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Brhadharanyaka Upanishad - Sloka 1.4.7

Background

Atma tore apart Stri, established the 'Svah' (the heavens) which was just AkAsa (empty space or vacuum) and fills the AkAsa wtih Stri. On Stri, all production occurs in pairs.  Stri oscillates and has energy and information. But that energy is not usable or transferable.

From mouth of the Yoni of Stri, Agni, usable/transferable energy comes out. Agni leads to Soma. Soma and Agni lead to best of Devas. Thus from just oscillations immortal devas are produced. Hence this super creation is called 'Brahman'.

ati sRsti - Super Creation - Evolution

What is ati sRsti..? The Brhadharanyaka Upanishad answers it very clearly. 

atha yad martyaḥ sann amṛtān asṛjata 
tasmād ati sṛṣṭiḥ; 
ati sṛṣṭyaṃ ha asyai tasyāṃ bhavati ya evaṃ veda

That which is mortal being so produces immortal beings, therefore it is ati sRsti. It means that which keeps creating higher and higher order beings.  That is ati sRsti.

I called it Super creation. Modern science has given a name to it. It is called 'Evolution'. Evolution makes beings adapt and evolve into longer lasting beings.

Brahman is this ati sRsti, the process of super creation or simply Evolution.

This Universe is Brahman. This Universe is evolution.

Sloka 1.4.7.1

tad adha idaṃ tarhi  avyākṛtam āsīt, tan nāmarūpābhyām eva vyākriyata, asau nāmāyam idaṃ rūpa iti; 


tad idamapye tarhi nāmarūpābhyām eva vyākriyate, asau nāmāyam idaṃ rūpa iti; 

Translation

Those (tad) here till now (adha idam tarhi) was unmanifest (avyaktam asit),  them (tan) by name and form (namarupabhyam) developed (vyakriyata). He/That (asau) this name (nama ayam) this form (idam rupa) in this way (iti).

Thereupon (tad idam) till now (tarhi) by name and form (namarupabhyam) manifestations occur. He/That this name, this form, in this way.

Meaning

Those here till now were unmanifest, those manifest/developed by name and form. He/That this name this form, in that way. Thereupon till now by name and form manifestations occur. He/That this name, this form, in this way. From that time to till now, manifestation means more and more forms  and hence more and more names.

What is manifestation..? Manifestation is that which produces different forms/shapes/functions with identifiable 'names'.

The AkAsa was filled with Stri. Stri was oscillating. It had entropy and energy. But we can say it did not 'manifest'. Because there was no different form/function or identifiable name to that form. The oscillating Stri produced Agni, usable/transferable energy.  From Agni came soma and the devas. Now different 'forms' started to appear. They got different names.

From Agni, the transferable/usable energy came all the manifestations. But where is this Agni..?

Sloka 1.4.7.2

sa eṣa iha praviṣṭa ā nakhāgrebhyaḥ, yathā kṣuraḥ kṣuradhāne'vahitaḥ syāt, viśvambharo vā viśvambharakulāye; taṃ na paśyanti | akṛtsno hi sah

Translation

With these/These very (sa esa) having entered/getting enveloped (A nakhagrebhyah), like (yathA) a sword (ksura) is (syat) confined (avahita) in a sword case (ksura dhana), visvambhara (is confined) in the Visvambhara kula, they (tam) are not seen (na pasyanti), partially atleast (akrtsno hi sah)

Meaning

Visvambhara is Agni. Agni is what comes out of Stri. It is the usable/transferable energy that sustains the Universe. Hence Agni is called visva-ambhara, the universal sustainer. All matter and beings belong to the family of Agni, the family of Visvambhara, as everything uses Agni, the usable/transferable energy in the Universe.

The visvambhara (the Agni) is masked by the 'family' of the Visvambhara (the names and forms that evolve on the visvambhara) completely till the nail-tip/minutest point, as it gets enveloped by the names and forms, like a dagger is confined in its case completely.  The Visvambhara (the Agni, the usable/transferable energy) is not seen atleast partially in the matter and beings.

Like a Sword shut in a case, Agni is shut inside the names and forms that thrive on it.  But all of these names and forms are incomplete without the Agni.

So many names and forms evolve on this Agni. How do we 'identify' an 'identifiable' single 'form' so that we can give it one name..? What is that uniquely identifiable 'form' that can have a name..?

Sloka 1.4.7.3

prāṇann eva prāṇo nāma bhavati, vadan vāk, paśyaṃś cakṣuḥ, śṛṇvan śrotram, manvāno manaḥ;
tāny asyai tāni karma nāma anya eva | 
sa yo'ta ekaikam upāste na sa veda, akṛtsno hyeṣo'ta ekaikena bhavati; ātma etya eva upāsīta, atra hyete sarva ekam bhavanti | 

Translation

prAnan (air/oxygen/life-air), becomes named prAna (breathing).mouth the word/speech, eye, the sight,  ear (zrotram), the Hearing (zrnvann), mind, the thinking. Unto that (tany asyai), these are (tani) just other (eva anya) functional names.(karma nama).  with which (sa yah) indeed (uta) each one (eka ekam) worshipped/served (upaste) not with knowledge/information (na sa veda), incomplete (akrstna) indeed these (hy esa uta)  by each one (ekaikena) manifestation (bhavati). Atma comes (etya) certainly situated/worshipped (upasita),  others (atra) all of them become one in it.

