Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 33 on 16 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.
Recap: The Great Discussion on Brahman
Let us remember that a great discussion was going on among some of the great seekers of Brahman: what is Brahman, and how can one reach it? So this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is explaining, and then it is giving the advice which we have seen in our last class — Ātmānam eva lokaṃ upāsīta — at the end of a lot of evolutionary progress, one comes to know that God is the only reality, and that is the fact which the Upaniṣad is trying to put to us now.
Ātmānam Eva Lokaṃ Upāsīta: Meditating Upon the World of the Ātmā
Ātmānam eva lokaṃ upāsīta — translated simply: one's goal in life should be the realisation of God only. So here it says one should meditate only upon the world of the Ātmā. "World" means what a person is continuously occupied with in his mind — what the mind is filled with, what type of thoughts prevail. That would be his world. A child's mind is full of a child's world. A young man's mind will be full of youthful thoughts — that is his world. We have to understand it thus.
But ultimately, one realises that my world should be only God. I must live in the world of God. That is what the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad categorically tells all of us: Īśāvāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat — one should see God everywhere. This is called Goloka. This is called Vaikuṇṭha. This is called Kailāsa. This is called Paradise. This is called the Kingdom of Heaven — by whatever blessed name we call it. To live in God, with God, as God — that is the Loka.
The Fulfilment of All Desires
Then the doubt might come to people who listen to this type of teaching: "What do we get?" And the Upaniṣad answers: whatever a person desires, immediately his desire will be fulfilled. We have seen in the Chāndogya that whatever world he desires, that world appears in front of him — or rather, he finds himself in that world. You want to see your ancestors? You will find yourself in Pitṛloka. You want to be with Indra? You will find yourself in front of Indra. In fact, what we have to understand is: you are that Indra. If you desire Brahmaloka, then you find Brahmaloka is present instantaneously, because you are that Brahmaloka — you are that Brahmā.
This is what is called Arthavāda. Arthavāda is for people like me and you, who do not understand the benefits of spiritual life, or do not properly grasp what is the meaning of God-realisation. "What do you get? What will you not get?" The counter-answer is: you will get everything. Whatever you want, you will get. But the real truth is: when a person gets everything, there is nothing left out for him to desire or to get. That is what we have seen in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, second chapter, the Brahmānanda Vallī — he who attains Brahman, āpnoti param. And then, the Upaniṣad continues: sa brahmaṇā saha — along with Brahmā, identifying with Brahmā, that person enjoys Brahmānanda, which is eternal, indivisible, and not limited.
This is what we have seen in the fifteenth mantra of this fourth section. Now we have already entered into the sixteenth. We will talk about it once more.
The Sixteenth Mantra: The Self as an Object of Enjoyment for the World
The Teaching of the Pañca Mahāyajña
What does this sixteenth mantra want to talk about? It wants to tell us: just as if a person owns plenty of animals, he will enjoy every one of them — if a person has cows, goats, chickens, fish, he will enjoy them. So an ignorant person thinks: "I am very fortunate, great, clever, intelligent. I have acquired all these objects of enjoyment. So I am the enjoyer, and all these objects are objects of my enjoyment." But very cleverly, the Upaniṣad wants to turn our attention and say: "O fool! If the whole world is an object of your enjoyment, you are not able to cognise the fact that you are the object of enjoyment for this whole world."
And in that context, the Upaniṣad, particularly in this sixteenth mantra, wants to bring out the concept of Pañca Mahāyajña. Very briefly: what is it about?
According to our scripture, Śāstra, we are all indebted to five beings. The entire world, according to this statement, is divided into five categories:
First, the Ṛṣis. Second, Devas or deities — Adhiṣṭhātṛ Devatās, or presiding deities. Third, Pitṛs — ancestors. Fourth, human beings — Nara. Fifth, non-human beings and nature.
