Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2.5.1-10 Lecture 74 on 04 October 2026

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.

Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ, pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

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.

Introduction: The Madhu Vidyā

In our last class, we were studying this most marvellous chapter called Madhu Vidyā. Madhu Vidyā, as we discussed many times, is not an ordinary vidyā. It is the vidyā which says sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. Everything is Brahman, all is Brahman.

The Unthinkable Brahman

But we can never think about that Brahman. Whatever we experience is through the mind. Therefore we see forms, names, qualities. Brahman with names, forms, and qualities is called this creation.

Everything Is Interconnected

But the most marvellous thing is: everything is interconnected. And to make this clear, we have taken from the Upaniṣad itself – the whole creation can be made into a triangle: each individual, the entire external as well as internal world, and the presiding deities.

The Name of the Triangle

The name of the triangle is Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma, or in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's words, Śakti. So this Śakti is the personal God.

Why Personal?

Why? Because the impersonal God cannot be thought about. One can be the impersonal Brahman, but one cannot think about the impersonal. A person cannot think about the impersonal. Whatever we think is run through the mind, and the mind is made up of time, space, and causation. That is the triangle of the mind.

The Word Nirguṇa

Therefore, everything – every thought, including the impersonal Brahma – to distinguish it from the personal Saguṇa Brahma, we use the word. Even that word really does not make Nirguṇa Brahma an impersonal being. It is for our sake, and when we use that word, we do not really understand what it means. But it is to distinguish. Whatever we experience is only personal – everything is personal.

The Personal Viewpoint

Let us look at this from another viewpoint. A husband looks at his wife, at his children, at his parents – in fact, the entire universe – from a personal viewpoint only.

Differing Affection

That is why we see the astonishing factor – the affection of children, brothers and sisters – not to speak of each other, but to speak of the parents – enormously differs. Some children do not care at all about the children. Nowadays you see some people even kill their parents – though rare, but it is happening, and I think it is increasing.

Thinking About Ourselves

Not only about everybody, anything outside our individuality – the astonishing fact is we also start to think about ourselves. Every time we look at ourselves, we look at ourselves in different ways. "I was a child, and I was a young man, old man," etc. Not only that – "I was happy, now I am not happy. I am sometimes happy, sometimes unhappy." That is also differing because of the mind.

Deep Sleep

But we have no such problems in deep sleep. That is all I wanted to bring your attention to – because there is no mind in deep sleep. So much peace is there! We discussed about it even in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad – how Ajātaśatru wanted to teach his pupil. So this thing occurs in many places also.

Why Was the Madhu Brāhmaṇa Started?

Now what is this Madhu Brāhmaṇa? Why is it started? Because we have seen the previous section – Yājñavalkya instructs Maitreyī: ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ, śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Commandments

And how astonishing are these teachings even in the mouth of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa! What is the first commandment of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? God realisation alone is the one and only goal of life. Then how to attain? Śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana.

1. Cultivate holy company so that you hear what the holy people have to say, and you observe them – how they are practising it naturally without effort in their own lives.
2. Every now and then go into solitude – think deeply. Forget the world. That is indicated by this mantavyaḥ. You will have to focus deeply upon what we have heard from the scriptures, from the holy people – mantavyaḥ.
3. Then transform. Each one of us has to transform our lives. For that, what do we need to do? Two things we have to do. The fourth commandment of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is: always discriminate what is permanent, what is impermanent. Everything is impermanent excepting the one who is making this discrimination – viveka-sākṣī, the unchanging witness. Witness means always unchanging only.
4. And the last methodology: live in this world like a maid‑servant – so live completely detached and go on practising discrimination between what is permanent, what is not permanent – and that is called nididhyāsitavyaḥ.

Transforming Life

So one should transform one's own life into an actual living realisation. And that is the same teaching of Holy Mother Śāradā Devī. There are also five commandments. Last class someone asked the question, and we have brought up that subject. That is why I wanted to just remind ourselves: Holy Mother – whatever came from her mouth is nothing but the teachings of Mother Sarasvatī.

