Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2.5.1 Lecture 73 on 03 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 Brāhmaṇa

In our last class, we entered into the Madhu Brāhmaṇa – Madhu – honey. Actually, we are totally interdependent. The whole universe, just like one single human body – every part is interrelated to every other part, and all are dependent, and every part desires the well‑being, the welfare, the happiness, and the health of every other part, because if one part starts suffering, every other part also definitely suffers.

The Lesson

And finally this is to teach us this lesson: that the whole creation is nothing but Brahman, but with nāma and rūpa.

The Wax Garden Analogy

Just to give you a small illustration – and this was given by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Imagine a huge wax garden. Everything is made up of wax. You know, in the UK and other places, they exhibit some things called a model village. So the whole village is made up of only wax. But in that wax garden there are hundreds of thousands of different objects – living, non‑living, insects, birds, plants, human beings, dogs – everything is there. So it looks as if everything is different – for a child. But a grown‑up person understands that everything consists of the same essence, which is wax.

Gold and Wood

Every ornament made up of gold is nothing but gold. Every furniture made up of wood – nothing but wood, etc.

= The Advaitic View

So this is the most beautiful Advaitic view – that everything in this universe is only one material, one pure existence, which can be looked upon as Sat, as Cit, or as Ānanda – three in one, one in three. And all these three combined is called Brahman, Ātman. And in the purest of terms, it is called Aham Brahmasmi. That is what is to be expounded through this Madhu Vidyā.

The Essence of Every Scripture

And actually this Madhu Vidyā is the very essence of this entire Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad teaching. I would say it is the essence of every scripture belonging to every religion. Every religion accepts that there is a God, and He is the creator. The only difference is whether that God, like a potter, sits separately and creates everything separately from Him – like a potter creates different pots out of clay, but at the same time with the instrument called a potter's wheel. But that is not the Advaitic view.

The Dream Example

It is just like a dreamer becoming the whole dream world. And not only the dream world – he himself also is participating. And this is so beautifully represented by the analogy of the triangle: Jīva, Jagat, and Īśvara. We have seen that many times. We have to keep it in mind.

Why Should We Accept This?

So Madhu Vidyā is not an ordinary vidyā, ordinary knowledge. It teaches us everything is Brahman. So why should we accept it? Because once we have that knowledge that I am Brahman, you are Brahman, a stone is Brahman, everything – living, non‑living, everything is Brahman – then there would be no bondage at all.

All Bondage Comes from Separation

All bondage comes because of separation. Anything that we think is different from me – fear comes. Dvitīyād vai bhayaṃ bhavati.

Vitally Connected

So everything is vitally connected, not merely artificially related.

Artificial Relationship

What is artificial relationship? Supposing there is a man and woman. Both have their own families, and then they happen to fall in love, they get married, and then all the relatives, friends, acquaintances that come from the husband's family and also from the bride's family – everything becomes completely now related. And many times it is an artificial relationship, because there is no intimacy there. We cannot reject them because they are related distantly because of our relationship between the husband and the wife. But most of the time they are just okay, but they are not welcome to come and spend their time and spend our time also along with that.

= The Sādhanā

So this is what is to be understood as a sādhanā. We have to understand, and at the same time, we also – until we realise truly that everything is related – we have to shape our behaviour, we have to modify, mould our mind. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: live like a maid‑servant in a rich man's house.

The Universal Vision

So if anybody has got this universal vision that everything is manifestation of Brahman, what happens? When I see something, I am seeing everything. If someone touches my body – any part of my body – and that person is touching me, entire me.

The Example of Touch

This is the example actually given by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Even when somebody touches my back, I am not able to see that person, but he is touching not merely my back, but the entire body.

Speaking, Listening, Touching, Knowing

So when I am speaking with somebody, I am speaking with everybody. When I am listening to anybody, I am listening to everybody. When I touch anything, I touch all. When I know one thing, I know everything. And so if I know truly what I am, I know everything is me, I am everything.