Our Debt to Ancestors: Pitṛ Ṛṇa
We are indebted to our ancestors. What I am today is nothing but my mother and father, who are nothing but their own mothers and fathers. Thus it goes on and on, as far back as you want to go. So we are indebted to them, because we are because of them. We are indebted to our mother and father immediately, but they are indebted to their ancestors. So we are indebted to all our ancestors. That is why even today, if somebody can trace his lineage — his Gotra — he will understand: "I belong to such and such a great person. What I am today is because of that great person." When that great person becomes the cause, I become the effect. Of course, all those who are descended from that great person are also the effects, and must be grateful.
Our Debt to Human Beings: Manuṣya Ṛṇa
And then we are grateful to every human being — this is called Nara Ṛṇa, Manuṣya Ṛṇa — because everybody, mostly indirectly and a few directly, is serving us so that we can survive and enjoy. Some people are preparing sweets. Some doctors are helping us to recover our health. Some people give us trouble — even they are helping us. We have to be extremely grateful, because even though we are not able to recognise how and why we should be grateful to people who are troublesome, later on we recognise: "I am what I am today because of my enemies, not because of my friends." Because first, they point out my defects — all the bad qualities — without asking any money in return. Secondly, it gives me an immense opportunity so that I can correct myself, better myself, and progress in the spiritual path. My enemies give me greater opportunity and greater help than my friends.
It is hard for us to comprehend this truth now, but later on we understand: "Had not that person given me this trouble, I would not have developed this kind of tranquil mentality." So that is how everything in this world, by the will of the Divine Mother, is pushing us to evolve towards our true nature. So we are indebted.
Our Debt to Animals and Nature: Paśu Ṛṇa
And then every animal is serving us — we are indebted to them. This shows us a grand truth, a great principle, a marvellous law: that we are continuously taking from the world, which is God. And if we do not return with gratefulness and thanks, then we remain indebted to them, which means we will not progress.
Consider a river, a mountain — we consider them non-living. Can we live without them? It is because of them that I am what I am today. I have a duty to discharge that debt. What is my duty towards a river? To develop a spiritual attitude — "This is sacred water. This is a Devatā — Gaṅgā Devatā." The biologists are recognising that without forests, without rivers, without mountains, without the northern and southern polar regions which are heavily influencing our climate, we will not be able to survive. Where then is the question of progress in spiritual life?
The Central Principle of Karma Yoga
That is why Karma Yoga means: consider everything as God. When I am taking a bath in the river, it is sacred water — it is a Devatā, Gaṅgā Devatā. When I am eating food, it is Mother Annapūrṇā. When I am getting warmth, even through a heater, it is Agni Devatā. When I am breathing oxygen, it is Vāyu Devatā. And when I am able to freely move around, that is Ākāśa Devatā. Developing this particular spiritual attitude — that is called Karma Yoga.
The Sixteenth Mantra: Full Exposition
So the sixteenth mantra in this fourth section starts with a little peculiar language, but by the grace of Śaṅkarācārya and other Ācāryas, we are able to understand it in a better way. I will translate Swāmī Nikhilānanda's translation, which is the best English translation.
Now, this self — meaning this ignorant person — is an object of enjoyment, lokaḥ, to all beings. How is it so? The Upaniṣad explains:
Insofar as this ignorant person offers oblations in the fire and performs sacrifices, he becomes an object of enjoyment to the gods. This is called Deva Ṛṇa, Devatā Ṛṇa.
Insofar as this person studies the scriptures — the Vedas, etc. — reverentially, believes in them, tries to mould his life according to their instructions, he becomes an object of enjoyment to the Ṛṣis.
Insofar as this person makes offerings to the Manes — the ancestors — and desires children, he becomes an object of enjoyment to the Manes, the Pitṛ Puruṣas, the ancestors.
Insofar as this person gives shelter and food to men or women who come to him in the form of guests, he becomes an object of enjoyment to men — and that is how he discharges his Ṛṇa to the Devatās, Ṛṣis, ancestors, and human beings.
