Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.1-3 Lecture 43 on 20 June 2026 Q&A

Question: Full Realization of Saguna Brahma

Question: Pranams Mahārāj! Gārgya, he meditated, let's say, on the ahiṃsā aspect of Āditya. So he must have possessed that particular quality. Ajātaśatru is saying that there are other aspects that need to be realized.

Response: Correct.

Question: He teaches. And then my question is: when saguṇa brahma has a lot of qualities, when can we say that the sādhaka has fully realized saguṇa brahma?

Response: First of all, the very word you are using about this Brahman. What Brahman?

Questioner: Saguṇa brahma.

Response: Guṇa means what?

Questioner: Quality, an aspect.

Response: So sa means "with qualities." And how many qualities? Aśeṣa kalyāṇa guṇa sāgaraḥ—an ocean of endless auspicious qualities. As an exercise, you sit and then you say how many qualities you can remember. Sweetness, bitterness, very hot, very cold, less heat—all these are different degrees of the same qualities. Selfish, unselfish, good, bad—every good quality. Why do you say "good quality" if all qualities are the same? You don't call them "good" and "bad"—daivī and āsurī—you don't call them. Infinite number of qualities are there with infinite degrees of difference.

We have to acquire certain important qualities. We have to choose which are helpful for our spiritual progress. For example, upon the Guru, we have to impose saguṇa brahma meditation on the Guru. What meditation do you do? You do Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvaraḥ. What do you mean? Brahmā means what? By his mere will, he can create. Viṣṇu means he can protect me, he can save me. And Rudra means what? If I misbehave, he can also punish me—not destroy me. Nobody can destroy me, because destroying me is destroying himself. He knows I am part of him. I don't know that I am part of him. That is all the difference.

So certain qualities which are most helpful. I explained this when I talked about this upāsanā. What is upāsanā? In that context, I told about first nāma dhyāna, then rūpa dhyāna, then guṇa dhyāna, then only svarūpa dhyāna. The same process you can apply here also. So guṇa dhyāna means what? You don't pick up any quality and say, "I want to meditate upon you in this quality." You pick up what quality you need to acquire. If you are a loose-tempered person, you have to find out He who is never agitated, always peaceful—like Buddha, like that. We are not awakened, isn't it?

Questioner: Yes.

Response: So what is the proof? Proof is: if you were a Buddha, you would never have attended this class. So now you understand: every teacher doesn't teach every quality to every disciple. He understands: "This person lacks this guṇa, and this disciple requires this guṇa," etcetera.

Questioner: Ahh, so that is what Ajātaśatru is teaching Gargya?

Response: Ahh. And as I said, we have to understand in between: until he became one with those qualities, he would not have taken him further. So for twelve upāsanās, so many qualities have been enumerated. So one by one, he is making him acquire those qualities as natural as breathing. Then he takes him further—that is śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana, which we will try to discuss as soon as possible.