The Gītā on Samadarśī

That is what in the Bhagavad Gītā also – a yogī is one who is capable of seeing himself in everybody and everybody also in his own self. This is called samadarśī – samadarśī hai nāma tihāro, chāhe to parabrahma prabhu mere abhaguna chita na dharo.

Knowing One Thing

So when I know one thing, I know everything. I do not need to know two things even – only one thing. But it should be the real thing, not the outward form, outward name, the qualities. No – that Sat aspect of everything. If I know everything is Sat, everything is Cit, everything is Ānanda.

The First Mantra of the Madhu Brāhmaṇa

This point is really a magnificent theme in this especially Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. So just I will repeat, then we will go through that explanation. This is the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, fifth section, first mantra:

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 Translation

This earth is honey – honey means effect, nourishment, joy – for all beings. And all beings are honey for this earth. The radiant immortal being in this earth and the radiant immortal being in the individual body – they are both one and the same, and they are none other than this Supreme Self. And that Supreme Self is the immortal; that is called Brahman; and that is all; that is everything.

The Inner Spiritual Meaning

So the inner spiritual meaning of this Madhu Brāhmaṇa is – a profound truth is being unveiled. Of course, to understand it, we require to pass through certain training. Just like any person cannot enter into a PhD course – painfully yes – to go through the nursery, elementary, middle, high school, college, university. And if he passes all these successfully, then only he will be in a position to understand. All these are not waste of time, but it is a preparation for this final understanding: sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma.

The Non-Dual Truth

So this Madhu Brāhmaṇa establishes that highest non‑dual truth: that all apparent diversity in the universe is nothing but Brahman, the One Self appearing as this manifold names and forms.

What Is a Brāhmaṇa?

And this first mantra in this section called Madhu Brāhmaṇa – Brāhmaṇa means, remember, not caste Brāhmaṇa, not Brahman, but section. One section of a chapter, as we put it – is the second chapter. This is A section, B section, C section, etc. So Brāhmaṇa here means a section, that is all.

The Foundational Mantra

So this is this first mantra – the foundational. As I said, there would be another fourteen mantras – the same meaning, but different elements are brought down, especially the pañcabhūtas, etc. So if we understand this first mantra, then the next is only a repetition, but requires very little explanation.

The Key Mantra

So the first key mantra of this section declares – so this earth, sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ madhu, etc. This earth is the honey to all beings. All beings are the honey to this earth. That which is this shining immortal person – that is Ātman – that is that which is in this earth. And that which is the shining, immortal, incorporeal being in this body – "in this body" means Jīvātman; "in the earth" means this cosmic body. Both are one and the same. This is indeed the same Self which is in the cosmic Self also. This is the immortal – Amṛta. This is Brahman. This is all.

The Simplest Terms

So in the simplest terms, this Madhu Vidyā, honey doctrine, says: nothing in the world exists by itself. Everything helps and depends on everything else. And behind all this mutual dependence is one Self – Brahma.

Repetition

And even at the cost of repetition, I have to repeat this one: we are all dependent. And this interdependence is beautifully brought out through the concept of Pañca Mahā Yajña.

The Pañca Mahā Yajñas

So we all know what it is. Just briefly to recollect. We are indebted to Ṛṣis, to Devatās, to our ancestors, to every human being, and through to every living creature, and even non‑living creatures. I will just give you only a very brief explanation.

We Are All Dependent

So we are all dependent upon each other. So how is it? Take the example of the North Pole and South Pole. They are nothing but pure icy areas – huge areas of thickened ice for centuries. How many thousands of years, God knows – even scientists were not able to fathom.

The Himalayas

There we call them non‑living. The Himalayan mountain by many scientists is called non‑living. But just see – in the eyes of Swami Akhaṇḍānandaji. He was one day, as I narrated earlier, watching at sunset in the Himalayas. There was a mountain, both sides of which he could see, and that was a full‑moon day. The sun was setting in the west, and its golden rays made one side of this white mountain completely like pure gold – burnished gold. On the other side, eastern side, a full moon was rising. That day, probably the atmosphere was very clear, he saw the whole thing was shining pure white.

