Chapter VI
Paralellism and Unification of Paramatma and Antaratma

Brahma vaadis or those who aspire to identify with Paramatma, the Inner Self, seek to envision Savitri beyond the pratyaksha bhaskara as that very inimitable magnificence, the outstanding all Omniscience. May our thought levels be elevated to envision the ever-hidden pupil of that glorious Self which is Omnipresent! It is that Rudra, the extinguisher of periodical creation of every object of creation from time to time. Bharga, the Bhaskara, is thus denoted as Bha for radiance to the worlds, Ra for sustenance, and Ga for the dissolution of praanis and lokaas alike. Thus, the pratyaksha bhaskara assumes the double role of preservation and termination while the pivotal role of Savitri is to restart the cycle of kaalamaana or the time schedule. As Aditya assumes the role as the initiator and the sustainer, Paavana is the purifier, Aapas is the instrument of growth. Indeed, the Inner Self is the prime leader, the everlasting, all distinguisher, the thinker, the one who acts, the root of joy and sorrow, the voice lender, taster and smeller, and the hearer too. At the same time, there is a double nature involved as subject and object or Inner Self and the Concerned Being respectively. Yet the actual actor on the stage of the play of life is the Being under reference, be it male or female of any moving or immobile species who would kick-start the physical organs and senses to see-hear-feel-smell-taste even while the original director and prompter is the Antaratma, the Inner Self, the reflection of Paramatma, the supreme who is kaarya-kaarana-karma
tad avaachyamyam/ kaarya-kaarana-karma-nirmuktam nirvachanam anoupam nirupaakhyaam kim, tad avaachyamyam/

In this context, Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad is quoted:
Yatra hi Dwatamiva Bhavati Taditara itaram jighrati, taditara itaram pashyati,
taditara itaram shrunoti, taditara itaram abhivadati, taditara itaram manute, taditara itaram vigjnaanaateeti; yatra vaa asya sarvamaatmaivaabhuttatkena kam manveeta, tatkena kam shrunuyaat, tatkena kamabhikvadet, tatkena kam manaveet, tatkena kam vijaaneeyaat! Vigjnataaramare kena vigjnaaneeyaaditi/

Due to the actual existence of duality, due to ignorance, smell is different, vision is different, the capacity of hearing varies, speech is diverse, the pattern of thinking or mindset is varied, and the faculty of understanding is highly dissimilar too. But when the veil of ignorance is removed and since the Absolute Self is neither dual nor multiple, everything falls in place and one starts to hear, see, smell, touch, taste, feel, think and react in unmistakable and distinctive uniformity! Therefore Maitreyi, one has to clearly understand as to who is the Singer, then the song is indeed just the same! The Self is thus the Supreme in that blueprint, be it vision, or hearing, or feeling, or thinking or whatever!
‘Vignaataaramare kena vigjnaneeyaaditi’ or through what instrument should one know That Knower? Kena Upanishad further annotates: To know One does not know but desires to know yet remains unknown is all what one knows!

Yadi manyase suvediti daharamevaapi nyuunam tvam vettha brahmano rupam, yadasya twam yadasya deveshu atha nu meenaasyameva te manthe viditam/

The teacher poses a question to the student whether he knows much about Brahman and estimates that the student might perhaps realise its outline but not its depth; the student said that he did not know much and that optimal knowledge might still delude him; he might have to deliberate further to perfect the Realisation.
II.2-3) Naaham manye suvedti no na vediti veda cha, yo naastadveda no a vediti veda cha/ Yasyaa matam tasyha matam yasya na veda sah, anijnaatam vijaanataam vijnaatamavijnaantaam/ The disciple agrees that he does not know about Brahman, but that he does not consider, that he does not know either; since he who claims that he knows, indeed does not know. It is known to him to whom It is unknown; he does not know to whom It is known. It is unknown to those who know well and known to those who do not know! The Supreme is not an object of extraordinary knowledge but of intense introspection and Self Realisation; it is not of comprehension but of intuition alone.