Meaning

The form or function of life-air gets named as breathing, function of mouth gets named as speech, function of eye gets named as sight, function of ear gets named as speech, function of manas gets named as thinking. Unto all of them, these are just other functional names.

Thus each 'rupa' or 'form/shape' has some 'karma' or 'function' associated with it. A 'rupa' is one that performs a particular 'karma'. That 'rupa' gets a particular 'nAmA'

While a karma performing rupA gets a nAma, each one of them is situated not with information/knowledge (to function independently), as they are incomplete individually.  When Atma arrives and situated in them, all of them become one.

So it is the  Atma that comes which makes all of them to function as one. Otherwise all the karma performing rupA are incomplete.

Sloka 1.4.7.4

tad etat padanīyam asya sarvasya yad ayam ātmā, anena hy etat sarvaṃ veda | 
yathā ha vai padena anu vinded evam kīrtiṃ ślokaṃ vindate ya evaṃ veda || 7 ||

Translation

This (etat) which (tad) to be investigated of (padaniyam asya) of everything(sarvasya) that (yad) is this (ayam) atma, by that (anena) alone (hy) all these are known (sarvam veda); according/as (yatha)  certainly (ha vai) by foot-steps (padena) can reach (anu vindet) thus/just (evam),   famed/glorious (kirtim) verses/stanzas (slokam) finds (vindate) this is the knowledge/this is known (ya evam veda) 

Meaning

That  which is to be investigated of everything, (that which is not obviously seen) that one is Atma,  the knowledge of everything is by that Atma.  Like indeed certainly by footsteps can reach (anywhere), famed verses find this knowledge.

Atma is the object of investigation of everything in this Universe (as it is not obviously seen). Small footsteps reach us to our destination. Like that famed verses slowly one by one reach us to this knowledge.

Summary of the sloka 1.4.7

Manifestation - rupA and nAmA

What is manifestation..? Manifestation is that which produces different forms/shapes/functions with identifiable 'names'.

The AkAsa was filled with Stri. Stri was oscillating. It had entropy and energy. But we can say it did not 'manifest'. Because there was no different form/function or identifiable name to that form. The oscillating Stri produced Agni, usable/transferable energy.  From Agni came soma and the devas. Now different 'forms' started to appear. They got different names.

From Agni, the transferable/usable energy came all the manifestations. But where is this Agni..?

Visvambhara - Agni

Agni is Visvambhara. Agni is what comes out of Stri. It is the usable/transferable energy that sustains the Universe. Hence Agni is called visva-ambhara, the universal sustainer. All matter and beings belong to the family of Agni, the family of Visvambhara, as everything uses Agni, the usable/transferable energy in the Universe.

The visvambhara (the Agni) is masked by the 'family' of the Visvambhara (the names and forms that evolve on the visvambhara) completely till the nail-tip/minutest point, as it gets enveloped by the names and forms, like a dagger is confined in its case completely.  The Visvambhara (the Agni, the usable/transferable energy) is not seen atleast partially in the matter and beings.

Like a Sword shut in a case, Agni is shut inside the names and forms that thrive on it.  But all of these names and forms are incomplete without the Agni.

So many names and forms evolve on this Agni. How do we 'identify' an 'identifiable' single 'rupA' so that we can give it one nAma..? What is that uniquely identifiable 'rupA' that can have a nAmA..?

rupA and karmA

The form or function of life-air gets named as breathing, function of mouth gets named as speech, function of eye gets named as sight, function of ear gets named as speech, function of manas gets named as thinking. Unto all of them, these are just other functional names.

Thus each 'rupa' or 'form/shape' has some 'karma' or 'function' associated with it. A 'rupa' is one that performs a particular 'karma'. That 'rupa' gets a particular 'nAmA'.

Atma - anena hy etat sarvam veda

While a karma performing rupA gets a nAma, each one of them is situated not with information/knowledge (to function independently), as they are incomplete individually.  When Atma arrives and situated in them (or worshipped by them), all of them become one. So it is the  Atma that comes which makes all of them to function as one. Otherwise all the karma performing rupA are incomplete. All organs are incomplete by themselves. Atma makes them to function as one.

In the same way, Atma is the object of investigation of everything in this Universe (as it is not easily seen). Knowledge/Information of everything is by that Atma alone.

Small footsteps reach us to our destination. Like that famed verses one by one reach us to this knowledge.

Thus Atma is not obviously seen, it has to be investigated, but the knowledge/entropy of everything here is by that Atma. Like organs of a body do not have knowledge to function independently, everything in this Universe function dependent on the knowledge/entropy provided by Atma.

-TBT

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