Proving Superiority: A great mistake

 Proving Superiority :

There is a well known story in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishads about a conversation between the various sense organs of the body. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the major Upanishads on which Adi Shankaracharya has left commentary on. This particular story appears in the sixth chapter of this Upanishad. 

One day it so happened that all the sense organs had gathered and mused about their own superiority over the others. There was the organ of speech( the tongue), the organ of sight( the eye), organ of hearing( the ear), organ of thought ( the mind), organ of reproduction ( genitals) and organ of air exchange ( breath or prana). After much discussion amongst themselves they couldn’t reach a consensus on who was the most superior of all. So they took up the matter with the creator, Prajapati or Bramhan. 

Bramhan put forward a test. Which one of you whose absence would make life worse off would be considered superior. That seemed to be a fair way to test, so the organs agreed to participate. The design of the test was such that one organ at a time would go away into seclusion for a period of one year and upon returning, the remaining organs would give their opinion about how they survived during this absence. 

First was the turn of the organ of speech. It was gone for a year. When it came back and asked for the feedback the others replied that they simply lived like a dumb man does. Life went on just fine without speech. 

Next was the turn of the eyes. A year later the organs said we lived like a blind man would. No sight, no plight. Life was still livable.

After a year of absence when the hearing returned, it was told that the rest of the team lived fine despite the deafness. 

The mind had never thought it wouldn’t be missed. But it wasn’t missed at all while it took a break. The organs had no qualms about living like an idiot, without ability to think. 

After the mind it was the turn of the organs of reproduction to go away. When they returned they heard that the team lived like a eunuch lives. No capacity to procreate but life went on, enjoying other things. 

Lastly was the turn of Prana, the vital air. The original verse in the Upanishad describes the vital air as a strong horse from the province of Sind in ancient united India. When it was provoked to move, it lifted its feet and this gave a powerful jolt to the pegs that were attached to the feet. It( vital breath) had barely made a move to switch itself off from the rest when all the organs suddenly became hysterical and panicked for their own safety and survival. They began to plead to the breath to not leave because their existence depended on the breath. Without any reservations they unanimously acknowledged the absolute superiority of the vital air. It was obvious that while life could go on just fine in the absence of one or more of the rest, it was practically impossible to survive if the breath were to leave even for a moment. It was the essential pillar of life. 

Once the other organs had surrendered their claim to superiority, the vital breath demanded a tribute from each of them. They agreed. One by one each organ offered a tribute( credit) of its own functions to the breath. Their own special attribute ( speech, sight, hearing, thinking, procreation) they offered it to Prana, the breath. 

But Prana said, that’s ok, but what will I have for my food and what will I wear as attire? 

The organs said ”whatever is considered food will be your food and water will be your dress”.

He who knows the food of Prana to be such never happens to eat anything that is not food or to accept anything that is not food.

The verse adds that wise men who have studied the Vedas sip a little water just before and after eating. This is regarded as removing the nakedness of the vital breath.

Bh G 13:20-22

Bh G 15: 10, 14, 7, 8,9

Bh G 4: 26,27,29,30

A reader is requested to refer to the above verses in the Bhagwad Gita which has specific references to the indriyas(senses) and/or prana or breath. 

What is the teaching that the above story from the revered Upanishad trying to convey?

The reference to the indriyas( sense organs) is collectively a reference to the physical body and subtle body. Upon these bodies is superimposed the human ego or identity. In the personification of individual indriya and its tendency to establish superiority what is mirrored is the deh buddhi and the tendency of the ego to prove it is better and above other fellow beings. Through rational thinking the story attempts to prove that life itself is above the level of the organs that comprise the physical body and mind. And also tries to draw attention to the one function that operates in this body that although it appears to be at par with other functions and organs, it is unlike any of them. 

What’s so special about the vital breath?

It is continuous from birth till death. I’m deep sleep, all the other senses are non functioning. But breathing doesn’t pause. Secondly, the person can continue to exist even in the absence of one or more of the other senses. In contrast it is impossible to the person and the other individual senses to remain viable if the vital breath were to cease. 

