The Upanishad, after a couple of statements on the inability of the ordinary mind to comprehend one’s true identity with its five senses, goes on to something quite interesting.
It says:
Vad vaca nabhyuditam yena vaag abhyudyate
tad eva brahme tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate
Quite a strong statement! It defines ‘That’ in terms of which words cannot comprehend, which is indefinable. ‘That’ which cannot be worded, but because of which the meaning of words exists.
Tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate.
Meaning–that which cannot be comprehended by the mind, and (on the contrary) by which the mind comprehends, you realise that alone as Brahman, nothing that you worship.
‘Nothing that you worship’. How do you like that? A very iconoclastic statement! So, it goes on about the other senses, the eye and the ear.
But, the most important thing and the interesting one, for me, is the last (declaration):
Van manasaa na manuta yenaahur mano matam
tad eva brahma tvam viddhi nedam yad idam upaasate.
Van manasaa na manuta yenaahur mano matam
Meaning–but, because of which the mind has its capacity to think.
Tad eva brahma tvam viddhi.
Understand that ‘That’ alone is the ‘Supreme Truth’, the ‘Self’, the Brahman.
Nedam yad idam upasate
Nothing that you worship here. Nothing, Nothing!
When you say worship, it has many meanings. Here, it means not to have an image which you hero worship.
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