8. Esha khalv aatmeshaanah Shambhur Bhavo Rudrah Prajaapatir Vishva shruk
Hiranyagarbhah Satyam Praano Hamsah Shaastaa Vishnur Naraayanorkah Savitaa Dhaataa Vidhaataa Saamraad Indra Indur iti, ya esha Tapati Agnir ivaagneenaa pihitah sahasraakshena hiranmayenaandena, esha vaa jignaasitavyonveshtavyah, sarvabhutebhyobhayam datvaaranyam gatvaatha bahikretvendriyaarthaan svaach chariiraad upalabdheta enam iti/ Vishvarupam harinam jaatavedasam paraayanam jyotirekam tapantam, ahasra rashmih shatadhaa vartamaanah praanah prajaanaam
udayaty esha Suryah/

This Antaratma or the Inner Self is Ishaana-Shambhu-Bhava-Rudra-Prajapati-Hiranyagarbha-Satyam-Praana-Hamsa-Dharma-Shaasta-Vishnu-Narayana-Arka-Savita-Dhaata-Vidhaata-Saamraat-Indra-Indu Chandra Deva. The Antaratma is radiance - agni of the five elements as also replaceable by the heat within the body of all beings as concealed by the Hiranyagarbha or the Golden Egg’s almighty radiance. Such is the Antaratma which is most sought after as the ultimate refuge, as the goal of fearlessness. That magnificent and golden Antaratma is all-pervasive and all-knowing and is the ultimate goal to be accomplished. It is the true reflection of Paramatma, well beyond the Pratyaksha Bhaskara.
8) Adityo ha vai praano rayi reva Chandramaa rayirvaa etat Sarvam yan muurtam chaamuurtam cha tasmaat muurtireva rayih// Athaaditya udayan yat praacheem dishaam pravichati, tena praachyaam praanaan rashmishu sannidhatte, yat Dakshinaam yat pracheeteem yat udeecheem yad adho yad urthvam yad yatantaraa disho yat sarvam prakaashayati, tena sarvaan praanaan rashmishu sanniddhatte//
Sa esha Vaishvaanaro Vishvarupah praanoagnir udayate tad etad Richaabhyuktam
//Vishva rupam harinam jaatavedasam paraayanam jyotirekam tapantam, Sahasrarashmih shatadhaa vartamaanah praanah prajaanaam udayati esha Suryah/

Praana, the life force is Surya and food is Chandra. Food or matter and life’s energy in gross or Murtam and subtle Amurtam forms in physical and cosmic senses respectively interact with each other and sustain the cycle of existence. The Sun, while rising enters in the eastern direction, enables absorption of its rays into all the beings in the east, as he illumines the other sides of the south, the west, the north, as also below, above and the Antariksha. Surya is life in several forms, assuming an alternate form of agni too; after all, Vaishvanara too is stated as the core and concentrate of all living beings just as Vishvarupa is the essence of the totality of the cosmic world. Thus the ones seeking to realise Brahman do realise that Vishvarupam or Surya is Harinam or of myriad forms, jatavedasam or the embodiment of enlightenment, parayanam or the final resort of all beings, ekam jyoti or the singular illumination of the universe, tapantam or the unique source of heat and radiation, and sahasra rashmih or of a thousand rays, and of pranah prajaanaam or life energy of the infinite Beings.

9. Praana, the vital energy and food the sustainer:
Tasmaad vaaesha ubhayaatmaivam vid aatmaani evaabhidhyaayati aatmaani eva
yajateeti dhyaanam prayogastham mano vidvabhishutut, manah putimam ucchishtopahatam iti anena tat paavayet, mantram pathati,ucchistopahatam yaccha paapena dattam mritasukaad vaa vasoh pavitram agnih savituscha rashmayah punaantva annam mama dushkritaan cha anyat, adbhih purastaad paridadhaati, praanaaya svaahaapaanaaya svaahaa vyaanaaya svaahaa samaanaaya svaahodadaanaaya svaaheti panchabhir abhijuhoti, athaavashishtam yata-vaag ashnaati atobdhir bhuuyaa
evoparishat paridadhaati achanto bhutvaatmejyaanah praanognir vishvoseeti cha dvaabhyaam aatmaanam abhidhyaayet, praanognih paramaatmaa vai panchavaayuh samaashritah, sa preetah preenaatu vishvam vishvabhuk, vishvosi vaishvaanarosi vishvam tvayaa dhaaryate jaayamaanam, vishvan tu tvaam aahutayashcha sarvaah prajaas tatra yatra vishvaamritosheeti, evam na vidhinaa khalv anenaat taannatvam
punar upaiti/

Thus, whosoever might realise that Praana and Surya are to be worshipped, meditated intensely upon and absorbed into as a regular practice attains the initial pre-qualification to realise the Supreme. But since the defilements on account of mortal birth and the consequent impurity of mind and the distortions of panchendriyas would be in sway, the person still needs to get purified by worshipping Vasu-Agni and the rays of Savitri for attaining the level of purification. To start with, before intaking anna (food), he should wrap up or bind the Praana – the process of breathing with water first.

