Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.1-3 Lecture 43 on 20 June 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 to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

So we are studying the second chapter of the second section of the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We know this story. A young brāhmaṇa, well learned but limited in his learning, comes voluntarily to teach about Brahman. He did not say that he was going to teach only the Saguṇa Brahma, a limited Brahma. But he thought that is the complete Brahman. So he came to a king called Ajātaśatru and volunteered himself: "I will teach you about Brahman."

Ajātaśatru: The Knower of Brahman

Ajātaśatru was a knower of Brahman, both Saguṇa and Nirguṇa. How did he attain? Because he also had to follow the same footsteps. How do we know? Because he is teaching the same—that means what he practised earlier. In order to reach the peak of self-knowledge, now to Gārgya who required to take the same steps, Ajātaśatru, being a very great teacher, recognised where Gārgya was and he wanted to take him further. Why? Because he found Gārgya sincere. He thought he knew everything.

Sincerity and Śraddhā

Sincerity—śraddhā—is the most important quality. If that is there, other things lacking can be obtained. But every other quality is there and śraddhā is lacking, then that person cannot be taught, cannot go up; he can only go down because pride and jealousy and so many other things will come—arrogance, etc.—and we have to add kāma, krodha, lust, anger, greed, etc., also will be accompanying them. But then Gārgya with a good mind came. Ajātaśatru recognised him as a fit person to be taught. Otherwise, no great teacher will ever waste his time on pupils whom he considers as unfit—not out of hatred, but not to waste either's time.

The Humble Approach

So Ajātaśatru wanted Gārgya to realise the limitation of his knowledge. So very humbly, with humility, he said, "Sir, I am so happy that at least you came volunteering to teach me. That information made me very happy. So even just for that information, even if you do not teach me any further, I am offering you a dakṣiṇā of one thousand cows. And then please teach me."

So Gārgya immediately started. This is how he categorically and explicitly expresses: "I did upāsanā—upāse āditya—in the sun I have worshipped Brahman, that authenticity I have worshipped." I am not telling you like a scholar, but of course he did not know his limitation.

The First Step to Progress

So the first step to progress in learning is to realise how limited we are. Then only the desire will come. If anybody says, "I know everything," he cannot go further. Not only that, he will go down. But if anybody says, "I know my limitations, I am sitting by the side of the sea. Any thirsty traveller happens to come by, I just serve him a cup of sea water, so it never gets exhausted." Of course, we have to understand "sea water" means a great river. Nobody will knowingly give salty water to a thirsty person.

The More We Learn, the Humbler We Become

So the more learning—vidyā dadāti vinayam—the more we learn, the more humble we become. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa asks M: "Will you find any ego in me?" And M—he was not a fool, he was not a fan, he was not an irrational person; he was a truthful person—said, "No, sir. I have never seen any trace of egotism." Then, out of ignorance, he volunteers to add: "But you have kept a little bit of ego for the purpose of enjoying God's sportive actions in this world." Immediately, the correction comes from Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: "No, I have not kept. It is God who kept—Divine Mother who kept."

The River and the Ocean

Why did Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa say that? I gave you illustrations many a time. When a river, for example Gaṅgā, merges into the ocean—nāma-rūpe vihāya—it loses all its name, form, colour, taste, and becomes one with the ocean. Thereafter, it will be known only by the name "ocean." You cannot do—take a torchlight and then see, "Let me see where is this Gaṅgā River, former Gaṅgā River?" No.

So when a person enters into Nirvikalpa Samādhi, that is, achieves complete identity with Brahman, there is no individual thereafter. It is not like our going entering into Suṣupti and coming out. This is a permanent process. Then God still preserves that particular individual's body and mind and keeps a little bit of egotism to work through that instrument for the good of the entire world—sarva-maṅgala. That is the purpose of Jīvanmuktas.

