Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi: An Enlightening Conversation
- In Religion
- 08:15 PM, Aug 28, 2021
- Nidhi Mishra
The Upanishads are the supreme work of the Indian mind, and that it should be so, that the highest self-expression of its genius, its sublimest poetry, its greatest creation of the thought and word should be not a literary or poetical masterpiece of the ordinary kind, but a large flood of spiritual revelation of this direct and profound character, is a significant fact, evidence of a unique mentality and unusual turn of spirit.
— Sri Aurobindo (The Foundations of Indian Culture).
The Upanishads are the spiritual foundation of the Sanatan Dharma, the profound revelations to our great Rishis, consequently making them Seers. The name of the Upanishads is translated as to Sit down closely to one’s Guru or the Seers who orally transmitted this whole Jnana to their pupils and enabled them raising the level of their consciousness to the newer heights. The custom of Guru-Shishya learning is undoubtedly the most unique in the Upanishadic ethos, where, the Guru sometimes being the husband, the father or some random intellectual etc. Also, the evolution of the Samvad and the Shashtrarth method seems to be unparallel, opening new vistas of this deep tradition in the metaphysical realm of Sanatan thoughts and ideas.
Among all the major Upanishads, the Brihadarayanak Upanishad, as its name suggests, is Brihad, not just in its’s volume but also stands taller in the elevated level of its metaphysical notions. The ultimate wisdom of Atman and Brahman has been conveyed by this Upanishad with the help of numerous anecdotes, making it a treasure house of the precious jewel of the subtle knowledge of Vedant. In all of these stories, the profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi on the absolute self is incomparable.
The paradigm of Grihastha Ashram being a stepping stone in the Sanatan culture, towards the attainment of ultimate bliss is strongly proved here, where the discussion between a couple revolves around mysticism and not materialism. This beautiful conversation between Rishi Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, is the peak of wisdom. The questions as well as the answers of both are the core of Vedant. Maitreyi manifests the unbounded Atman, making preparations to get one with the Brahman. The intellect that she possessed, motivated her to push forward on the path of detachment. The subtle ideas reflected in the profound talk between Husband and wife exemplifies clearly the height of consciousness.
Maitreyi in a deeper sense is a Shakti eager to get one with the Shiva, exhibited in the form of Yajnavalkya. Shakti, the driving force of the cosmic order always strives to achieve the transcendental bliss, as a result innervate the cosmic scheme to coalesce with the ultimate reality.
Her deep urge to enquire about the secret of immortality from her husband Rishi Yajnavalkya on being offered wealth by him, equals to an attempt made by Shakti to accelerate the process of enlightenment with the removal of the binding effects of Maya. She is not into the greed of trivial mundane pleasures, she wants to know about the absolute Self and who can be a better Guru than her husband Sage Yajnavalkya, an epitome of great wisdom, unparalleled in his esoteric insights.
Thereby, commences classic discourse on the real self, a wonderful part of the Brihadaryanak Upanishad. Maitreyi therefore, becomes an embodiment of true Sanatani women spirit, and both of them stands as an ideal couple in the truest Indic tradition of Shakti seeking knowledge from Shiva.
Yajnavalkya, a great sage of the Upanishadic age, credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana (including the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad), Yogayajnavalkya Samhita and Yajnavalkya Smriti, lived with his two wives, the life of a Grihastha. One of his two wives, Katyayni, enjoyed being a household lady and took care of all the worldly needs of the family, while another wife named Maitreyi, was a Brahmavadini, the one more interested in the knowledge of Brahman.
Once Yajnavalkya decided to live the life of a recluse and therefore informing his wife Maitreyi about his decision, asked if she wanted him to divide all his possessions between her and Katyayni. Listening to this, she speaks:
स होवाच मैत्रेयी, यन्नु म इयं भगोः सर्वा पृथिवी वित्तेन पूर्णा स्यात्कथं तेनामृता स्यामिति;
If indeed this whole earth full of wealth becomes mine, shall I be immortal through that?’
नेति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यो यथैवोपकरणवतां जीवितं तथैव ते जीवितं स्यात् अमृतत्वस्य तु नाऽऽशाऽस्ति वित्तेनेति !
Yajnavalkya responds by saying that by this your life will be that of a wealthy but not fetch immortality to you.
