The Isa Upanishad: Verse-4

Bhagavan once said, we do not know the origin of us that is why we are “Anath” i.e. orphan. 

It is the ignorance that veiled the real nature of Atman. By not knowing the real nature of the Self one becomes slayer of the Self. Contrariwise what is that knowledge by knowing which one becomes free? Upanishad Speaks thus:

अनेजदेकं मनसो जवीयो नैनद्देवा आप्नुवन्पूर्वमर्षत् ।
तद्धावतोऽन्यानत्येति तिष्ठत्तस्मिन्नपो मातरिश्वा दधाति ॥४॥

anejadekam manaso javiyo 
nainaddeva apnuvanpurvamarsat ।
taddhavato'nyanatyeti 
tisthattasminnapo matarisva dadhati ॥ 4॥

It is constant, unmoving and one only, faster even than mind. The senses (a manifestation of the gods who by virtue of their satta illumine) cannot overtake It since had run ahead and ever present everywhere. Staying stationary, because constant, It outruns all other runners. Because It is there the “Matarisva”, the one known as Hiranyagarva possessing twofold power of action and knowledge; allots or supports all activities.

Here rises an objection that how could the constant and motionless Atman become faster than the mind?

Since the Atman is constant so it is stationary still then how come it reaches any place earlier than mind?

The answer to this is: there is no contradiction when this being interpreted from the aspect of being conditioned or unconditioned states of Atman. The Upanishad said ‘unmoving and one’ in respect of Its unconditioned state. Again when It becomes conditioned by the limiting adjuncts, the mind, the internal stuff characterized by volition and doubt It appears to be present anywhere even before the mind reaches that place; so it is called the faster than mind. It is well known that mind though encased in the body and in this world is able to reach the ‘Bramhaloka’ in a moment through volition; hence known as the fastest thing in this world. This fast mind on reaching very rapidly to the Bhramhaloka, feels as if that loka is illumined by the Self-consciousness already. That is why the Upanishad said “faster than mind even”. This very reality of Atman cannot be perceived by the Gods (Gods: here the senses are referred to as gods because they are the element through the world is known). The revealing nature of the senses makes them to be called as God. Mind is faster than the senses because the senses cannot alone reveal the objects without mind. Because of the interposition of the mind-stuff even the semblance of the Self is not perceived by the senses. Since the Atman is all-pervasive; It outrun the mind and reaches there even much earlier.

That all-pervasive Atman in Its real unconditioned state is free from all worldly attributes and adjuncts and which is immutable; appears to be experiencing all worldly things and seems to be many to the non-discriminating foolish people in relation to their different individual bodies. Hence the verse said so. The Atman in its apparent motion outruns the entire fast running ones such as the mind, the speeches and the senses which are distinct from the Self. Actually by remaining constant the Atman endures and outruns every other thing by its Omni-presence.

It is because of the presence of the eternal consciousness the Atman, ‘Matariswa’; air- so called since it moves in space-which sustains all life, which is of the nature of activity, on which depend all the body and senses, in which all  belong to, which is called ’Sutra’, and which holds together the entire world, that “Matariswa” allots the activities-consisting in the efforts of creatures as well as fire, sun, clouds etc. which flames illumines or rains etc. It allots or supports, as is known from the Vedic texts “From His fear the wind blows” (Taitteriya II-vii-1). It means all these causality, activity appear to be perceived because the eternal conscious reality, the Self the source of everything is there.