Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2.5.1-15 Lecture 77 on 17 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 Meaning of Madhu Vidyā

We have been studying the Madhu Vidyā, Madhu Brāhmaṇa, in the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we have been discussing what this Madhu Vidyā really is.

Honey Means Joy

Madhu means honey. Honey means joy. Honey also means effect. Honey means interrelationship. Everything is interrelated to everything else. Everything is connected with everything else.

Seeing Everything

When I see anything, I am seeing everything – which means I am seeing Brahman. Who is seeing? I am not seeing Brahman. Brahman is seeing Brahman. Brahman is speaking with Brahman. Brahman is listening to Brahman. Brahman is manifest in everybody as everybody doing everything.

Touching Brahman

So if I touch something, I am touching Brahman. Through all our five sense organs of knowledge, we are doing nothing else but seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching Brahman and Brahman alone. That is for our understanding's sake. But truly speaking, Brahman does not do anything. But to understand this one, we will have to use the word, the concept, the analogy of a dream.

The Thirteen Mantras

In our last class we also said that nearly thirteen mantras, from the first to the thirteenth mantra, the beautiful description of this creation has been given, and it has been classified.

The Five Elements

First, as we have seen, the interdependence of the entire creation on the five elements – Pañcabhūtas: Pṛthvī, Āpaḥ, Agniḥ, Vāyuḥ, Ākāśaḥ. Out of the combination of these five, the entire creation, including the body and the mind – everything in creation is included here.

Tanmātras

It is the outcome of the Tanmātras, the subtle five elements which make up the subtle world, which we experience in dream. And exactly in the same manner, we also experience the entire universe, the external physical universe, which is the manifestation of a mixture of these five gross elements.

Dharma and Satyam

And then where there is a community, a society, certain rules and regulations are necessary. What are the rules and regulations? Dharmaḥ and Satyam. Satyam is that which is truth; that which leads to truth is called Dharma. This Dharma is also called Ṛtam according to Vedānta.

The Rulers

Then who are the rulers? To see that everybody observes this Satyam and Dharma. And the opposite of Dharma is Adharma, unrighteousness. The opposite of Satyam is untruth. And whenever such a thing happens, these rulers punish or reward according to how we behave, how every creature behaves.

The Elephant and the Mahout

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives a very beautiful, telling analogy. When an elephant wants to eat a neighbour's garden, a mahout who sits on that elephant pierces it with a goad, guiding the elephant: "You can eat what is available where it is permitted to graze, not in neighbouring places. Otherwise they will shoot you out."

Carrot and Stick

So these beautiful manifestations – the sun, the moon, the eight quarters, then the lightning and the thunder – these are the things which can be compared to carrot and stick. These very elements can bring the greatest cause of happiness or the greatest cause of suffering also.

Not Random

So where there is drought, where there are pests, etc., it does not happen randomly, as many scientists falsely believe – that the famines, the floods, the El Niño effect, all these are natural, which means there is no law, there is no rule, regulation. But Hinduism does not accept it. It says the collective karmaphala of any country, any society, determines the effects of these rulers.

The Presiding Deities

And these rulers, called presiding deities, they allot whether it should be stick or whether it be carrot – to encourage a person to travel the right path. And travelling the right path, one reaches the right goal, which is to know who we really are: Aham Brahmasmi. And then finally there is Jīvātma‑Paramātma Aikiyam. That also we had discussed.

The Dream Analogy

Now, earlier I told you today that the analogy of a dream is the most wonderful way of understanding.

The Dream Market

Imagine that you are dreaming. You are in a town, and you went to the market, and there are so many shops, so many people, and you are also moving. So you are seeing so many things. Whom are you seeing? Because it is your Ātmā. But here in this analogy, the Ātmā is the waker.

The Waker Creates

The waker closes his eyes and then imagines this dream world, creates this dream world. That is why the mind of a human being is called Kalpavṛkṣa. Kalpa means kalpanā. Whatever you strongly, I strongly imagine, so that has a lot of effects. It can reduce my karmaphala. It can increase my karmaphala. It can be the foundation in future for what I am going to do. That is why it is said: "Today's dream can be tomorrow's fact."

