Verse 4
Then that goal should be sought after,
whither having gone none returns again. Seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha whence
streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.
There is an analogy in the Mundaka Upanishad.
On a large tree, two birds are
perched. One of the birds is busy eating the sweet berries, the fruits that are
yielded by this wonderful tree, but, unfortunately, these are forbidden
fruit.
So delicious is this fruit, so rapidly is the bird gulping the fruit, so insatiable is the desire to eat it, and so endlessly is this activity of eating going on, that it has lost consciousness that there is another bird sitting by its side.
The bird that is by the side of
this indulging bird is not eating anything. It is just sitting there and gazing
at all the wonders of this manifestation of the tree, knowing everything about
it, root and branch, but not concerned with either the majesty of the tree, the
size of the tree, or the beauty of its product, the fruit.
The bird that is eating the fruit of this tree is attached. The bird that is unconcerned and is just looking at the tree is detached.
The tree cannot affect the bird
that is detached, but the bird that is attached is bound hand and foot. When
the eating is over and it is satiated, and cannot eat any more, the bird looks
around and sees another bird sitting by its side.
The moment it looks at that other bird
sitting there, this bird attains liberation. By the mere consciousness of the
existence of that bird, without having to do anything at all with it other than
the mere awareness of it being there, liberation is attained.
There is no necessity to deal with
God. The only thing that is required is to be aware that such a thing called
God exists.
The mere awareness of the
existence of such a thing called God is sufficient for the liberation of the
soul, and no activity is called for here.
The unconsciousness of there being such a thing called God is the reason why we are indulging in all the wondrous binding activities of the world and are busy eating the delicacies which this world is yielding for us.
We can see the mystery, the
majesty and the enigmatic character of the working of the whole universe. There
is no harm in seeing it like the movement of film in a cinema, but we should
not say “It is mine; I want it”, causing thereby a desire to possess
certain attractive things like the fruit of the tree.
We have to aspire for that great
Abode, reaching which people do not come back.
Tataḥ padaṁ tatparimārgitavyaṁ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ:
After having achieved this almost impossible feat of non-attachment to things in this world, one should cast one’s gaze above this world and seek that transcendent Eternal Bliss, having attained and enjoyed which, no one will come back.
The word prapadye in this verse means surrender, meaning, by a mere step of
surrendering unto Him, spiritual impressions,
instincts and influences are activated and awakened in such a one.
The prayer of the seeker is: I humbly seek to reach and attain that Purusha, from whom emanates the large tree of samsara.
One should keep on repeating the
above mantra. This is actually a mantra, an inward prayer of a
spiritual seeker, making out that one wants nothing but that which is above the
three gunas of prakriti, which causes the
tree to manifest.
Love.