Śiva and Pārvatī

And Akhaṇḍānandaji has a greatest sense of aesthetics, and then he was drinking the beauty. And at that time Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa appeared and said: "Look – this is Śiva‑Pārvatī, Hara‑Gaurī." For us it is a living mountain. A piece – a huge piece of stone. For Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa it is nothing but Śiva and Pārvatī. And that is why Śiva and Pārvatī are supposed to live there. No – they are not living there. They are the Kailāsa. Kailāsa is not a throne where Śiva and Pārvatī are sitting. Kailāsa is their outer appearance, but they are made up of pure consciousness according to this honey doctrine.

If the Ice Melts

So supposing all the ice melts in the North and South Poles, do you know what happens? This whole earth will be flooded. I think probably no life will ever exist there.

The Meteor

If one star in its course slips away and falls to the earth, we cannot imagine what is going to happen. The whole earth will be extinguished in a fraction of a second. And if you at all have read, studied – one small, smallest meteor struck our earth about 60,000 years ago, and then the biggest, what is called, dinosaur kingdom – huge animals that we sometimes see in the Chandamama stories as children. We have read Gaṇḍabheruṇḍa, etc. Everything was completely dead. But miracle of miracles – small animals, they survived, like the mice, rats, etc., and slowly developed. Practically ninety percent of the population of living creatures were wiped out just because a small meteor struck. Imagine a huge meteor had to strike – even today there would be – it is just like snuffing out a smallest lamp. That is all.

The Poles Control the Weather

So just imagine how much we are dependent upon this North Pole, South Pole, because it controls the weather of the entire Earth. And if they melt, the what is called sea levels would rise enormously. Every living city would be completely drowned in it. If a little bit of this Nepal flood could kill so many people, could submerge so many villages – just imagine what happens if the entire both southern and northern poles melt off.

Cutting Forests

Do we understand how by cutting forests we are altering the very oxygen that is sustaining us? And by running cars, trains, aeroplanes, rockets, jets, etc., how much we are polluting the atmosphere? And that is why everywhere these undesirable changes are taking place.

The Butterfly Effect

Why am I talking about all these? Because in simplest terms, we all depend upon the smallest thing. Scientists – some bright, brilliant scientists – have recognised this fact, and they said: if a butterfly flutters its wings on this earth, the very course of the stars, millions of galaxies away, light years away, will be altered. Can our small intellect comprehend this truth? How the tiniest butterfly's wings can alter the course of the stars? Impossible.

The Silent Spring

So I mentioned earlier – there is a very beautiful book, and the study of that book gives at least a glimpse. That is called The Silent Spring. How a little bit of change in the atmosphere alters the whole course of billions and billions of lives.

The Conclusion

So nothing in this world exists, nothing can exist by itself. Everything helps, everything depends on everything else. And behind all this mutual dependence, what is holding it up is the Self – Brahma.

Lord Viṣṇu

In some of the pictures of Lord Viṣṇu, He is seen to hold in His hand a small globe – our earth. That is why it is said Lord Viṣṇu is the husband of this earth. Bhū Devī and Śrī Devī are His beloved consorts. Especially we see them at Tirupati in South India – that Bhū Devī is established at the town below and Śrī Devī is established on the hills itself – Tirumala, Tirupati both.

Why Is It Called Honey?

So why is this called honey? Because this honey example is wonderful. Honey is made when bees collect nectar from many different flowers. One drop of honey therefore contains the essence of many flowers.

The Essence of Many Flowers

So that is an important point: whenever we are eating the honey or putting it on our toast and then trying to enjoy it – so what happens? We forget. It is made out of thousands and thousands and thousands of different flowers, the nectar from all these flowers.

The Lesson from the Bees

And it also gives us another important lesson. No honeybee ever takes away the entire nectar. A small bit it collects, and it goes to another, and it just swallows it. And when it comes to the honeycomb, it has the ability to bring out whatever it has. It is merely storing, not eating, and that would be converted. The bees' ucchiṣṭa, as it were – that what it vomits is the honey really.