Everything Is the Waker

So I am seeing somebody, you are seeing somebody in the dream, and you are touching somebody, you are tasting something, you are smelling something, you are hearing something. Whatever you do, it appears as if two people are seeing – one person is seeing both people and objects. But who is that object? The waker. Who is the experiencer? He is also the waker.

Two People Talking

So if there are two human beings, they are talking with each other – and who are those two? The creation of the waker. There is no exception to it.

Upon Waking

But then when we wake up from that dream, say I touched somebody in the dream – whom did I touch? Myself. I heard somebody – whom did I hear? Myself. I saw somebody – whom did I see? Myself. Whatever actions I do through the body and mind in the dream is only myself. I myself have become my entire dream universe. This is a fact.

Transposing to Brahman

Now you transpose this analogy to Brahman. Brahman is dreaming – and Brahman, when Brahman dreams, when we dream, there is a difference. When Brahman dreams, then He knows He is dreaming. He is conscious He is dreaming – like our daydream. But when we dream, we think we are in a different world. Whatever is happening, it is all – we are separate from it. The experiencer is different, experienced is different, and the instruments of experience are different, etc.

Upon Waking Up

But upon waking up, any intelligent person should be able to understand that "I alone created this whole world. I am the dream world."

The Waking State Is Also a Dream

Same analogy, we have to apply. Just as we understand, my whole dream world is my own creation. I slapped myself. I rewarded myself. I am my own enemy. I am my own closest friend. But so long as we are in dream, we think everything is separate from everything else.

The Jagrat Puruṣa

Upon waking up, we realise that everything is nothing but one Jāgrat Puruṣa – the awakener, the awakened person, the waking person. He is only creating his own world, perhaps to exhaust his karmaphala.

This Waking State Is Also a Dream

Similarly, this waking state is also a dream. But so long as we are dreaming, we think everything is separate from everything else. But when we wake up from this dream state, which we now call the waking state, then we understand: it is my own imagination.

The Uniqueness of Turīya

But then something unique happens. What is that uniqueness? I enjoy everything. Why do I enjoy? Because when we dream, it is not that we enjoy all the time. We can enjoy, we can also suffer. But when we awaken from this waking state to our so‑called Turīya state, then we know we are conscious, we are the witness of the waking, of the dream, of the dreamless states.

Experiencer, Experienced, Witness

So I am both experiencer and experienced, and I am the witness of everything that is happening there consciously.

The Drama Example

Just like I give you the example of the – let us say we are watching a cinema or a drama. Drama is better. There two people fight, two people help each other. It is all nothing but drama. But if talented actors and actresses happen to act, it appears so realistic. "Realistic" and "real" – we have to understand the separate meanings of both. "Realistic" means not real, but seems to be real, appears to be real. But "real" means actually real.

For the Awakened Person

But for Brahman, for an awakened person with the knowledge "I am the Ātman, I am Brahman" – everything is both experienced at the same time also witnessed. That is the beauty. That is why he knows a dying person is not dying. A suffering person is not suffering. An enjoying person is not enjoying. Everything is "as if."

Śaṅkarācārya's Use of Iva

So through the introduction to the Bhagavad Gītā, Śaṅkarācārya starts: "As if Bhagavān had incarnated." Why does he use the word "as if"? Iva – that is the Sanskrit word. Iva in English means "as if." Why "as if"? Because if it is real, then Brahman becomes non‑Brahman. Only when Brahman is everything, then everything that happens there is "as if" it is happening.

As If

So "as if God is born," "as if He is establishing Dharma," "as if He is dedicating His life for the establishment of Dharma." Everything is "as if."

Are We Permitted?

Are we permitted to use that word "as if," iva? Yes. Because creation is also "as if," as though it is created. But no – that is not the truth. The truth is, it is just like cinema, "as if" it is real – and when we are conscious, and we are always conscious.

The Machine Gun

That is why, if somebody turns a machine gun towards you and then starts shooting, you do not move from the seat, because you know it is only an appearance – there is no reality. But even if a mouse jumps upon you, then you run away if it is real.

The Message

So that is the message this Madhu Brāhmaṇam wants to tell us.

