Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.1-2 Lecture 12 on 01 March 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Lecture on Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: Madhukāṇḍa, First Brāhmaṇa
Opening Invocation
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.
Recap: Structure of the First Chapter
We have seen yesterday that the first chapter has six sections, and we have entered into the first section. A section in Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is called a Brāhmaṇa — Prathamam Brāhmaṇam. It is talking about a great Upāsanā called Aśva Upāsanā, and we have to keep in mind what an Upāsanā is: to take a smaller, insignificant object and mentally, imaginatively, superimpose upon it extraordinary qualities and be one with it — completely merged with it. That is called Upāsanā.
What Is Upāsanā? The Example of Śāligrāma
Again, a small example: a worshipper of Śāligrāma, which is a representative of Bhagavān Viṣṇu. Even though it is a small piece of stone — and perhaps if you take a small hammer and give it a small blow, it will break into pieces — that is not the point. It has to be considered as Bhagavān Viṣṇu himself. And Bhagavān Viṣṇu is what? He is all-pervading. He is the Brahman. He is unimaginable.
Therefore we take some — it is called Avalambana, or a small support — and superimpose upon it something huge, something noble, something great, which we would like to become. This intensity of the desire to become is called Bhakti.
If somebody says, "I have devotion to God, but I do not wish to become as great as God," then that is not truly Bhakti. But we hope that in the course of time the understanding dawns: I have to come nearer and nearer to God. That process of coming nearer to God — until finally God absorbs us into Himself, destroying any difference that can rise up in our minds and thus removing the second — there is no second; only I alone am. That state is expressed beautifully as Aham Brahmāsmi.
The Purpose of Upāsanā: Merging the Ego into Brahman
The purpose of the Upāsanā is slowly to become merged — to destroy one's ego and become one with Brahman. That is the purpose of any Upāsanā, whether a Christian devotee contemplates on a cross, or whether a Muslim contemplates turning to the West, or a Kṛṣṇa Bhakta takes up a small picture of Kṛṣṇa and meditates upon it. Meditation also can be singing — not only meditating, but to sing and become absorbed in that singing; not in the singing itself, but in the bhāva, the very emotion of that bhajan. That is called contemplation.
There was a great devotee called Narasī Mehtā. He was born in Gujarat, and he wrote one of the most famous bhajans: Vaiṣṇava Janato Tene Kahie Jee Pīḍā Parāī Jāṇe Re.
"Only that person alone deserves to be called a devotee who feels the sufferings, the pain, the difficulties of other people." Pīḍā means any type of suffering; parāī means of other people. Only such a person deserves to be named a Vaiṣṇava.
Why? Because that is what exactly God does. He feels. He doesn't say, "I am different from this person." Why does a mother feel when the child is crying helplessly? Why does she go through so much agony? Because she understands: this is me. Sometimes saying "this is mine" and feeling "this is me" — there is not much difference. It is exactly the same.
Upāsanā as Expansion of Identity: Citta Vaiśālyatā
So that is the purpose of the Upāsanā: to develop concentration and the finest, noblest imagination; to expand our identity with so many others, so many other things. And that is called Citta Vaiśālyatā — to acquire purity, and to develop the understanding that everything in this world which I think is different from me is ignorance, and to think everything is me — that is pure knowledge.
This is the purpose of any Upāsanā and every single devotee aspiring to go to God, whether they may use the language "I want to go to Vaikuṇṭha" or "Kailāsa" or "Paradise" or "Kingdom of Heaven." These are all inadequate human words, but the meaning is: I want to go nearer to God.
Just imagine what happens when a dry stick is slowly taken nearer and nearer to the fire, and finally you throw it into the fire — what does it become? It becomes fire itself. Then there is no distinction, "this is a fire-stick separate from the fire." Fire absorbs and makes it as its own, as itself. That is the purpose of the Upāsanā.