The Whole Earth

So the whole earth contains so many elements. Every element is being dependent upon everything. The stars depend upon us, we depend upon the stars.

The Ṛṣis as Stars

And that is why our ṛṣis are shown as stars. And those who remember The Lion King – you can – The Lion King was showing to his youngest baby: "Look there, all our ancestors are shining there." All our Saptarṣis and other ṛṣis are hanging there. That is what we have to remember.

The Meaning of Honey

So honey literally does not mean only sweetness. Sweetness means what? Whatever sustains us to live and to enjoy and to fulfil the goal of our life – that is honey. It means mutual nourishment.

Without the Elements

Without earth, without water, without heat, without light, without oxygen or air, without Ākāśa, which facilitates our movement – the movement of even the stars and the galaxies – no life on earth can be sustained.

The Example of Earth

Take a simple example of this earth. Earth gives food, water, shelter, and material for our bodies, for our houses, for everything that we think of. We live on the earth, we walk on the earth, we act upon it, and we return to it – dust unto dust.

We Are Also Honey

So the earth is honey for us – it nourishes us. But we are also honey for the earth, because the cause and the effect – that is the relationship we have. The cause only is manifesting – cause is unmanifest, the effect is manifest. So without effect, the cause cannot exist. And without the cause, the effect also cannot exist. And both are existing. So the effect is existing potentially in the cause, and the effect contains potentially the cause in everything.

How Are We Honey for the Earth?

So we are also honey. How are we honey for the earth? Our bodies are made from earthly elements. Our existence expresses the earth's potential. So neither earth nor living beings can be understood as completely separate.

If No Living Creature Existed

Just imagine, for the sake of imagination: supposing no living creature is there, will anybody recognise there is a planet called Earth? We are even able to talk about this planet called Earth only because we, the products of the Earth, have become conscious.

The Consciousness of the Effect

Just imagine if we are conscious – if the effect is conscious – how can any foolish fellow think that the cause is not conscious? So the earth is not conscious, but we are – all the effects of the earth – are completely conscious. How can it happen? That is foolishness.

Mutual Dependence

So we need each other. And the same pattern everywhere. The earth is dependent upon the waters, waters upon the earth, the waters are dependent upon the fire, fire is dependent upon the water, and the fire is dependent upon the air.

Fire and Air

Simplest truth: if there would be no air, fire cannot exist. So what is fire? Rapid movement of the air is what produces fire. You just rub your palms against each other, sufficiently rubbed, they may even produce sparks. We do not know.

The Same Pattern Everywhere

So this is the same pattern everywhere. And this profound observation the Upaniṣad applies to everything in this world. Earth and living beings, water and living beings, fire, air, and space and living beings, the sun and every creature which is the resultant of the existence of the sun, the individual body and the conscious self within it – all are interdependent.

Outer and Inner

In each case, the outer thing supports the inner thing, and the inner being gives meaning, life, consciousness, function to the outer thing, and both are mutually dependent.

The Sun as an Example

And here is the brightest example which the Upaniṣad now presents in the form of the sun. The sun is one of the clearest examples in this Madhu Vidyā, honey doctrine.

The Relationship Between the Sun and Living Beings

What is the relationship between the sun and living beings? Why are we talking about this? Because every day we see the sun practically. Rarely is it that we do not see the sun – at least the sunlight we see even in northern parts like Iceland, etc.

If There Were No Sun

Can you just imagine – sit for a second and think – supposing there were no sun, will there be any life on this earth? Because the plants, the food, everything is the outcome of the sun. The sun gives light, the sun gives heat, and both of these produce the life which can manifest consciousness.

Consciousness and Prāṇa

As I mentioned many times, consciousness will be there, but it cannot be manifest – it cannot be expressed in a dead body. A living body is necessary. That is the relationship between consciousness and prāṇa. Consciousness is eternal, infinite, but without life it cannot be manifest. That is all. Consciousness does not die. But consciousness manifests only through the living body – prāṇa. That is why prāṇa and consciousness, they go together always.

