AGNE NAYA SUPATHAA RAAYE ASMAAN
VISHVAANI DEVA VAYUNAANI VIDVAAN
YUYODHY’ASMAJ JUHURAANAM ENO
BHOOYISTHAAM TE NAMA UKTIM VIDHEMA (18)
Agne – O Agni; asmaan – us; raaye – to the enjoyment of the fruits of our karma; supathaa – by the fair path; naya – take, lead; deva – O Lord; vishvaani – all; vayunaani – deeds; vidvaan – knowing; asmat – from us; juhuraanam – crooked going, deceitful; enah – sin; yuyodhi – destroy; te – to Thee; bhooyishtaam – very many; nama uktim – words of salutations; vidhema – do we offer.
O AGNI, LEAD US BY THE FAIR PATH THAT WE MAY REAP THE GOOD WE HAVE SOWN. THOU KNOWEST OF ALL OUR DEEDS. LORD, DESTROY ALL CROOKED-GOING SINS IN US. WE SALUTE THEE WITH OUR WORDS AGAIN AND AGAIN.
Namaskar Mahatmas!
We are in the concluding verse of the Isha Vassya Upanishad. In this sloka the devotee is ardently praying to Agni Devataa to take him by fair path or deva-yaana that he may not have to come back again into this world of misery.
In the 8th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, the Lord mentions two paths – the bright and the dark. The path of bright or deva-yaana or fair path leads one to Moksha, the state of non-return while the path of dark or pitr-yaana leads one to rebirth.
DEVA-YANA: The Jivas who have practiced devotion to God and performed all their duties and works as an offering to Him and without any desire for their fruits, will have a gradual spiritual progress, passing through various realms. This leads to the region of Brahma known as satya-loka through different spheres, such as the Planes of Agni, the day, the bright half of lunar months, the devas, the Vaayu, the Sun, the moon, the lighting, the region of Varuna, the region of Indra and the region of Prajapathi.
One who goes by Devayaana has not to come back again to this world, but remains in the Brahma-loka till the end of the cycle, when he attains complete absorption in the Brahman with Brahma. This process of liberation is called Kramamukti or gradual or indirect salvation which is different from Jivanmukti or direct salvation even while alive in the body, which is attained only by the realization of the true nature of the Self.
The PITR-YANA leads to Chandra-loka or the region of the moon, through a quite different path consisting of spheres such as those of smoke or darkness, night, the dark half of lunar months, the pitr-loka and the ether.
Those who are of ordinary knowledge and actions and do some charitable or good works in their life time, go, when they depart, to Chandra loka by the pitr-yaana and they remain there for the enjoyment of the fruits of their good karma till its exhaustion. Then they come back again with some residue of their past karma, to be reborn on this earth to undergo all the pains and pleasures of life here.
The devotee here sincerely prays to Agni: ‘I am disgusted with the pitr-yaana which is characterized by going and coming; hence I request Thee again and again, ‘lead by the good path which is free from coming and going’
It becomes a life of a lift man who doesn’t reach anywhere but going from one floor to another. Why does one come and go to this world? The unfulfilled desires or the impressions left make them come back into this world again and again for the enjoyment and also to reap their fruit of actions. Ramana Maharishi says in Upadesa Saram: “The fruits of action are not everlasting and they cause one to fall into the great ocean of Karma, blocking spiritual progress”. He clearly explains that no freedom from rebirth is to be found in activities, no matter how important or virtuous they may seem.
Having known that here the devotee begs to Agni Devataa: ‘Lord! Please destroy and remove from us all sins which are crooked; which has ‘I and mine’ in that; which are against reaching You. Let this fire purify us and thereby reach or achieve our desired object’.
The devotee is at his death bed and therefore has no strength left to do the whole worship. So he is offering by these words of mouth only. This sloka is offered as a prayer by him.
“I don’t want another birth. Please give me the riches of spiritual growth”. Ultimately he prays to the Agni to burn away everything. He doesn’t want to take anything with him both merits and demerits and gives away everything in the fire as the last part of his worship. There can be no coming and going for a knower of Brahman, who becomes all by becoming Brahman itself.
Here ends the Ishopanishad.
The devotee out of his continuous practice during his life time could remember the Lord at the death bed. He could rest his thought on the Lord and faced death boldly without any thoughts about the world.
The cycle of birth and death is what is called samsara. Like the worms which slip from one whirlpool to another whirlpool, the Jiva because of ignorance revolves around birth after birth. The thirst of the seeker is to come out of this whirlpool of samsara. He understands through his experience and the experience of others that this world is the place of misery; the body has birth, death, old age and disease which are inevitable; how the mind and intellect places one in the misery filled condition through attachments and desires?!
When we understand the impermanence of everything around us, and also ourselves, we seek that which is permanent and which can give us eternal happiness. When that thirst comes in our life, we, the worms are lifted by a compassionate soul (the Guru) and he places at a restful place where we are guided to meditate on the truths of life and death. Worry contracts the mind while meditation expands it. When the seeker puts in his sincere efforts, it develops into dispassion and discriminative thinking. Then arises the selfless actions and ananya bhakti which brings him closer to the Lord.
This Upanishad clearly explains that all actions are done in ignorance only. Every action we do is not the end of the sadhana but it leads one to the purification of mind. The pure mind is the very tool to realize one’s own true self. Guruji mentioned during his talk that as long as the thought flows, it is called mind. When the thoughts are not there, it is the Self, the one and only one which exists. Peace enters one’s life, only when all the differences created by the ego are erased and destroyed.
The slokas gives an assurance and clarity that when vidya (knowledge) arises, the karma (Avidya) vanishes. When the light enters, the darkness disappears. Similarly knowledge and ignorance cannot remain together. Then what sorrow and what delusion can there be for the person who sees unity? This Upanishad declares that for a man of knowledge (isha vaasyam idam sarvam), there is no sorrow and no doubts.
A family came from a distant place to seek solace from the grief of losing six sons; the last child had died recently. They approached Ramana Maharishi with tears and heavy heart. That time a devotee asked Ramana a question: “Using Pranayama and other practices can one prolong his life which will enable them to become Jnanis, realized souls?”
Bhagavan replied: “yes, people do live long if they do these practices, but does a person become a Jnani by living long?” As said in the second sloka of the Upanishad, given hundred years of life, what life are we going to live? Have pride of living hundred years quantitatively or qualitatively?
We will do the summary of Isha Vaasya Upanishad next week. HARI OM!
