Isa Upanishad - Chapter 4: Vidhya, Avidhya, Manifested and Unmanifested
Isa Upanishad sheds light on the following words:
1. Vidhya and Avidhya.
2. Manifested and Unmanifested.
The explanations and indepths meanings of these four important words are dealt with in the six verses from 9 to 14 of the Isa Upanishad.
Vidhya is normally attributed to knowledge. Such persons are devoid of rites or karma or work or avidhya. They are engaged only in vidhya i.e.spending their entire time in worshiping or meditation. They are of the strong faith that vidhya is enough to achieve the ultimate aim of salvation from the pranks of deaths.
Avidhya is rites or karma or work or even ignorance. They are engaged in such religious duties driven due to the desires of senses which are the hallmark of ignorance. They do not worry much about ‘Vidhya’, as they feel that the paths chosen by them are enough to give them the salvation from this world.
What does Isa Upanishad say about the adequacies of Vidhya and Avidhya?
Isa Upanishad declares that if one practices only Avidhya, he enters into blinding darkness. Isa Upanishad does not stop with that statement. Isa Upanishads adds and warns that one practices only Vidhya also enters into greater darkness!
What does one do in this precarious situation?
Isa Upanishads gives the answer. These precarious situations are due to the fact that different results are achieved by practicing Vidhya and Avidhya separately. Hence, to overcome this, one should practice both Vidhya and Avidhya in a balanced manner to achieve the best results.
What are those results as per Isa Upanishad?
By practicing Vidhya and Avidhya together, one attains immortality through Vidhya, by crossing over death through Avidhya.
Hence Vidhya fetches Immortality and Avidhya fetches peaceful death.
Now, let us try to unravel the two mystic words of – Manifested and Unmanifested.
Unmanifested is Prakriti or Primordial Nature or the Not True Cause. Manifested, on the other hand, is Lord or True Cause or Brahman.
Maya is Prakriti as a material cause and Brahman is the possessor of Maya. Maya and not Brahman is spoken of here by the word Unmanifested, for it is not possible for the unchanging Brahman to be directly the material cause.
Maya is unmanifested and not true cause. But, Brahman is manifested and true cause.
Like Vidhya and Avidhya, Isa Upanishad declares that those who worship Unmanifested alone enter into blinding darkness and that those who worship Manifested alone also enter into greater darkness.
The results of the worshipers of Unmanifested and Manifested are different and are not wholesome.
Hence, Isa Upanishad enjoins all to worship these two together – Unmanifested and Manifested in complete harmony and in a balanced way so that all could achieve immortality through the Unmanifested and overcome death by worship of Manifested.
1. Vidhya and Avidhya.
2. Manifested and Unmanifested.
The explanations and indepths meanings of these four important words are dealt with in the six verses from 9 to 14 of the Isa Upanishad.
Vidhya is normally attributed to knowledge. Such persons are devoid of rites or karma or work or avidhya. They are engaged only in vidhya i.e.spending their entire time in worshiping or meditation. They are of the strong faith that vidhya is enough to achieve the ultimate aim of salvation from the pranks of deaths.
Avidhya is rites or karma or work or even ignorance. They are engaged in such religious duties driven due to the desires of senses which are the hallmark of ignorance. They do not worry much about ‘Vidhya’, as they feel that the paths chosen by them are enough to give them the salvation from this world.
What does Isa Upanishad say about the adequacies of Vidhya and Avidhya?
Isa Upanishad declares that if one practices only Avidhya, he enters into blinding darkness. Isa Upanishad does not stop with that statement. Isa Upanishads adds and warns that one practices only Vidhya also enters into greater darkness!
What does one do in this precarious situation?
Isa Upanishads gives the answer. These precarious situations are due to the fact that different results are achieved by practicing Vidhya and Avidhya separately. Hence, to overcome this, one should practice both Vidhya and Avidhya in a balanced manner to achieve the best results.
What are those results as per Isa Upanishad?
By practicing Vidhya and Avidhya together, one attains immortality through Vidhya, by crossing over death through Avidhya.
Hence Vidhya fetches Immortality and Avidhya fetches peaceful death.
Now, let us try to unravel the two mystic words of – Manifested and Unmanifested.
Unmanifested is Prakriti or Primordial Nature or the Not True Cause. Manifested, on the other hand, is Lord or True Cause or Brahman.
Maya is Prakriti as a material cause and Brahman is the possessor of Maya. Maya and not Brahman is spoken of here by the word Unmanifested, for it is not possible for the unchanging Brahman to be directly the material cause.
Maya is unmanifested and not true cause. But, Brahman is manifested and true cause.
Like Vidhya and Avidhya, Isa Upanishad declares that those who worship Unmanifested alone enter into blinding darkness and that those who worship Manifested alone also enter into greater darkness.
The results of the worshipers of Unmanifested and Manifested are different and are not wholesome.
Hence, Isa Upanishad enjoins all to worship these two together – Unmanifested and Manifested in complete harmony and in a balanced way so that all could achieve immortality through the Unmanifested and overcome death by worship of Manifested.
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