Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 30 on 03 May 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
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.
The Central Questions of the Seekers
So there was a great discussion among the seekers of Brahman: What is the nature of Brahman? What is the relationship between me and Brahman? And how can I attain that Brahman? Especially, this is the essence of the mantras 9th and 10th in the 4th section of the 1st chapter.
To recollect what we had discussed: Brahman alone seems to wander in saṃsāra through ignorance. And thinking that "I am not Brahman," and through the grace of God , the grace of Guru, the same ignorant Brahman — which is called jīvātmā — slowly recognises: "I was never a jīvātmā. I was always, I was, I am, and I will be Brahman only."
The Pūrvapakṣa: The View of the Opponents
As we discussed in the last class, there were so many pūrvapakṣīs. In a sense, what they want to say is that the jīvātmā is from the beginning only a separate soul wandering in this saṃsāra, but he wants to get rid of this limitation. So he does spiritual practice — especially what is called upāsanā. Upāsanā means becoming like the object of meditation. Just as when we approach a blazing fire, we feel more and more heat, and if we become one with fire, we also are known as only fire — similarly, when a person approaches God — and the definition of God is either sat-cit-ānanda or satyaṃ jñānaṃ anantaṃ brahma — so this person, who was not Brahman, by spiritual practice slowly he changes his nature. He who was limited now becomes unlimited. "सर्वं भवति" (Sarvam bhavati). This is one of the views of the opponents, especially a person called Bhartṛprapañca.
Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation: Karma and Jñāna Cannot Change Nature
Śaṅkarācārya refutes this view and says: first of all, the nature of a thing can never be changed either by karma — action — or by jñānam , or knowledge.
What does knowledge say? It only reveals what is. It cannot change anything. What can karma do? It can only remove the obstructions and then reveal the nature of an object. For example, if sugar is covered with dirt and dust, and then we employ certain methods to clean it up, the pure sugar will come out. So that cleaning process doesn't change what is not sugar into sugar — it removes the obstacles. So, then the knowledge will reveal: this is the nature of the sugar. But either karma or jñāna — both cannot change the nature of a thing. It is impossible.
Can a Jīva Become Brahman? Bhartṛprapañca's Claim
So this is one (point). The second is: how does one jīva become Brahman? And especially there was a person called Bhartṛprapañca — he was a very powerful opponent, long before Śaṅkarācārya, and many people followed Bhartṛprapañca's views.
Bhartṛprapañca claims: even though we are all jīvas, by doing upāsanā — and remember, upāsanā is also an action; it is a mental action, but for any mental action the physical body must cooperate. Normally you cannot lie down on a soft bed and try to contemplate on God. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa could do that; Swami Advaitānandajī could do that — people who have absolute control over their mind can do that. But ordinary people cannot, because the tendency of the bed is to make a person fall asleep.
So here we have this beautiful sādhanā. That is what Bhartṛprapañca claims: you go on thinking about God, you forget yourself, and then slowly jīvātmā becomes Parabrahma.
And the same logic applies whether you meditate, whether you do action, or whether you obtain knowledge. No — a jīva can never become Brahma.
The Advaita Answer: Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi
Then what is it that Advaita Vedānta wants to teach? That what you are calling yourself — "I am a jīvātmā" — it is a wrong opinion. You are suffering under the delusion that "I am not Brahman." Just like a prince who was kidnapped and brought up by some street beggars starts thinking: "These are my parents. I am also a child of a beggar. I have nothing." Until somebody comes and recognizes him and then tries to prove it — it will take quite a long time for that person to say: "How can I be a prince?" But in the course of time, truth will come out. Because if we are Brahman, it has to come out — even after a zillion births. But if we are not, no amount of washing the black skin of a rat is going to turn it into a pure white-skinned rat. It is not going to be possible.
So therefore what is it? This Mahāvākya — Ahaṃ brahmāsmi — is one of the most powerful of the mantras. It is telling us that you were, you are, you will be Brahman. But for some mysterious reason — and no school of philosophy was able to tell (us the origin of this) — especially Advaita Vedānta says that you are suffering from avidyā. And where does this avidyā come from? That was a very interesting topic.