What the Sun Gives

Now let us return to this example of the sun and the relationship between the sun and the living beings. The sun gives light, heat, energy, and life to all creatures. Plants need sunlight to make food. Animals and humans depend on plants for food, and the sun also governs day, night, seasons, and growth.

Without the Sun

Just imagine there would be no spring season, summer season, rainy season, autumn season, or winter or spring without the sun. Pitch darkness. Of course, there would be no darkness because there would be no living creature at all. It is only the living creature which can say "that is light" and "this is darkness." So the sun governs day and night, producing seasons.

The Sun Is Honey

So in this sense, the sun is honey for all beings. It nourishes and sustains them.

The Mutual Relationship

But the relationship is also mutual. The sun shines upon the world, the world receives, reflects, and uses this sun's light. Living beings act, grow, and fulfil their lives in that light. Without conscious beings, the sun's light would still exist physically. But the Upaniṣad's point is that its meaning as a light, sight, and life‑giver is complete in the beings who experience it.

The Example of Cognition

As I gave earlier – the example: supposing there is no living being, who is to cognise there is the sun, there is the moon, there is the air? It is only because we exist, we appreciate consciously or unconsciously. So the very existence of the sun and the moon depends upon us.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Words

As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa puts it so funnily, that if devotees do not exist – who are of course the very creation of Bhagavān – without bhakta, Bhagavān – who is going to recognise your Bhagavān? The very cognition of Bhagavān is totally dependent upon bhaktas. So Bhagavān depends upon bhaktas for their devotion, for their hymns, for their offerings, for loving Him. And of course, we are the outcome of the Bhagavān, so we are mutually dependent.

The Sun's Power

So the sun's power becomes visible, useful, and meaningful when creatures are there.

The Garden Example

So another picture: think of the sunlight falling on a garden. The sun gives energy to the plants. Energy means food. Actually, plants have the ability to absorb the sunlight – that would be their direct food – through photosynthesis.

The Chain of Life

So the plants grow, produce flowers, fruits, and seeds. Insects, animals, and we, the people, all creatures, of course, live from those plants. All of them live and act within the sun's light.

The Sun Is Not Isolated

So the sun is not an isolated object hanging in the sky. Its light enters into the life of the whole world. Likewise, the world is not separate from the sun – it lives by the sun's energy.

The Spiritual Meaning

So what is the spiritual meaning? The Upaniṣad now wants to say that the conscious principle – that is the Caitanya in the sun – and the conscious principle in the individual being – are ultimately the same Self.

Jīvātman and Paramātman

Just now we reminded ourselves: the Jīvātman – that means the Ātman, the consciousness called Cidābhāsa, which along with the body and mind is called the Jīvātman – is totally possible only because of the Paramātman. You remove the Cit, there would be no Jīvātman. Remove the Jīvātman, nobody will recognise the Paramātman. So that is the relationship – reflected consciousness.

The Mirror Example

So we give that familiar example. The sunlight falls upon the mirror, and the mirror reflects our image – or whosoever happens to be standing in front of it. You remove the mirror, there would be no reflection. Remove oneself, even if the mirror is there, no reflection will be there. Remove the sun, there would be no reflection. So for that reflection to fall, there should be the sun, there should be the mirror, and there should be a person standing in front of it. That is the mutual relationship.

The Sun and the Inner Awareness

So the sun outside is the cosmic source of light. Not only light – there is nothing but energy. Energy means what? Energy means prāṇa, the eye, and this inner awareness that is Caitanya within us. And we are the individuals to see and know because of that Caitanya.

Both Are Sustained

So both are sustained. "Both" means what? The consciousness within each one of us and the consciousness within this entire cosmos, creation – both are nothing but Paramātman.

The Teaching

So the teaching is: the sun is honey for all beings, all beings are honey for the sun, and the light of the sun and the light of consciousness within us are ultimately one Brahman.