Upāsanā as Moral and Spiritual Preparation
This Upāsanā is a preparation so that our mind expands. And the more our mind expands, what happens? Our morality — that is, I cannot speak an untruth to myself. I cannot cherish a desire: "I want to harm this person." I can't think: "I want to give pain to this person." On the contrary: "I want to give everything I have to this person."
Even to understand this statement, we are required to exercise our imagination. Why? Because even while saying we want to identify ourselves with others, even in our mind, we are fully aware we are not the other people. That is not Upāsanā. A person not only must feel — he must have that knowledge.
The Difference Between Knowledge and Feeling
Feeling is different. Knowledge is different. Many people have no understanding of what is the difference between knowledge and feeling.
Suppose Rāmakṛṣṇa sees a poor man — his knowledge is: "This is me suffering." Svāmī Vivekānanda says: "This is me suffering." Holy Mother says: "This is me suffering." And so their feeling first comes from knowledge, then comes feeling.
In our case: "Oh, if I go through that same suffering, how much I feel uncomfortable — so this person also must be feeling so uncomfortable." That's not the idea. The knowledge that there is absolutely no distinction, no difference, no second thing from anything — there is no second thing — that is called knowledge. So the purpose of Upāsanā is to acquire that knowledge.
As an example: a meditator on Indra — until he becomes one with Indra and feels "I am Indra" — that meditation still is an effort, a sādhanā, but he has not attained the goal. When a person says Aham Indro'smi, Aham Brahmāsmi, then that knowledge is complete. And then whatever be the happiness, the bliss of Indra, of Candra, of Sūrya, of Vaiśvānara, of Prajāpati, of Bṛhaspati, of Brahmā — they all become his own. This is the understanding we must have about Upāsanā.
Why Is Upāsanā Necessary? The Advaitic View of Creation
Now a big question comes: why Upāsanā at all? Because we are living in a world and we call it creation, and it is an effect. Every effect must have a cause. And that cause — at this moment of our ignorance — we think is different from the effect.
A mother gives birth to a baby, and mother is different, baby is different. That is most people's understanding — or misunderstanding. But when an Advaitin says that clay is now appearing as a pot — here clay is not giving birth and remaining separate; clay itself is the pot. Pot is but nāma and rūpa. Vikāro nāmadheyan — that's all. It is only a way of speech. There is nothing but clay in that pot.
That is the true nature of Upāsanā: to feel that this universe is nothing but Brahman. It is not like Brahman is somewhere sitting and, like a potter, creating a pot. Brahman himself — itself, herself — has become this whole universe.
The Role of Upāsanā in Removing Duality
And in order to understand that one — where are we now? For us, the reality is the creation. Therefore the teacher has to teach: "Now you are seeing the universe as completely different, separate, as many number of objects, and you are separate from every other object." That is the worst manifestation of ignorance. Now we have to slowly remove what is called duality. Upāsanā is a form of removing that duality, slowly but surely. This is called sādhanā.
So yesterday, if you still remember — why is the Upaniṣad, which is supposed to teach us the supreme knowledge of Brahman, that I am Brahman, dealing with this Upāsanā? Because we are thinking that I am in the world, I am in creation, I am a created being, I am separate from Brahman, I am not one with Brahman. And therefore, this is a two-fold process, or two-fold results obtained through Upāsanā:
Slowly, as I approach Brahman through contemplation — first, my difference with the creation becomes smaller and smaller, my sense of separation diminishes; and then, second, I am also approaching Brahman. This lessening of the distance from the world — which we are experiencing — is called approaching Brahman, nearer and nearer.
The Scripture's Acceptance of Creation as a Teaching Method: Adhyāropa and Apavāda
So first, the scripture — that is, the Veda — accepts creation, not because it thinks that is the truth, but because it knows that for us it is the truth. And then, secondly, how to slowly make us remove that ignorance.