Even today, accepting or evading a straightforward reply — even Advaitins are forced to tell that there is no such thing called avidyā, because consciousness is pure. Pure consciousness is pure jñānam. Pure knowledge can never entertain even a bit, an iota of ignorance. So it is, therefore, not there.
The Purpose of Spiritual Practice: Gauḍapāda's View
Then what about this saṃsāra? Well, as we saw yesterday — according to Gauḍapāda — the whole purpose of spiritual practice is to understand that actually what you are seeing is none other than Brahman. But because of some coverings on your mind, you are thinking: "This is not Brahman. This is the world." Brahman is one; the world is multiplicity. Brahman is unlimited; the world is limited. Brahman is only one — so no difference, internal or external.
Three types of differences: — no species difference (no vijātīya-bheda) ; — no difference between two objects of the same species (no sajātīya-bheda); — no internal differences (no svagata-bheda) . So vijātīya, sajātīya, svagata-bhedas are not there. Brahman is bheda-rahitaḥ. But I am thinking everything is differentiated. It is because of some power called avidyā.
So just like a person mistakes a harmless, innocent rope for a snake — there was not, there is not, there will not be any snake there. What was there is only revealed. If this person had come during daytime when there is light, he would not have mistaken it. If it were completely dark, he would not have had that illusion (either). Only when there is a phantom, creative, semi-darkness present — then you will come to make that mistake.
And Brahman is not something which can be objectified. Brahman is beyond both the subject and object. And then how is it to be done? —"न तु विषयी करणम्" , Neti, neti — this will come later on. Na iti. So this is not a denial of Brahman but a negation of everything other than Brahman — that is, the entire universe.
The Four Fruits of Action and Mokṣa
Mokṣa, according to the pūrvapakṣī or opponents of Advaita, is not something that can be produced. Because — if you remember — what are the four fruits of any action? If something is not there, you can produce it. If something is there already but not here — elsewhere — then you can go there and obtain it. If something is covered with dirt, you can clean it. If something is broken, you can repair it. Every action must bring one of these four effects.
So Brahman cannot become old, because it is eternal. Eternal means time doesn't affect it; space doesn't affect it. So no subject can affect it. It is not an object. Therefore, it is not something which can be produced, which can be found elsewhere — it is everywhere. And it can never be cleaned up, because it is ever clean. Nitya, śuddha, buddha, nityamukta. Therefore, the conclusion is: jñānāt eva mokṣaḥ.
So the text — that is, our Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, especially mantras 9th and 10th of the 4th section — strongly declares that mokṣa is to remove the wrong notion— that is called mokṣa. And as soon as this is removed, what is original will unfold itself, uncover itself. It is just covered up.
Vāmadeva's Declaration and Sarvātma-Bhāva
For that, certain examples are given. And what is that? Vāmadeva declares: "I am Manu, I am the Sun" — that means, "I am the whole creation." That is called sarvātma-bhāva.
Remember, that is how the discussion started. How did Brahman become everything — sarvam? How did it become sarvam? The answer is: it has not become. It was, it is, it will be everything. As I mentioned yesterday, as I discussed yesterday— this idea of sarvātma-bhāva will not apply in the ordinary sense.
Even in deep sleep, you don't say: "When I am awake or dreaming, I always feel I am an individual, but when I go into deep sleep, I attain everything." No. Because what is deep sleep? It is just being bereft of all superimpositions. So from the viewpoint of Brahman, this word sarvātma-bhāva doesn't even exist.
Only because we are thinking through our mind that "I am frightened of something" — then somebody comes and says: "Why should you be frightened? Dādā Madhusūdhana is there all the way. Where is he? He is there in the entire forest. So whenever you are scared, you just call brother Madhusūdhana, and at every step, at any step, he will reveal himself to you and escort you to the other side of the forest" — which forest is comparable to a saṃsāra.
So sarvātma-bhāva means: I don't have any desire. The moment I say there is something different from me, I have a desire — either positive or negative. The moment I feel I am everything, then desire will disappear — which, translated into psychological language, means I am a very, very happy person. Nothing else.