From Mantra One to Thirteen

So from mantra one, where the earth is given, until mantra thirteen – all these mantras, all these Pañcabhūtas, five stellar manifestations, the sun, the moon, the lightning, etc., and the enforcers of law, Satyam and Dharmam – all this is given to us, describing indirectly this vast creation.

Why Dharma and Satyam?

Why Dharma and Satyam are described? Because they are the things which are – it is like training an animal. B. F. Skinner had found out this method. So you go on repeating a commandment. When an animal understands and does what the trainer wants it to do, he rewards. He is reinforcing: "When I hear this sound, then I have to do this action." "Go" – then it goes and fetches. "Come" – then it comes. "Lie down" – then it lies down. So until it is trained. If it does not do, then the stick is used.

Understanding Sound

So it understands. Then because of sheer necessity, it learns: "This word means I have to lie down. Otherwise stick will come. This means I have to go and fetch the ball," etc. "You kneel down" – yes, it understands. A few words – it does not understand the words, it understands the sound. Just like us – you do not understand the words, you understand the sounds. This sound, this word is pronounced like this. And that sound we associate with that particular word, with that particular meaning. So we know we are experts in this communication. That is why human beings established themselves as the masters of this entire creation.

What the Ṛṣi Taught

So this is what the Ṛṣi – the Dadhyaṅ Ṛṣi – has taught to the Aśvini Kumāras. So from mantra one in this fifth section of the second chapter called Madhu Brāhmaṇa, until the thirteenth, different elements are outlined. Then something comes.

The Mahāvākya in Every Mantra

In every one of these thirteen mantras, the Upaniṣad repeats: "This is the Self, this is the immortal, this is Brahman, this is all." And every mantra is also a Mahāvākya.

The Self Within

This Self who is within you, within the individual as the Jīvātman, and the Self who is also in the presiding deities, who is also in the entire external creation – Ādhyātmika, Ādhibhautika, Ādhidaivika. There is only one Self who, seemingly in play, divided Himself as this triangle.

Īśvara Manifesting

Īśvara manifesting as the triangle – my individual body, mind, personality; the external world; and the presiding deities to maintain that order. Everything is nothing but manifestation of the Ātmā. So the Jīvātman and the Paramātman are nothing but one.

In One Sentence

So in one sentence, this honey doctrine teaches us that all things exist, they flourish, and they depend on one another, like nectar becoming honey.

Why Madhu Vidyā?

That is why it is called Madhu Vidyā. Just like different bees – thousands of bees – they go in various directions, they bring the nectar from various flowers. But once that nectar is discharged in the hive and it is transformed into honey, then all those separate nectars lose their identity: "I am the nectar from the rose flower. I am the nectar from the jasmine flower. I am the nectar from the marigold flower," etc. No – everything goes by the name "honey."

The Vision

So when we really, truly develop that vision and look at – amṛti – what do we see? Everything is Brahman. That is why earlier itself I told you in many classes: whatever I see, whatever I touch, whatever I smell, whatever I hear, and whatever I taste – everything is nothing but one material, giving Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's example of the wax garden.

The Four Earth Beings

So these four – earth, beings, consciousness in the earth, and the consciousness in every being, and the consciousness that is also manifesting in the presiding deities – that is one. So this is called Mahāvākya: sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. It is so beautifully given.

The First Mantra

So if we have to – just a little bit of detail in the form of a tablet. Take this first mantra. What is it? Then first of all it is Pṛthivī, then Pṛthivī Devatā, then the Ātman in the Pṛthivī and the Ātman in the Pṛthivī Devatā, presiding deity. So first Pṛthivī is my body and mind. Second Pṛthivī is the collective Pṛthivī, entire creation. It is one and the same.

All the Same

And both the Ātman within me, the Ātman within Pṛthivī, and the Ātman within the presiding deity called Pṛthivī Devatā – they are all one and the same. And finally, all three seemingly separate Ātmans are none other than Brahman. That is the idea.

The Second Mantra

So the second mantra is the example of Āpaḥ, water. So waters, Jala Devatā, and then Īśvara – they are one and the same.