For that purpose: yes, the universe is real. You are thinking that you are separate from it — that is not real. The universe is real only in a limited sense. It is ever-changing. It is dependent upon consciousness. And it gives both happiness and unhappiness. And it cannot be relied upon. That's why it is not ṛtam. It is anṛtam, asatyam. That is called Mithyā.
Yesterday also I explained the purpose of Apavāda. Apavāda means removing this ignorance — it is not to deny. Because to deny, you have to say: "There is an object and it is not Brahman." That would be a totally wrong statement. Because other than Brahman — Brahman means infinite — in the infinite, there is something separate from the infinite. That is going to be the ultimate manifestation of ignorance.
The Interconnectedness of Creation: Madhukāṇḍa
So therefore, slowly it says — now, like the children of one parent, so you are all one. First with human beings, then with other beings like the animals, birds, insects, trees, then the living and non-living — that distinction, that separateness, is gradually to become less.
And what is the way to lessen it? To say that without it, you cannot live; without you, it cannot live. That is why this first chapter in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka is called Madhukāṇḍa. Madhu means honey. Honey means everything is honey to everything else.
Just as when I eat honey, I get so much happiness — whenever any object gives me such happiness, I call it Madhu. That is why "dear" in the English language. So everything is dear. But not only certain things are dear to me — I am also dear to other things. When a mosquito looks at me, I am Madhu to it. When a hungry tiger spies me, I am honey, I am Madhu to it — nice food, that is what it thinks. So we are totally interconnected, totally dependent upon each other.
The Pañcabhūtas: Interdependence of the Five Elements
The whole creation is nothing but a combination of five elements — space, air, fire, water, and earth — and all these are interdependent. There is not one single object which is not the manifestation of these five elements: Pañcabhūtas.
Suppose here is a baby. He requires food to eat. He requires water to survive. He requires certain warmth — fire — which fortunately the body system keeps as homeostasis. Then he requires oxygen every second. And then he also requires space to move here and there for activity. Therefore, no baby, no living animal can survive without anything. Even for a big rock, it requires so much space for it to occupy — otherwise, if there is no space, a mountain cannot survive, an ocean cannot survive, a forest cannot survive.
So everything in this world is dependent upon each other. Therefore, the scripture first accepts the world. It knows these are all effects. Effects are non-different from the cause, and gradually it takes us to the cause.
The Return to the Cause: Ekam Eva Advitīyam
Effect means differentiation. Even if you make two pots from clay, both are different from each other — because you can say "bring the small pot," "big pot," "the pot above," "pot below," "pot to the left," "pot to the right." If there is more than one, we require some characteristic to distinguish it. That is what is very important. And that is called ignorance.
The whole universe comes out from the earth. The earth comes from water, and water comes from fire. Fire comes from air. Air comes from space, and space is a manifestation of Ātman, Brahman. So ultimately, the cause is only one without a second. Ekam eva advitīyam. We have seen in the sixth chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad: Sad eva somya idamagra āsīt ekam eva advitīyam.
So first, the wise teacher comes down to our level and says: "Yes, everything is different. But at the same time, there is something common within everyone." And second: "One object cannot survive without a second object. In fact, we depend upon everything. Everything affects us." If you understand what is called the El Niño effect, perhaps you understand what I am hinting at.
The Three Upāsanās of the First Chapter
That is the purpose of this Upāsanā — slowly to expand. Expansion means identifying. Expansion means removing the separatedness and achieving the feeling that there is no difference between me and that object.
So first we are accepting the creation. Then we are accepting that creation alone as the real, not God as real. But when our intelligence grows a bit, then we understand through discrimination there is something wrong with me — I am missing something. Then we approach humbly a teacher who says: "Yes, you are right. But this is the meditation you practise." Then slowly you understand you are non-separate from other things.
So this first chapter, this first section is called Dhyārūpa — that is, accepting the creation as it is and slowly taking one to the next step until we reach that state where we know we are the infinite.