And also we have seen earlier — especially in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad — (द्वितीयाद् वै भयं भवति) dvitīyāt vai bhayaṃ bhavati: fear always comes from the second. If anybody thinks Brahman is separate from me, Brahman becomes the cause of fear. When the same person realizes: "I am none other than Brahman — there is nothing else other than me" — then that very Brahman becomes abhaya-kāraṇa: all fear goes away. What is this fear? We also discussed: the fear that what I have I may lose; the fear that what I am desiring I may not get. Both of these fears will disappear when a person realizes "I am Brahman."
The Relationship Between Karma and Jñāna
So what is the relationship now between karma and jñāna? Karma is external; jñāna is internal. Jñāna is in the form of thought; karma is in the form of translating that thought into action.
So Bhartṛhari also says: "Why not we combine and obtain mokṣam?" — combine what? Jñāna-karma-samuccaya. This is called the combination of knowledge and karma. Why not we do that?
Śaṅkara says: I already explained to you — the nature of a thing can never be removed, destroyed, or obtained either through knowledge or karma. So there is no need. We are already free, but we are thinking — like the person in the dream (who), after eating a full meal, feels "I am starving, I am terribly hungry," or he is in the safest place and he is feeling — "somebody has dragged him out and is beating him black and blue."
So liberation is not the result of karma; liberation is not the result of jñānam. But both of these help us only in removing our wrong notions. This removal of our wrong notion — that is the meaning of Ahaṃ brahmāsmi. As soon as I remove (it), then Ahaṃ brahmāsmi is not something to be practised — it is something to be experienced. And when I deny everything, when that notion that "I am not Brahman" is totally destroyed, then there is no need to say (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि) Ahaṃ brahmāsmi, because I know what I am.
That is the essence of the 9th and 10th mantras. With that, sections 9 and 10 are completely over.
The Next Mantras: The Description of Creation
Now starts the next few sections in the 4th section of the 1st chapter, subdivided into several mantras. So from the 11th mantra almost to the end, it is describing how this world is created. We have already seen it, I think, in the 8th mantra of this very 1st chapter — but now from another angle, the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: what is this creation?
Before we proceed, we have to keep two points in view.
This 1st chapter is called Upadeśa-kāṇḍa, and this Upadeśa-kāṇḍa is also called Madhu-kāṇḍa. What is Madhu-kāṇḍa?— The chapter called Honey. Honey means here: that which brings unbroken bliss. How does it come? It doesn't come from outside — I remove the obstacle, and then I know I have neither death nor ignorance nor suffering. I am satyaṃ jñānaṃ anantaṃ-rūpam, sat-cit-ānanda-rūpam. That is the truth about it.
But for a beginner, for a student, this idea that "I am sat-cit-ānanda" should not be taught — when we study the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, how many times does Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa caution us! For a beginner, you should not say that all these gods and goddesses are false, that one has to think "I am Brahman." This especially half-digested this understanding was being propagated by Pratāp Chandra Hājrā.
Then we have seen Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa telling (Pratāp Chandra Hājrā) in a very diplomatic way: "You are a great person — you may be fit to understand." That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is trying — diplomacy. Inside, he knows: "You are the worst of the fools, the lowest of the Ajnyanis, ignorant people — a pure ignoramus." But Hājrā was also fortunate in so many ways. He had the company of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — unbroken company of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa for several years. I would say he was more fortunate even than Swami Vivekānanda and other disciples who used to come now and then. But here is a person who lived outside the door of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa for several years together — so he was watching Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, though never understanding Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.
Second thing: the very satsaṅga of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — how many fortunate souls, whether they knew or not, whether they understood or not, who could gain the company of an avatāra-puruṣa, not even an ordinary person!
Thirdly, even the Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — Totāpurī — and he and this Hājrā, (and) Haladāri — practically they used to spend their time studying the Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa etc. So in every way he was fortunate. But as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: the Divine Mother keeps — in every drama there will be Jaṭilā and Kuṭilā — that is what is called the sarcastic or funny characters, to make the drama a little more realistic.
Finding Where We Are: An Honest Self-Assessment
So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is telling us: for beginners, to teach that everything is Brahman is not only not-helpful but it is positively oppressive and negative. Therefore, we will have to understand this one — we have to find out where we are.
