#upnishad

Mundakopanishad says :

न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन ।

यम एव एष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः

तस्य एष आत्मा विवृणुते तनुँस्वाम् ।।

- कठोपनिषद्

आत्मानुभव प्रवचन से नहीं मिलता,

ना मेधावी शक्ति से, ना हि अधिक अध्ययन से मिलता है ।

जिन्हें नियम, अनुशासन का वरदान है,

"The Self cannot be known through the study

Of the scriptures, nor through the intellect,

Nor through hearing discourses about it.

It can be attained only by those

Whom the Self chooses. Verily unto them

बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद्

आपो वा अर्कः; तद्यदपां शर आसीत्तत्समहन्यत । सा पृथिव्यभवत्, तस्यामश्राम्यत्; तस्य श्रान्तस्य तप्तस्य तेजो रसो निरवर्तताग्निः  

आप: वा अर्कः (water itself is fire??)

तद्यदपां (tat yat apaam -- that which, of the water)

शर आसीत् (was at the top)

तत्समहन्यत (tat samahanyat): that congealed

सा पृथिव्यभवत् (that became the earth)

तस्यामश्राम्यत् (after working on her)

तस्य श्रान्तस्य तप्तस्य (of the heat of his tiredness)

तेजो रसो निरवर्तताग्निः (his essense came out, became fire)

The interpretation of the previous shloka induces me to understand that water is life and life is operated by arka/fire/warmth. Therefore, as the earth solidifies, the interaction of heat with water gives rise to life.

Doubts:

Why do Shankaracharya and Madhvacharya assume that Prajapati is being talked about here?

There seems to be recursive cause and effect relationship between fire and water, which induces me to think that the words representing them mean different things in different context. This is easier to glean out from the previous shoka but less so in this one.

Supposed context:

I am a book collector more than a reader. It is quite a confession for me. I often hoard books in the hope that one day I will get around them all. I read over 5 books at one time. I read no fiction, only nonfiction and that is because I have a deep urge to know the unknown. For me knowledge is freedom and I have “mumuksutva“, as Swami Aparajitananda, from Chinmaya Mission explained, the burning…