The second chapter is going to speak about Upavāda, which we will see. The first chapter called Madhukāṇḍa we have seen already. There are three Upāsanās mentioned here: Aśva Upāsanā, Agni Upāsanā, Prāṇa Upāsanā.
The Nature of Contemplation and the Mind
Upāsanā means contemplation. Contemplation means in our imagination, through our mind, we have to think — because we act and interact with this whole universe, with our body, with our own possessions, with our own mind, only through the mind. Mind alone is the root cause of ignorance. Mind alone is the root cause of liberation.
So in this first chapter called Madhu Brāhmaṇa, in the first three Brāhmaṇas, three specific contemplations are given. They are in this order: first, Horse — Aśva Upāsanā; second, Agni or Fire Upāsanā; third, Prāṇa or Vital Force Upāsanā.
Here I have to tell you something: these words and these terms and these understandings seem to be very strange to us. But in the olden days, the Ṛṣis — as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa describes — are extraordinarily pure, intelligent, capable of understanding, and they pray with the Gāyatrī Upāsanā: Dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt — "May you give me the right understanding so that you can guide each one of us to your own real nature."
Karmāṅga Upāsanā and Svātantra Upāsanā
So an Upāsanā — first, Aśva Upāsanā, and just for information: it is called Karmāṅga Upāsanā. So Aśva Upāsanā is not an independent contemplation — it is a part of a bigger ritual called Aśvamedha Yajña.
Yesterday I explained: a horse is let out and it is made to roam, and if everybody accepts it and pays homage to it — pays some annual rent, etc. — only a very powerful, rich, intelligent Kṣatriya king can perform it. Part of that Aśvamedha Yajña is this Aśva Upāsanā.
Now, why this Aśva Upāsanā? The question comes: only one in perhaps a billion can do this Aśvamedha Yajña, and part of that Yajña is this Aśva Upāsanā. But what about the other people?
Any king who successfully concludes his Aśvamedha Yajña will attain the highest Loka called Brahmaloka — incomparable happiness for a long time, unbroken bliss — but even that falls under finiteness, Saṃsāra. Therefore one has to probably still move upward towards Brahman. Brahmaloka is not Brahmanloka — we have to understand that distinction.
So for others? For that purpose, the scripture says: anybody can attain to this same Brahmaloka, provided they do this Aśva Upāsanā. When a contemplation is prescribed and performed as part of a ritual, it is called Karmāṅga Upāsanā — a part of the entire big ritual. But when it is done separately, without any ritual, that is called Svātantra Upāsanā. So for a king, he can do both the Aśvamedha Yajña as well as, as part of it, this Upāsanā. But for everybody — including Brāhmaṇas — they cannot afford to do it. And therefore they also say: "I also want to go to that Brahmaloka." For that purpose, this Aśva Upāsanā is prescribed.
Upāsanā as a Path to Brahman: The Example of Rāmakṛṣṇa
As a simple example — probably not entirely appropriate — we need not do so many austerities like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. But if we can meditate upon him, contemplate him — if we can do it properly — then we attain Rāmakṛṣṇa. We become one with Rāmakṛṣṇa. And since Rāmakṛṣṇa has become one with Brahman, we also become one with Brahma.
Yesterday I explained to one of the questioners: what about the Lokas like Vaikuṇṭha, Kailāsa, or Kingdom of Heaven, or Paradise? I said that we can only reach to this level through Karma — a limited effort can only give this great result of reaching this Loka. After that, nobody can really attain Brahman through effort, through Karma. And that is why Śaṅkarācārya was so vehemently opposed: Karma cannot give Mukti. What can give Mukti? Only complete surrender to God alone can give Mukti. Surrender — oneness with Brahman — Neti Neti — these are all synonymous words we have to understand.
The Aśva Upāsanā: Seeing the Horse as Virāṭ
So we will briefly deal with what is this Aśva Upāsanā.