Swami Yatīśwarānanda Mahārāj used to tell: the first duty of every spiritual seeker is to find out where he is. Honestly, he has to objectify himself and find : "Do I really believe in God? What is the percentage of my belief in God? How much is my life transformed by this belief of mine of the existence of God? How much percentage of longing for God, yearning for God, do I have? Am I really trying to change my old saṃskāras into new saṃskāras?" Because without this — as we are seeing in the daily messages — without change in our life, without slowly reducing our non-spiritual qualities and strengthening the spiritual qualities, spiritual practice — however much japa, dhyāna we do — is practically useless.
So we will have to understand this fact. And from a practical point of view also — how many times I had emphasized: what is spiritual life?— it is an attempt to become more and more happy. And a person cannot be a happy person unless he becomes a good person. And a person cannot be a good person unless he understands the reality. So a person, who has more knowledge — real knowledge — he becomes more and more a good person, and his ānanda also will increase.
Applying the Kośas to Our Own Experience
So let us judge ourselves — where we are. And what is our normal spiritual seeker's experience?— "I am a body. I am a person. I am male or female. And I see the world in front of me. And everything in this world consists of several parts, and every part is totally different from every part."
Let us take from ānandamaya-kośa: am I uniformly happy in the same way all the time? How many times - I suffer; I feel depressed, I feel lonely, I feel restless? Apply it to all the other kośas. How many times is my mind changing? "I think this is good — after some time, probably I am wrong, this is not good." Then another thought comes — maybe a good thought. How long are we able to sustain it?
So we have to understand that the mind is changing. One thought is different from the other thought. One minute I am thinking about God; another minute I am thinking of some worldly object, maybe (a) worse thought. Then what about the body? The body consists of several parts — so every part is different. You take a cot: there are legs, there is a thick plank, and there are some hooks to hang the mosquito curtain. So every leg is separate; so the plank on which we sleep is separate; everything is separate. My hands, my legs, my eyes, my ears — every single part of my body — my liver, my heart, my kidneys — everything is different.
So what am I experiencing? — Difference, hat is called dvaita. So God is also different, jīva is different, worldly object is different. So — God, world and jīva , and between jīva and jīva — there is difference; between every two worldly objects there is difference; and both these are different from God. This is called — Dvaita Vedānta. That is where most of us are.
So we should not say the world doesn't exist. And what do we mean by the world? We only have two judgmental values about the world — really speaking, we don't think of the world analyzing it in the way I am doing. The only judgement, the only analysis, is: "Am I a happy person? Am I a healthy person? Am I a rich person? Are my desires being fulfilled? Or am I a person who is disappointed in life, deprived in life, depressed in life — feeling lonely, feeling) nobody cares for me?" What type of person am I?
So every experience in this world is divided into two values: am I a happy person, or am I a suffering person? Happiness and unhappiness are the final judgements.
So when a person turns towards God, he hopes to obtain higher levels, higher degrees of happinesses — from objective happiness to intellectual happiness, to aesthetic happiness, to moral happiness, and to spiritual happiness, or the happiness of one's own true nature: brahmānanda. Every action that we do, every thought we think, is only to reduce the unhappiness and to increase the happiness. There is nothing else other than this.
The Creation: A Long Introduction
So why am I giving such a long introduction? Because for the next few mantras — almost until the end — the Upaniṣad is trying to tell us about the creation, the description of creation.
But earlier we have seen the creation: how the first person became — Manu and Śatarūpā. The male portion is called Manu, and he divided himself into two and from there, (they) became — the wife Śatarūpā became the cow, and Manu became the bull. So every male species, Manu had transformed himself into; every female species, Śatarūpā had transformed herself into.
Then there is one way of describing how this Brahman is manifesting — as if manifesting—remember, they are not following pariṇāma-vāda; they are only following the Advaitic view — vivarta-vāda. As if — as if there is a snake, but really there is no snake.
The Analogy of an Organization
So here something interesting has happened. When you create an organization, an organization is only a name. Then there must be a building where your office is located; there will be some employees. And as soon as you think of the organization, the first thing that comes is: what is the goal?
Say, for example, you want to make a profitable business — you want to manufacture something as an example. Then you start an office. What is the first thing ? — you must seek people who have the knowledge, who can really work for you, and of course they will be paid, but they will also be divided into classification: there will be a CEO, there will be a vice president, and there will be different managers — national manager, regional managers, your own office manager, etc. etc. will be there And then you allot the duties according to their intelligence and so on. But the overall purpose is that all of them must coordinate. There should be no break in that coordination — that is why it is called an organization. Every part must work seamlessly to fulfil the overall, general, one purpose.
