Jiva eats the fruit of the tree: Jiva is bound to the world. Jiva is part of the world.
Atman does not eat but watches.
Atman links Jiva to the supreme unity.
posted morning of Monday, September 16th, 2019
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Ragtime Mundaka Allegory
The Modesto Kid
two birds, living together, friend to each other, sharing a tree;
one eats the fruit of the tree, now, the other one watches him patiently.
two birds, Jiva and Atman, they're perched in the living tree; now,
Jiva's the motion of life, now, Atman's the echo inside our being.
Jiva cried to Atman let me in on your thoughts, man
I want to know that sweet universal being
But Atman just watched him and nodded his head
and Jiva went back to his meal
up in the tree sits Jiva, sated, drowning in grief and anxiety;
but seeing his friend, now, he's freed from sorrow, realizes true glory.
Look, Jiva, realize your vision of Brahman, of unity;
shake off merit and demerit, attain supreme equality.
well Jiva said to Atman, are you ready or not, man
tell me about that sweet universal being
But Atman just watched him and nodded his head
and Jiva went back to his meal
two birds, living together, friend to each other, sharing a tree;
Jiva eats the fruit of the tree, now, quiet Atman watches him patiently.
posted morning of September 17th, 2019 by Jeremy Osner
For Jiva, "eating the sweet fruits of the tree" is his entire mode of being. He cannot not eat the fruits/to not eat the fruits is to be insane a la Pink in The Wall. Even the ascetic perceives reality. The lesson of the Upanishad is that Jiva should not allow enjoyment of the sweet fruits (and likewise disgust at the bitter/foul fruits) distract him from awareness of Atman.
Does the Upanishad have a lesson for Atman? I don't think so. It is directed at Jiva, at the Jiva component of the listener. I'm not sure Atman can be educated, being godlike.
posted morning of September 20th, 2019 by Jeremy Osner