In Aśva Upāsanā — contemplation on the horse — we should not see that horse as a mere horse. If you see a stone as a mere stone, then it is not Upāsanā. If you see a cross as mere two pieces of wood arranged crosswise, that is not Upāsanā. If somebody sees Christ and his life of Sannyāsa and sacrifice, that is called Upāsanā.
If somebody can see — as the first step — Virāṭ Upāsanā: we have dealt with it elaborately in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad when we were talking about the Pañcakośas. How one ascends to the peak of the Annamayakośa, then he becomes Annabrahma. Then only he has the right, he has the capacity, he has what you call Yogyatā — fitness — to enter into the next higher Upāsanā. That is: "I am Prāṇa" — not "I have Prāṇa" but "I am Prāṇa." Not "I am an individual Prāṇa," but "I am the universal Prāṇa." That is called Prāṇabrahma. "I am the universal mind" — that is called Manobrahma. "I am the right understanding, absolutely truth understanding" — and not only my own individual understanding, but I am that same understanding which is manifesting as understanding in the whole universe. That is called Vijñānabrahma. And then: not only I am happy, but I am — anybody's, everybody's happiness is my happiness. That is called Ānandamayabrahma.
But even at that stage, "I am there, but Brahman also is there" — in a faint separation. Only a person who has reached Ānandamayabrahma can ascend the next step. So the teacher, according to the fitness of the student, gradually takes him step by step — however long it takes, it doesn't matter. Like a loving mother who helps some children learn quickly to crawl, then to stand up, then to run; but some people take longer time. So the mother patiently, joyfully, leads the small child until the small child also can reach. But it may not be in one life — it can be in several lives.
The Method of Aśva Upāsanā: Seeing the Universe in the Horse
So we should not see a horse as a mere horse. Then what should we do? If we see the horse as Virāṭ, as Hiraṇyagarbha, as Prajāpati — these are three names — as Mahat, then it becomes an Upāsanā. A small stone, to look upon as a small stone is not Upāsanā — I just mentioned. But to look upon it as a veritable Viṣṇu, a cross as a veritable Christ — that is called Upāsanā. A small object glorified as a greater object is the Upāsanā.
Now the question here is: we are discussing about Aśva Upāsanā, contemplation on a horse. Naturally the question comes: why did they choose a horse? Because just as a few years earlier a bicycle was the most common vehicle — practically everybody knew how to ride a bicycle — so in those golden days, in any part of the world, east or west, a horse was the vehicle. And a horse not only helps us in travelling — it helps in cultivation, and even mare's milk is used.
You know, these Mongolians — the Genghis Khans — they used to ride small, short mares of extraordinary capacity, which could move faster even under the most difficult climbing situations. These Mongols used to prefer these mares. Why? Because when they were hungry, they could just take a bit of the milk and blood, mix them — that is the highest protein supplement they discovered in those days, probably better than anything else in the world. So everybody requires that strength, that stamina. And horses were very common animals used for different purposes: for cultivation, for travel, for milk, for so many other purposes. Even the dung of the horse is one of the greatest fertilisers.
And therefore they have taken this one. So therefore, in the olden days — and nowadays too, if we want to do contemplation, we take what is most commonly available. In those days, this horse is used. And even if some people could not afford a horse, they knew what a horse was.
So horses are used, cows are used, bulls are used in these special worships called Gomedha, Aśvamedha — even we hear of Nāramedha, Nṛmedha, human beings also as vehicles and instruments of higher contemplations. So, Aśva Virāṭ Upāsanā: seeing in that horse, how to see the universal in this one simple horse. You take every part of the horse and compare each part of the horse with the corresponding part of the universe. By comparing the parts of the horse with Virāṭ, seeing the horse is considered equal to seeing the Virāṭ — and this is what the Upaniṣad wants to tell us.
