There is the lower truth and there is the higher truth. The lower truth
is that the following of disciplines prescribed in the scriptures with the
right desire (for true knowledge) produces pleasant results like heaven after
earth, but getting deluded by such temporary good results and thinking of these
results as the highest leads to further bondage via attachment to the fruits of
actions. The higher truth is that of the Imperishable One - the formless,
all-knowing source of all, which cannot be grasped or perceived the way we can
grasp and perceive the objects of the senses. To know that Highest, the
taintless (the unerring, those who follow the right disciplines with the right
attitudes) should make the Pranava (Omkar) a bow and the (individual) soul an
arrow sharpened by meditation, hit the target (the eternal One) and stay merged
with it the way an arrow does after hitting its target. The universe itself
(including its pleasant and unpleasant things) is but like a web woven by a spider,
which the spider (God) projects out of Himself and later withdraws back into
himself every now and then. The lower truth of the individual soul working its
way in this universe is very much a creation of the Higher Truth, and merges
back into the Higher when it truly sees (realizes) the Higher. The Higher One,
while being omnipresent and farther than the farthest for the individual, nevertheless
remains closer than the closest too (by being seated in the very heart of the
individual). This bright self, the reflection of the One Above, is attainable
through truth, concentration, and purification of the intellect through the
right austerities and the right knowledge. In fact, truth alone wins, not
untruth. Truth opens for the seeker "the path of the Gods" so to
speak. This is the path by which the desireless seers (rishis) ascend to that
highest abode where lies the greatest treasure attainable through truth (the
Supreme Reality, God).
Such is the purport of the various sections of the Mundaka Upanishad, which very much talks of the supreme search of man, i.e., the search for the Eternal. Indeed it is my objective here to bring out this first meaning of "satyameva jayate", which seems evident upon going through the translations of the mantras of the upanishad. Truthfully following practices learned from the enlightened teachers is required for realization of the Higher Truth. However, what many people might not know (as I did not until recently) is that in interpreting these verses, no less a teacher than the great Adi Shankaracharya says that "it is a familiar fact in the practical world that the untruthful man is defeated by a truthful one" and therefore, the way truth is a higher power in practical life, so is it here, on the path to true spiritual progress. This remark by the great teacher should be enough for us to get away from the nagging thought that truth is perhaps "only" for the spiritual path and not for practical life.
As a prescription for life, fine, but isn't "satyameva jayate" also supposed to be a "fact" of life too? The upanishad says clearly that it is a fact of spiritual life, but who can attest to the same for practical life? Could not the lifestyle of a liar (untruthful person) be sometimes better that that of an honest person and in that sense, could not the liar be said to have "won"? Could not a liar have "won" a court case by producing false evidence?
Such is the purport of the various sections of the Mundaka Upanishad, which very much talks of the supreme search of man, i.e., the search for the Eternal. Indeed it is my objective here to bring out this first meaning of "satyameva jayate", which seems evident upon going through the translations of the mantras of the upanishad. Truthfully following practices learned from the enlightened teachers is required for realization of the Higher Truth. However, what many people might not know (as I did not until recently) is that in interpreting these verses, no less a teacher than the great Adi Shankaracharya says that "it is a familiar fact in the practical world that the untruthful man is defeated by a truthful one" and therefore, the way truth is a higher power in practical life, so is it here, on the path to true spiritual progress. This remark by the great teacher should be enough for us to get away from the nagging thought that truth is perhaps "only" for the spiritual path and not for practical life.
As a prescription for life, fine, but isn't "satyameva jayate" also supposed to be a "fact" of life too? The upanishad says clearly that it is a fact of spiritual life, but who can attest to the same for practical life? Could not the lifestyle of a liar (untruthful person) be sometimes better that that of an honest person and in that sense, could not the liar be said to have "won"? Could not a liar have "won" a court case by producing false evidence?
Well, yes and no. No, because a slightly wider definition of
"winning" would make it clear that the statement is almost impossible
to test and verify in the world. If winning in life includes peace of mind,
health, respect from the learned, etc., then there is no surety that the
untruthful winner of the court case has truly won in life. Yet, if we insist on
focusing purely on that one "game" - that particular court case where
the untruthful got away with false evidence - then yes, under that very
specific definition of winning, the untruthful would be called the winner of the
battle.
