Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-4.14 Lecture 55 on 01 August 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 Maitreyī-Yājñavalkya Dialogue
We are discussing the most wonderful subject in this world – a statement of fact. Many facts are being discussed in this dialogue between the Guru and the śiṣya, Yājñavalkya and Maitreyī, and this also emphasises the fact – the spouse's responsibility. So if the husband falters, the wife has to support and strengthen him and turn his attention towards God. And if the same thing happens to the wife, then the husband must do the same thing. This is a sacred vow that both of us together we go to Viṣṇupada. This is one of the seven mantras that are uttered when a couple are getting married and they are going round the fire. So they take seven vows: "Our ultimate goal is to be with You." In Upaniṣadic language, we never want to be separate from You – and that is again proved once more by the marriage of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother – The Ideal
It is the most marvellous episode. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa need not have taken sanyāsa. But he took sanyāsa to strengthen the Guru-paramparā system – the sanyāsa sampradāya. Swami Śaradānandaji goes into ecstasy praising how Mother Gaṅgā, knowing that one of the greatest sannyāsīns has taken a vow and will again re‑establish that sannyāsi sampradāya once more. But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, unlike other monks, did not reject Holy Mother. "I have taken sanyāsa, so I will not keep you with me" – not only did he keep Holy Mother with him, but he also asked: "Do you want me to behave like an ordinary husband, earning money, providing riches, wealth, and children, and to love you and to make you feel that I love you? Or, as I have chosen the path of spirituality, I want to be always with God – can that be also your goal?" And without a second thought, Holy Mother said: "Yes, I have not come to put an obstruction in your path. In fact, I have come to follow you."
The Tradition of Sanyāsa
This reminds us – this happens again and again and again in history, and these are the people who keep alive the tradition of sanyāsa. Otherwise, an ideal householder's life – where along with normal pleasures, they also lead a highly spiritual life – Śudhīra and Cāṇḍramaṇī Devī is a brilliant example. Nowadays, how many couples are following? Being the followers of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, walking in the footsteps of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother, considering themselves as the very children of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother.
The Maitreyī Brāhmaṇa
So we are discussing this Maitreyī-Yājñavalkya dialogue. Actually, it is called the Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam. Brāhmaṇa means nothing to do with Brahmā, nothing to do with a Brāhmaṇa – it means a section, that is all. So in this chapter, it is the section specially dealing with Maitreyī's conversion from a housewife into an earnest sannyāsinī. Because when she asked "You teach me", she is not only telling "I will remain as a housewife, but you can teach me, give me the spiritual instruction" – she also told "Give me also sanyāsa."
Holy Mother as the Greatest Sannyāsinī
Holy Mother, formerly in our tradition, had taken sanyāsa, but she was the greatest sannyāsinī. In fact, there is no difference between male and female to say "this is sannyāsī and this is sannyāsinī" – that is only conventionally we do that in this transactional world. But really speaking, sanyāsa makes everybody exactly one and the same. Similarly, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had categorically declared: every devotee belongs to the same caste. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa divided the whole world into two categories: devotee and non‑devotee – bhakta and abhakta. So these are the two castes. And every person who has sincere devotion belongs to what we call "he is a spiritual person" – that is all. He is a devotee – that is all. There is no other caste. Whether he be Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, or Śūdra – it does not really matter.
The Points Left Out
So we are going to enter into that, but a few points are there that through this dialogue between Maitreyī and Yājñavalkya, we get – what are those points we have left out? We have not discussed in our last class – realising that material possessions are useless for liberation. Maitreyī wholly rejects the property, and it was great property in a way we can say.
The Rich Young Man and Christ
As Christ said to his rich young disciple: "If you want to follow Me, then go home and distribute all your riches to the poor people, and take up My cross and follow Me." That is pure sanyāsa. And before that, he asks the young man – a very interesting topic – "Have you not heard our elders teaching you the ten commandments?" That is Karma Yoga. And the young man says, without understanding, without realising what he was saying: "I have been following them from my childhood." He was sincere, but very ignorant. Then Christ says: "In that case, take up My cross and follow Me." But the rich young man returned sadly. Why did he return? He was not able to renounce his property. That means his Karma Yoga has not purified him sufficiently so that he can become a monk.