The Presiding Deities

Agni Devatā – by the way, Agni Devatā is the presiding deity of speech. Vāyu Devatā is the presiding deity of oxygen, or Prāṇa. Āditya, the sun, is the presiding deity of the Digdevatā, the presiding deity of our hearing – śrotram, ears. The moon, the presiding deity of everybody's mind. All minds together put together are called Candra Devatā.

Lightning and Thunder

All the lightnings – not individual – that is called Tejaḥ. And Stanayitnu, thunder – every thunder that was, that is, that is going to be, it is nothing but that Devatā in the form of the Stanayitnu, Thunder Devatā.

Ākāśa Devatā

Then Ākāśa Devatā. Where is that Ākāśa Devatā? Hṛdayākāśa – we have seen in Chāndogya, asmin brahmapure – in this city called Brahmapurī. There is a cave. Within that cave, there is the Ākāśa called Cidākāśa – not bāhyākāśa, not cittākāśa, but cit‑cidākāśa. They are one and the same.

Dharma

Then Dharma. Dharma is the putting into practice of what I understand to be the Satyam. So externally everything is Satyam.

Satyam and Mithyā

If we can look upon everything as Brahman, everything is Mithyā – if I miss that Brahman element. That is why the two words Brahman and Bhrānti are very closely connected. Bhrānti means delusion, Mithyā. But even Mithyā has to depend upon Satyam only. A false snake cannot exist apart from its foundation, support, which is called a rope. Rope mistaken is called the snake.

Dharma and Satyam

So we see Dharma and Satyam. So every individual within what is manifesting as the individual human being – that is called Jīvātman – and the Paramātman, and through the presiding deities, it is nothing but Īśvara. So the Ātmā within man, the Ātmā within Īśvara, and the Paramātman are one and the same. So this is how we have to understand.

The Fourteenth Mantra

And what is the nature of this Ātmā that is described in the fourteenth mantra? That is why I said from mantra one to mantra thirteen different separate elements are described. But in this fourteenth, let me read:

Ayam ātmā sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu, asya ātmanaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam asminn ātmani tejo‑mayaḥ amṛtamayaḥ puruṣaḥ, yaś cāyam ātmā tejo‑mayaḥ amṛtamayaḥ puruṣaḥ, ayam eva saḥ yaḥ ayam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idaṃ brahma, idaṃ sarvam.

The Translation

This universal Self, cosmic Self – this Ātman – is honey for all beings, and all beings are honey for this cosmic Self. Actually there are no two things. So depending upon my play – or Brahman's play – called Līlā.

The Threshold Example

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa describes beautifully: there are only two states, and one should be in that Bhāva‑mukha, like a person sitting on the threshold of a room of a house. So he can see what is inside the room. He can also see what is outside the room. This is the state of a Jīvanmukta – living free.

No Inside, No Outside

So what happens? This person is able to see: what is outside is inside; what is inside is outside. There is no such thing. So one is Brahman, another is its manifestation as names and forms called Sṛṣṭi, herein called Līlā – "as if."

The Cosmic Self

So this cosmic Self is honey for all beings, and all beings are honey for this cosmic Self. The radiant immortal being in this cosmic Self and the radiant immortal being in the individual self – the Ātman in the Paramātman and the Ātman in the Jīvātman – they are both none other than that one Self called Brahma. And that Brahman is immortal, and that is called Brahman.

The Meaning of Brahman

Brahman – the etymological meaning of Brahman means "that which is everything." That is called Brahman. This is all. That is the essence of all scriptures.

The Three Manifestations

This Ātman alone – Ādhibhūta, Ādhidaiva, and Ādhyātma. That is, when we look at that Brahman from the viewpoint of creation, it is divided as Ādhibhūta, Ādhidaiva, and Ādhyātma – in the individual, external world, and the presiding deities. So all three are only manifestations of that one single Paramātman, who is called Brahma. That is the essence of this fourteenth mantra.

The Fifteenth Mantra – The Hub and the Spokes

And then the fifteenth mantra is further prescribing the same Paramātman. What is it telling? Sa vā ayam ātmā sarveṣāṃ bhūtānām adhipatiḥ, sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ rājā. This very Self is the Lord of all beings, the king of all beings.