The Purpose of Jīvanmuktas

Because as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says, the Divine Mother does not allow a Bhāgavata Paṇḍita to become a monk. Not that a monk should not become a Bhāgavata Paṇḍita. But paraldī people are made with great talent. Some of the great expounders of Rāmacaritamānasa—thousands of people will go. There is one Rāmakiṅkar. He is very famous. Even in the Western countries, even in London, 40,000 people will gather whenever he holds Rāma-kathā. It is a special power, and he was an upāsaka of—he is an upāsaka of Añjaneya.

God Keeps the Individuality

So it is God who keeps that. So that same God has kept—if Ajātaśatru knows "I am Brahman," that means he became Brahman, that means he experienced Nirvikalpa Samādhi. Still the individuality is there for the good of the world, and this is one instance we are discussing. So he understands this boy—student after student, sincere, but he does not know he has to progress further. So for that purpose, he wants to take him to higher steps, through higher steps.

The Purpose of Upāsanas

And the purpose of the different upāsanas with different qualities that are enumerated by Ajātaśatru to Gārgya is for the purpose of making this Gārgya go through the same process as he himself has gone—out of one's own experience the person is teaching.

The Need for Practice

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says it is not true that through intellectual knowledge any other science can be taught. Physics, maths—everything—but this Brahma-vidyā, spiritual knowledge, or even dharma, moral science, cannot be taught by anybody excepting those who practise morality. And in some other things also, a music teacher who does not know how to sing, who is not aware of different rāgas, etc., and familiar with the tālas—ek-tāla, tīn-tāla, jhap-tāla, etc.—he also cannot really teach.

The Cuckoo's Voice

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa specifically says simply saying "ṣa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni" will not help. A person goes on practising; he knows by hearing the sound—this is in this particular svara, pañcama-svara. So our Indian poets have said whenever the cuckoo sings, it tries to sing with its bird's throat. It is called pañcama-svara. Only a few birds can make such a thing. A musician knows every svara the moment he hears it, and whenever he utters it, it would be perfect. How do we know? It matches with the sound given by harmonium or even tablā, etc.

Ajātaśatru as the Teacher

So Ajātaśatru was kept by God for this purpose, like Yājñavalkya was kept, and Gārgya was a sincere student. So at first, out of ignorance, he did not understand. So Ajātaśatru accepted his teachership and said only with the purpose that "you are okay what you did, but you have to do further contemplations, meditations. And I will tell you what you have to do."

The Twelve Upāsanas

This is going to be the process. And twelve such upāsanas were practised by Gārgya with only particular qualities superimposed on Brahman. So every quality is superimposed as one part of the quality of one particular deity, presiding deity, not knowing that all the presiding deities are nothing but parts of Hiraṇyagarbha—so popularly known as Saguṇa Brahma or even Īśvara.

The Result of Upāsana

And whenever Gārgya says "I meditated"—because he says upāse—"I practised this meditation, and the result also I got." What is the result he got? Let me complete it here. So for any upāsana, two results can come. One is called worldly sakāma-phala; another is called niṣkāma-phala. When a person desires through this, "May I become rich, may I become well known, may I have control over my body and mind," etc., he will get that particular quality within himself. But there are so many other spiritual qualities to be acquired. Now Ajātaśatru wants to help Gārgya to develop the other qualities as well, and only a person who contains all these spiritual qualities—called Daivī-sampat—then he becomes a yogya or fit adhikārī, endowed with qualities, ready to take up the PhD course.

The PhD Course

So that is how I think it is a beautiful word—PhD course. What is PhD? Permanent head damage—in our case. What is this permanent head damage? Permanently the head—the ahaṅkāra, the head of the snake, virulent poisonous snake called egotism, that -ism—will be completely cut off. Not ego. -ism—expressions, wrong expressions of ego is called egotism, egoism, etc. That is identifying—forgetting one's identification with one's true nature called Brahman and thinking "I am a mosquito, I am a mouse, I am a man," etc., "I am a scholar, I am a brāhmaṇa," etc., etc.