The Purpose of Karma Yoga
The purpose of Karma Yoga is to purify our mind and equip it with what we call Sādhanā-Catuṣṭaya-Sampatti – the treasure of the nine qualities: viveka, vairāgya, etc. So we have to understand that particular standpoint. Only then – what does an adhikārī do? He becomes a sannyāsī, or even if he does not take sanyāsa formally, he is more than a sannyāsī. Anybody who is equipped with these fourfold qualities is fit to hear the highest mantra. What is the mantra? It is called Mahāvākya. There are, as I said, hundreds of Mahāvākyas.
Nāg Mahāśaya's Example
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa deliberately did not give permission to Nāg Mahāśaya, even though he knew he was a blazing fire – more than any monk in this world. Even Swamiji respected him for that. But he said: "You have to remain in the householder's life, reminding them – just to remind them – that even in household life, one can attain the very ultimate of devotion – parābhakti, supreme love, and parājñāna, supreme knowledge." There is no difference, because without love, knowledge will not come, and without knowledge, love also cannot come. The moment we come to know what is the most valuable thing, automatically our mind will acquire tremendous love. We are all searching for that knowledge only, actually speaking.
Maitreyī's Question
So Maitreyī, when she asked – "I can accept the property on one condition – if it can give me immortality" – amṛtatva – that beautiful word the Upaniṣad uses especially: amṛtatva. Devatās are also called amṛta puruṣas. But that is a relative, short‑timed immortality, because as soon as the puṇyam is exhausted, they will have to come back to earn more until their minds give up their desire.
The Three Divisions of the Vedas
So this young man – he was following mechanically, but he did not achieve sufficient purity of mind – citta śuddhi. That is why the Vedas – the greatest scriptures in the world, every scripture more or less is like that – so first part is called Karma Kāṇḍa. Second part, even though not mentioned especially categorically, it is called Upāsanā Kāṇḍa. So a person advances from Karma Yoga (Karma Kāṇḍa) to Upāsanā Kāṇḍa, and from Upāsanā Kāṇḍa, he naturally steps – it is a natural growth – into Jñāna Kāṇḍa. So that is what the development is going to be.
Wealth and Happiness – A False Equation
So Maitreyī comes to know: property helps a person live comfortably. But Yājñavalkya nowhere said that comfort and happiness – comfort and pleasure, comfort and joy – they are synonymous. He did not say that – we have to take note of it, because if that is true – more money, more comforts, more luxuries, and a person is more happy – that equation is a false equation. Rich people commit suicide; rich people kill; rich people are worried. The only difference is a rich man worries in an air‑conditioned, first‑class massage sofa, whereas a poor man suffers from external heat and cold, and he is worried. But worry is absolutely the same. Only when a person acquires a special mental aptitude – and that is called happy aptitude, happy outlook – whatever happens, he is happy because he accepts it wholeheartedly: "Either I deserve it, therefore it is coming to me, or it is meant to teach a particular lesson," etc.
Wealth Does Not Confer Immortality
Yājñavalkya specifically says that wealth does not confer immortality – amṛtatva. And this is the teaching, without exception, of every saint in this world – whether it be Christian saint, Muslim saint, Indian saint, or Sikh saint – they all reject wealth, not because they hate it, but because they found out something far, far superior. What is superior? That which gives more happiness – lasting happiness, higher quality happiness. That is the supreme happiness. That is why under a tree a person can be extremely happy.
The Zen Master's Reply
As I repeat it many times, a Zen master was once asked – because his disciples found him always happy, cheerful, unselfish, even though externally he had to undergo so many trials and tribulations. He said very pithy words: "When it is winter, I say it is winter. When it is summer, I say it is summer." That means I am not going to complain. Summer will be hot; winter will be cold – "Oh, it is so cold" – what else do we expect in cold season? And what else do you expect excepting heat in summer season? But it is not only with seasons – in any event that takes place, positive or negative, they remain equanimous in their lives: śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu, tathā mānāpamānayoḥ, samaḥ saṅga-vivarjitaḥ. They are happy. It does not mean he will be like a stone – he will be the most happy person. Why? He is with God.