The Analogy

Just as all the spokes are held together in the hub of a chariot, 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 Wheel

In other words – this is a very famous analogy given in many of the Upanishads. This Ratha‑nāmi, nābhī – a hub. Any wheel you take, any cakra you take. So you take the car wheel – nowadays cars are there. Then it has got several spokes. It is a marvellous invention because those spokes, they connect the outer ring with that nābhī or that hub. So what is it that is moving? The hub is moving. When the hub moves, the whole wheel automatically moves.

The Spokes

And what are those spokes? Spokes means – you take the example of a wheel of a cycle. So many spokes are there. What is the function of the spokes? They are manifestations of the relationship with the hub, and they keep it – just imagine a wheel without any spokes. What holds that wheel?

The Purpose

So that wheel is made up of very beautiful material which makes movement very smooth, very fast, etc. But that has to be supported, that has to be related for two purposes. One is to support them so that they will not fall apart. Second is: as soon as the hub is moving, the outer rim also has to move – then only it is possible. That beautiful analogy is given here.

The Chariot

And that means, of course, they did not have cars or cycles at that time, but they had these chariots. That is why this chariot example is given. Example cannot be given unless that example is existing and being used. In those days, when the description is given by whomsoever it is given – so that means chariots were existing. Chariots, of course, are pulled by horses, and that analogy is beautifully given to us in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad: ātmānaṃ rathinaṃ viddhi, śarīraṃ ratham eva tu, etc.

Paramātmā Is the Hub

So here this example is given that Paramātmā is the hub. And from Paramātmā, like visphuliṅgas, like sparks coming out of the central fire – what are they that is being described here? Sarvāṇi bhūtāni – every being. Sarve devāḥ – all the presiding deities. Sarve lokāḥ – all the worlds. Sarve prāṇāḥ – all the prāṇas. Sarve – everything that we experience in this creation. Ātmanaḥ samarpitāḥ – they are all manifestations, they are all related to this Ātmā, which is Paramātmā, which is Brahman, which is described as the hub.

Without Paramātmā

So without Paramātmā, what is that hub? Existence. Without existence, there will neither be consciousness nor Ānanda. That is why satyam jñānam anantam brahma is the best definition that we can get.

The Story of Dadhyaṅ

With this, the Madhu Brāhmaṇa is over. Now, as we already discussed earlier, how did this Madhu Brāhmaṇa come? Who taught? Who are the students? And is there anything special? There is a story.

Dadhyaṅ Ātharvaṇa

So from mantra sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen, practically the story is told. And just to remind you, as we have already seen the story: there was a Ṛṣi, and he was called Dadhyaṅ Ātharvaṇa. Some people say there are two Ṛṣis; some people say no, the same person has two names. So his name was Dadhyaṅ. He was an expert in the Atharvaṇa Veda.

The Atharvaṇa Veda

And Atharvaṇa Veda was the latest Veda, and this Atharvaṇa Veda became extraordinarily popular. Before that only three Vedas were accepted. Now this fourth Veda – because of its practical usage, many medicines, many mantras which can fulfil the desires of people like us. Just as mentioned, if somebody wants to do some good work and is in need of money, then he will have to repeat Śrī Sūktam, Kanakadhārāsthavam, etc.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Early Sādhanā

And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove – just to remind ourselves – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa started his spiritual life with the lowest of the spiritual practices called pūjā, worship.

The Fire Wall

Wherein one has to sit and invoke Agni Devatā, the fire god: "O Lord, protect me from all distractions, external as well as internal." Viśvāmitra was troubled by external obstructions, obstacles. That is why he took Rāma with him – because being a Brāhmaṇa, that was not his job. Only a Kṣatriya can do this kind of job.

Viśvāmitra

Even though Viśvāmitra was quite capable of doing that, he did not want to do it. Whether he had a higher purpose in mind – he wanted to see that Rāma re‑establishes Dharma and for that he had to kill ādharmic people, unrighteous people. And for that he has to get married, he has to offer his beloved wife as a temptation to the enemy party, etc. That is the essence of the Rāmāyaṇa.

