Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.1-2 Lecture 11 on 28 February 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
Oṃ Jananīṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum, Pāda Padme Tayoḥ Śritvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuḥ.
OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH
OM
That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.
OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: Introduction to the First and Second Mantras
Overview of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad
We have been studying the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Now we are going to enter into the first and second mantras.
As we discussed earlier, this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad has six chapters, and every two chapters are combined into one. The very first section is called Madhu Kāṇḍam or Upadeśa Kāṇḍam. Kāṇḍam means a section dealing with real teaching — Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. The second part supports the same teaching with reasoning and rationality. That is the subject matter. It is also called Yājñavalkya Kāṇḍa, Muni Kāṇḍa, Upadeśa Kāṇḍa with Tarka — that is, Śruti, Samatha, Tarka. The third two chapters, the third part, are called Khila Kāṇḍam, which covers miscellaneous items, some of which are highly important.
As I mentioned earlier at the very beginning, we are not going to proceed mantra by mantra, but will take the very essence of it. That way we will not be confused. Otherwise, this is one of the biggest of the Upaniṣads, containing more than 640 mantras. To go through every one of them is neither necessary, nor need we waste time doing so. Essential points in the light of the teachings of Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda will be very useful.
Adhyāropa and Apavāda: The Vedāntic Methodology
Now this first chapter, according to the interpretation of Śaṅkarācārya, follows the Advaita Vedāntic methodology called Adhyāropa and Apavāda.
What is Adhyāropa?
Adhyāropa means accepting our present experience as it is. The scripture says: yes, you are right — what you are experiencing is real. But there are certain points you have to note down, and only then will you understand the nature of this world you are experiencing.
First of all, the world depends upon you. If you, the subject, are sleeping, in a coma, or unconscious, the whole universe disappears so far as you are concerned. Even though in our ordinary experience we say we depend upon the world, actually we can see that we shape the whole world. What does an artist do? He shapes whatever object — be it wood, be it stone — according to his own concept. He can bring out Rāma or he can bring out Rāvaṇāsura, depending upon his saṃskāras. He can bring out Kṛṣṇa, he can bring out Kaṃsa.
A writer can express his own beautiful imaginations and manifest them in the form of beautiful language and literature. And a poet or a musician — the limit is the sky, one's own imagination.
Consider our dreams. We can dream whatever we like. We think, most of the time by mistake, that a dream overwhelms us and that we are forced to experience the dream. But no. If a child is reading about gods and goddesses and is endowed with spiritual saṃskāras, he will be dreaming of gods and goddesses like Nāgamahāśaya. But if somebody is interested in Superman or evil characters — and so many people are addicted to these evil characters because they want to be like that but don't have the capacity — they watch films and rule over the world in imagination. Similarly, a cricket fan's biggest heroes will be those who fetch the greatest number of runs. So everything depends upon our mind, and the mind is endowed with borrowed consciousness. The mind pays attention, and only that which it attends to is experienceable by us.
Second, the world is continuously changing. Third, it consists of three parts: form, name, and utility — Rūpa, Nāma, Karma.
So what does the scripture tell fortunate souls who want to progress in spiritual life, who believe in the teachings of the scriptures, and who want to realize God? If the scriptures start by saying this world is unreal, we are likely to give up the world. But if the scriptures accept that it is true — not unreal, but Mithyā — that changes things. Mithyā means dependent, ever-changing, unreliable, and so forth. This is called Adhyāropa: accepting it temporarily.
The scripture doesn't stop there. It goes on to ask: what do you want in this world? "I want money." Alright, do this — you will get money. Chant the name of Mahālakṣmī mantra, recite Śrī Sūktam or Kanakādhārastavam. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, and proved to the hilt, that every mantra in the scriptures — meaning the Vedas, Purāṇas, Tantras, and instructions of Gurus — is absolutely true. He proved it. When he used to perform pūjā and chant a particular mantra, for example the Agni Mantra Rām, he would immediately see a wall of fire springing up and protecting him. When Rāmakṛṣṇa was young, he used to visit a crematorium called Bhuterkhali, and he said later that the pot would disappear in mid-air — that is, there are spirits which accept such offerings.
And now, what little original capacity we have, we are fast losing to the new AI, and that becomes our reality. But I can assure you it is not going to be so for long, because every human being is potentially divine. God will give those necessary sticks — not always carrots — to awaken us.
