World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 948

[ prajnanaghana- Mundaka up.] and It is consciousness itself [ prajnanam brahma [Mandukya Upanishad).
In the Upanishads the Brahman is described as smaller than the smallest atom and bigger than the whole of the universe[ anoraiyan mahato mahiyan ( Katha Up. I.II.20]? It is unborn, infinite, eternal and so on.[Katha Up.I.)?
Mundaka Upanishad also describes it as 'eternal, all-pervading, omnipresent, subtle, and imperishable' (Nityan, vibhum-I.I. 6.).
In the Upanishads the Brahman is described as One without a second [ekamevadvitiyam-] But it is not numerical one, because, it cnnot be called even by the term one, because it indicates two i.e. it becomes relative. Shankara - the great Advaita Philosopher rightly points out that! It is not really one, It isquite different, how can there be two ( na caikam tadanyat dvitiyam kutah syat]. This numerical one is spoken of only in the context of many.
Negative descriptions convey that Brahman is not like any gross object which we find in the universe. It is something different and beyond them. These negative descriptions of the Upanishads also points out the limitations of gross external sense organs, speech and mind in grasping the Brahman.S.N.Dasgupta rightly points out that ' positive definitions were impossible. They (Upanishadic Seers) could not point out what Brahman was like, in order to give an utterance to that which was unatterable, they could only say that, it was not like ought that we find in experience ( History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. 1.pp.44-45.).
The purpose of describing Brahman in positive terms is to confirm Its existence and not to attribute negative qualities to It.To say that Brahman is being Existence [Sat] means that It is not non being. Similarly when it is said that it is Consciousness or Knowledge (Cit), it means It is not inert. It is infinite [ Ananta] means, It is not like finite things. It is Bliss (Ananda), means, It is not subject to pain and suffering ( priyapriye na sprashatah).
Realized seers of the Upanishads, by these positive and negative descriptions wanted to say that the Brahman- the ultimate Reality does exist, but cannot be logically demonstrated, cannot be described in human language, it can be felt within, it can be experienced. It same as experiencing sweetness of sugar. Sugar can be described as sweet, white, crystal like, etc, but sweetness of the sugar cannot be described in words. To understand sweetness of the sugar, one has to put a pinch of sugar on the tongue and experience it.
Nagarjuna, the great Madhyamika Philosopher also speaks like Lao Tzu about ultimate Reality. The concept Shunya [ emptiness) of Nagarjuna
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