The Obstructions

So Viśvāmitra took Rāma, etc. Like that, all these people, they were putting obstructions. They want to put out the fire, they want to pollute the fire lit for sacred offerings. All sorts of dirty things used to be poured from the sky above – and that is how we have to understand it.

The Mantra

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa started his worship, and then there is a mantra: "O Lord, Agni Devatā, God of fire, You form a blazing wall of fire, and do not allow any enemy so that he can put obstructions in this act." And that is a beautiful way.

Sprinkling Water

And that is why what does he do? He takes a small bit of water, and there is a mantra called raṃ – R‑A‑M – and he utters the mantra, sprinkles water all around – a worshipper sprinkles water all around him. As a result, an invisible wall of fire springs up, and so long as pūjā is going on, it would not allow anybody, any obstacle, to disturb the peace and the completion of the procedure.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Saw It

And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa actually saw a blazing fire wall spring up as soon as he uttered – because he was endowed with absolute śraddhā. And then no creature can enter. What about devotees? Genuine devotees can enter. But if they are not devotees, only came to ridicule or anything, very soon they will have to run away by the power of the Agni. Why they run away, they may not understand. But that is the result of Agni Devatā protecting.

Indra's Warning

So this Dadhyaṅ Ṛṣi, he knew this Madhu Vidyā, and then Indra also came to know about it. I think Indra also obtained the same Vidyā. What is that Vidyā? To look upon this entire creation as Brahman. This is called Madhu Vidyā – sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. That is the essence of Madhu Vidyā.

The Threat

And then Indra warned this Ṛṣi: "If you teach this knowledge to somebody, then I will cut off your head." Does really a Brahmajñānī cut off the heads of other people? No. What is meant is: you may know the knowledge, but do not teach it to unauthorised persons.

To Glorify the Vidyā

But just to glorify the Madhu Vidyā, perhaps the story is told like this – that this Dadhyaṅ Ṛṣi had a human head.

The Aśvini Kumāras' Request

Then Aśvini Kumāras approached him. Because Devatās also, they awakened at some point of time or other, want to realise that they are Brahman. Like we have seen in Kena Upaniṣad – Indra, then Agni Devatā, then Vāyu Devatā, and etc. We have to add other Devatās also. They approached that Hemavatī, the Divine Mother, Sarasvatī, the goddess of knowledge, who alone can bestow that knowledge. And all of them became enlightened people.

The Desire

So like that, these Aśvini Kumāras had a desire. But then the Dadhyaṅ said – there is only a story, we have to understand – "Do not give this story to unfit persons, because they will not get benefit. They might ridicule it. They might prevent other people from acquiring that, even cherishing a desire for that. For all these purposes, if you teach this one to anybody, I am going to cut off your head."

The Solution

So Dadhyaṅ said: "So if I teach you, I will not be alive." Then Aśvini Kumāras said: "Do not worry – we are the greatest plastic surgeons in the world. We can do anything. We cut off your head first, and then we will replace it with a horse's head, and you teach us through that horse's head, called Hayagrīva. And then Indra has to fulfil his threat. So he will command 'cut off your head' – which would be the horse's head. And then as soon as he cuts it off, we will keep your prāṇa. Then we will bring back your original human head and we will place it, replace it, and then you will become the original Dadhyaṅ."

Ganesha

Dadhyaṅ's head will be replaced by horse's head; horse's head also will be replaced by his original head. Like Ganeśa – he had his own head. Śiva came and cut off his head for whatever reason. Then immediately Śiva regretted because he cannot live without Pārvatī. She became angry. So he said his cleaver – he went. There was the head of an elephant, so he came and put it there.

The Symbolism

But we should not miss the symbolism. Just like the elephant remembers everything, the elephant is a wise animal. Ganeśa became a wise animal. How wise he was! He started looking upon everybody as the manifestation of Divine Mother and Lord Śiva. Every male is Śiva. Every female is his mother. That is why it is said in our married – but this married Ganeśa that we see, that two wives, prosperity and knowledge. Both of them, they are symbolical, not saṃsāra. We have to understand that one.

The Sixteenth to Nineteenth Mantras

So in this sixteenth mantra, until nineteenth mantra, this story is told, and I have already told you that story. I will just read out the English.