Holy Mother's Teaching

What did she say? That if you want peace of mind – śānti – everywhere in the Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras, this word śānti is used. Śānti means the highest realisation. That is what we need to do. So that is what we have to always do. So for that purpose we have to transform our very life. And that is what is indicated here so beautifully.

The Commandment of Yājñavalkya

So the whole commandment of Yājñavalkya – God is to be realised. In Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's words: cultivate holy company and listen to what they say and keep it in mind. Think deeply until you understand that, and then always go into solitude and make it your own knowledge – not anybody's knowledge, but your own knowledge. And thereafter transform your life – because any inner knowledge, when it does not transform the life, it does not really work out.

The Subject of Madhu Vidyā

So this is what we have to do, and how to do that – that is what is the subject matter of this Madhu Vidyā. What is it? Everything is interconnected. We are interconnected with everything, so everything is vitally connected, not merely artificially related.

= Seeing Everything

So when I see anything, I am seeing everything – because everything is nothing but Īśvara.

Holy Mother's Teaching Explained

So that is what Holy Mother said. Actually, that is the plainest translation of the very first mantra of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad. And the rest of the Upaniṣad is only an explanation of that first mantra. That is what Holy Mother is telling: that if you want peace of mind, stop finding fault with others.

Finding Fault

Because the moment we start finding faults, we separate ourselves, and we get a secret pleasure: "I am not like that. I am a better person than whom or what I am criticising."

Finding Your Own Faults

Second: start finding your own faults. A deep psychological truth is involved. Unless we know – that means unless we have those very same defects – we can never find fault with others.

No One Is a Stranger

And then: no one is a stranger. We think everybody is a stranger. "Stranger" means separate – that object is born separately, lives separately, disappears separately – be it living or non‑living. Everything has a birth. Mountains have births, deserts have births, rivers have births – and whatever has a birth has also an end. That is what we need to understand.

The Body and the Mind

So keep that point in view. If I am thinking "I am the body", I will be subject to the same conditions. And if I think "I am the mind", I am subject to the same conditions. But what is the truth?

The Divided Personality

As soon as I think "I am separate", then I become a small, divided personality. And the first thing is: morality is not possible – Dharma. The very first goal is Dharma in the fourfold desirable objectives of life. Dharma, morality, is the very first. It includes Satyam, or truth. We will see about this Dharma and truth – how they are mentioned just now.

Becoming What We Practise

So when we try to practise Dharma and Satya, we become that. Whatever we think, whatever we practise, that is what we would become. So ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ, śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ.

Removing Distinction

So Holy Mother says: no one is a stranger. What does it mean? It means everyone is you only – and then make everyone your own. That means remove the distinction – and that removing the distinction is expressed here as interdependence.

The Pañca Mahā Yajñas

As I mentioned, even the model of the Pañca Mahā Yajñas, five great sacrifices – because they also had practised. Every ṛṣi had practised the same thing before he teaches. That is how we have to understand: we are all dependent, and this dependence is the very nature of the mind.

Seeing Brahman Everywhere

So everything is vitally connected. And when I see anything, I am seeing everything. When I see anything, that is called Brahman. When I speak to anybody, I am speaking with Brahman. When I touch anything, I am touching Brahman.

The Ganges Example

And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates this beautifully. Suppose a person wants to touch the river Ganges. So should he go on touching from its origin in the Himalayas until it merges in the ocean, the Bay of Bengal? No – says: you touch any part, and it is like touching the whole Ganges.

Every Experience Is Brahman

So you see anybody, touch anybody, see anybody, hear anybody, smell anything, taste anything – everything is nothing but pure Brahman. But even though that is a fact, we do not know that fact. That is why we have to do manana and nididhyāsana, not merely hearing.