सा होवाच मैत्रेयी - येनाहं नामृता स्यां किमहं तेन कुर्याम् । यदेव भगवान्वेद तदेव मे ब्रूहीति ||
Thus speaks Maitreyi, then it is of no use to me, please, instruct to me the mean by which I can attain Mukti (liberation from the bondage of Life and Death.) Yajnavalkya then happily initiates her into BrahmaVidya.
This quest of Maitreyi leads the discourse towards the significance of eternity over temporality.
His words:
स होवाच: न वा अरे पत्युः कामाय पतिः प्रियो भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय पतिः प्रियो भवति । न वा अरे जायायै कामाय जाया प्रिया भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय जाया प्रिया भवति । न वा अरे पूत्राणां कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे वित्तस्य कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे ब्रह्मणः कामाय ब्रह्म प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय ब्रह्म प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे क्षत्रस्य कामाय क्षत्रं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय क्षत्रं प्रियं भवति । न वा अरे लोकानां कामाय लोकाः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय लोकाः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे देवानां कामाय देवाः प्रिया भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय देवाः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे भूतानां कामाय भूतानि प्रियाणि भवन्ति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय भूतानि प्रियाणि भवन्ति । न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति । आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेयि, आत्मनो वा अरे दर्शनेन श्रवणेन मत्या विज्ञानेनेदं सर्वं विदितम् ॥ ५
“It is not for the sake of the husband, my dear, that he is loved, but for one’s own sake that he is loved. It is not for the sake of the wife, my dear, that she is loved, but for one’s own sake that she is loved. It is not for the sake of the sons, my dear, that they are loved, but for one’s own sake that they are loved. The own here is the Self. These words of Yajnavalkya therefore, wonderfully elucidates on the importance of SELF! It is an irony that this self is taken today as Selfishness, though the Real Self is the core of our existence. We adore that which brings ANAND to the SELF. Yajnavalkya referring to Self here, emphasizes the unity of Self with the Brahman, the ultimate bliss which can be attained through hearing, reflection and meditation.
Further he says, one should never make the mistake of considering it different from the BRAHMAN, because one who does this is being rejected by all.
ब्रह्म तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो ब्रह्म वेद क्षत्रं तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः क्षत्रं वेद लोकास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो लोकान्वेद देवास्तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो देवान्वेद भूतानि तं परादुर्योऽन्यत्रात्मनो भूतानि वेद सर्वं तं परादाद्योऽन्यत्रात्मनः सर्वं वेदेदं ब्रह्मेदं क्षत्रमिमे लोका इमे देवा इमानि भूतानीद सर्वं यदयमात्मा॥
स यथा दुन्दुभेर्हन्यमानस्य न बाह्याञ्छब्दाञ्छक्नुयाद्ग्रहणाय दुन्दुभेस्तु ग्रहणेन दुन्दुभ्याघातस्य वा शब्दो गृहीतः॥
By several illustrations of Drum or the Conch, he tries to make it easier to understand for his wife. The Atman becoming one with the Brahman loses its Consciousness, bewilders Maitreyi, hence Yajnavalkya explains:
यत्र हि द्वैतमिव भवति तदितर इतरं जिघ्रति तदितर इतरं पश्यति तदितर इतर शृणोति तदितर इतरमभिवदति तदितर इतरं मनुते तदितर इतरं विजानाति यत्र वा अस्य सर्वमात्मैवाभूत्तत्केन कं जिघ्रेत्तत्केन कं पश्येत्तत्केन क शृणुयात्तत्केन कमभिवदेत्तत् केन कं मन्वीत तत् केन कं विजानीयाद्येनेद सर्वं विजानाति तं केन विजानीयाद्विज्ञातारमरे केन विजानीयादिति॥
When there is duality, one sees another but when everything becomes one with the Self then what should one smell and through what, what should one see and through what, what should one hear and through what, what should one speak and through what, what should one think and through what, what should one know and through what?
Hence, after listening to Yajnavalkya’s doctrine of Atman and how to attain liberation, she herself decides to lead a life of Renunciate as her husband Yajnavalkya and proceeds on the path of VANPRASTHA.
In this way, this renowned dialogue is a crest jewel of the profound philosophy of Vedant but more significantly it also makes Brahmavadini Maitreyi an epitome of real Indic Womanhood. Her intellect and ascetic disposition are an icon for all Indian Women.
“At the beginning it was love for the self, but the claims of the little self-made love selfish; at the end came the full blaze of light, when that self had become the Infinite.”
Swami Vivekananda
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