Sambhuti (Manifest) vs.Asambhuti (Unmanifest)

Sambhuti(Manifest) vs.Asambhuti(Unmanifest)

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति ये सम्भूतिमुपासते।

ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ संभूत्या रताः ॥12॥

Andham tamah pravisantiye' sambhutu-mupsate.
tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u sambhu-tyagm ratah(12)
 
"They fall into  blindening darkness who worship the Unmanifested (Prakkrti);
but  those   who  devote  themselves  to the Manifested (Hiranyagarbha) enter  into   greater darkness"(Swami Chinmayananda)

Mantras 12 to 14 are again another triple stanzas through  which  the same idea described earlier( cf.Mantras 9to11) has been brought  out for better classification,so that that every Vedantic  seeker understands   correctly what is the exact relationship between Vidya and avidya, and that they are not mutually conflicting ideas and   are  rather complimentary   to each  other, being  undertaken in  an intelligent  sequence. First, action(avidya) as dictated by  our desires,in order  to bring  us out  of our inertia (tamas)into an active mentality of sprightly  enthusiasm(rajas), and,  thereafter,  through a  pursuit of desireless activity,onecan  gainpurification of one's  mind and intellect, as  a preparation for meditation.  Lateron, through steady  and diligent meditation, the seeker gains the fulfilment of knowledge(vidya).

The  same idea is now being  described here using  another set  of words asambhuti(Unmanifest) and Sambhuti(Manifest), which we  generally understand as Impersonal  God and Personal  God  respectively.
Among  the devotays has been a lot of controversy  upon  the relative merits of worshipping or meditating upon  the  Personal and the Impersonal God. The  controversy has now come  down  to our  times as  to whether Jnana  or Bhakti  is  supreme.  To make us understand that  our controversy  is meaningless, the Upanisad here is giving   enough  thoughts  in its truth-  declarations, as Janana  and  Bhakti are not  contradictory, each in the   lap of the other  growing   stronger and  gets  more established.
 
अन्यदेवाहुः संभवादन्यदाहुरसंभवात।

इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद विचचिक्षिरे ॥13॥


Anyad-evahuh  sambhavat anad-ahur-asambhavat,
iti susruma  dhiranam  ye nastad vica-caksire(13)

"One thing theysay,is verily obtained from the worship of the manifest. Another thing,they say, from the  worship of the unmanifest;thus have we heard fromt he  wise, who have explained that to us." (Swami  Chinmayananda)

It will be seen that just as  in the  second stanza of the earlier  triplet (Mantras 9 to 11),here also the Rsi is trying  to explain that what we  generally understand by  the terms manifest and  unmanifest  are not exactly what they  connote  in the technique of Self-perfection,but the terms  have some special  significance. Further, that   such an  orientation  of the idea   has the sanction of  the entire hierarchy  of experienced  Masters   and  their  worthy  disciples.

संभूतिं च विनाशं च यस्तद वेदोभयम सह।

विनाशेन मृत्युम तीर्त्वा सम्भुत्या मृतमश्नुते ॥14॥
Sambhutim ca vinasam ca yastad  saha ,
Vinasena mrtyum  sambhutya- ' mrtam-asnute.(14)
"He  who  worships   the Impersonal  Godhead   and  the Personal Godhead  together, overcomes death through  the worship  of   the Personal and  obtains  immortality  through  the  worship of  the Impersonal."  (Swami  Chinmayamanda)

Just as  in   the last  stanza  of   the earlier triplet,  the same  ideas   are  expressed  only with   the terms  changed  from vidya  and  avidya  to the 'personal'  and  the 'impersonal' God  being used. Besides,  it   has  got its  own pregnant extra  suggestions  as  well. The  controversy between  Bhakti  and   Jnana  is  pefectly proved to  be  empty and  hollow  by the suggestions contained in this mantra.  It  is rather  suggested here that  these two  are  complimentary instead  of  being contradictory, and  are  to be practised in a sequence.  While  going up,you cannot jump  to higher  stairs without  first crossing   the lower ones.  Similarly, a  sadhak  at the initial  stage  of  his sadhana(meditation) cannot/may  find  it difficult t o concentrate  on  the  Impersonal without  first  concentrating  on  the Personal God(Ishta or Guru). Thus, devotion  to a Personal  God   with  a  form and  name  is  as  much  important  for  reaching the higher meditation, as continuous  and    intense meditation  upon  the formless Reality isnecessary  for  the greater realisation  of the Self.
 In  such  an intelligent sythesis  of  bhakti  and Jnana  together,  the  result  would be,in the Rsi's  own words, that  we will be able  to get over the sorrows  of death,meaning  the sorrows of finitude, due to our faith and  devotion  to the Lord; while our evolution  would  be  fulfilled completely as  a  result of our highe rmeditation  upon  the  formless Reality. Accoring  to Swami Chinmayananda," A mere meditation upon  the Absolute in itself,though can  give a subjective experience  of  the Self, the Jivan-mukta state cannotbe peaceful and  tranquil without the firmholdon the life-belt of  a staunch and unshakable love(prema)  and devotion(Sradha) forthe Lordofthe Heart."
"A mere Vedantic perfection  does not make a man fit to live in  the  community of men and work in the field of avidya to redeem his generation from the mental and intellectual dustbin  into which it  has  fallen. For  cultural renaissance,  the great Master   will have  to face different types of challenges in which  he  can  find his equilibrium and poiseonly  when he    is efficiently    guided and  continuously  rejuvenated by  his limitless devotion  to the Lordof his heart."Sri  Ramakrsna Parmahamsa's might  and glory  was his experience of the Self,but his life's poise and equanimity were the special blessings of his beloved Mother Kali of Daksinesvara. Sankara,the redeemer of Hinduism, shall eternally  shine out in  time and space because of  his super human perfection and  experience  of the Self, and yet he  could face his opponents along the length and breadth  of India,and carve out a renaissant India crowned  with  the best of  its  culture,because of his staunch and unquestionable faith  in the Goddess of Learning,Mother Sarada.

Swani  Chinmayananda has cited  a very satisfying explanation given by his Gurudev,Sri Svami Tapovanaji Maharaj,  about  the  terms  sambhuti  and sambhava,to recognise them as the  'birth of  a new spiritual life', and asambhuti and vinasam as  referring  to'the cessation and  destruction' - cessation of the creation of new  vasanas and  the total destruction of  the entire existing vasanas. In this sense sambhuti, asambhava and vinasam  are  all pointing  to the same spiritual condition..  They  mean the annihilation of  all  material wants and  consequent  absence  of  rebirth into this mortal plane in  order  to exhaustthe existing vasanas.  This  explanation  of sambhuti,the choosing and,therefore, the becoming ofaLife Divine,and asambhuti, the cessation of  all undivine activities pursued when living as  a helpless slave  to a thousand passions - beautifully  reconciles the  seeming contradiction in this mantra.

To  conclude, a jnani who has the devotion of a Radha alone can live the life of a true Parthasarathi and
guide the chariot of his era  to a sure success and victory over the demoniac forces of decadence ,adharma and stupor into which history has fallen.

( This  research-based  endeavour is based  on the discourses   on Ishopanisad by Swami Chinmayananda)
   
vedprakash
http://www.ethicalvaluesinishopanisad.blogspot.com/