Mithyā and Advitīyam

So even these usages of the words like "connected", "dependent", also fall under mithyā – because the fact is there is no two. Ekam eva advitīyam. We have seen in the Chāndogya: sadeva saumya idam agra āsīt, ekam eva advitīyam. There is nothing else excepting Brahman.

Why Fifteen Times?

So to implant this idea of interdependence in us, the Upaniṣad repeats this fifteen times. Why fifteen times? Even if it repeats one billion times, it is not a fault. Because until we know it, until we realise it, repetition is the only way. That is why japa in the name of God is a repetition.

The First Mantra Is the Key

So as I said yesterday, the very first mantra is the key mantra. And if we can understand it properly – and to some extent we did analyse that one – then the rest is to be understood properly.

The Structure of Madhu Vidyā

So what was really taught? There are nineteen mantras in this Madhukāṇḍa, Madhu Vidyā section, Madhu Brāhmaṇa section. So one to fifteen is illustrating the fact: we are experiencing nothing but Brahman as all – sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. And that is the purpose of these fifteen mantras.

The Triangle

And whatever we are experiencing, like a triangle – every angle depends upon the other two angles. All are interrelated. If one is removed, everything goes. So that is what we have to realise.

The Three Angles

And that triangle example: individual, the entire world consisting of the physical, the mental, and causal world, and the presiding deities – one God, one Īśvara, is manifesting as this triangle. And that is what we have to see first, because we are already living in this world of the triangle.

Examples of Interdependence

So as a few examples, how this interdependence comes. Can any child survive without parents, especially mother? And the mother also equally depends. She feels her life is barren. If she does not have children, her life's purpose is not fulfilled. Similarly, the relationships grow between the Guru and Śiṣya, Ācārya and the Śiṣyas, between Bhagavān and Bhaktas, between master and servant – between any two, interdependence is there.

The First Mantra – Earth

So as an example, we took in the very first mantra: this earth – everything depends upon the earth. Because one meaning of this word Madhu is kāryam. Kāryam means effect. And we have to bring in that philosophical connection.

Cause and Effect

The moment we say "this is an effect", we have to understand there must be a cause. There cannot be an effect without a cause, and the word "cause" is meaningless if we remove the word "effect".

Gold, Wood, Clay

So gold and golden instruments, wood and furniture, clay and pots – these are popular terms used in our scriptures. That is why we are quoting again and again.

Everything Is Interdependent

So everything is interdependent. And another angle of understanding is that Brahman is manifesting. I gave the example of a wax garden. So everything depends upon the wax. You remove the wax from anything, that object will not exist. Remove gold from an ornament, it loses its very existence.

Nāma-Rūpa

Nāma-rūpa cannot survive without the existent material – be it clay, be it wood, be it gold, silver, metal, anything. Actually, nāma-rūpa is not an object, an existence. It is another name for the same existence, because it is in a particular way – limited by time, limited by space, and limited by causation. So everything is Brahma.

The Purpose

What is the purpose? Try to look upon everything as Brahma. Translated into simple words, what it means is Aham Brahmasmi. There is nothing else. "Who are you?" – you are also me only.

The Dream Example

For that we give the example of the waker and the dream. The entire dream world, including one's own manifestation as an individual in the dream world, is totally dependent upon the waker. When the waker enters into a particular state, that is called the dream world.

The Waker Becomes the Dream

And just like Saguṇa Brahma becomes, so the waker becomes the entire svapna-prapañca – the entire individual in that svapna-prapañca – dream world – and also it is the waker who is presiding.

The Presiding

What do I mean by "the presiding"? Because suppose you meet somebody in your dream, and then how he reacts, or how you react towards that other object or person, depends upon – because you are the presiding deity. "I do not like this person, so I will assume the attitude of enmity. I like this person, so I will assume the attitude of a beloved." So all these are determined.

Mutual Dependence

I am dependent upon the world, world is dependent upon me, and there is somebody who is moving all the puppets. The waker is moving. If we can understand this analogy, then we understand the waking state is no different from the dream state.