So slowly the teacher tells the student to fulfil desires through scriptural means. The person may start sceptically, but in course of time he gets what was promised, develops faith, and when he opens his eyes and looks further into the scripture, he says: "Why should I be content with temporary results and limited happiness? Why settle for limited existence? I can have eternal existence, infinite knowledge, and unbroken bliss." By now the student's mind has developed tremendous śraddhā.
What is Apavāda?
Then starts the second part of the scripture, called Apavāda. The teacher says: what I told you was true only for that level of students, or when you were at that level. But now you have crossed over, and you yourself are longing for something higher. Now I will teach you. This is called Apavāda.
In a manner of speaking, the world is unreal. To prove that the world is insubstantial, unreliable, ever-changing, dangerous, and the cause of repeated births and repeated sufferings — that is the common view. But the scripture, through the Guru, teaches: that is only the middle way, valid when you are in the middle stage of your development. But later on you understand that everything is Brahman. This world is a Līlā — a divine play. Everybody, everything in this universe is only the infinite imagination of the infinite Brahman. What is suffering — that is also part of the Līlā. What is happiness and bliss — that is also part of the Līlā. That is the Apavāda. Apavāda means negation: negation of your previous understanding of the world. First, the only reality has been understood as a changing, unreliable, insubstantial reality. That is then transformed into the understanding that everything is Brahman. And the final step is that everything is the Līlā of Brahman. This applies especially to the Jīvanmukta.
What a beautiful way this is! First, like giving a child a real apple and saying "this is called apple, the spelling starts with A; this is beetroot, it starts with B; this is a carrot, and it starts with C" — like that, a person is helped to evolve both physically and spiritually, intellectually and spiritually.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates this beautifully. There is a kind of Bengali sweet whose outside looks absolutely the same, but the inside can be filled with hard lentils — kaḍai dāl — or with coconut and jaggery, or with canā, or with broken milk — what we call paneer. There is a vast difference in what is within, even though the outside appears the same. Slowly the teacher takes the student higher in exactly this way.
The Structure of the First Chapter: Upadeśa Kāṇḍa
In the very first chapter, as just mentioned, it is called Upadeśa Kāṇḍa or Madhu Kāṇḍa. Upadeśa means teaching. Usually the word upadeśa means when a Guru initiates a disciple, that is called upadeśa. But here, instead of just a mantra, he also gives explanation and teaching.
You should look upon your body as Brahmapurī. You should look upon your mind also as Brahmapurī, the Hṛdayākāśa. It is the abode of the purest of the pure. Brahman, Jyotir Jyotiḥ, resides within it. This is how you will have to slowly orient your thought: this body is a sacred temple. When one succeeds in thinking of oneself as a sacred temple, and Brahman is within, and "I am not different from that Brahman," slowly his understanding is also applied — first to the mother, then the father, then the teacher, then everybody else. Slow expansion.
As an example: first, Gopālasumā had the darśana of child Gopāla. And then, like a devoted woman, she went to Dakṣiṇeśvara, and there she saw that this Kṛṣṇa — God himself — had said: "Whatever pathway a person chooses to approach and come to me, I will run towards him and take him into my bosom and teach him." So Gopāla — that is, Bāla Kṛṣṇa — started entering into Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's body and coming out. He did this several times until Gopāla's mother understood that her Gopāla and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa are not different — they are one and the same. In fact, Gopāla's mother first had the vision of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and then Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa transformed himself into child Gopāla.
After a few days — that is, when the idea that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa are absolutely one became firm and unshakeable — Gopāla started doing exactly the same thing but with the other direct disciples of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. She started understanding: "My Gopāla wants to teach me that he is Rākhal, he is Narendra, he is Tārak, and he is the other disciples." Like that, Gopāla entered into any number of disciples and devotees until she realized — but that also was a partial view and not complete realization.
After some weeks or months, there was a chariot festival. Those who wish to know the details can refer to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: The Great Master by Swami Sārādānanda. She described graphically that on that day she had a universal vision of her Gopāla. Everything — living and non-living, moving and non-moving, the priest, the audience, the chariot, the people pulling the chariot, the music makers — without exception, everybody was nothing but her Gopāla. With that, her realization of Sarvaṃ Khalvidaṃ Brahma was complete.
That is the purpose of Adhyāropa and Apavāda.