Maitreyī Rejects, Kātyāyanī Accepts
So Maitreyī rejects his proposition. But interestingly, Kātyāyanī was not that spiritual – very good person, chaste wife, but she does not want at this time spirituality, so she accepts meekly what is her part. Now Maitreyī also gives up. Of course, we do not know what happened after this – what happened to Maitreyī, what happened to Yājñavalkya – the story does not continue. But for our purpose, the lesson is that every husband and wife have a duty, more than physical happiness, physical comforts, loving physically, materially – they have a higher purpose in life. The purpose of marriage is to be married to God. As in Christianity, every nun is called a bride, and Jesus Christ is called the Bridegroom – and several parables are also there with regard to that; I will not go into it now.
Maitreyī's Request
So she rejects outright and says: "What shall I do with the wealth by which I cannot become immortal?" – and requests that Yājñavalkya bestow upon her what he knew, because he was a vidvat sannyāsī. He knew – he was a realised soul.
Yājñavalkya and Janaka
When he was a householder, we have to presume he went to answer the announcement done by Janaka Mahārāja: "Whoever is the greatest Brahmavit – not only scholarly but practising in life – I want such a person to be my spiritual guide." That was the real intention of Janaka. So he had made even Janaka Mahārāja a knower of Brahma. If he could do that as a householder, what to speak of sanyāsa? Why was he taking sanyāsa? As I mentioned, because they feel an inner prompt from God: "If people like you take sanyāsa, other people will be also encouraged by you."
Guru-Śiṣya Relationship
So pleased with Maitreyī's sincere quest for what is called satyam jñānam anantam brahma, he accepts her as his disciple. So the relationship of husband and wife is now transformed into Guru and śiṣya. Then Yājñavalkya starts: "What is the way that we can detach ourselves from the world? What is our problem?"
The Purpose of Upāsanā
What is the whole of Karma Kāṇḍa about, even Upāsanā Kāṇḍa about? There is a very interesting subject matter here – Upāsanā Kāṇḍa. We are always speaking about thinking about God, but in India there are several contemplators of Hayagrīva, of Sarasvatī, of Śāradāmbā, of Lakṣmī, of Bālā (Bālā is another name for the Divine Mother), upāsakas of Kālī, etc. So the purpose is not spiritual – the purpose is to obtain something great. So great scholars have come out of it.
Hayagrīva Upāsanā
In South India, Hayagrīva Upāsanā – that is, Sūryadeva is called also Hayagrīva. Haya means horse, grīva means "the head whose head looks like a horse" – but he is a Sūryadevatā. So Yājñavalkya himself has worshipped Sūryadevatā, and he obtained the whole of this Yajurveda. That is why it is called Śukla Yajurveda. Whereas previously also he learned Yajurveda – I think I had mentioned this story earlier, but when we were talking about the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, it is better that I repeat it because this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is part of the Śukla Yajurveda. And the Śukla Yajurveda was taught to him by Sūryadeva in the form of Hayagrīva.
Pellamkonda Rāmarāyakavi
In Andhra Pradesh, there is one of the great extraordinary contemporary upāsakas of Hayagrīva – he was called Pellamkonda Rāmarāyakavi. He was a great admirer of Śaṅkarācārya, has written several works improving or so that we can understand Śaṅkarācārya much better way. And one of the interesting works was Śaṅkara-Śaṅkara-Bimarsha-Bhāṣya – a beautiful four‑hundred‑page work: how to understand Śaṅkarācārya, how to reply to the opposite schools of Vedānta – Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita – and why Śaṅkara is right, etc.
Upāsanā for Worldly Purposes
My purpose is not to talk about these people, but to say that Upāsanā can be done even for worldly purposes. But these are great people – sooner or later, once this desire is fulfilled, then they turn towards God, like what happened to Paṇḍit Gaurī. He wanted to obtain mokṣa. He did Upāsanā of the Divine Mother, and as a result obtained some boons – he could perform a yajña on his left hand, lighting it up with his outstretched palm and doing homa for nearly two to two and a half hours. We cannot stretch out our hand even for more than a few minutes – we immediately start getting intolerable pain. But such a heavy load of wooden sticks and nearly two hours – the fire is lighted there and the offerings (oblations) are poured into that, but nothing happens to his hand. He worshipped his own wife, and the Divine Mother – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa worshipped on Phalāhāra Kālī Pūjā, Holy Mother. Similarly, his Gaurī Paṇḍit could defeat any scholar in scholarship, but along with his worldly desires, he also became purified. After perhaps fulfilling some of these desires, he wanted to become liberated, so he prayed and he obtained – he died in Kāśī and obtained liberation.