Insofar as this person gives fodder and water to the animals, he becomes an object of enjoyment to the animals.
Insofar as beasts and birds — including even ants — find a living in this person's home, he becomes an object of enjoyment to these.
Man becomes an object of enjoyment. Just as one wishes no injury to one's own body, so do all beings wish no injury to him who has this knowledge. All this, indeed, has been known and well investigated.
A Brief Explanation of Each Debt
Discharging the Deva Ṛṇa
When a person understands through the scriptures "I am indebted to the Devas" — because they send the rain, they regulate the seasons — and if we reverentially worship them and show our gratefulness by offering to them what they have bestowed upon us — food, water, etc. — that Śraddhā, that reverence, is what they accept.
For example, in our pūjās, we offer to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and when we offer, we must have the concept: "Lord, you have given me this. I am only showing my gratefulness. I know you do not require this." That is the attitude with which Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa becomes very pleased, Holy Mother becomes pleased, and Devatās become pleased. They who give us do not require these things. So through that showing of gratefulness, they are very pleased, and they bestow upon us more and more — as much as necessary. They protect us, and the whole of nature, all the seasons, are controlled by them.
Discharging the Ṛṣi Ṛṇa
When a person studies scriptures reverentially, chants them, tries to understand them, puts them into practice as far as possible — tries his level best to make it practical Vedānta — he is discharging his debt to the Ṛṣis. And they are pleased, just as when a hungry person comes to our house and we provide him food — after eating, will he not be pleased with us? Same way, the Ṛṣis will be pleased.
Discharging the Pitṛ Ṛṇa
We show our reverence and gratitude to our ancestors, whether they are alive — our grandfathers, great-grandfathers, etc. — or not. We have to show our reverence to them. That is what the Upaniṣad is teaching us thoroughly again and again: gratefulness. I am alive. I am what I am. The opportunities I have in life are totally given to me by these five beings — otherwise I cannot even survive. And that includes people who give us trouble. That is why Holy Mother used to say: "Misery is a gift of God."
Discharging the Paśu Ṛṇa
We want to enjoy animals — so what do we do? We keep cows, for example, and we graze them ourselves. We give them food and water. We wash them, decorate them. On certain festival days — called paśu Devatā days — animals are washed, garlanded, and fed with special sweets. Practically every Hindu witnesses this after Dīpāvalī and Bali Pūjā day. And not to speak of animals — even machines: a tractor, a car, a factory — because they are all helping us and aiding us to live an enjoyable life, they are pleased when we look after them, and their pleasure is a blessing that comes to all of us. This is called Paśuyajña, Bhūtayajña.
Discharging the Manuṣya Ṛṇa
When we are grateful — somebody, maybe in China, had made a mobile phone which is helping me to enjoy my life here — we have to be grateful. How many human beings are indirectly helping us? Those who are helping directly are few — everybody is helping us indirectly. So we have to be grateful to them. And just as if we help somebody, that person is pleased — his pleasure itself becomes goodwill and good wishes. This is how we discharge our duties.
The Grand Principle: We Are Objects of Enjoyment for the World
Then the Upaniṣad says: just as one wishes no injury to one's own body, so do all beings wish no injury to him who has this knowledge. That means all these five categories — Ṛṣis, Devatās, Pitṛs, human beings, non-human beings, nature, the entire world — wish us the best, because so long as we are giving them pleasure — just as we wish well to our cow because it gives us the sweetest, healthiest milk, and our body, when it is looked after properly by visiting the doctor, even by dieting and controlling, blesses us with great health — so also all these beings bless us.
All these marvellous ideas are included in this Pañca Mahāyajña. So earlier we have seen that an ignorant person is considered an animal to the Devas, and just as Devatās do not wish to lose even one animal, so also no human being wants to lose the blessings of any of these five. Just as human beings look after their cows, cars, and houses — cleaning, making beds, painting the house, everything that we do for our enjoyment — as if we are pleased, they do return service to us. Let us do service to them, and they will offer the best service to all of us.