The Triangle in Sanskrit

Exactly – Īśvara has assumed the form of each individual, the form of the external world, and the residing deity form. So they are called respectively in Sanskrit: Ādhyātmika, Ādhibhautika, Ādhidaivika. So that is the triangle. And if we can understand it, we understand these mantras properly.

The First Mantra's Explanation

So the very first mantra gives that explanation, and then it concludes also: there is a being within you in the individual; there is a being in the external world – because it is called Ādhibhautika – it is only manifesting as the entire external world; and that same Īśvara is manifesting as the presiding deities. So the presiding deities pervade both the individual as well as the external creation.

The Dream Analogy

This is the relationship. And if we understand the analogy of the dream world, we understand. The waker here is comparable to the Īśvara, and the waker takes these three forms:

1. The individual – Ādhyātmika.
2. The external world with which this individual reacts – Ādhibhautika.
3. And the presiding deity who is manifesting, maintaining, making it possible for the individual to interact with the universal – Ādhidaivika.

Waking Up

When we wake up, the triangle – the entire triangle – disappears. Similarly, this waking state – when we wake up, uttiṣṭhata jāgrata, prāpya varān nibodhata – because this waking state itself is the cause of the dream state.

Merging into Īśvara

But this waking state is not the final cause. It is an effect, and this effect has to be merged into its cause, which is called Īśvara. That is all. Sādhanā can take us up to Īśvara. Once we reach Īśvara, Īśvara reveals Himself as that unthinkable, unimaginable, inexpressible – what we call by the word Brahman.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Words

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's words are so profoundly deep in meaning. What is Brahman? It had never been expressed. It has not become polluted. Whatever comes out of the mouth is polluted, and it can never come out of the mouth as words – and words are expressions of gross manifestation of thought. So yato vāco nivartante, aprāpya manasā saha.

The Fifteen Repetitions

To drill this fact in this Madhu Brāhmaṇa, fifteen times it is repeated. And what are taken as examples? Certain examples are taken.

The Five Elements

First of all the pañcabhūtas. You just see the causal relationship: the Ātman, the final cause, from which the space has come; and the space again manifested as the air; which manifested as the fire; which manifested as waters; and which manifested as this earth. So there is an unbreakable interrelationship among these five bhūtas.

Gross and Subtle

And when I say five elements, we have to understand both – not only gross but subtle also – all of them together.

The Mantras of the Elements

So in the first mantra, the earth is taken. What is the cause of the earth? Waters. In the second mantra: imāḥ āpaḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu. Third mantra: what is the cause of this agni? Ayam agniḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu. And what is the cause of the agni? Ayam vāyuḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu. But there is Ākāśa – it comes a little bit later on; for the sake of convenience, I brought it down here. And then we say: aham ākāśaḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ. This is the tenth mantra – has to be transposed here. So five elements we have seen.

The Presiding Deities

And then we will see five pañcabhūtas: earth, waters, fire, air, and space. Then what do we see? Residing deities in another form. These pañcabhūtas manifest as the maintaining deities in the form of the sun, in the form of the moon, in the form of the directions, space, in the form of the lightning, in the form of the thunder: Ādityaḥ, Candraḥ, Diśaḥ, Vidyut, Stanayitnuḥ – and the whole universe is controlled like the Prime Minister controls the whole country.

Dharma and Satya

So what are they? Dharmaḥ and Satyaḥ. What is the conduct? How should we behave in this world? And as our behaviour becomes in accord with the scriptural teaching, more and more truth will manifest itself within ourselves.

Dharma First

Dharmaḥ – first, moral conduct. Just see – a small boy or girl enters into the school, and depending upon – the child has to focus, ekāgratā, and then respect to the teachers and listen to the teaching properly, try to digest it – śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. And as the child really does it, then the truth which the teacher is trying to inculcate into the minds of the students becomes gradually better and better.