The Deeper Point

So this is not only an ecological lesson about nature. Now we are painfully learning what is called the El Niño effect. As we said earlier, you cut down a tree and its effect is universal.

Cutting the Branch

So it is like a person sitting on a branch of a tree and turning towards the tree he is cutting the very branch upon which he is sitting – like Kālidāsa was supposed to be doing.

The Selfish Politicians

So we are cutting down, and the selfish politicians – they do not want even to acknowledge that, because in their blind selfishness, they want to make more money.

The Futility of Possessions

What will you do? Are you going to sleep in two beds? Are you going to eat ten platefuls of food? Are you going to sleep in ten beds? Even if you possess, your capacity to enjoy is only limited.

The Mesmerism of Mahāmāyā

But this Mahāmāyā mesmerises. It covers all of us with that blindness and says the more I have, the more I am safe. Everybody dies – poor person also dies, richest billionaire or trillionaire also dies. And how much of pain these trillionaires or billionaires are going through! Their wives are divorcing them. That means they cannot love. They do not have the capacity to love even one being. If they love, nobody will leave. It is because of the lack of love that the separations take place.

The Spiritual Relationship

So nature is a profound vidyā which says we all have relationship. What is that relationship? It is a loving relationship. It is a spiritual relationship. Why? Because we cannot even exist without the existence of everything else. Our very existence – or the existence of everything in this world – depends upon the existence of everything else.

What About Death?

Then what about death? Is it not going out of existence? No – death is not going out of existence.

The Bhagavad Gītā on Death

That is why in the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa crystal‑clearly outlines what death is like – changing a dress. You go into your inner apartment and you throw out the old worn‑out dress and come out with a new dress. So avyaktādīni bhūtāni, vyakta-madhyāni bhārata, avyakta-nidhanāny eva, tatra kā paridevanā.

The Doctrine of Madhu Vidyā

The world looks full of separate things – you, I, me, trees, rivers, the sun, the body, the mind. Not even two hairs are alike. Not even two fingerprints are alike.

Separation Is on the Surface

But the doctrine – this Madhu Vidyā – says these separations are only on the surface. Just as many flowers become one single indistinguishable honey, all beings, elements are expressions of one reality – that is called cosmos.

One Reality

So that one reality is called Ātman, the Self present in each one of us. Brahman, the absolute all‑pervading reality manifesting in this entire universal body. The immortal – so that which never perishes, even when bodies are changed.

The Meaning

So when the text says "this is the Self, this is the Immortal, this is Brahman, this is the all" – it means the same one Self is present in the perceiver and the perceived, in the subject, in the object, in the individual and in this entire cosmos.

One Sentence

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

The Mantra Encapsulates

So this first mantra encapsulates the entire teaching. It asserts the unity of the macrocosm – the earth, the gross universe – and the microcosm – individual body and being – both constituted by the same five elements.

Swami Vivekananda's Words

Now just a very slight deviation. Swami Vivekananda here encapsulated the teachings of this Madhu Vidyā and expressed at the very beginning of his magnanimous Rāja Yoga: "Each soul is potentially divine."

A Careful Point

But we should be very careful – very, very careful. So you are a soul, I am a soul, XYZ are three different souls. No – because at this moment we feel that we are the individuals. We feel "my soul is me. It is separate from everybody's soul." But once we start progressing, then we see everything is absolutely one non‑dual Brahman.

The Pañcakośa Explanation

That is why we also have to bring this Pañcakośa explanation. So Bhṛgu did that – he just shed his identity with this single human body and became one with the entire physical universe. That is expressed beautifully in peculiar terms: annaṃ brahmeti vyajānāt.

Annam Means Virāṭ

Here annam means what? Virāṭ. Virāṭ means what? The entire physical aspect of this creation is called annam.

Prāṇa

But then, how am I able to perceive it? Because of prāṇa. As I said, prāṇa manifests the consciousness. Consciousness means that knowledge.

