The Truth About Ignorance: Swami Mukundananda's Insight into the Ishavasya Upanishad
Humanity has always lived by stories – narratives that shape how we perceive ourselves and the world. Some stories inspire us toward noble action, while others, when misinterpreted or exaggerated, harden into myths or ideas that appear convincing but steer us away from truth. Left unchecked, these myths define success in narrow or materialistic terms and distort spiritual practice into hollow ritualism.
The Ishavasya Upanishad, however, presents a reality check. Shree Swami Mukundananda ji’s commentary on this Scripture debunks these myths with verities grounded in divine knowledge. He explains how avidya – whether in the form of gross materialism or misguided notions of exclusive spirituality – leads the soul into darkness, sometimes to what is described as atma hanah or suicide of the soul. These myths are replaced with vidya – the eternal wisdom that reveals life’s higher purpose and guides us toward enlightenment.
Myth 1: Success Lies in Accumulating Wealth and Pleasures
Modern culture often glorifies the story of success as the one who amasses wealth, enjoys luxuries, and leaves behind monuments of worldly achievement. Advertisements and social media reinforce the idea that fulfillment comes from owning more, traveling more, and experiencing more. This story is enticing, but when swallowed whole, it becomes a dangerous myth: that the pursuit of possessions and pleasures is the true goal of human life.
Those who act in accordance with this false belief are likely to live a life consumed by vikarm by engaging in sinful and forbidden activities rooted in greed, lust, and anger. They may enjoy fleeting pleasures, but in doing so, they experience a spiritual downfall and squander the rarest opportunity of all – to appropriately utilize the human birth meant for God-realization. Upon death, such gross materialists end up in asurya realms, shrouded in darkness and ignorance. They are deprived of sunlight (i.e., vidya) and filled with tamasic vrittis or proclivities, leading to atma hanah or suicide of the soul.
Swamiji beautifully debunks the above myth in his interpretation of Mantra 3.
असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृताः ।
ताꣳस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ॥ ३॥
asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasā ’ ’vṛitāḥ
tāṁste pretyābhigachchhanti ye ke chātmahano janāḥ
There are realms without sunshine that are awash with the demonic mindset. They remain covered with the darkness of ignorance that gives sorrow. Humans who expend their soul energy in merely in relishing sensual pleasure are sent there after death.
He suggests that the remedy is active vigilance to bar the “three gates” of downfall – desire, greed, and anger. This ensures that discernment is not eclipsed and the mind does not sink into animalistic refinements that only tighten bondage. The underlying divine message (i.e., vidya) is to realize the value of this human form, and an even greater value for the Guru who teaches us to discriminate between sources of vidya and avidya, and to utilize this life in the loving service and devotion to God.
To drive home the point, Swamiji compares human indulgence with the instincts of animals. A cow accepts whatever grass is offered without complaint, while humans use their intellect to create elaborate cuisines and still find reason to grumble. Monkeys in Vrindavan outsmart pilgrims by stealing their items in exchange for food, showing intelligence that rivals human cunning. Yet when humans use the same intellect only to eat, sleep, mate, and defend, they degrade themselves below animals. The Ishavasya Upanishad cautions us that such misuse of intellect is not progress but spiritual regression. True success is not measured by worldly indulgence, but by how steadfastly the soul turns toward its eternal Beloved.
Myth 2: One-Sided Pursuit Brings Fulfillment
Throughout history, humanity has told itself two opposing stories. One story insists that progress lies in conquering the material world – advancing science, expanding economies, and enjoying the fruits of technology. Another story, equally persistent, glorifies renunciation – shunning worldly life and chasing spiritual abstractions as the sole path to freedom. Both sound persuasive in their own way, and both have inspired generations. But when these stories are taken to extremes, they become myths that misguide the soul.
The Ishavasya Upanishad warns against both extremes. Mantra 9 explains the consequence of embracing either gross materialism alone (i.e., avidya) or only spiritual science (i.e., vidya).
अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायाꣳ रताः ॥ ९॥
andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśhanti ye ’vidyāmupāsate
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṁ ratāḥ
They attain darkness, who worship and embrace material science alone. But those who concern themselves with spiritual science alone are plunged into even greater darkness.
Swamiji explains that extreme materialists miss the eternal purpose of the soul, while extreme spiritualists often neglect the body and worldly responsibilities, imagining that even minimal engagement will pollute their consciousness. Some cling to hollow ritualism that does not culminate in devotion. Both paths, severed from balance and devotion, lead souls astray.