First with Praana the breath-apaana the breadth-vyaana the breath-samana the breath-udaana. Intake-outgo-diffuse-preserve and balance the vital energy
As the five folded constituents of the energy is invoked with the syllable ‘Svaaha’, then the digestion of the food intake gets initiated; indeed, atma jnaana rupam bhojanam or the intake of food is like the pathway to an individual’s self-awareness. At the conclusion of food intake, antaratma is recalled as the food being the ideal mix of Praana and Vishvananara Agni, whereby the Supreme absorbs both the entities.
Chhandogya Upanishad explains in detail about Praana-Food-and Vaishvanara Agni vide Chapter V.2.
Navai Vaacho na chakshusmi na shrotraani na manaamseeti achakshate, praana iti evaachakshate, praano hi evaitaabni sarvaani bhavati/
Vaak said that it is the most prosperous as you Praana are the most prosperous! Then the eyes confessed that the vital forces were the basis of the body as a whole, since Pranaa was indeed the base! The ears felt puffed up about their importance since Praana was their backup and finally the mind stated that that it assumed greatness as the vital energies indeed were their strength! When a reference is made to a human being, then one talks of him as one entity, but not as his organs of eyes, ears, speech or mind separately; it is the  it is the Praana that is referred to as a totality! Then the methodology of executing Mantha sacrifice to Praana with food and clothing is further defined in the same Upanishad. The resultant fruit of the rite leads to the fulfilment of desires.

Now that the supremacy of Praana, the vital force is vindicated, it has raised the query as to what would be its food. The reply is that food would indeed be its direct nomenclature and whatever is stated to be eaten would be its anna, including anything which is worthy of consumption by all beings - be it humans or dogs or birds!

Then Praana asked as to what would be its clothing and the reply was water, since breath being what food was then water would be what is used before and after food! Thus, Praana also covers up the nakedness of a being, before and after bathing!

Now, the meditation of Praana, the vital force is initiated thus: even on a dry stump of a tree, branches would grow and leaves would sprout; as a result, an offering to agni in the prescribed manner is initiated on a new moon day, on the night of Amavasya, by observing diksha or self-imposed disciplines like sleeping on ground, observance of truthfulness, fasting or minimum food intake and such other austerities. The pulp of all herbs including the sprouts mentioned afore, and a mix of curd and honey is thus offered to agni with the mantras of Svaaha to Jyeshthaaya Svaaha to Sheshthaaya. After the oblation to agni thus, the leftover residue is retained into the mash pot as this is called Mantha. This sacred rite is performed by making oblations as follows:
After performing an offering with the mantra Svaaha, to riches, one should drop the residue into the mash pot; after making another offering with the mantra Svaaha to the base center, he should drop the residue into the mash pot; after performing the offering with the mantra Svaaha to prosperity, he should drop the residue into the mash pot; after making another offering with the mantra Svaaha to the dwelling place, he should drop the residue into the mash pot.

Then holding the mash pot while moving away a little, he recites the mantra, ‘Your name is Atma and the rest is within you. You are the oldest, the greatest, the most lustrous King of all! Being so, do please turn me to attain your status!’

The karta then consumes the remainder of the Mantha pulp mix from the bowl, reciting the relevant Rig Veda mantras and meditates on Surya Deva, the greatest sustainer of the universe and the karta asks Surya to fulfil his desires! He then prostrates behind the agni kunda, lying either on the animal skin on which he had been seated during the rites or even on bare ground with concentration and absolute peace of mind. He may get a dream-like feeling of envisioning a Sacred Woman, possibly Devi Gayatri, assuring that his sacrifice was successful!

The verse states: During the course of this sacrifice for seeking fulfilment of desires, if one sees a Sacred Woman, then from the dream, he should indeed realise the success of the rite!