So for that purpose you divide. And our ancient philosophers have divided them in the the very beginning. Similarly, we see — Socrates also divided all human beings into four categories: the thinkers, the enforcers/the protectors, the suppliers, and the workers — roughly translated: brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras.
The Origin of the Four Castes
So as soon as God as if created this world, and to run this world he requires people — that is the speciality of these few mantras that we are going to discuss now.
So how first the brāhmins were created, then the kṣatriyas created, then the vaiśyas created, then the śūdras created — that is what want to be conveyed.
But just like the business: a visionary who wants to start a business organization has a vision. In that vision, he has to find out: "These are the people who are the brains; these are the people who enforce the directions given by the brains; this is how work has to continue. And there must be people to supply — office supply, or industrial supply, supply of different machines, engines, maintainers, etc. Then there must be workers who will be cleaning, maintaining, and seeing that the machines are running properly."
What a marvellous vision! Of course, God is all-powerful, all-knowing — so he will have this marvellous vision. So this is the origin of the four castes. That is what the Bhagavad Gītā , the essence of all Upaniṣads — "चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः" (first line of Bhagavat Gita verse 4.13) — also tells. There also he says: all the castes are created based upon what — a guṇa and karma. There is a deep relationship between guṇa and karma.
If somebody is a sāttvika person, he becomes the brain, as it were — the capacity to think, the capacity to separate — the substance from the non-substance, to separate — the truth from untruth, the workable from the non-workable, the useful from the useless. But he is a thinker. And he cannot go on running the whole organization. So there must be some kṣatriyas — these are called law enforcers.
Who puts out the laws? It is the thinkers — the brāhmaṇas. That's why even today, brāhmaṇas have given us the dharmaśāstras. Dharmaśāstra means: "This is dharma, and it has to be followed in this particular way." So they give quite a good number of varied examples, so that (in) most of the situations we can understand — what to do and what not to do.
So here also the same thing: there must be laws. What is a law? That which ensures the smooth working of any organization — that is called a law. And this whole universe, this whole creation, is nothing but a huge organization. That is why Brahmā is the creator; Viṣṇu is the kṣatriya — that is why he has got the arms, cakra, gadā, etc. And there must be others to work. Then there must be somebody to punish and to replace worn-out parts, etc. continuously to renew — and that is called Rudra.
So everything is going on smoothly — this brahma-cakra is going on smoothly from the very beginning.
So the kṣatriyas are endowed with tremendous muscle power, will power to enforce these laws. But for any organization to run smoothly, one requires a tremendous amount of suppliers — right from the smallest needle to the highest electronic component. I am just giving an example — I know you know better than me — just how many times we travel in a bicycle, and how many parts this bicycle will have. Even an ordinary person has no idea. And if it is a sophisticated vehicle — I think a 52 or 12 aeroplane, or a stealth bomber — how many millions and millions of parts will be there! And if one part goes wrong, there could be terrible damage — including the pilot also; if he goes wrong, the whole plane will go down.
So we will (should) appreciate: how many times we are travelling by aeroplanes, but we hardly give any thought to it. But how many thousands of people examine it — as soon as the aeroplane lands, and before take-off, hundreds of workers: some to fill the gas or oil, some to examine every part of it. Only then they give the green signal: "Go." Then only is the plane travel-worthy, and they have to certify it.
But all this is done invisibly. Once I visited the Disney in America, and it was all so much fun — everything was tip-top. One has to visit that place to see the organizational power. Everything — just as an example I am giving — somehow when I was gawking at some of the things, travelling in a train from one place to another, one of my shoes had fallen down by the track. But the train will not stop. So I informed the conductor. He said approximately where. And then, within two minutes, before the train stopped, he was there present on the platform and he presented me my own slipper! Such efficiency many organizations have it, and that is why the West is able to progress through cooperation. Whereas in our wretched country, non-cooperation is the rule — that is why, in spite of brains and facilities, our progress is so slow. Only we are big in talking, organizing meetings, and other things. Anyway, coming back.