Karma Yoga as Sādhanā: The Five Debts and Spiritual Progress
So we are indebted to everything in this world, and we have to discharge that debt — and this is what the Vedas want to tell us, because every Upaniṣad is part of the Veda. We must keep on performing Vedic duties. These Vedic duties are called Pañca Mahāyajñas, and they have to be done through particular duties imposed upon us according to our Varṇa and Āśrama status. Varṇa means — say a Śūdra: even he can worship God through his activities. A Vaiśya, a Kṣatriya, a Brāhmaṇa — the particular duties incumbent upon each of these persons can be discharged as a matter of Karma Yoga. But if the same persons are imbued with selfishness, then it will take a long time for them to understand the truth.
In course of time, they will have to turn through four stages: first, selfishness; second, "I give, you take; you give, I take"; third, "I give and you take"; fourth, "I am giving only to God and I am receiving from God." These are the four stages.
So Loka means here: object of enjoyment. The whole world is an object of enjoyment to us, and we are also objects of enjoyment for the whole world. If I am enjoying my servant by accepting his services, then the servant also is enjoying — he is getting shelter, good food, or a salary — helping each other. That is called give and take. That is what Swāmī Vivekānanda said: the day India closed its doors and windows and stopped giving what it has, and naturally stopped taking what others can give, its growth stopped — it became stagnant.
So this give-and-take process — in other words Karma Yoga — means Sādhanā, spiritual practice, which will slowly help us approach God. That is called Upāsanā, until we know: we do not exist — only God exists.
So these are: Deva Ṛṇa, Ṛṣi Ṛṇa, Pitṛ Ṛṇa, Manuṣya Ṛṇa, and Paśu Ṛṇa. This is called Karma Yoga.
The Fruits of Karma Yoga
What do I get? What benefit do I derive? By practising Karma Yoga, first comes Puṇyam. Puṇyam gives higher happiness. Puṇyam also incidentally gives us Citta Śuddhi — purity, purification of the mind. When the mind is being purified, it gives concentration. Concentration gives us the expansion of myself with a larger whole — Citta Vaiśālyatā. And Karma Yoga gives higher knowledge by purifying the mind.
Karma Yoga finally makes me a Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Sampanna Adhikāri — a fit aspirant for approaching a proper Guru, for receiving spiritual instructions, and then, through the three stages of Śravaṇa, Manana, and Nididhyāsana, moving forward — and stopping not until we know: I am the Ātman. I am Brahman.
So when we serve the whole world — which is divided into these five categories — all of them wish each one of us well, whoever performs this Pañca Mahāyajña. An example is given: our hands and feet are serving us all the time, but when we take care of them and see that they are not injured — and if they are injured, they are healed — they can serve us better. Same way, everything in this world is a limb of the whole world, and so the whole world protects us. This is the essence of what we call Pañca Mahāyajña.
And who is fit to do this? A householder — a Gṛhastha — has to do this. Who is a householder? Not merely a person who lives in a house, because monks and Sannyāsīs also live in a monastery — even if they live under a tree, that tree is like a house, a shelter. So who is a householder? One who thinks "I am this body-mind complex." So long as I am thinking "I am not Brahman, I am non-Brahman, I am anātmā, not Ātmā," such a person is called a householder. And for such a person, he has to do prescribed activities which are called Nitya and Naimittika Karmas.
And if we do not do these, we incur sin — it is called Pratyavāya Pāpa — that is to say, we accrue what is called non-discharge of our debts, which means day by day we go down into a lower state of the mind: from Tamoguṇa we go into deeper Tamoguṇa, etc. Under this Pratyavāya Pāpa, we can equate it to bondage — Saṃsāra bandhana.