The Mirror Analogy

As a Swami had given us a beautiful example or analogy: as you are going on cleaning the mirror, your reflection also becomes better and better. And that is a very, very interesting, marvellous analogy.

The Five Layers of Dust

Just imagine that this mirror is covered with five layers of dust. Remove the first layer, the grossest layer, which is comparable to the human body. And then it reveals a subtler reflection – which is first anna, second prāṇa. As we go on cleaning, the mind – we ascend to the level of the mind. Then we include that by ascending to the next higher level, which is called right understanding – the intellect. And as we ascend, the lower ones do not disappear, but they become merged in the higher ones.

Merging Into the Cause

So every effect is merged into its cause, and that cause is merged into its cause. So then the intellect is merged into ānandamaya kośa – because every creature is born – ānanda adhyeva khalv imāni bhūtāni jāyante, ānandena jātāni jīvanti, ānandaṃ prayanty abhisaṃviśanti, tad vijijñāsasva, tad brahmeti. Tapasā brahma vijijñāsasva. This was the teaching of Bhṛgu Maharṣi – or Varuṇa Maharṣi – to his disciple Bhṛgu Maharṣi. And Bhṛgu had realised. And through realisation, he became a Maharṣi.

Dharma and Satya – Mutually Supportive

So Dharma is changing the conduct. What is the very first thing? Śravaṇa. Listen – what you have to do, this is what you have to do, this is what you have to avoid. Nidhi and niṣedha. As we go on doing, our mind becomes purified, and then the truth dawns. Just like by cleaning the mirror, cleaning the window more and more, the true sight outside the window is revealed to us without any distortion – and that is called Satyam.

Satyam Vada

That is why satyam vada in the eleventh section of the Śikṣāvallī. Vada means "to speak", but really vada means "become", "understand the truth". So they are mutually supportive. The more our character changes, the more the glory of truthfulness dawns. And the more the truth – the more our understanding of Satya, which means real knowledge, dawns within us – then our character automatically changes through effort, which is called Dharma.

Satya Revealed

Satya is revealed, but once Satya, true knowledge, is revealed, it automatically changes. We need not tell. And this Śaṅkarācārya gives beautifully in the second chapter.

The Path and the Blind

And then he says: how these people who have got eyesight, and they are walking on a difficult path, and there are thorny bushes, and there are pebbles, and there are ups and downs – so a person, or even some unused wells, a lot of grass, bushes have grown around it. And a blind person – or "blind" means not really blind, even though seeing but not really paying attention – what do they do? "Oh, these are some bushes. I will push them aside and I will walk on my way" – and headlong they will fall into that well, and then they realise: "We should have examined it previously."

The Seeing Person

So how a seeing person, being very alert, avoids all the problems on the way and slowly moves forward without falling into any danger.

Character Transformation

So as we go on transforming our character, the truth – as if it is a light – throws more and more light. And then we become, we walk safely, we reach our destination beautifully.

The Chariot Analogy

And this is so beautifully given in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, in the form of the analogy of the chariot, the driver of the chariot, and the rider of the chariot, and the puller of the chariot in the form of the indriyas, or horses. Horses represent the sense organs, especially of the five sense organs of knowledge.

Controlled Horses

So if they are well controlled, then they take us to the destination happily, safely, faster. But if they become uncontrolled – what Śaṅkara means is: horses are meant to be controlled, a car is meant to be controlled. That is why a wheel is provided, brakes are provided – both are necessary. So like that, an expert driver controls the horses, and the destination is reached. Sometimes detouring is also necessary – where it is much safer to detour rather than go straight forward.

Every Upaniṣad

Every Upaniṣad shines a new light upon the same Dharma and Satya. So the subject matter, essence of every Upaniṣad, is: there is Satyam, and that Satyam has to be reached, realised. For that you have to change your body, mind, your lifestyle – which is called Dharma.

Satyam Vada, Dharmam Cara

Therefore, in the eleventh section, satyam vada means: aspire to realise the truth, not merely speaking the truth. Dharmam cara – in accordance, you have to transform your life.