The truth revealed by scripture is that human life is embodied, and the body must be cared for as an instrument of service to God. Similarly, ritualistic practices that do not culminate in loving devotion to God also keep the soul bound. At the same time, knowledge of the world must be integrated with the higher knowledge of the soul. Swamiji reminds seekers that fulfillment arises only when both dimensions are harmonized and offered in devotion to the Divine. The myth of one-sided pursuit thus collapses before the Upanishad’s wisdom: balance is the gateway to illumination.
But Swamiji clarifies that those who pride themselves exclusively on spiritual speculation, without devotion, fall into an even deeper darkness. Here, vidya refers to theoretical knowledge of the soul. If it breeds arrogance, hypocrisy, or disdain for practical living, it misleads rather than liberates. He reminds us of philosophers who spend their lives in hair-splitting debates about metaphysics yet fail to cultivate even a drop of humility or love for God. This, too, is darkness. Real knowledge harmonizes the material and spiritual, recognizing the world as God’s energy and channeling learning into devotion.
Swamiji also enlightens us by explaining that it is not just vikarm that has drastic consequences; even mechanistically pursuing karmkand to attain the celestial abodes is avidya because it does not lead to God-realization. When the accumulated merits are depleted, then souls will be sent to any of the material realms that keep one in the cycle of life and death.
Myth 3: Material or Spiritual Knowledge Alone Can Secure Fulfillment
The modern narrative that "knowledge is power" has two dominant, yet ultimately flawed, interpretations. One path prioritizes worldly knowledge, urging mastery of the sciences and mechanics for success. The other glorifies spiritual knowledge, promising fulfillment through detachment, scripture, and philosophy. While both forms of knowledge can be genuinely empowering, they become a dangerous myth when pursued to the exclusion of all else, falsely promising that either one alone is sufficient for true fulfillment.
Where Mantra 9 warned against imbalance, Mantra 10 provides the solution – harmonization.
अन्यदेवाहुर्विद्ययाऽन्यदाहुरविद्यया ।
इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे ॥ १०॥
anyadevāhurvidyayā ’nyadāhuravidyayā
iti śhuśhruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nastadvichachakṣhire
The practices of vidya (spiritual science) and avidya (material science) bestow very different fruits. The enlightened and equipoised saints have explained this in detail.
This Upanishad teaches that both vidya (i.e., knowledge of the soul) and avidya (i.e., knowledge of the material world) must be pursued together. One without the other leads to imbalance – materialism without spirituality binds the soul in illusion, while dry intellectualism without responsibility leads to impractical escapism. Swamiji beautifully explains that material knowledge, without spiritual anchoring, leads to arrogance, restlessness, and attachment, while speculative spiritual knowledge, divorced from responsibility, fosters dry intellectualism and escapism. The imbalance of either extreme prevents true progress.
The truth is that human life requires integration. Material knowledge equips us to function responsibly in the world, while spiritual wisdom directs our energies toward the soul’s highest purpose. Swamiji explains how saints and sages themselves embodied this harmony. They understood the sciences of health, agriculture, and governance, but dedicated the knowledge and its implementation in the service of God. When knowledge in both realms is harmonized under the umbrella of devotion, life becomes balanced and purposeful. The myth that either material or spiritual knowledge alone can secure fulfillment collapses before this integrated vision, that only when the head bows in humility before the Divine does knowledge become wisdom.
Swamiji gives the example of renunciants who abandon the world without understanding the need for physical maintenance. They may believe that caring for the body pollutes their consciousness, but in neglecting the very vehicle God has given them, they obstruct their own spiritual progress. Conversely, a scientist who develops technology but ignores moral and spiritual consequences may create tools of destruction rather than instruments of service (e.g., a nuclear bomb). Harmony is the key. By engaging responsibly in worldly duties while anchoring the mind in God, seekers can transform every action into an offering.
Myth 4: Caring for the Body Opposes Spiritual Growth
Extreme spiritual practitioners falsely believe that taking care of the physical body violates the principle of detachment, when the body will be left behind upon death. They uphold the notion that if one perceives the self as the soul, then maintaining the physical body is purposeless. This, of course, is a gross myth!
Mantra 11 teaches us that the body is not an obstacle to be despised or neglected, but a tool to be respected and cared for, as it enables us to reach God.
विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयꣳ सह ।
अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययामृतमश्नुते ॥ ११॥
vidyāṁ chāvidyāṁ cha yastadvedobhayaṁ saha
avidyayā mṛityuṁ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛitamaśhnute
Those who adopt both vidya and avidya in unison, such expert spiritual seekers, navigate the world with the help of material science and reach the eternal abode of God through spiritual science.
Swamiji explains that we should view the human form as a gift, while remaining unattached to it, because it enables us to perform the purusharth necessary to attach the mind to the Divine. We must utilize the material knowledge in the service of our spiritual goals. By applying spiritual principles in daily life, we can cultivate core values, develop resistance to worldly temptations, and grow into better human beings. With consistent practice, such integration of vidya and avidya gradually carries us to the doorstep of the Divine.
The truth, then, is not about rejecting one form of knowledge for the other but harmonizing both in a way that supports our highest purpose. Just as a boat must be kept seaworthy to carry us across a river, the body must be maintained to carry the soul across the ocean of material existence. But the wise never mistake the boat for the destination. By integrating worldly and spiritual wisdom, the seeker rises above death into immortality by not clinging to the body, but by using it as a sacred vehicle for God-realization. If neglected, spiritual practice becomes impossible; if overindulged, it becomes a trap of attachment.
Myth 5: Worshipping Creation Is the Same as Worshipping the Creator
Many falsely believe that worshiping celestial gods, ancestors, or ghosts is equivalent to worshiping the Supreme. The Ishavasya Upanishad warns otherwise in Mantra 12. Swamiji beautifully differentiates between the Creator and His creation by unscrambling the concepts of sambhuti and asambhuti.
अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽसम्भूतिमुपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ सम्भूत्याꣳ रताः ॥ १२॥
andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśhanti ye ’sambhūtimupāsate
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u sambhūtyāṁ ratāḥ
Those who worship originated beings attain darkness. However, those who worship the eternal Lord—with pride and arrogance—end up in far greater darkness.
Sambhuti refers to the independent, self-existent Supreme Lord who is not dependent upon any other origin. He is the Cause of all causes. In contrast, asambhuti refers to all dependent sources that originated from God. These include the celestial gods, ancestors, living humans, ghosts, and material objects. Attaching the mind to asambhuti leads to darkness (i.e., avidya), because the soul attains the object of its devotion upon the death of the body. Only by loving devotion to sambhuti or God, the Cause of all causes (i.e., vidya), can one reach ultimate fulfillment.
Here, Swamiji cautions spiritual aspirants against ego traps like false pride, jealousy, hypocrisy, or the use of devotion to impress others. Even worship of God can be derailed if it feeds the ego rather than purifies it. True worship is heartfelt devotion to the personal form of God, while honoring creation as His energy. By attaching the mind exclusively to God, seekers transcend the illusions of worldly worship and enter the light of divine realization.
Summary
The Ishavasya Upanishad exposes the myths that have entangled humanity for millennia: that indulgence equals success, that one form of knowledge suffices, that the body is irrelevant, or that any object of worship is as good as God. Each myth, when pursued to the extreme, results in darkness – sometimes even deeper than ignorance itself.
Swamiji’s commentary and video lectures guide us to replace these myths with eternal truths: (1) Human life is meant for God-realization, (2) knowledge must harmonize both worlds, (3) the body is a sacred instrument, and (4) devotion to the Supreme alone brings permanent fulfillment.
Call to Action
The Ishavasya Upanishad is not a relic of the past but living wisdom for today’s seekers. Swamiji’s commentary on the Scripture and lectures illuminate these truths with clarity, practical insight, and heartfelt devotion. To free yourself from the myths that enslave the mind, dive into these teachings through JKYog’s resources, discourses, and study materials. Let this eternal wisdom not remain theory but transform into practice, guiding your journey from darkness to light.
Spiritual aspirants have the opportunity to actively engage with the study course on the Ishavasya Upanishad presented through the Bhagavad Gita Krishna Bhakti App. It provides seekers with tools for intensive sadhana through focused content on a week-by-week basis. It contains Swamiji's video lecture on each Mantra of the scripture, key concepts, assessment of one’s knowledge, a divine guided meditation by Swamiji each week, and practical tools for implementation and reflection.
Resources
- Mukundananda, S. (2025). Ishavasya Upanishad. Rupa Publications Pvt Ltd: New Delhi, India.
- Swami Mukundananda ji’s Ishavasya Upanishad lectures on YouTube’s Playlist.