So everybody who thinks "I am not the Ātman" is a householder — therefore every householder has to perform these Pañca Mahāyajñas, as much as one can. It is not how much a person does, but how sincerely and to the best of one's capacity, without evading or laziness. That brings instantaneously the shower of the grace of God — in the form of the Devatās, Ṛṣis, ancestors, and other human beings — and the whole world, in fact.
The Story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Father
Remember Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's father — his father had tremendous faith in the scriptures. He went to perform the ancestral worship at Gayā for nearly ten days. He did a marvellous job, and then he obtained the vision of all the ancestors — and because they are pleased and they are nearer to God, immediately Gayā Viṣṇu appeared to him and said: "I am also very pleased with you." Why is God pleased? Because Śrī Rāma had discharged all the Pañca Mahāyajñas so marvellously, to the best of his ability. "I want to be born as your son." We know that story. So that is the grace of God. The greatest grace of God comes when God descends into us. In the case of Śrī Rāma's father, God physically descended as an incarnation, but in our case He descends as our Antarātmā — as our inner soul, purified soul, spiritual soul.
That is the essence of the sixteenth mantra.
The Seventeenth Mantra: The Āśrama System
Now there are people who have gone through this system — and for them, the teaching now turns to the Āśrama system. According to Hinduism, life is divided into the learning stage, the experimenting stage, the withdrawal stage, and the stage of renunciation: Brahmacarya Āśrama, Gṛhastha Āśrama, Vānaprastha Āśrama, and finally Sannyāsa Āśrama.
The Upaniṣad, as an illustration, imagines there is a person who has faith in the scriptures. He has a desire, because "I have to obey the scriptures" — and the scriptures give their instructions in two forms: Vidhi and Niṣedha — "do this" and "do not do this."
So the seventeenth mantra in this fourth section starts like this: "In the beginning, in this universe, there was Ātmā alone, one only." Now, Ātmā in this context means not Brahman who is referred to — it is a person, a boy who has grown up, come out of Gurukula, not yet married. He has Śarīra Abhimāna — "I am this body" — and he desires: "I want to become a householder, so that I can progress in life." He is still a Brahmacāri, an unmarried person desiring to get married, so that he can progress in life.
The Four Āśramas and Their Purpose
Remember: the Brahmacarya Āśrama is the first stage to progress towards God. The Gṛhastha Āśrama is a higher stage, where what one learned under the feet of the Guru is experimented with and experienced — higher results develop, more faith strengthens, one's faith in the scripture and in God and in the Ṛṣis and in human beings and in the whole world is strengthened, because one is getting direct results. And then he wants to progress further — he understands there are still some desires left out — and therefore Ātmā here has to be taken to mean a person who has some knowledge of the scriptures, who knows what life is about, who wants to progress in life, and wants to climb the steps as properly explained in the scriptures.
So he said: "He was alone. Now I must become a householder." He desired: "Let me have a wife, so that I may have children. Let me have wealth, so that I may perform all the rites that are prescribed in the scriptures." And this is the whole extent of desire — so even if one wishes, one cannot desire anything more than this, because an Anātmā can only desire Anātmā. Only an awakened person will never desire Anātmā.
The Three Classes of Seekers
Even a person who has faith in the scriptures — he has not gone to the third and highest stage; he is in the second stage. What is the first stage in human evolution? "I want to be happy in this world." How do we know? When we study the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, Yamadharmarāja gave three boons to his disciple Naciketā — and for the sake of the third class of people who cannot see that there is higher happiness, whatever highest happiness this world can afford, they want to have, those things which are prescribed by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as Kāma and Kañcana: there is nothing beyond Kāma and Kañcana. Sex and wealth — to enjoy the world through the five sense organs. That is what the Upaniṣad is telling us here: all desires fall under worldly desires. This is the condition of the third class of people.