The True Rulers

So coming back – Dharma and Satya, these are the true rulers, guides who control a spiritual aspirant's life.

The Human Being

And finally Mānuṣyam – he comes back, because it is seen that among all the beings – billions and trillions of uncountable number of living creatures – it is only a human being who really aspires. That too, not every human being. Mānuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. So an awakened person.

The Warning

That is why Kaṭha Upaniṣad warns: uttiṣṭhata jāgrata, prāpya varān nibodhata.

Who Is This Man?

So who is this man? For that we have also seen Nārāyaṇa Sūktam, Puruṣa Sūktam: sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ, sahasrākṣaḥ, sahasrapāt. Every person I see, every head I see, every hand I see, every leg I see, every human being I see is none other than that Brahman moving, assuming that particular name and form.

Swami Vivekananda's Poem

That is why Swami Vivekananda has written a poem: "Where do you search for God? Just open your eyes. Whatever you see, that is only God appearing in the form of a human being, the form of every other creature, in the form of the pañcabhūtas, in the form of the entire creation." That is the meaning to be conveyed by this Sūktam.

Sūktam Means

Sūktam means what? Truth is said in this particular way. Excepting Nārāyaṇa, excepting Puruṣa, nothing else exists – only that one universal consciousness. Even that word "universal" is only from our point of view. Once a person reaches Brahman, he does not say "universal" or "individual".

The Wheel and the Hub

So this very Self is the Lord of all beings, the king of all beings. Just as all the spokes in a wheel are held together in the hub and the rim of a chariot wheel – even so, in this Self, all beings, all gods, all worlds, all organs, all these individual selves are held together.

The Message of Madhukāṇḍa

So this is the message this Madhukāṇḍa wants to tell us. As I mentioned, how to realise that Self – through hearing, through pondering deeply, and through transforming our life. Nānya panthā vidyate ayanāya. There is no other way to reach this goal.

The First Mantra Again

So I will once more read and briefly discuss the first mantra, and then we have to go on repeating the same meaning – apply the same meaning to all the remaining fourteen mantras.

Iyaṃ pṛthivī sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu, asyai pṛthivyai sarvāṇi bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam asyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ tejo maya amṛtamayaḥ puruṣaḥ, yaś cāyam adhyātmam śarīraḥ tejo maya amṛtamayaḥ puruṣaḥ, ayam eva saḥ yaḥ ayam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idaṃ brahma, idaṃ sarvam.

The Whole Statement

The entire sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma statement is reformulated in this mantra. This earth is honey – effect, nourishment, joy – for all beings. All beings are honey for this earth. The radiant immortal being in this earth and the radiant immortal being in each individual body – they are both none other than that Supreme Self. And this is the immortal, this is Brahman, and that is all. That is the highest knowledge.

The Inner Spiritual Meaning

The inner spiritual meaning of this Madhu Brāhmaṇa is – a profound truth is unveiled. What is it? This Madhu Brāhmaṇa section of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad establishes this non‑dual truth: that all apparent diversity in the universe is apparent, is nothing but Brahman, the One Self appearing in the manifold name and form.

The First Mantra Is the Key

This first mantra is the foundational mantra. Let us briefly discuss it, and this is the key mantra. It is said: iyaṃ pṛthivī sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu.

One Reality

There is only one reality. That one reality is called Ātman, Brahman, God, Īśvara, whatever name you give. This Self alone is present in each being. How many selves? Only one Self. Really, there is no inner, no outer.

Inside and Outside

So this Self alone is present in each being. So within each being, like space is within the hall. Is it only within the hall? Where is the hall? Within the space. Where is the space? Within the hall. So you are confusing me. Is it inside or outside? No – it is inside. It is outside. And what divides these two – in and out – that is also nothing but pure space.