The Final Goal

So this is what Ajātaśatru, the Sadguru, wanted to guide Gārgya. That is the story of how he finally guides Gārgya so that Gārgya also realises that like my Guru, I also am none other than Brahman. In fact, there is nothing called śiṣya and Guru—both nothing called the world. Everything is Brahma—sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma.

The Teaching Begins

So Gārgya started teaching, and that teaching is what he did as contemplation on different deities. Those things have been enumerated in twelve ślokas beginning with the second, ending with the thirteenth. And at every stage, every upāsana, Ajātaśatru adds either one or two or three more than what Gārgya had already known. Thus he makes him a fit disciple, and then only he takes him to the higher step. All these are just preparations. Now I will give you real teaching.

The Real Teaching

What was the teaching? We see it later on. Ajātaśatru takes Gārgya by hand and finds a sleeping person—deeply asleep—and first calls him by three names: Bṛhat, Rājan, Somaḥ, etc. But the person did not listen because he was in deep sleep. Then he shakes him—that did not wake him up. Then Ajātaśatru shakes him violently. Then suddenly the deep sleep is broken, and that is the incident.

The Three States

Taking that incident, Ajātaśatru now takes Gārgya by hand and says: "Now here is a person. So he is not in the waking state, he is not in dream state, and he also was in the deep sleep state, but did not know 'I am in deep sleep state.' So who is this person? Is he the waker? Is he the dreamer? Or is he the sleeper?" Because these three states rotate one after the other—first waking, then dreaming, then deep sleep. Of course, you can start from any state. So, from dream to deep sleep to waking, or from deep sleep to waking to dream, and back again to deep sleep. It does not matter.

The Constant Experiencer

But what is important is every time the person is in one particular state, for example in waking state, he does not say "I am a dreamer." He does not say "I am a sleeper." He says "I am the waker." But as soon as he enters into the dream state, then he says "I am the dreamer." And when he is in deep sleep, then he knows "I am in deep sleep." Again, it is changing. But one person is undergoing three different types of experiences, each one totally separate reality from the other realities. Therefore, this person must be somebody, because the experiencer is always different from the experience.

The Final Realisation

And then slowly Gārgya realises, through continuing his higher ways of sādhana, finally realises: "I am none of these states—I am Brahman." And a curious thing happens when a person knows—he does not claim as we describe in the scriptures or read in the scriptures: "Oh, I thought I was the waker. I thought I was the dreamer. I thought I was a deep sleeper." No, these thoughts do not come at all. Why? Because there is no body, there is no mind, there is no sthūla-śarīra, there is no sūkṣma-śarīra, there is no kāraṇa-śarīra. And when these three instruments are not there, the experiences of those instruments also vanish along with the disappearance of the experiencer.

The Fundamental Principle of Vedānta

So the fundamental principle of Vedānta: an experiencer is not any experience, any object of experience. And whatever qualities an experience—an object—possesses does not belong to the experiencer. If a mango is sweet and flavourful, that flavour and sweetness belong to the mango, not to the person at all. He may enjoy it, but he knows "I am not the mango." Similarly, I am not the waker, I am not the dreamer, I am not the deep sleeper. That is the conclusion, and this we have elaborately discussed in the past, especially in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad.

The Three Vādas Revisited

Not only that, in my last class I had referred to this and connected with Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and Ajātavāda. Just to recollect the essence of what I said.

Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda

So long as a person thinks "I am the gross body," he thinks "I am the waker." To think "I am the waker" means "I am the gross body, and this whole world exists. And it is not created by me; it is created by God. And this is the reality—not unreal, this complete reality." And he acts, he reacts, he thinks, he desires what he thinks as the real reality. All his life he spends like that. So for those for whom this world is real, including his body and mind, for them Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda is that stage of spiritual development, and the scripture prescribes certain disciplines emphasising that birth is full of these sixfold changes: birth, growth, youth, old age, disease, death. So, everything in this world is continuously changing. Therefore, that which is changing is not the definition of Brahman. Sat means satyam. Satyam means that which never changes.

Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda

After a lot of both happiness and unhappiness, the person wakes up, then he becomes thoughtful, he develops the capacity to think, and then he recollects everyday dreams—any dream—and says: "So long as I was dreaming, I thought that that state alone is the highest reality. But as soon as I changed my perception, my identity—for example, I came back to wakefulness—then the whole dream state disappeared like mist in the hot summer season. Then everything is changing—every day a new dream. Therefore... the whole world might it not be that the whole world is also like a dream?" Remember, only for the person who has reached this state of higher thinking: "Might it not be that the whole world is also my own creation, my own imagination made real through too much of concreteness, superimposing?" And slowly he understands that what God I thought created is not God's creation. It is my creation—my dṛṣṭi, my experience, my understanding, my opinion.

The Illustration of a Person

I gave the illustration also. When you first meet a person, your understanding of that person is very limited. You may think he is a very good person, very jolly, very sociable, smiling, and paying attention to you. But the nearer you come, you might develop: "Oh, this person, he criticises everybody. He thinks he knows better than everybody else." As your experiences become more and more, your understanding—that you think—what how you understand that person becomes more convincing, and what the real person is. So slowly, slowly, your opinion about that person becomes a reality of that person, not knowing that your dṛṣṭi has created that person. He is neither good, really speaking, nor bad.

Eka-Jīva Vāda

And then when this person progresses further, he understands: "I see the whole world. I see so many people in the waking state. And the same thing I see in dream. This multiple objects, this infinite—almost infinite—number of objects, they are all my own creation. Because what I choose, it will appear in front of me. So therefore, I am the only Jīva." So you are only my creation through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Just as I go on changing my opinion about any object in accordance with my experiences, so also it is I who am creating and recreating every object in this world. Every minute somebody smiles at me—I recreate him: "He is a very good person." If he praises me: "Oh, he is a wonderful person, very sweet person, very truthful person"—because it pleases me. And if he displeases me: "Horrendous person, I do not want to see his face again, her face again," etc.

Ajātavāda

So what is the third one? That there is only one Jīva—Eka-Jīva Vāda. And then when the—this is for a person who analyses the dream state. Then he comes to the third stage where there is no mind, much less the world, no body consciousness, almost like a blank, there is no world, and he understands: "As I see no world in deep sleep state, so also this world is never created." He progresses. Each is a progress in spiritual life, and as man progresses, his concept of reality or God also changes. As Swami Vivekananda says: "As man grows, God also grows." That means our understanding, our true understanding about God also grows.

The Final Stage

So this is how these three states are equated, depending upon with which state we consider as real. And then the final stage is: all these three states—neither Ajātavāda, nor Eka-Jīva Vāda, nor Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, nor Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda—these thoughts do not arise at all in the deep sleep state. So they are all constructs of the mind—thoughts in the mind. And then he understands that whatever I am experiencing is not me because I am experiencing multiple objects. But the experiencer of these multiple objects is only me alone. And with that he understands. Slowly he progresses. One day he understands that I neither create nor destroy, there is no multiplicity, and there is no change. I am Brahman.

The Jīvanmukta's Double Vision

Only when God brings his mind down, he becomes a Jīvanmukta. Then he has a double vision. First of all, he sees a person as he is, but he also knows this is only an appearance. He sees both the reality and the appearance. It is very important for us to understand because a Jīvanmukta does not simply become negligent of helping people. And how can you help people if you think everybody is Brahman? No, he shows an example: "I know you are Brahman, but I also know you do not know Brahman. But I will help you in whatever way I can—physically, intellectually, philosophically, spiritually. When you are ready, I am also ready, like a mirror reflects."

The Four Stages Are Not Mere Philosophy

So this is what the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, Eka-Jīva Vāda, and Ajātavāda—they are not two philosophers sitting and discussing, but every spiritual person progresses through these stages until finally he says: "There is no experiencer, there is no experienced—both become coalesced. I am one without a second." Of course, he does not say this. We are saying this through our mind. This is going to be the development.

