The Upanishads | Page 7

to the
worlds of the Asuras, covered with blinding ignorance.
The idea of rising to bright regions as a reward for well-doers, and of
falling into realms of darkness as a punishment for evil-doers is

common to all great religions. But Vedanta claims that this condition of
heaven and hell is only temporary; because our actions, being finite,
can produce only a finite result.
What does it mean "to kill the Self?" How can the immortal Soul ever
be destroyed? It cannot be destroyed, it can only be obscured. Those
who hold themselves under the sway of ignorance, who serve the flesh
and neglect the Atman or the real Self, are not able to perceive the
effulgent and indestructible nature of their Soul; hence they fall into the
realm where the Soul light does not shine. Here the Upanishad shows
that the only hell is absence of knowledge. As long as man is
overpowered by the darkness of ignorance, he is the slave of Nature
and must accept whatever comes as the fruit of his thoughts and deeds.
When he strays into the path of unreality, the Sages declare that he
destroys himself; because he who clings to the perishable body and
regards it as his true Self must experience death many times.
IV
That One, though motionless, is swifter than the mind. The senses can
never overtake It, for It ever goes before. Though immovable, It travels
faster than those who run. By It the all-pervading air sustains all living
beings.
This verse explains the character of the Atman or Self. A finite object
can be taken from one place and put in another, but it can only occupy
one space at a time. The Atman, however, is present everywhere; hence,
though one may run with the greatest swiftness to overtake It, already It
is there before him.
Even the all-pervading air must be supported by this Self, since It is
infinite; and as nothing can live without breathing air, all living things
must draw their life from the Cosmic Self.
V
It moves and It moves not. It is far and also It is near. It is within and
also It is without all this.
It is near to those who have the power to understand It, for It dwells in
the heart of every one; but It seems far to those whose mind is covered
by the clouds of sensuality and self-delusion. It is within, because It is
the innermost Soul of all creatures; and It is without as the essence of
the whole external universe, infilling it like the all-pervading ether.
VI

He who sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings, he never
turns away from It (the Self).
VII
He who perceives all beings as the Self' for him how can there be
delusion or grief, when he sees this oneness (everywhere) ?
He who perceives the Self everywhere never shrinks from anything,
because through his higher consciousness he feels united with all life.
When a man sees God in all beings and all beings in God, and also God
dwelling in his own Soul, how can he hate any living thing? Grief and
delusion rest upon a belief in diversity, which leads to competition and
all forms of selfishness. With the realization of oneness, the sense of
diversity vanishes and the cause of misery is removed.
VIII
He (the Self) is all-encircling, resplendent, bodiless, spotless, without
sinews, pure, untouched by sin, all-seeing, all-knowing, transcendent,
self-existent; He has disposed all things duly for eternal years.
This text defines the real nature of the Self. When our mind is cleansed
from the dross of matter, then alone can we behold the vast, radiant,
subtle, ever-pure and spotless Self, the true basis of our existence.
IX
They enter into blind darkness who worship Avidya (ignorance and
delusion); they fall, as it were, into greater darkness who worship
Vidya (knowledge).
X
By Vidya one end is attained; by Avidya, another. Thus we have heard
from the wise men who taught this.
XI
He who knows at the same time both Vidya and Avidya, crosses over
death by Avidya and attains immortality through Vidya.
Those who follow or "worship" the path of selfishness and pleasure
(Avidya), without knowing anything higher, necessarily fall into
darkness; but those who worship or cherish Vidya (knowledge) for
mere intellectual pride and satisfaction, fall into greater darkness,
because the opportunity which they misuse is greater.
In the subsequent verses Vidya and Avidya are used in something the
same sense as "faith" and "works" in the Christian Bible; neither alone
can lead to the ultimate goal, but when taken together they carry one to

the Highest. Work done with unselfish motive purifies the mind and
enables man to perceive his undying nature. From