The Praise

"This is that honey knowledge, Madhu Vidyā, which the Dadhyaṅ Ṛṣi, the son of Atharvaṇa, taught to the Aśvinīs. Seeing this – that is, another seer nearby, he witnessed this whole process, and then he became wonderstruck, he started praising." So this praise of the second Ṛṣi who was a witness is found in the Ṛg Mantra – not in the Śukla Yajurveda, but in the Ṛg Veda. Anyway.

The Fierce Deed

"Aśvinau in human form, I proclaim that fierce deed of yours." What did that fierce – that you had that tremendous knowledge? "You replaced first the Dadhyaṅ's head with the head of the horse. And then later on when Indra cut it off, happily went back, fetched" – that means they were preserving that head – "and replaced it. Now the Dadhyaṅ Ṛṣi had become his original, and Indra cannot do it." But do not take it that Indra was jealous. He only wanted to say it should be taught to some worthy person. "So O Aśvins, in human form, I proclaim your greatest deed for the sake of reward." What is the reward? Like obtaining that knowledge – that is their reward. "Like thunder announcing rain. How the Dadhyaṅ, the son of Atharvaṇa, taught you the secret honey knowledge through the head of a horse." That means the Aśvini Kumāras at the end of it, they became enlightened: sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma. Everything is Brahma. So in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth, more or less, this is the trend that goes.

The Seventeenth Mantra

"This is that honey knowledge which Dadhyaṅ, the son of Atharvaṇa, taught to the two Aśvins. So the seer said: you replaced the head of the Dadhyaṅ" – earlier he said "this fierce deed, a most wondrous deed"; here he is giving the details – "you replaced the head of the Dadhyaṅ, the son of Atharvaṇa, with a horse's head. Keeping his promise, he then faithfully revealed to you the honey knowledge taught by Tvaṣṭā, which was your hidden secret." Same thing continues.

The Eighteenth Mantra

"This is that honey knowledge which the Dadhyaṅ, the son of Atharvaṇa, taught to the two Aśvins. Regarding this, the seer said: He, the Brahman, made bodies with two feet. He made bodies with four feet. He became a bird. He entered those bodies as the indwelling spirit."

The Meaning

What does it mean? The second Ṛṣi is describing: what is this Madhu Vidyā? Madhu Vidyā tells us Brahman is the creation. Creation is nothing but Brahman. So the second Ṛṣi was repeating. He – the Brahman – became the sṛṣṭi. But he did not say that. What was he telling? Brahman created bodies with two feet, four feet. He made bodies, He became the bird, He became the plants, He became everything, and then He became the indwelling spirit. He is only manifesting as everything – sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma.

Puruṣa

This Puruṣa is indeed the one who dwells in all bodies. And that is why he who dwells, indwells in a body, is called Puruṣaḥ. Purī śayate iti puruṣaḥ. He who indwells in an enclosure, in a shell like the shell of a bīja fruit. So like that he is called Puruṣaḥ. And then sarva‑vyāpakatvāt puruṣaḥ – another derivation. There is nothing that is not covered by Paramātmā, because besides Brahman, there is nothing. "Nothing that is not pervaded by Him" means what? That is, everything is Brahman.

The Nineteenth Mantra

And then he continues the same one: "This is that honey knowledge which Dadhyaṅ, the son of Atharvaṇa, taught to the two Aśvins. Regarding this again, that second seer proclaimed: He transformed Himself into the likeness of every form, and that form is for the purpose of making Himself known" – that is, being Līlā. "The Lord Indra appears in multiple forms through His creative powers. For His steeds, sensory energies are yoked by the hundreds and tens. This Self is the steeds; it is tens, thousands, many, and infinite. This Brahman is without antecedent, without subsequent, without interior, without exterior. This Self is Brahman. This Self is all‑perceiving consciousness. This is the ultimate teaching."

The Meaning

Same thing that the second Ṛṣi expressed in the previous mantra. What is it telling? That he said: Paramātmā transformed Himself into the likeness of every form – sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ, sahasrākṣaḥ, sahasrapāt, etc. And that form is for the purpose of making Himself known – that is, He wants to know Himself, as if He is playing a solitaire game.