The Three Upāsanās of the First Chapter
As I mentioned, the first chapter contains the analysis of Adhyāropa. How do we know? Because in the first chapter, following certain types of contemplations, there are three meditations — upāsanās — described:
- Contemplation on a horse — Aśva Upāsanā
- Contemplation on fire — Agni Upāsanā
- Contemplation on Prāṇa — Prāṇa Upāsanā
In this Upaniṣad, the chapters are known as Adhyāyas. The word Adhyāya is very interesting: Adhyāpaka means teacher, adhyayana is studying, and so Adhyāya means that which teaches what a person wants to learn. Each chapter has several sections, and each section is called a Brāhmaṇa.
In the first three Brāhmaṇas of the first chapter, we see these three meditations. The first Brāhmaṇa of the first chapter consists of two verses, and the second consists of seven. Both the first and second Brāhmaṇas are devoted to the meditation on a horse and the fire used in the ritual called Aśvamedha Yajña.
The Aśvamedha Yajña
Nature of the Sacrifice
The Aśvamedha Yajña is the highest of all Vedic rites. What does the person who successfully completes this Aśvamedha Yajña attain? He will go to Prajāpati Loka, Virāṭ Loka, Brahma Loka. But this sacrifice involves a tremendous amount of money, time, power, and intelligence. Briefly: the best horse available in the kingdom is chosen and set free to roam all over the world. Of course, people accompany and attend to it, and when it returns it is worshipped, for it has become the most sacred of animals.
The purpose is twofold. The first purpose is that whichever kingdom the horse enters, the king who is performing the sacrifice must subdue its ruler. If he cannot, he cannot perform the Aśvamedha Yajña. That is why only a powerful Kṣatriya king can truly perform it, and the best soldiers with the best commander-in-chief are sent to defend the horse's passage. Even Rāma had done this.
The Story of Lava and Kuśa
When the horse came to the forest where Muni Vālmīki resided — Rāma having sent Sītā away from the kingdom, she being pregnant, and Lakṣmaṇa, devoted to Sītā, having brought her to Vālmīki Ṛṣi with tears in his eyes, though he had to obey Rāma — there she gave birth to twins, Lava and Kuśa. Vālmīki, not only a poet but also an expert archer, taught them the best of archery. The story is marvellous and very purifying.
These two children, proud and well-trained, one day saw this horse sent by Rāma — their own father, though they did not know it. Hanumān was the commander-in-chief, and nobody can defeat Hanumān because he is called Mukhya Prāṇa. Nobody can defeat Prāṇa, because if you fight with Prāṇa, Prāṇa will leave you and you will be dead. But here Mukhya Prāṇa means the best teacher of Brahma Vidyā.
How do we know this? Because of the symbolism in the South Indian version: Sītā was the individual soul, fallen into the net of Māyā called Rāvaṇāsura. Rāma sent Hanumān to rescue her. He crosses the ocean — the ocean of Saṃsāra, Māyā — and gives his Upadeśa: "Rāma is concerned about you. He will soon come and rescue you. God will bless you very soon, and you will be free from saṃsāra bandhanam." That was the message. That is why Hanumān is called Mukhya Prāṇa — the greatest Brahma Jñānī, the foremost Guru. So Hanumān liberated Sītā, who in this version is compared to a bound soul. We have to understand the symbolism. The Yoga Vāsiṣṭha Rāmāyaṇa and the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa are variations of the same meaning.
So Hanumān was the commander-in-chief, but he knew everything — where Sītā was living and where Lava and Kuśa were. These two caught hold of the horse and bound it, and Hanumān was bound to fight with Lava and Kuśa. They were already experts, as good as Rāma himself. They kept taking their mother Sītā's name, for they had the greatest faith: "If my mother's grace falls upon me — she is the divine mother — we can conquer, we can overcome anybody." And Hanumān had to give in.
Then Hanumān was bound, and the horse was brought before Sītā. She saw Hanumān, laughed, and released him, and introduced him to Lava and Kuśa. There is also a funny version. In Bengali there is a song about it. Hanumān is unconquerable — nobody can conquer him, for he is a Brahma Jñānī. Who can conquer a Guru? Impossible. But he allowed himself, indulgingly like a grandfather, to be defeated by his grandchildren in play. And since he had "been defeated," he had to carry them around — that was the bet. The children, not knowing, climbed onto his shoulders and used him like a horse. Anyway, a poet composed a song: "If I had not voluntarily allowed myself to be conquered by you, could anyone have conquered me? It is impossible." That means nobody can go beyond the Guru. Guru is Brahmā, Guru is Viṣṇu, Guru is Maheśvara. Who can cross God himself?