The Cause of the Body

So what is the cause of this entire body? Prāṇa. And I explained in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad how this is – so simple, recollection only. I will not go into details. Depending upon the prāṇa, our body accordingly moves, behaves, reacts, acts. If I am not happy with something, my prāṇa is at the lowest level, so my movements are very lethargic. But when I am very happy, I become extraordinarily enthusiastic, and then my movements are quick, my energy is almost – it has quadrupled or even more.

Prāṇa Is the Root Cause

So prāṇa is the root cause. If we are profoundly unhappy, even this body can counter death, because many people die because of fear – that is what we call in modern terms heart attack or whatever it is – we just die. We cannot bear that separation or that pain, that suffering.

The Chain of Kośas

So it is – everything is Prāṇa Brahma. The entire Anna Brahma is the effect of the Prāṇa Brahma. The entire Prāṇa Brahma is the effect of the mind – Mano Brahma. And Mano Brahma is the effect of the Vijñānamaya – Vijñāna Brahma. And the Vijñāna Brahma is the effect of the Ānandamaya Brahma. And the Ānandamaya Brahma is dependent upon that pure, indistinguishable, beyond every kośa, called Ānanda – simply therein it is called Ānanda Brahma pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā.

The Causeless Cause

So these four – earth, beings, the consciousness in earth, and the consciousness in every being – are described as mutually causal. Yet ultimately they are all effects of the one causeless cause – the Self, the Ātman, the Brahman. This is the key of this first mantra.

The Succeeding Mantras

So the succeeding mantras extend this meditation to the other elements – water, fire, air, ether – and subtler cosmic principles. Arriving at the same conclusion: all is Self alone.

The Threefold Process

Through śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana, one realises this truth – not as intellectual theory, not as intellectual understanding, but sākṣāt, aparokṣāt – for the direct experience of this non‑dual reality.

The Mahāvākya

So this Mahāvākya sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma is the very essence so beautifully expounded here in this Madhu Vidyā.

Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana

Just now I mentioned śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana. So what is the relationship? Just remember earlier – Brahma, which is the Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa. Yājñavalkya's teachings to Maitreyī at the very end – having described, he says: "O Maitreyī, so this Ātman has to be realised. It has to be heard first." How to realise? First hear about it, then deeply ponder, reflect upon it, then transform your entire life. So the goal is to know "I am Brahman."

The Way

What is the way? Slowly, slowly we have to develop that fitness – Sādhana-Catuṣṭaya-Sampatti. Then I become a fit person, aptly called Adhikārī. So even for a PhD, an Adhikārī is necessary.

How to Perform Nididhyāsana

So with this, that is being expounded here. How to perform this nididhyāsana? You look at anything, you look at yourself, and you are looking at everything. You utter something, you are – everybody is talking. You think something, you look at everybody only thinking about it.

The Individual and the Universe

So whatever this single individual body does, that is the entire universe, as it were, is doing. Just like different limbs of the body, they all act in coordination.

The Story from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad

In fact, we have studied in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. There was a fight between different organs of the body, and then there was a test. The eye went out, came after one year – if you still recollect that beautiful story – and then found, to its great shock, the body is still living. "How could you live without me?" And then all the other limbs, indriyas, replied that just like a blind person – just because you departed, only one function is missing, we cannot see, but life is going on.

The Prāṇa's Test

So like that all the five indriyas went out, came back, and then the prāṇa – it was the time of the prāṇa to test it. As soon as the prāṇa attempted even to move – it has not moved, just as if it is trying to stand up – and then, as if the very roots of a huge tree are being uprooted. They understood. Without prāṇa, it is not possible to survive.

The Point

What is the point? The point is: prāṇa is the kāraṇa; everything else is the cause. Of course, we can go a little further and say prāṇa is only an effect of the consciousness. Ultimately it is sarvaṃ caitanyam eva – everything is satyam jñānam anantam brahma.

Conclusion

So we will apply this – what we have discussed so far as an introduction to this first mantra – to every other mantra, the coming fourteen mantras.

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!