Indra Means Paramātmā

And then for that he says "the Lord Indra" – here Indra means Paramātmā, not the Devatā that is called Indra. "The Lord Paramātmā appears in multiple forms" – that means in every form – "through His creative powers," that is Māyā. "For His steeds" – what is His expression? "Sensory energies are yoked by hundreds and tens." That is to say, He is sporting in the infinite universe, and that universe is experienced by the ten organs – five of knowledge, five of action.

The Conclusion

So the Self is the steeds. This world is nothing but Paramātmā. It is for an ignorant person that it appears to be tens, thousands, many, and infinite objects. This Brahman is without antecedent – that means beyond time; without subsequent – beyond time; without interior – without space; without exterior – without space. He is everything. This Self is Brahman, the all‑perceiving consciousness. This is the ultimate teaching.

The Vaṃśa Brāhmaṇa

With this, the Madhu Brāhmaṇa is practically over. Then in the second chapter there is a sixth section. It is called Sraṣṭā Brāhmaṇa – or it is called Vaṃśa Brāhmaṇa.

What Is Vaṃśa?

What is Vaṃśa? Vaṃśa means lineage. What does lineage mean? That means we are grateful to all the Gurus. So from the original Guru, who is called Brahmā – in the Muṇḍakopaniṣad, He taught to Atharva, etc. Atharva taught to somebody, like that.

The Lineage of Teachers

So this Brāhmaṇa lists the chronological lineage of teachers – Vaṃśa – like we recite: "Oh, my great‑great‑great‑great‑great grandfather was like this," etc., through whom this knowledge was passed down.

The Purpose

The uncompounding here involves separating the ablative cases. It is to extol the Guru‑Paramparā, it is to tell us that every time we have some piece of knowledge, we have to remember, we have to be grateful to the original discoverer. That is why we still remember who discovered electricity, who discovered the telephone, who discovered fire, etc. And that is a most marvellous thing.

The Lineage

So he has given, starting: "Atharva – now I am going to tell about this Guru‑Paramparā." Not ordinary lineage, but the lineage of spiritual knowledge passing from the teacher to the latest – and the same thing will continue.

The Chain

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa received this from Totāpurī, Totāpurī from his Guru, and all their Gurus from Śaṅkara. Śaṅkarācārya from Gauḍapāda, Gauḍapāda from Govindācārya, Govindācārya from Gauḍapāda, Gauḍapāda through all the other Ṛṣis. Only they are not mentioned. Here a large number of names have been given. So we do not need to go through them, really speaking.

Gratefulness to the Guru-Paramparā

With this, the Vaṃśa Brāhmaṇa is also over. With this, this second chapter has also almost come to an end.

The Essence

So what we have to understand – what is the essence – that we have to gratefully remember all the Ṛṣis. By remembering them, by saluting them, by learning from them through our Guru – what our Guru learned from them, what the first Guru learned, and then it came down without any break – and we have to be grateful for that.

The Chain of Gurus

All the Ṛṣis we cannot remember everybody, but only a few are mentioned here. And the same thing happens later on also in the same Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. But what is it? Gratefulness. That is why it is called salutations to Guru‑Paramparā.

My Own Chain

I gave you many times the example: like, say, my Guru Swami Atiśvarānandajī Mahārāja; his Guru, Brahmanandajī; his Guru, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa; his Guru, Totāpurī; his Guru, we do not know. But it ends in Śaṅkara, then Govinda, then Gauḍapāda – and then it goes on to all the other unknown Ṛṣis. And finally we trace it to the first teacher, who is called Brahmā. And Brahmā is none other than Saguṇa Brahma. We are grateful to that.

Conclusion

With this, we have completed the fifth and sixth sections. Our salutations to all the Guru‑Paramparā. Every day we have to remember as many of the Gurus as possible. At least I do remember all these people. You also should do the same thing. That means your Guru is only one link in that huge chain of Guru‑Paramparā Sampradāya. From next class onwards, we will go further into the beautiful arguments of Yājñavalkya with other people, etc. We will talk about it from 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!