The Atoms

Even from a scientific point of view, it is said: what is the chance of two atoms meeting together accidentally and crashing into each other? And for that a great scientist – I do not remember that person's name – he issued his statement. Just imagine two mosquitoes have started travelling towards each other – one from the end of this side of the universe, from our cosmos, and the other one from the other side of the cosmos. What are their chances of meeting and crashing into each other?

The Space Within

So do you know how much space is there in between two atoms? Do you know how much space is there within each atom? It is unimaginable. We can only say infinite.

No In or Out

So this Ātman, Brahman, in and out – there is no in or out. First, see that – why is it said that He is outside, He is inside, and then He is everywhere? It is to make each person, according to our capacity of understanding, to realise.

The Nava Yogī Saṃvāda

In Bhāgavatam there is one beautiful story. It is called the Nava Yogī Saṃvāda – the conversation, dialogue between nine yogis and a king. So during the course of their conversation, the king put a question to them: "Sirs, you describe – how many types of devotees are there?"

The Three Types of Devotees

And then one yogi says: the inferior devotee sees God somewhere. He sees God, but He is somewhere outside, very far away. "He is big, I am small," etc.

• But the middle type of devotee, he sees God right within himself – inside him – hṛdaya-kamala-madhye rājitam nirvikalpam.
• But the superior devotee sees God everywhere, in everything – not only in everything; "everything" means both so‑called jaḍa, so‑called conscious – the living and the non‑living, the conscious and the inert. There is no such a division from Brahman's point of view. It is only from our point of view. Everything is that pure Sat-Cit-Ānanda.

See That Brahman

See that Ātman, see that Brahman, the absolute all‑pervading reality – that is expressed in that Sūktam which we have discussed: sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ.

This Is the Self

So in the text it says: this is the Self, this is the immortal, this is Brahma, this is the all. That means He is inside you. He is inside the entire universe – means outside. He is inside you – means you do not exist. Only that Self exists. He is outside in the universe – means the universe is nothing but that one Self. And this is all.

No Division

So there is – words "inside", "outside" – it is all a delusion. There is no such a division: ekam eva advitīyam – no second.

Same Self

So it means the same Self is present in the perceiver and the perceived, in the individual and the universe. Even these are words. It means nothing else exists except Brahma.

One Sentence

In one sentence: this honey doctrine teaches that all things exist, nourish, and depend on one another, like nectar becoming honey, and that their common inner essence is the one non‑dual Self, Brahman.

Why Is It Called Madhukāṇḍa?

As I mentioned earlier, why do we call it Madhukāṇḍa? Madhu means honey. Honey is available in the beehive. So what happens? The bees – thousands and thousands of bees – they go in different directions, and they gather that nectar from every flower, small, big, etc., and they bring it to the hive, and they all transform it by vomiting it into one – which we call honey. And once it becomes honey, we cannot distinguish and say "this has come from that flower, this has come from this flower," etc. No – it is not possible.

Encapsulates the Teaching

So this first mantra encapsulates the entire teaching. It asserts the unity of the microcosm and the macrocosm.

Swami Vivekananda's Jñāna Yoga

As I mentioned earlier, Swami Vivekananda's Jñāna Yoga lectures: the cosmos – and then he says: both the macrocosm and microcosm are built exactly on the same plan. So if we understand what is microcosm, we understand the macrocosm – because it is exactly the same thing.

The Sugar Example

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: by tasting one grain of sugar – so all the sugar that was, that is, and that will be – the knowledge of that sugar, entire sugar, will be present by just tasting one teeny‑weeny bit of sugar. And that is what this mantra wants to tell us.

Conclusion

And from next class onwards, we can quickly cover these things. So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa echoed the same idea. Swamiji also says: everything I see everywhere – same God. And there is a beautiful Sanskrit stotra by Śaṅkarācārya: Viṣṇur hasati, Viṣṇur rodati, Viṣṇur hasati, Viṣṇuḥ khelati – He is smiling, He is weeping, He is playing. I see everywhere the play of Viṣṇu and nothing else. We will talk about these things 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!