Now there are people who have gone through this stage and advanced further — their understanding became better, and they became second-class citizens. "We believe there are higher worlds and higher states of happiness. So we will not stop at desiring only the happiness of this world — we would like to enjoy the happiness of the higher worlds also." So that is what is called Bhuvaḥ, Suvaḥ. The scripture prescribes: do this. The Upaniṣad says there is a fire ritual called Naciketa Agni, and when a person performs this again and again, he becomes entitled to enter into heavens where Nātra jarā asti, nāmṛtti bhayam — there is no fear of old age or death — not permanently, but for a very, very long time.
But there is a third class of people: after long experience of happiness both in this world and in the higher worlds, they awaken to the fact that whatever we do, whatever we enjoy, is absolutely momentary and of the lowest quality. "We want Ānanda — not happiness. Ānanda means infinite bliss." It is called in the Chāndogya — as we have seen — Go-Māṭhukham. Such people know that only by becoming one with Brahman can we enjoy that Ānanda. So they become withdrawn from the entire external world, turn their vision inward — Amṛtatvam icchan — desiring immortality, they turn their attention to insight.
So the Upaniṣad is telling us in the seventeenth mantra that all desires, all worldly desires, are confined to the world only — either this world or to the higher world.
The Desire of a Scriptural Seeker
So what is the way? The scripture points out: even today, a lonely man — that is, a person who is ignorant, who thinks "I am body and mind," and who has plenty of unfulfilled desires — what does he say? "Let me have a wife so that I may beget children. Let me have wealth so that I may perform all the rituals prescribed."
Remember — this is not the desire of the third class of persons. This is not the desire of non-believers. This is the desire of a person who has studied the scriptures, who has faith in them, who knows how to obtain happiness. He knows: "By doing what is prescribed, and by avoiding what should be avoided, I can obtain these things." So this is called Āśrama Dharma — the duties pertaining to the state of the mind, which is a growth in understanding and knowledge.
So a Brahmacāri, or a child entering the Gurukula, understands a little — and slowly his understanding becomes better through living in association with an enlightened Guru. But still he understands: "My way lies through this householder state." So he enters into the householder state, performing rites as prescribed in the scriptures.
The Five Factors of a Vedic Yajña
In Vedic terminology, these rituals require five factors. What are those five factors? First, there must be a person who wants to do the rite — the Yajamāna. Second, he requires his wife — Patnī. Third, he requires his son — Putra. Fourth, he requires wealth such as bodily fitness, wealth, cattle, and related resources — Manuṣya Vittam. And fifth, he also requires spiritual or ritual support — that is, Upāsanā — Daiva Vittam.
So respectively they are called: Yajamāna, Patnī, Putra, Manuṣya Vittam, Daiva Vittam — sacrificer, wife, son, human wealth, and spiritual wealth. Only when all these five are present can a Vedic Yajña be performed — and this can be performed only in the Gṛhastha Āśrama — neither in the Brahmacarya Āśrama, nor in the Vānaprastha Āśrama, and much less by a Sannyāsī.
So here, a person who understands the teachings of his Guru from the Gurukula system desires to become a householder. He understands: "I am not fit to renounce the world, so I have to evolve in my mind. For that I have to become married — but in a righteous way, a Dhārmic way — perform and discharge all the duties as prescribed. Then I will be ready to enter into the third stage of life."
For such a person, these rites have to be done. And then, a person who has done all this — maybe for a very long time, maybe for many lives — understands: his mind became evolved. An evolved mind is known by the amount of knowledge it gains. Then he understood: "All these are temporary. No doubt the scripture tells the truth and gives the results it prescribes and assures — I have experimented, I have experienced, and I enjoyed them. But my mind longs for permanent happiness." Then he turns to the Vānaprasthāśrama.
The Higher Upāsanā: Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā
So for such a person — suppose he has done all this and has some higher desires, a desire to evolve to a higher stage of life — what should he do? He should do a special type of Upāsanā. This is called Panthā Upāsanā, Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā. And this is a marvellous subject which we will talk about in our next class.
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 Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.
Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!