But every devotee should be happy to fight with God. Rāmaprasāda also composed a song: "I will take you to court, O Mother! You are not giving me my inheritance. And I will call my father as a witness that this property belongs to me. I have come of age, and you will have to yield. And if you don't yield, I will catch hold of your lotus feet and go on crying, 'Mā, Mā,' until you have no option but to give me what I want." Beautiful bhajans of this meaning have been composed by quite a number of bhajan makers.
The Conclusion of the Sacrifice and Its Fruits
Returning to our main point: the performance of the Aśvamedha Yajña demands that the king be powerful, intelligent, endowed with great resources, and it may take several years until the horse returns. When the horse finally returns, it is sacrificed and its medha — the consecrated substance — is partaken by those who conduct the ritual, including the king. Such a person, if he successfully accomplishes this Aśvamedha Yajña, is promised by scripture that he will go to Brahma Loka.
The Symbolic Meditation: Aśva Upāsanā
Now we must understand something very important. There are many people who want to go to Brahma Loka, but very few — including Brāhmaṇas — can afford to perform this sacrifice. What should they do?
What they should do is mentally perform exactly the same thing that the Kṣatriya king does — not conquering other kingdoms, but simply contemplating on the horse. This is called contemplation, Dhyāna Mantra. Whoever is not a powerful, intelligent, and wealthy Kṣatriya — any Brāhmaṇa, any other Kṣatriya, or person of any caste who has the capacity of mind — can do it.
The horse, however, is to be contemplated as Virāṭ — as Hiraṇyagarbha, as Brahmā. Every part of the horse is described in this Upaniṣad, and every part is compared to one part of this universe. Not only powerful kings, but others as well can obtain the same result through this symbolic meditation, in which the different parts of the sacrificial horse are to be regarded as the different parts of the creator Prajāpati's body.
Now what do they attain? Whether it is the Kṣatriya who actually performs the Aśvamedha Yajña, or others who do this Aśva Upāsanā as Virāṭ Upāsanā, as Hiraṇyagarbha Upāsanā, as Brahma Upāsanā — the result is that all of them without exception go to Brahma Loka.
The Nature of Brahma Loka
Brahma Loka is the most exalted plane in this entire creation. Brahmā is the presiding deity, and this world is the manifestation of that Brahmā alone. What is the speciality of this Brahma Loka? Any inhabitant of Brahma Loka is conscious of his individuality, and at the same time knows his identity with all created beings. Who is Brahmā? He who identifies himself with all creation is called Brahmā. But at the same time, he doesn't say "I am Parabrahman, the Supreme Brahman." Rather: "I am an individual, but the whole universe is my individuality."
Can we understand this? Yes. Every day we go to our Svapna Loka. The waking "I," after the waking state comes the dream state, becomes the entire universe created in imagination. But at the same time, even in the dream we are highly conscious of our individuality. We are not conscious in the dream that we are every object in the dream world — for that we have to wake up, come to this waking world, and recollect: "Oh! I became the tree. I became the tiger. I became my neighbours. I became my friend. I became my enemy. And I gave myself a great present in the form of somebody else. And I also robbed myself." Whatever happens in the dream state — upon waking up we see that I, the one waker alone, created everything.
The condition of Brahma Loka is similar, but far greater. The denizen of Brahma Loka knows much better than the ordinary waker that the entire created world is himself. But because Loka means limitation, he knows he is also an individual. Only when he attains to Brahman will that individuality be totally dissolved. Until that time, he knows: "This entire creation is me and nothing else."
And even this gives such happiness. The more expansive one becomes, the more identification there is, the greater will be one's happiness. Let me give an example to help imagine it. Picture a householder — perhaps 100 years ago — who has several fields, is a good person, an intelligent and expert cultivator. He has married a devout wife and has five or six children, all sons, all married, all staying in the same house as a joint family, every person — husbands, wives, and their children — very good, loving, helping each other. They consider the entire joint family as "me." Just imagine, and then you can understand what the person in Brahma Loka feels.