In that sense, although a perceptible function of the physical body, the vital breath is a special link between the creation( physical body) and the creator( Bramhan). It is the energy of the Unmanifest Bramhan that sustains the existence of the Manifest human being. 

Alas, the human ego is foolish( मूढ:). Its focus by default moves towards the manifest elements. Towards the outer world. With aid of this story the teacher aims to bring the focus back to the vital air and through it connect the ego to Bramhan. 

The references cited in the Bhagavad Gita elaborate a few related concepts about the role of prana in the scheme of human living. Prana is the ultimate consumer of all ingested food in the body. Purusha when he comes into contact with Prakriti becomes the perceiver and enjoyer of all experiences. Thus prana, the ultimate consumer, is the closest visible representation of Purusha himself. Instead of appropriating doership, consumer or enjoyer status to the physical body, senses or ego when these entities through mind and intellect surrender these rights and privileges to Prana or Purusha they become eligible to transcend ignorance and attain knowledge of Bramhan. 

What does dressing of the naked Prana with sips of water really mean?

Prana is naked when it is invisible. It becomes visible when brought into the focus of awareness. Until we divert our attention to it deliberately we are continually distracted and unaware of the prana that is the most important and essential part of our existence. By making a gesture of taking a sip of water before a meal as a token of dressing the naked prana we are bringing our attention to prana. We are acknowledging prana as the true beneficiary and enjoyer of the food, and along with this acknowledgement proceeding with the entire act of eating as a form of yadnya or service to the Purusha, Bramhan or Prana. We remain in meditative silence during the meal and at the end of it again bring the focus on the vital breath with a sip of water before the attention diverts from the act of consuming food. 

A common practice in Marathi households before beginning any meal is to chant a few verses that basically remind of the same philosophy described above.

Vadani kaval gheta naam ghya Shri Hariche

Sahaj havan hote naam gheta phukache 

Jeevan kari jeevitva anna he poorna Bramha

Udar bharan nohe jaanije yadnya karma.

Essentially it is a reminder to take the name of the creator before a meal because it is an offering to him. A meal is a yadnya, a divine sacrifice, to appease the creator within us and not a petty act of filling the stomach and appeasing our ego.  The creator within us when appeased with pure thought and pure and nutritious meal will reward the selfless act by manifesting through the nourished body and mind to carry out actions that are for social good and justice, not for selfish acts. 

Thus both, the Upanishad story and the various verses alluding to the role of prana in human life serve multiple purposes. They draw attention to the central role of prana in practical life. With such understanding they equip the mind with a tool to meditate on our breath. The meditation in turn trains the mind to elevate its goals from petty matters to higher consciousness. A simple daily act of consuming food becomes a focal point for personal transformation by changing the purpose behind the eating. It does not suggest nor intend to take away the joy of eating. It simply attributes the joy to the higher consciousness within us and in the process gently and cleverly shifts the controls out of the hands of the ego. Lifelong practice of eating with such understanding not just instills a deep sense of humility but also becomes means to self knowledge or enlightenment. Ordinary human existence is gradually transformed into an experience that seamlessly connects the manifest world with the Unmanifest divinity. Suddenly the drab living becomes meaningful and there is a whole new perspective towards the same world that was previously known. What the ego was previously dividing into me, mine and others, becomes connected from the insides through consciousness. When consciousness becomes your identity, there is no one else to try prove your superiority over. No one left to make you feel inferior either. 

Whatever food is in your plate, no matter vegan, vegetarian or non vegetarian, it represents something or someone that has sacrificed their existence for the vital entity in you to continue your physical existence. There has to be a profound sense of gratitude for the sacrifice. Along with that must arise a responsibility to keep consumption to a bare minimum as a mark of social justice. And a commitment to use the privilege to live in the physical body by means of service towards the entire creation. In contrast a person who continues to eat and live for personal enjoyment alone and trash the world around himself is worse than the lowliest forms of creatures. His life is a shame. His existence entirely worthless. 

This is not a story to be read like a fiction novel, enjoyed while reading and then forgotten. It is a lesson to be put into daily practice and pursued till the focus never shifts from the breath.