His form is not to be seen. No one beholds Him with the eye. He is revealed through insight, through the intellect (controlling the mind), which resides in the heart. Those who know this become immortal.
God is not an object which can be known through sense organs nor perceived by the mind or conceived by intellect. It is the subject within that enables us to perceive, feel, and conceive. It enlivens the perception of the eyes to see. A God-realised person knows only the Self. It is only possible through insight. It cannot be revealed through an object of pursuit. Through the process of inward transformation, you become the subject. You cannot capture it intellectually as a thought; the mind cannot capture it as emotions; the senses cannot capture it as a perception.
God cannot be perceived through the eye. It refers not just to one sense organ but to all sense organs, mind, and intellect, which are limited. The mantra establishes the limitation of the tools we have, i.e., the body, mind, and intellect. God cannot be captured with your perception by sense organs, felt by the mind or conceived by the intellect. You cannot reach God with any of the equipment. God is not an object; rather, it is the subject which enlivens the equipment to function.
Eg: The eye which can see the farthest object through the telescope cannot see the very eye through the telescope. The torch can lighten the place around and see every object, but cannot see the same battery that is illuminating it. When you remove the battery, there is no light. In the same way, the eye can see everything else in the world, but cannot see that which illumines the very eye.
Any perception of God is a mere mental hallucination. God or Brahman is said to be all-pervading, omnipresent, formless reality, unknown to us. God has no name, form, or attributes. But each one us has idolised God and projects that form on the formless reality.
Kenopanishad also establishes this point. It is a Brahmanopanishad and Kathopanishad is a Mantropanishad. Brahmanopanishads are explanatory, and Mantropanishads are authoritative textbooks.
KENA UPANISHAD
Mantra 2
The Guru introduces Self
श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः
चक्षुषश्चक्षुरतिमुच्य धीराः प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति ॥२॥
That which is the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, the Speech of the speech, the Prana Vital-air of the prana and the Eye of the eye. The wise, having totally freed and risen above this world, become immortal. The first letter of Ear, Mind, Speech, Prana, Eye are in caps and refers to Brahman. The second refers to the organs of perception. God is that which enables the ear to hear, eyes to see… When you are experiencing in the outer world, realise it is not what I see, hear, but it is that which enables me to see God.
Mantra 3
Beyond the Senses and Mind
न तत्र चक्षुर्गच्छति न वाग्गच्छति नो मनो न विद्मो
न विजानीमो यथैतदनुशिष्यात॥ ३ ॥
There the eye cannot reach, nor speech, nor mind indeed. We do not know It; nor know how to impart It.
The guru is telling with humility that he does not know how to impart in the language the student can understand.
Mantra 5
Brahman – Illuminator of Speech
यद्वाचानभ्युदितं येन वागभ्युद्यते ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ५ ॥
That which cannot be expressed by speech, That by which speech is expressed. Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship.
Mantra 5 to 9, the guru repeats the second line ‘Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship’, only to drive the message that Brahman is not that which people worship.
Mantra 6
Brahman – Illuminator of Mind
यन्मनसा न मनुते येनाहुर्मनो मतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ६ ॥
That which cannot be conceived by the mind, That by which the mind conceives – so (they) say. Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship.
Mantras 7 & 8
Brahman – Illuminator of Senses
यच्चक्षुषा न पश्यति येन चक्षूँषि पश्यति ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ७ ॥
यच्छ्रोत्रेण न शृणोति येन श्रोत्रमिँश्रुतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ८ ॥
That which one sees not by the eye, That by which one’s eye sees. Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship.
That which one hears not by the ear, That by which this hearing is heard. Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship.
Mantra 9
Brahman – Illuminator of the Prana
यत्प्राणेन न प्राणिति येन प्राणः प्रणीयते ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ९ ॥
That which one sustains not by the prana vital-air, That by which prana is sustained. Know That alone to be Brahman, not this – this which (people) worship.
MANTRAS 5 – 9 REPEATS THE LINE “KNOW THAT ALONE TO BE BRAHMAN, NOT THIS – THIS WHICH (PEOPLE) WORSHIP.”
The point of reiterating is to establish the true concept of GOD / BRAHMAN.
God is can’t be revealed through the eyes. You gain it through insight. The insight of Brahman is gained by controlling the mind with your intellect. Mind has various aspects like the various fangs of a snake. Each fang has poison. So each aspect of mind stings you. It could be desire, attachment, anxiety, worries, restlessness, etc. All the aspects of the mind must be controlled by the intellect. That is when you will experience the Self which resides in your heart. That is revealed through insight. Insight symbolically refers to the opening of the third eye of wisdom.
(Refer Q.no.1 of Wisdom Conversations by Vinayji, where he brings out the difference between knowledge and wisdom.)
KNOWLEDGE WISDOM
(Jñānam) (Vijñānam)
Theory Practice
Information Transformation
External Internal
Tuition Intuition
Sight Insight
Temporary Permanent
Two dimensional Three Dimensional
Means End
Path Goal