Gārgya's Progress

So Gārgya started teaching from the second mantra onwards, and every time he says "I did this upāsana"—that means "I know this upāsana." That means "I got the result of this upāsana." The king said: "What you have done so far is excellent, but there are also other aspects of the same sun, same moon, same lightning, same wind, etc. And I will take you through them. Since you are already an expert in doing upāsana, it should not take a long time for you to do upāsana."

The Need to Pass Lower Classes

So as Ajātaśatru goes on expanding the upāsanas—the viśiṣṭa-guṇas, special qualities, spiritual qualities—Gārgya also must have practised. Though the Upaniṣad does not tell us, it goes on. This is the second mantra, this is the third mantra, but we have to understand this: unless a person had completed his Class A, he would not be allowed to enter into Class B. So the same teacher may be from Class One to Class Six—he may be teaching the same teacher. So what he teaches to the second class or third class will not be taught to Class One. We have to understand because the teacher is not an individual; it is God Himself. He knows the capacity, and until the pupil successfully passes the lower classes, higher knowledge will not be given.

Between the Mantras

And this is what we have to presume here and insert here—that between two mantras the person has been made. How much time it took? Of course, the Upaniṣad does not tell because time is not important, but we also have to go through the same process. So this person, Gārgya, says—and then every time the king adds: "You better also do contemplation on this quality or qualities"—up to the thirteenth mantra. Twelve upāsanas were enumerated which were practised by Gārgya, and every time Ajātaśatru teaches him new upāsanas, and we have to understand that Gārgya must have practised and obtained the same result as Ajātaśatru because the teaching is—as we think, so we become.

The Progress Made

We will come to that. So up to the thirteenth mantra, twelve separate upāsanas with either one second upāsana (greater upāsana) added, or more than one. We will come to that very briefly. This is the progress made, and at the end of the thirteenth, Gārgya understood that "my knowledge is very little—even after knowing Hiraṇyagarbha, this is not going to give me liberation. I will have to go beyond Hiraṇyagarbha and do directly Brahmopāsana." And then Ajātaśatru takes him through those steps also until Gārgya also can say with Ajātaśatru: "Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."

The Development Ahead

This is going to be the development. So I will just read the first mantra, and thereafter I am going to only take the essence. You can read the mantras yourselves and then come to an understanding.

The Second Mantra

So the second mantra goes like this:

स ह होवाच गार्ग्यः य एवासावादित्ये पुरुषः एतमेव अहं ब्रह्मोपास इति.

sa ha hovāca gārgyaḥ ya evāsāv āditye puruṣaḥ etam evāhaṃ brahmopāsa iti.

Now Ajātaśatru is telling: "Mā mā etasmin saṃvadiṣṭhāḥ"—do not speak like this. What should not be spoken—thinking that Āditya is only containing these qualities? No, no, no. There are many more—three more qualities at least.

The Additional Qualities

"Atiṣṭhāḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ mūrdhā rājā iti vā aham etam upāse"—"But I also practised contemplation on the same Āditya, the Sun God, just as you did, thinking that this Puruṣa—a real being in the sun—is none other than Hiraṇyagarbha, but with these qualities."

And then Ajātaśatru, as we already know, adds: "Sa yaḥ evaṃ evaṃ upāste"—"Whoever thus contemplates exactly as I taught you"—so what happens? "Atiṣṭhāḥ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ mūrdhā rājā bhavati"—he will acquire the same qualities, and those qualities become very natural to him.

The Real Person

So that is going to be the development. When Gārgya said, "I am contemplating the Puruṣa"—that means the person. This is a beautiful teaching. That is, whenever you address a person, the real person—the real personality, the real person—is different. The real person is the Ātman, but the superimposed person with whom we identify is the Jīva. So "I am a Jīva." Everybody knows "I have got these qualities. I may be a great doctor, I may be a great musician, I may be a great writer, a poet or a diplomat, whatever. Or I do not know anything—I can cook very well, etc., whatever." So even among workers, we can say the owner says: "This person is a good worker. He does it wholeheartedly, whatever work is given to him. The others try to evade, escape by doing as less as they can. No, this person is very good."

