Isha Upanishad - Super school - Auroville - Isha Upanishad 404

All this is for enjoyment, if people say I am sorrowful and I am in pain, it means that they're not seeing the world rightly. If you experience the world rightly, everything should give you enjoyment. Knowing this very well that we are not constantly in a state of leisure and not in a state of great rest and silence and peace, therefore, the composer, the Rishi who has written this poem says, Ten Tyaktena bhunjitha, anything that you see, you renounce. If you renounce the object then you will be placed in the state of consciousness where it will be enjoyed. This is a statement which many people may not accept, therefore, it's a statement to be contemplated upon. You need to contemplate, − is it true that when you renounce, you enjoy. Normal experience is the contrary, it’s only when you try to grab something, take into your hand and consume it that you enjoy. But this statement says by renouncing you enjoy. It looks a very strange, therefore you can say that this is a statement is to be contemplated upon.

Renunciation is effected by many means and here the Upanishad does not tell you what are the different ways and means to renounce. One of the ways by which you can renounce is by the method of surrender.

The first statement is an ontological statement. Since you've done philosophy to some extent with me this word needs to be repeated without very much difficulty. What is ontological, it's the technical word. Ontology is the study of the Reality as it is, as distinguished from the knowledge of Reality as it appears. If I say that this table is stable, it is a statement of appearance and if I say this table is in motion, it is a deeper statement of Reality as it is. Ontologically the study of Reality as it is, really, ultimately, truly, finally. It says that really, ultimately, if you go behind everything, you find everything in the world is in motion, − whether it appears to be stable or not, it is all in motion. Secondly that all this has structure, we may not see structures where there are pure hollows, there are no structures, or in pure solid blocks you don't see any structure. The Upanishad says it is not true as everything in the world is in motion and everything in the world has a structure and the structure is of such a nature that it can be used for habitation. Finally it says, it is actually for the habitation by the Lord, not for you. Normally, we think that everything that is around us and we can stay ourselves in it. The Upanishad says that you are wrong, ontologically it is not true. I may be staying in this house, therefore I say this is my dwelling house, I am dwelling, we are dwelling in this. The Upanishad says, ‘no, it is a dwelling place for the Lord’. This is the ontological statement, whether you like it or not, whether you believe in it or not. Ontological means that after having made the study of everything in the world, it is a statement that you can make when all the studies are over.