛtaṃ tathā |
prakṛteranyathābhāvo na kathaṃcidbhaviṣyati || 21 ||

Here an important principle he says. It is that the nature of a thing is never subject to change.

What is subject to change cannot be the true nature of a thing. For example if water is in particular vessel it seems to have a particular shape but the shape we do not call the nature of water. It will not be the same always. Shape is not the nature of water. Nature is coolness. It is cool to touch. Water is always so. Hot water is possible, you cannot say. Heat is not the nature of water. It is the nature of fire that is pervading the water. Or Fire itself we will take.

Fire may show various shapes. Flame is tall or flat or round. That is not its nature. It varies. Even the very brightness of fire is not always there because when heat is there in water do you see brightness in
water? So that is also not the nature of fire. What is there always with fire is heat and it is supposed to be its nature. In short the definition of nature is that which is always there in a thing and which is not subject to change.

Upanishad describes Brahman as advaitam. So that is the nature of Brahman. If advaitatvam is nature of Brahman then it will never be subject to change. Now also Brahman should be nondual. That is what Upanishad conveys. If you say Brahman is nondual now also, then how can you account for dvaita experience. It can be done only in one way that dvaita is a false experience and it does not have any reality. We cannot call a karana vastu as advaitam.

Why? If cause is advaitam, then it should be all the time advaitam. If cause is advaitam, the nature of it is advaitam. Then it should be all the time advaitam. It cannot be cause. Karanam becomes many
later. One seed becomes many trees. One lump of clay becomes many pots. When one becomes many that one thing cannot be called advaitam. If advaitam were the nature of one thing, it would have ever remained advaitam. Before it became karyam, karanam was only one. That is why I said there are two types of ‘ones’. 1) One one is which will become many (manyable one which is cause) and 2) another one which or whose one is very nature, unmanayable one. Karanam is multipliable. Unmultipliable is akarana-vastu. In Sanskrit multipliable one is ekam.

Unmultipliable one is advaitam. No two three etc in advaitam. By saying advaitam it indicates unmultipliable one. It is neither cause nor effect. Nature of Brahman is advaitam and nature cannot be changed and it will ever be advaitam. If you see many you have to have eye test. Which test? Ajnanatimirandhasya. Ajnana cataract.

Another angle is Brahman is said to be nirvikaram. Free from shadvikaram. We will take first and last and Brahman is free from janma and maranam. If that is so, Brahman is neither. To be karanam means it will die producing karyam. Karyam is jatam. Karanam is martyam. Brahman amrtam ajatam. So neither cause nor effect. So vivarta karanam. Amrtam martyam na bahvati.

Akaranam Brahman karanam na bhavati. Reverse also. Martyam Brahman amrtam na bhavati. Nothing changes its svarupam. Changing one alone becomes another changing one. One mortal can become another mortal. Mortal can never be converted to immortal. Prakrteh anyatha + The nature of a thing can never be made otherwise. It can never happen. Even if God wills it can never happen. Jatasya hi dhruvor + apariharyam. He does not tell Arjuna - I will change the laws for you and make bhishma etc immortal.

We are all samsaris because of our mortality. We are all working of rmoksha which is immortality. Suresvara says it is impossible either way. Better do not do any sadhanam. Mortal can never become immortal. Earn more money and enjoys some more pleasure. Give up your spiritual sadhana. Even Krishna’s sariram also could not become. Can we convert immortal into immortal. Why is it to be done? No sadhana is useful for immortality. Then why all these sadhanas? To know no sadhana is necessary. Immortality is a fact. It has to be known. It is a goal jiva goal.

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स्वभावेनामृतो यस्य भावो गच्छति मर्त्यताम् ।
कृतकेनामृतस्तस्य कथं स्थास्यति निश्चलः ॥ २२ ॥

svabhāvenāmṛto yasya bhāvo gacchati martyatām |
kṛtakenāmṛtastasya kathaṃ sthāsyati niścalaḥ || 22 ||

Suppose the immortal Brahman has really become mortal jivah. It is hypothetical. As dvaitins say. Not vivarta karanam but parinami for them. Suppose there are certain sadhanas by which we get moksha. List they have about who became immortal. like Garudha Adisesha etc. Now what is the guarantee that after becoming immortal we will not become mortal. If immortal Brahman became mortal jiva, then what is the guarantee that I will not again become mortal after becoming immortal. If once change takes place another is also possible iti. In the next sristhi I may come back. You will not come back iti you cannot say. Because you yourself said immortal became mortal. Once the road is there, travel cannot be avoided. Moskha will be impermanent.

Advaitin does not say mortal becomes immortal. Immortal alone recognises or owns up the immortality. Previously he thought he was mortal. Now he knows that he is immortal. The beauty is when he thought he was mortal at that time also he was immortal. What has happened? Mistake has been corrected. An erroneous thinking has been rectified. During dream I get caught up in all samara I own up my comfort only on waking. I disowned it during dream. Even then I was comfortable on bed only. The whole world is like a dream.

Yasya = if a philosopher thinks that svabhavena amrtah maryatam + A naturally immortal Brahman becomes mortal really. Svabhevena + Then tasya for him, amrtah + how can the immortality be ever there. Immortality attained by sadhanam. By going to Vaikuntham etc. How can it remain permanent. It being a product of sadhanam. Two arguments are involved

1. Immortality becomes a result of action and yat karmaphalam is anityam.

2. It is immorality which is karmaphalam and so it is permanent.

Then immortal Brahman can become the world in your system, then immortal moskha how can it be permanent.