The Being in the Sun

So the real person—we have to find out. So that is what when Gārgya said, "I worship the person—a real personality, a real being in the sun—not the physical star we see, physical body we see, not even the mind we see. He who is beyond body and mind—he is the person whom we will have to understand properly."

Ajātaśatru's Correction

So when Gārgya said, "That being—Puruṣa—who is the real being, but whom people do not know, who is in the sun, I meditate upon as Brahman," Ajātaśatru said: "No, please do not talk to me about him in this limited manner." These are the words we have to add. Why? Because "I also practised the same meditation, contemplation. I meditate upon this Āditya as: first, all-surpassing; second, as the head of all beings; and third, as resplendent. Not only that, not only me, if you also do, then whosoever thus meditates upon Āditya adding these three qualities, as the real being within the sun—Āditya—upon him, he becomes all-surpassing, he becomes the head of all beings, and he shines with tremendous spiritual resplendence." This is called in Sanskrit language tejas—Brahma-tejas.

The Development

So this is going to be the development. So Gārgya did not know Nirguṇa Brahma at all, but even this Hiraṇyagarbha—Saguṇa Brahma—he did not know all the aspects. He knows only a few aspects, that too at the lowest level. So this Saguṇa Brahma is popularly known in the scriptures as Hiraṇyagarbha, Saguṇa Brahma, Īśvara, Prajāpati, etc. So there are many higher aspects of everything, everybody in this world—even Saguṇa Brahma also has higher aspects.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Testing His Devotees

Now I will give an example. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to test his devotees by posing certain questions. One of the questions—you have to understand it properly, otherwise, you know. So a musician: "Did you hear my song?" "Yes." "And what do you think about him, about that song? What is the quality of the way I sang?" And says, "Sir, you are incomparable, you are the greatest." Then that fellow says, "Yes, you understood me correctly." Even if that fellow is the worst singer, he is only expecting—he gets what he is expecting sometimes, but that is not the truth.

Seeking Praise Indirectly

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—we ask somebody, "What do you think about me?" We do not directly ask because that is inviting ridicule. But if she says, "You know, such and such a person is telling about you, praising you"—that indirectly we become very happy. "Oh, I did not ask his opinion, but he is telling about a third person. He appreciates me, and that means I must be a great person. I know I am great, but others do not recognise it. So I am expecting praise, and if it comes through a third party, it makes me very, very happy. But if it comes directly, I have suspicion also: 'What is the motivation for this fellow putting such a thick butter over me?'" No.

The Levels of Understanding

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's only purpose was—by soliciting the answer, he would gauge at what level of spirituality the devotee is. Now here are a few examples. Many people thought Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is a madman. They wrote to Mādhur Bābū. They complained to his face also. They called him "the madman of Dakṣiṇeśvara." And some people, they interacted with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—"He is very, very good man, very straightforward person. He is like a child. He is a truthful person, very good person. He does not have any selfish motives. He is a good man." So from "mad man"—that opinion belongs to a very bad person. "Good man"—much better than that other person. Then some people say, "You are a saint. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is a saint." His understanding is much better. "Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is not merely a saint, but one of the greatest saints." His understanding is even much better.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Reads Hearts

Remember, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is not soliciting praise. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa can see into the hearts of people and tells who is telling the truth and who is telling lies. In front of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, people understand they cannot tell a lie in the face of this person, in the presence of this person, because he acts like a mirror. He sees what is within me. So no person is capable of telling what is a lie—what he thinks and talks something else—not possible.

The Incarnation of God

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is a great saint. And somebody else—he asks. Then they say: "Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is an incarnation of God." That means that person's understanding about Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is far superior to many people. Then once he asked Pūrṇacandra Ghosha—I think Pūrṇacandra Ghosha, I am not sure, maybe Nārāyaṇa—and this Pūrṇacandra verse is: "What people say you are an incarnation of God—they are fools. They do not know what they are talking about." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was smiling all the time, and he was waiting. He says: "You are that source from which all the past incarnations have come, and all the future incarnations will be descending." And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, in his own characteristic way, says: "Oh my God, you surpassed even that person who said I am an incarnation of God." Later on, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa passes a soliloquy: "How could this young boy understand this truth?"