Freedom of Choice in Upāsanā
So if we do not like a horse, we can take Kṛṣṇa, we can take Rāma, we can take Kālī — any. If you are born as a Hindu or if you adopt Hinduism, then what is called 330 crores of objects are available for your Upāsanā. No doubt about it.
Salutation to the Ṛṣis
Let me first of all salute all those who discovered these highest truths, including these Upāsanās. They are called Ṛṣis. Therefore, we are today able to get help because of their effort. They are like the mother who eats food for the baby, produces milk, and that milk nourishes the baby. We are like that baby. These Ṛṣis are like our mothers.
That is why Śāstra is compared to a mother — just as a loving mother lovingly guides the child to grow up in every way, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc. So these Ṛṣis want us to slowly manifest our divinity within. That was what that Ṛṣi — brought from the Saptarṣi Maṇḍala by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, later on called Svāmī Vivekānanda — said: Uttiṣṭhata, Jāgrata, Prāpya Varān Nibodhata. We have to understand that.
The Salutation Mantra
So this is the salutation mantra:
Oṃ Namo Brahma Divyo, Brahma Vidyā Sampradāya Kartṛbhyo, Vaṃśa Ṛṣibhyo, Mahadbhyo, Namo Gurubhyaḥ.
Salutations to all the Gurus. What type of Gurus? Mahadbhyaḥ — the greatest people on earth. They are called Vaṃśa Ṛṣis. Through their vaṃśa — their lineage — they propagated those highest truths which are beneficial to everybody, not only to their own lineage, to their own disciples. And that is called Sampradāya Kartṛbhyo — Sampradāya means unbroken tradition from the teacher to the disciple.
And what type of knowledge were they propagating? Brahma Vidyā Sampradāya Kartṛbhyo. This is coming from time — unimaginable, timeless time. And so, Namaḥ. Brahma Divyo — they are none other than Brahman themselves. So, right from Brahman, Brahman manifested through these Ṛṣis and then revealed little by little to each Ṛṣi; and what they realised, they passed it on to their disciples. And that came, passed on to Totapuri Mahārāj, passed on to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, passed on to Svāmī Vivekānanda, passed on to Svāmī Brahmānanda. And through other disciples it came to all of us. If I am speaking today, it all belongs to them. The thankfulness should only go to them because I am only a pipe. That is how we have to understand.
The First Brāhmaṇa: Recitation and Meaning
Very briefly — because even the recitation of these mantras is highly purifying, even when we do not understand their meaning — here is the first Adhyāya, Madhukāṇḍa, first Brāhmaṇa. It has two mantras and we will first chant the first mantra.
Adhyāya Madhukāṇḍa, Adhyāya Madhukāṇḍa.
This is the first mantra, and I will just read out its plain simple meaning:
Oṃ. Verily, the head of the sacrificial horse is the dawn — the eastern side. Its eye is the sun. Its vital breath is the wind. Its open mouth is Vaiśvānara, the fire. And the trunk of the sacrificial horse is the year. The back is the heaven. The belly, the intermediate region. The hoof, the earth. The sides, the four quarters. The ribs, the intermediate quarters. The limbs, the seasons. The joints, the months and half months. The feet, the days and nights. The bones, the stars. The flesh, the clouds. Its half-digested food is the sand. The blood and the cells are the rivers. The liver and lungs are the mountains. The hair, the herbs and trees. The fore part of the horse is the rising sun, and the hinder part of the horse is the setting sun. Its yawn is lightning. Its shaking of the body is thunder. Its water is rain. And its neighing is indeed voice.
The Meaning of This Description
What does all this description really mean? You look at this universe and you will see all these things. All the four directions are there: East, West, South, North. The mountains are there. The rivers are there. The five elements are there. Everything that you can imagine — and everything; if something is lacking, this universe will not be complete. All that is attributed.
"You think of this part of the horse as this" — what is happening? When we contemplate like that, a horse disappears. What appears? The whole universal Ātmā — Virāṭ. So when we look at the horse, it is nothing but Virāṭ.