In his essay on the nature of "karma", Shrimat Swami Hariharaananda Aaranya has conceded this point openly, and has in fact clearly stated that when a seemingly innocent person gets robbed, etc., we cannot automatically put the blame on a past life where the innocent man had committed an equivalent crime. In fact, he says, the main reason behind losing that particular battle is the huge effort made by the robber in developing the power and proficiency to steal, in planning and executing the same, etc., relative to the somewhat smaller effort made by this innocent person in taking preventive steps. Even an alert person cannot be expected to make efforts in all such directions, and therefore, a "loss" on some such dimensions should in fact be expected by the innocent, who organize their efforts based on their own priorities and understanding as of that time.
Yet, says the Swami, the moment we realize that the simple meaning of "winning" or "losing" is to win or lose what we "really want", it is clear that in this very simple sense, the truthful really never lose - even in the face of such events as the robbery mentioned above. When we speak of the righteous, he says, we are speaking of people whose true desires are to live a life of truth, knowledge, renunciation, dedication to higher spiritual endeavors, etc. Despite the outward loss - the successful robbery, etc. - these righteous people continue to lead their lives in pursuit of their true desires. The robber fails to win what the righteous person really wants and is not a winner of the game in this simplest sense. The righteous therefore, simply never lose, says the Swami, and "dharma" always wins.
Extolling spirituality is not a step in downgrading the importance of the political system or the police. Rather, it is a tribute to all these forces that so many of our farmers want to focus on farming and teachers on teaching. Policing is about protecting ourselves, not about giving in to frenzy created by a wild imagination.
Therefore, in closing, consider this “game”:
Pranavo dhanuh, sharo hyaatma (The Om is the bow and the individual soul is the arrow),
brahma tallakshyam-uchchyate (the Supreme (Brahman) is the target),
Apramattena veddhavyam" (It is to be hit (should be hit) by an unerring man - i.e., by the taintless one who follows the right disciplines with the right attitude),
sharavat tanmayo bhavet" (hitting it, the taintless seeker should stay merged with it just like an arrow does after hitting its target). (Mundaka II.ii.4)
In his essay on the nature of "karma", Shrimat Swami Hariharaananda Aaranya has conceded this point openly, and has in fact clearly stated that when a seemingly innocent person gets robbed, etc., we cannot automatically put the blame on a past life where the innocent man had committed an equivalent crime. In fact, he says, the main reason behind losing that particular battle is the huge effort made by the robber in developing the power and proficiency to steal, in planning and executing the same, etc., relative to the somewhat smaller effort made by this innocent person in taking preventive steps. Even an alert person cannot be expected to make efforts in all such directions, and therefore, a "loss" on some such dimensions should in fact be expected by the innocent, who organize their efforts based on their own priorities and understanding as of that time.
Yet, says the Swami, the moment we realize that the simple meaning of "winning" or "losing" is to win or lose what we "really want", it is clear that in this very simple sense, the truthful really never lose - even in the face of such events as the robbery mentioned above. When we speak of the righteous, he says, we are speaking of people whose true desires are to live a life of truth, knowledge, renunciation, dedication to higher spiritual endeavors, etc. Despite the outward loss - the successful robbery, etc. - these righteous people continue to lead their lives in pursuit of their true desires. The robber fails to win what the righteous person really wants and is not a winner of the game in this simplest sense. The righteous therefore, simply never lose, says the Swami, and "dharma" always wins.
Extolling spirituality is not a step in downgrading the importance of the political system or the police. Rather, it is a tribute to all these forces that so many of our farmers want to focus on farming and teachers on teaching. Policing is about protecting ourselves, not about giving in to frenzy created by a wild imagination.
Therefore, in closing, consider this “game”:
Pranavo dhanuh, sharo hyaatma (The Om is the bow and the individual soul is the arrow),
brahma tallakshyam-uchchyate (the Supreme (Brahman) is the target),
Apramattena veddhavyam" (It is to be hit (should be hit) by an unerring man - i.e., by the taintless one who follows the right disciplines with the right attitude),
sharavat tanmayo bhavet" (hitting it, the taintless seeker should stay merged with it just like an arrow does after hitting its target). (Mundaka II.ii.4)
Sadanand Tutakne
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