Kaivalya Upanishad – Verse 12   «   »

Kaivalya Upanishad – Verse 12   «   »

स एव मायापरिमोहितात्मा शरीरमास्थाय करोति सर्वम् ।
स्त्र्यन्नपानादिविचित्रभोगैः स एव जाग्रत्परितृप्तिमेति ॥ १२॥
sa eva māyāparimohitātmā śarīramāsthāya karoti sarvam .
stryannapānādivicitrabhogaiḥ sa eva jāgratparitṛptimeti .. 12..
12. The Self, deluded by māyā is he, who identifying with the body does all actions (all perceptions, feelings and thoughts). In the waking state it is he (this jīva), who reaches full gratification through the varied objects of enjoyment such as woman, food, wine and so on.

Word Meaning

स – He; एव – alone; मायापरिमोहितात्मा – self deluded by māyā; शरीरम् – body; आस्थाय – staying; करोति – does; सर्वम् – all; स्त्र्यपानादिविचित्रभोगैः – through the varied objects of enjoyment such as woman, food, wine and so on; स – he; एव – alone; जाग्रत् – in waking; परितृप्तिम् – full gratification; एति – goes, reaches
“With his self thus deluded by false existence or ignorance”,

We are born into this life experience with particular propensities for retaining ignorance, the extent of which depends on the individual (“self or jiva”) levels of consciousness. But all beings of birth suffer the delusion of Maya. This waking dream is the delusion of duality causing Creation to appear to have real existence, which further maintains the ignorance which is the forgetting of our true identity with the Non-Dual Absolute.

“it is he who identifies himself with the body and does all sorts of things”

This jiva, this one deluded through duality sees separate forms as individual existences. He regards his own body as being the reality of who he is, “identifies himself with the body”. Moving as the body and seeing only through his senses he imagines himself as the “doer” and achiever of his own desires.

“In the waking state it is the jiva who attains satisfaction through the varied objects of enjoyment, such as women, food and drink”.

The waking state is the experience in consciousness of an individual interacting with the material world looking after his needs. Pleasure is mistakenly seen as gain by those so deluded by duality and the consequent needs of their own individual ego. The desires of the ego covered by ignorance can be limitless, resulting in seeking sex, food, drink, power and so forth for personal satisfaction and aggrandisement, the cause for which arises from the ignorance of duality and their need to assert themselves as individuals.

The man that accepts the duality of Creation as Reality and his master, will see his “self” as his means to satisfy his desires within Creation.

Kaivalya Upanishad – Verse 12 – Kaivalya Upanishad 12 – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning, Audio and Commentary – Kaivalya-12