Reconciling the Opposites

The Isha Upanishad ^[1] is one of the oldest and an important Hindu scripture. It consists of 18 verses or shlokas. ^[2]

The shloka analyzed in this essay comes from the first verse of the Isha Upanishad. It encapsulates one of the central ideas of the Upanishads ^[3] - the reconciliation of seeming opposites through an understanding of Brahman ^[4], the eternal Absolute.

By analyzing this verse, the essay aims to explore the Upanishadic vision of a universe where opposites like motion and stillness, proximity and distance, inner and outer - coexist in a state of dynamic harmony, grounded in the eternal reality of Brahman.

The shloka reads as follows:

?????? ???????? ??? ???? ???????????
????????? ??????? ??? ??????????? ??????? ?

This shloka translates to "That moves and That moves not; That is far and the same is near; That is within all this and That also is outside all this."

The verse states there is something that moves and something that does not, something that is both distant and nearby, and something that is both within and beyond everything.

Sri Aurobindo ^[5] said that reconciliation and harmony of fundamental opposites is the central idea of Isha Upanishad.

The cryptic shloka becomes less intimidating if everything, regardless of their differences, is part of the same universe and is somehow connected.

The Isha Upanishad speaks of Brahman, the eternal reality that transcends time and space and is changeless. It is the source of existence and non-existence, surpassing causality and relativity, and is the pure omnipotent self-awareness of the Absolute, unbound by any law of relativity. This notion allows opposites such as individuality and universality, relativity and absoluteness, and plurality and unity to coexist.

"All oppositions meet in Brahman: motion and rest, nearness and remoteness, withinness and withoutness." - Adi Shankara

The Upanishads also discuss the Kshara Purusha, the Akshara Purusha, and the Para Purusha, which are different aspects of Brahman that allow for the coexistence of opposites.

• Kshara Purusha, the manifest aspect of Brahman, is the source of all creation and subject to change and destruction.
• Akshara Purusha is the unmanifest aspect of Brahman, which is beyond change and destruction and is the source of all existence and non-existence.
• Para Purusha is the transcendent aspect of Brahman, which is beyond causality and relativity and is the pure omnipotent self-awareness of the Absolute unbound by any law of relativity.

An individual may regard himself as eternally different from the One, or as eternally one with It, yet different, or he may go back entirely in his consciousness to the pure Identity. These positions are simultaneously valid, and none are entirely true without the others as complements.
This is what adds dynamism to life. Because it is never about one thing. When we lean excessively towards one side, the other dominates like a see-saw that needs a dynamic balance.

The Chandogya Upanishad states: "That which is the subtle essence, in it all that exists has its self. It is the True. It is the Self, and thou art it." This is similar to the Isha Upanishad and suggests that the same unchanging essence underlies all things within and beyond our physical reality.

The Atman or soul can take on different forms depending on the level of consciousness:

• In the vital or nervous consciousness, Atman becomes the vital or dynamic being, Pranamaya Purusha.
• In the mental consciousness, Atman becomes the mental being, Manomaya Purusha.
• In the supra-intellectual consciousness, Atman becomes the ideal being or great Soul, Vijnanamaya Purusha.
• In the consciousness proper to the universal Beatitude, Atman becomes the all-blissful being or all-enjoying and all-productive Soul, Anandamaya Purusha.
• In the consciousness proper to the infinite divine self-awareness, Atman is the all-conscious Soul that is the source and lord of the universe, Caitanya Purusha.
• In the consciousness proper to the state of pure divine existence, Atman is Sat Purusha.

The various forms of the Atman - from the vital to the mental to the divine - correspond to its growing identification with different aspects of Brahman, from the manifest to the transcendent. As the Atman realizes its oneness with Brahman's all-inclusive nature, it transcends the dualities of birth and death and attains spiritual freedom.

The stages of self-realization involve the vision of the All, which is the attempt to understand or sympathize with others, the tendency of a widening love or compassion or fellow feeling for others, and the impulsion of work for the sake of others. The realization of the Self as the unborn and the poise of the soul beyond the dualities of birth and death in the infinite and transcendent existence are the conditions of a free and divine life in the Becoming. In the manifestation of Sat-chit-ananda, Delight translates itself into Love, Consciousness into Knowledge and Force, and Existence into Being.

It is about understanding the divine Life-power present in all forms of cosmic activity and how this power gives life to all forms and is the source of all cosmic activity. Brahman represents himself in the universe as both the Stable and the Motional. The Stable is the immutable existence of Brahman, or Purusha, while the Motional is the power of active Consciousness or Prakriti.

Commonly understood knowledge frameworks may not be sufficient to be comfortable with these concepts. Therefore it can be bifurcated to make it easier for us to grasp the limitations. Lower knowledge is the knowledge of the material world, which includes scientific knowledge, knowledge of the physical laws of nature, scientific knowledge of the workings of the human mind, etc. This kind of knowledge may be necessary for us to understand and interact with the world around us and to understand our minds and how to use them to our advantage.

In contrast, higher knowledge is knowledge of the divine, which includes knowledge of the spiritual laws of the universe, knowledge of the divine power, knowledge of the divine nature, knowledge of Krishna (the Ishwara taking delight in the world), knowledge of Kali (the Shakti carrying out the Lila according to the pleasure of the Ishwara), knowledge of Karma (the Divine Action), and knowledge of Kama (the Divine Enjoyment). This knowledge is necessary to understand reality's true nature and connect with the divine. It is also necessary for us to understand our spiritual nature and the reasons for our creation.

"All lower or higher, secular or spiritual knowledge has value only as a means for liberation through the knowledge of Brahman." - Sri Aurobindo

The reconciliation of opposites through an understanding of the spiritual unity of existence is a fundamental tenet of Hindu philosophy. Isha Upanishad's concise expression of this idea holds deep meaning and significance. In our life, this signifies the elimination of our ego and separateness from the divine. An understanding of the unity of existence, and that all manifestations are part of the same divine reality, helps develop equilibrium and non-attachment to dualities of truth, falsehood, and various forms of knowledge and ignorance. In doing so, we can better comprehend our position in the universe and how opposites coexist in harmony.