The Vaiśyas, Śūdras, and the Binding Principle
So the vaiśyas — Brahman himself had become the vaiśya. And then there must be workers — right from the cleaning and mopping to keep everything tip-top, to supply tea and coffee, everything — they are called śūdras.
And lest this appear to be a scriptural imagination: out of our experience, you look at any organization — you (will) find these four components are absolutely present there.
And then all this will not go smoothly unless there is a binding principle. And that binding principle has been mentioned in this Upaniṣad as satyam and dharma. S,o having created all the four castes, having put into motion a saṃsāra — or even before Brahmā put this saṃsāra into action — he created satya and dharma.
That is why in the eleventh anuvāka of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, Shikshavalli we get: ("सत्यं वद धर्मं चर"), satyaṃ vada, dharmaṃ cara. What is satyam? To have a clear idea of what should be done, what needs to be done — that is called satyam. Dharma is to put it into practice without the least bit of deviation.
If I have no idea what I have to do, naturally I won't be able to do it. And if I have got an idea, but I must also have the strength to do it. And that is how satya and dharma—both of them go together.
Somebody is truthful but cannot put it into practice. We are all like that. We can give advice — every barber gives advice on how to run the whole universe. But why does he remain a barber? Because he is only a blabberer — he is not really a thinker. So there are some people who know what should be done, but they do not have the practical skill.
So as if satyam and dharma are at the opposite poles of this world, this universe — as if they are not coming together. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: first you practise, then you preach. And whatever thoughts came into Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's mind, intuitively he put them into practice. That is why he is an embodiment of satyam.
Swami Vivekānanda — Narendranāth — understood: "He may look strange to me; he may even appear to me abnormal. But I have never met a person, never seen a person, whose thoughts, words, and deeds absolutely tally." And this is Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's own definition of what is satyam: what a person thinks, what a person speaks, and what a person does — and these three things become absolutely unified. That is called the definition of satyam.
Satyam and Dharma in Practice
So Brahmā created satyam and dharma. What is satyam? To have a crystal clear concept of: what, where am I? What should be done? What good does it do? How should it be done? All these fruitful, positive, creative thoughts — that is called satyam. And to put it into practice in a systematic manner, not a haphazard manner — that is called dharma. Dharma is practice. Satyam is the clear idea (of) what should be practised.
So the whole creation now has to be run like a well-oiled machine — with the help of the thinkers, the law enforcers, the suppliers, and the workers — and they must all be united. That is what Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā:
("स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः") svakarmañā tam abhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ — even a Sudra is not deprived of mokṣa.
Rasik was the greatest example for devotees of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. There were so many other people — I will not speak of them today — but Rasik prayed for guidance, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa told him: "I will fulfil your desire, but you must fulfil my desire. Every night after your duties are over, you sit in front of your house, create a tulasī-mañca, and take harināma."
But then we are also doing harināma — what is the difference? The difference is: Rasik was, from his toenail to the hair of his head, an embodiment of śraddhā. There was never a crooked idea in his mind. How do we know? Because such a person is fit to go to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, to become Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. So when Rasik prayed: "Lord, I don't know — I am an ignorant person. But out of your infinite grace, you take me where you want to take me," And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa told him: "This is what you need to do. But if you do (that), I will come at the end and I will take you with me."
Where do you think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa takes any of his devotees? He only takes (them to) — what does it mean in a common language — it means Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives them, removes their ignorance — that there is no "I" and "you," we are both one and the same—" तत् त्वम् असि" (Tat Tvam Asi) and "अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (Aham Brahmasmi). That is the final mokṣa.
The Final Warning: The Goal of Life
So this creation of the four castes, satya and dharma, is the very essence of the future classes. I am giving you an introduction.
And then the Upaniṣad also warns — as a final warning: he who gives up this body without reaching his own world — svam lokam — that means, without knowing "I am Brahman" — if anybody lives ,then, he will have to be reborn again and again, until he understands that "my loka is ātma-loka — I am Brahman."
These are the three important points: the creation of the caste; the creation of satya and dharma; and a warning that the goal of life is to manifest this divinity and know that "I am free." That is what Swami Vivekānanda has done. We will talk about it in our next classes.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम्।
पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः॥
Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum ।
Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh ॥
May Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.
Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!