And lest we may still be confused, I can tell you one thing: take any object — it doesn't matter. Take a small image. There is a head, there is a neck, there is a backside, there is a front side, there are hands. We have seen in the Pañcakośa Vyāvaraṇa — like a human being: left hand, right hand, left leg, right leg, the middle back and the front part, the head and the neck and the ears and the eyes. You can take anything, provided your purpose is to transform that particular person.
That is how: when we say "Let me think of my mother as Brahman, as Devī" — Mātṛdevo Bhava — whenever you look at the mother, you first of all compare every part of the mother to every part of the entire Divine Mother. Identify one's own mother as the Divine Mother. Once asked: "Can I meditate upon my own mother as the Divine Mother?" Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said: "Why not? She is the best symbol and representation of the Divine Mother."
So this horse is only one object, but it is not restrained to that object.
The Fruit of Aśva Upāsanā: An Illustration
What is the result of it? I will tell you very briefly. Suppose a person who is doing this contemplation has to ride a horse — what do you think that person does? "I am being carried by God Himself." You think Bhagavān Viṣṇu comes from Vaikuṇṭha flying through Garuḍa — these are all symbols. What is the symbolism of the symbol? Garuḍa means our Guru — he who carries God, brings God nearer to us, like Hanumān. He has brought the news of Mātā Sītā by flying across the Saṃsāra, and then only Rāma went there — because we cannot go to God; God has to come to us. So that is the purpose of the Upāsanā.
So he thinks: "You are carrying me from a lower place to a higher place." Suppose that Kṣatriya is fighting a war — how should he think of the animal? "You bring me victory, because the sword I am carrying is Bhagavān's sword — Bhagavān's Cakra, Bhagavān's Sudarśana Cakra, Gadā." If he is using a stick, that is Bhagavān's Gadā. If he does the contemplation like that, then it will be wonderful.
Such things really happen. Actually it happened, and if you remember Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's wonderful story: there was a king who was a Kṛṣṇa Bhakta. Somehow the enemy king came to know that this person will not come out of the shrine room of Kṛṣṇa until noon. So: "If I attack then, nobody will oppose me — because without the king's commandment nothing moves. He has to say 'let us go and fight'; otherwise nobody will move one millimetre from wherever he is until the king commands."
So the enemy was killing the soldiers wherever he could. Then suddenly the king had a very special horse, and that horse — nobody dared to ride it or touch it, excepting those who looked after it. Suddenly a young man came, took hold of that horse, and immediately ran away before anybody could stop him. He alone fought with the enemy king, destroyed the enemy forces. And then, when the king came out, he saw his horse — from its mouth foam was coming out, as if it had been heavily used.
The king got angry. He asked: "Who has been using my horse?" They said: "We don't know. A stranger came — an extraordinary person that we could not do anything; we were just rooted to this spot. He rode the horse, he conquered that enemy king who had attacked your kingdom, and then he came back after felling everything, destroying all these enemies, and then he came here and he disappeared."
The king was astonished. He understood — probably a little bit. So he again went to the battlefield. He saw the enemy king — he was not harmed, but he was lying prostrate. As soon as the enemy king saw the victorious king, he fell at his feet and said: "Who is that soldier? He alone destroyed all my armies. I wanted to fight him, but absolutely I had no power. Not only that — I wanted to offer myself as a slave to that person. He is so immensely attractive that I cannot separate myself from him, and that thought of him doesn't leave me. Please tell me about that soldier — I want to fall at his feet and beg him to take me as his servant."
Then the king understood: when he was absorbed in Kṛṣṇa Upāsanā, Kṛṣṇa himself had taken the form of the soldier — and not only destroyed the enemy army, he destroyed the enmity of the enemy king himself.
This is not a story — this is one of the most marvellous illustrations of the Upāsanā Phala. Everybody becomes the friendliest person, because we are the greatest friends of our own self. Beautiful thoughts.
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!