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Mandukya Upanishad, Bahamas, May 2025
In unfolding the renowned Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, Gaudapādācārya presents an understanding that is difficult to entertain, let alone grasp. The human mind being of the nature that it is, takes time and maturity to do so. From birth there has been a strong orientation that what is experienced is absolutely real, that I am the body, the source of happiness is external to me, and that the world I experience around me is real. It is therefore a great leap and it's not advisable to come directly to the study of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad.
Vedānta is a systematic study. It is for this reason that many other Upaniṣads offer a model of how the creation originated. Those models serve as a teaching methodology to help a student gradually prepare for what this great Upaniṣad reveals.
The Gaudapāda Kārikā of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad certainly require a considerable prior maturity of understanding on the part of the student. This being so, traditionally, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is recommended only after studying a few other Upaniṣads and Prakaraṇa Granthas.
The vision presented by the Gaudapāda Kārikā of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad declares that “there is no creation at all, none bound, none aspiring for wisdom, none seeking liberation and indeed none liberated”. That vision, presented in such uncompromising terms – and as a statement of fact – can be presented and unfolded only by one of rare mastery. It was truly a blessing, therefore, that students of the Shivananda Ashram, Bahamas, were able to receive from Pūjya Śrī Swāminī Ātmaprakāśānanda Saraswatījī the continuation of her masterful exposition of this Upaniṣad, begun on a previous visit, one that continued to unfold in full the Gaudapāda Kārikās and Ādi Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda’s Bhāṣyam.
Enriched by such a vision, Pūjya Swāminījī’s abundantly caring nature was evident in all her interactions at the āśram. Whether in the role of a friend, a mother, a teacher, or a sannyāsinī, Pūjya Swāminījī is adored and revered by all who meet her. Ever remaining totally down-to-earth and in touch with the world around her, she greets passing students with such abundant joy and care that they feel lifted, cherished and cared for. Delighting in feeding the sea-birds on a timber pier above pristine, clear, blue water with fallen fruits from the āśram trees, or showing those around her the importance of dharma, worship and prayer, she continuously embodies the teachings of the śāstra. Few teachers are graced with such depth of vision of the Upaniṣads or with the capacity to carefully and masterfully express the core of that vision while intricately navigating and elucidating the limited views of alternative schools of thought.
The Shivananda Ashram, Bahamas, provided a beautiful setting for her talks. It is a fine organisation that provides a disciplined study of yoga and Vedānta while giving students the opportunity to be with like-minded individuals in a caring, devotional atmosphere. The āśram recognises that the attitude with which one lives one's life is of pre-eminent significance and importance; it may lead to a richer, fuller one in which the wisdom of the Upaniṣads dawns.