This citizen of Brahma Loka identifies himself with this entire universe. What happens? He doesn't see the defects. He doesn't see the wickedness. He doesn't see the suffering. Because what does he see? Just as a person with a very beautiful dream would like to recollect that dream as many times as possible and re-enjoy it — like that, for this person there is no birth, there is no death. It is a beautiful, marvellous drama taking place.
This is how we gain a glimpse of what Brahma Loka is. Once a person attains to this state, he experiences the highest happiness possible in this dualistic world. Then what happens? One who knows, "I am in Brahma Loka, in fact I have become one with Brahmā by contemplating on him — I identified myself with Brahmā, and that is called the Brahma Loka experience" — for this person there is no neighbor, no friend, no enemy in any conventional sense. In Brahma Loka, I am Brahmā. That is called Brahma Loka. A person who reaches Indra Loka, I am Indra. I am Prajāpati. I am Bṛhaspati. We have to understand that particular fact.
Beyond Brahma Loka: The Longing for Brahman
So one who knows this — then his eyes open further and he sees: even this Brahma Loka is perishable. Maybe for a long time and an extraordinarily great quantum of happiness is experienced here. But as soon as the result of the Karma comes to an end, he has to again come back and earn that puṇyam again. Like a person who stays in a first-class hotel, enjoys everything, and then comes back, and has to earn once more if he wants to stay in that hotel again.
Like that, he understands: all these rites, all these upāsanās where the distinction between the worshipper and the deity is admitted — a person who has done these must eventually become eager for the knowledge of Brahman, which alone enables one to attain freedom and immortality.
The Six Benefits of Upāsanā
Before we go into the text, we have to understand and remind ourselves of what results we attain if we can hone and perfect the art of contemplation.
Like first-class students: first, concentration — undeviating concentration. Second, unmitigated, extraordinarily positive, great spiritual imagination. What do you think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was doing when he was meditating upon the Divine Mother? He was exercising his imagination — not meditating upon a stone-like figure made of basalt that he used to worship, but a living imagination.
Third, in contemplation — upāsanā — a lower object is replaced with a higher object. Example: the Śiva Liṅga with Śiva, Śālagrāma with Viṣṇu, and the symbol of the cross with Jesus Christ, etc.
Fourth, what happens in this upāsanā is the separation of everything from "I," the pure consciousness. Pure consciousness alone is everything, and everything derives from this consciousness. First the mind borrows it, then it lends it to the sense organs. This happens to all living creatures in this world. And according to Advaita Vedānta, even the non-living creatures are manifestations of Sat, Cit, and Ānanda — only they are not aware that they exist. They exist, but they are not aware that we exist. They are not aware that we are Ānanda Svarūpas. Only living beings experience it, and when that experience comes to an end, it is called unhappiness. Then comes again the attempt to become one with happiness. That is how it continues.
So: separation of everything from "I," which is pure consciousness. Then that "I," now pure consciousness, should be united — this individual consciousness should be united with the universal consciousness. That is, instead of saying "I am so-and-so," I am Brahman. Or if we start slowly: I am Kālī, I am Śiva, I am Viṣṇu — slowly, slowly. Or if we cannot understand even that, we say: I am Annamaya Brahma, I am Prāṇamaya Brahma, I am Manomaya Brahma, I am Vijñānamaya Brahma, I am Ānandamaya Brahma — slowly ascending, but always identifying with the larger whole. That is the purpose of upāsanā.
And lastly, this is called expansiveness of mind — Citta Vaiśālyatā. Gradually, on one side I give up my limitedness, and I start identifying with the universal. These are the six benefits of upāsanā.
Summary: The Three Brahmanas and Their Purpose
So this first Brāhmaṇa is called Aśvamedha Brāhmaṇa. In fact, the first, second, and third Brāhmaṇas of the first chapter all speak of these upāsanās. We must remember: this is called Adhyāropa Prakaraṇa, because Sṛṣṭi — creation — is vividly described here.
As I mentioned, this description is meant for a purpose: the Guru does not want to deny our experience that this universe is real. But it is an effect. An effect is always limited from the cause. The cause is unlimited; the effect is limited. So you will be more happy if you expand yourself into the cause. Find out the cause of this universe. Who is that? Brahmā. Find out the cause of Brahmā. Then it becomes Brahman. That is the purpose.
So there are three upāsanās in these first three Brāhmaṇas: Aśva, Agni, and Prāṇa. We will talk about this in our next class.
Closing Prayer
Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum
Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.
Jai Ramakrishna!