Changing Opinions

So you see—one person, so many people, so many opinions. We know all this; every day we react, albeit we are completely unconscious. We change our opinions. If somebody pleases us, he is a good person; and the same person, next minute, displeases us—he is not such a great person. So this is an example, and Gārgya was not entirely wrong, but his statements were limited because his understanding was limited. Ajātaśatru corrects him and makes him go through all those things.

The Three Extra Qualities

So what is he telling? There are three more extra qualities which you will have to understand about this Puruṣa in the Āditya. So that is how the three qualities: first of all, he is great; second, he is the head of every being; and third, he is far superior in everything. We will discuss about them, but just a gentle reminder:

As a Man Thinks, So He Becomes

Yathā yathā upāste tathā eva bhavati—"As a man really sincerely contemplates, he becomes that." This is what English language psychologists tell: "As a man thinks, so he becomes. Tell me your thoughts, I will tell you who you are."

Everyday Examples

Of course, at this moment, let us see everyday examples. Meditate—you see a person and it is full of wrinkles and worries. Old age people also can have old age wrinkles—no. So you meditate, go on worrying, you become a warrior—not warrior, worrier. Meditate on anger for whatever reason—you become anger. That is why we say "angry person"—means a person who has become anger. But that is only a negative example.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Contemplations

But see here, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa became Hanumān, Rādhā, Kālī, Kṛṣṇa, Upala, Rāmacandra by contemplating intensely upon their forms. Even his physical body had changed in each one of these cases.

Holy Mother at Vṛndāvana

Second example: once Holy Mother was at Vṛndāvana, and one day she became completely like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Her tone of voice became male, and the way Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to deal with the bitter leaves—same way Holy Mother started. So in every way for a few minutes, how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to behave, Holy Mother was behaving, and those who were near who knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, they understood: "Oh, now Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had possessed her, or she became Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa by contemplation."

Swami Brahmananda and the Himalayas

Then there is a very beautiful incident in the life of Swami Brahmanandaji. It was a terrible summer season. Swami Brahmanandaji was at Belur Math, so he was talking with a Brahmacārī. The heat was intolerable. Of course there would be no clothes on the backs of both. So, looking at the suffering of the disciple, Swami Brahmanandaji said: "Let us meditate on the coolness of the Himalayas." And then they closed their eyes. And then after a few minutes, Swami Brahmanandaji said to the initiate: "You touch my back." And then when the Brahmacārī touched, he found the whole back of Brahmanandaji became like a wall of the Himalayan mountain—snow-clad Himalayan mountain—like an ice-cold stone. And then he understood: Brahmanandaji became one with that.

Swami Akhandananda and the Tibetan Yogi

Even though not directly related, once Gaṅgādhar Mahārāj (Swami Akhandananda) saw—he was roaming in the Himalayas—he came across a Tibetan Yogi. The ice was melting all around him, and as soon as he went near, he felt very pleasant heat. The yogi understood and said: "It is not a miracle; there is a special yoga āsana and meditation. I can teach you, and I can teach anybody. If you practise, then any amount of cold will not affect you at all. Even your surroundings become hot. By the same process, the hot surroundings can also become cold."

The Kita-Bhramaravat Analogy

So what I wanted to illustrate was: yathā yathā upāste tathā bhavati—"as one intensely thinks, he becomes that one." And there is a familiar Sanskrit phrase for that purpose:

कीटो भ्रमरावत्.

kīṭo bhramarāvat.

"A worm meditating on a wasp becomes like that wasp"—bhramara. A worm meditating on bhramara becomes a bhramara. Of course, it is to mean that because of the fear—because the bhramara stings, wild bee stings, huge bee—then it is so painful that very fear makes this one become like the bhramara.

Beautiful thoughts—we will talk further 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!