God Gives Liberation Ultimately
So whoever worships God – even if we begin to worship God only for a worldly purpose in mind – ultimately God will give us liberation, because a mother will not give an inferior thing to her children. So this is the reply we can give to some of these misunderstanding and mis‑talking Advaitins who say "the devotees who want to go to Kailāsa or Vaikuṇṭha – they will not get liberation." Who are these people to talk like that? Do they not know that the Divine Lord, pleased with the devotion of anybody, can give liberation? Do you think He will withhold liberation and keep them deluded with His ignorance? Even after these people are enjoying – for some time they will enjoy – but then He awakens that ultimate knowledge in them, saying: "My children, now you have enjoyed – līlā is over – now go back to from where you have come." This is the philosophy of duality we have to keep in mind.
God's Grace Is Essential
That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: one can realise God by any path. But then he added something again and again, repeatedly: "You can follow – anybody can follow any path they want – but one succeeds in attaining liberation only by the grace of God." That is why in India every religion is called Dharma – Hindu Dharma, Muslim Dharma, or Christian Dharma. But Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa squeezed the very essence of all the Upaniṣads, and he tells in the end: sarvadharmān parityajya – "So you practise – reach the very ultimate – these paths, these religious paths can bring you – but then finally, you will have to surrender yourself totally: 'O Lord, I can only come up to here by Your grace. Now You will have to do the last step. Pull us into You. Make us become one with You.'"
Only Through Mother's Grace
This is Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's special teaching: only through Mother's grace can one attain liberation. Even if we follow any path, what do these paths really do? If we practise them faithfully, then these very paths make us completely surrender ourselves to God. They make us understand: "O jīva, you have no other way but to surrender yourself to the Divine Mother. There is no other way." This is the only way. That is what following faithfully, sincerely, every spiritual path does – it takes us to the ultimate. But the final liberation is possible only by God's grace.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa's Assurance
Mā śucaḥ – "Do not worry. If you surrender yourself to Me, I will liberate you. So I will do whatever is necessary, because I am the mother who gave birth to you, to the whole creation." This is a special teaching. Even a jñānī cannot attain liberation without Mother's grace. Now think for a moment why Totāpurī fell into Māyā even though he once tasted nirvikalpa samādhi – because he did not surrender himself to the Divine Mother. But once he surrendered himself to the Divine Mother, then Mother's grace fell upon him, and his own disciple now bestowed His grace upon him – because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Mother Kālī are not two separate beings at all.
Yājñavalkya's Psychological Analysis
So Yājñavalkya accepted. Then Yājñavalkya delves into it, says: "How can we become detached from this world?" So that is where the finest psychological analysis of what is called attachment starts here. Only instead of saying "attachment", we say "we love". Actually, we do not love. Attachment means what? We have a misunderstanding that "if I obtain this object, I can get happiness, pleasure, joy out of it. If I eat this sweet, I will get happiness." So we identify pleasure or joy or happiness with that particular object, as if that object possesses that and is capable of giving us what we are seeking. But no – Yājñavalkya analyses psychologically, and then what does he tell us?
Desire Covers Our True Nature
Our ānanda is covered by what? By our desire. Desires cover our true nature. A desire makes us feel that "I am not full. I am lacking something" – that is called desire. "I must become full. So if I get nice food, nice clothes, money, etc., then I will become full." No – like the seven bags of the Yakṣa, it will never be filled up at all.
Conditional Love
So Yājñavalkya is telling: if a husband loves wife, wife loves husband, parents love children, children love parents, brothers and sisters love brothers and sisters, or we love our co‑religionists, we love the people of our country, or of our language, etc. – that is not love at all. So we get – that is called attachment. What is love? "I can love you, but any time I can withdraw my mind from you because I dwell in a different place. I am attached to something different – but to whom? To which I am attached – that love I can bestow upon you, not to get anything from you, but out of sheer unselfishness I can share my love with you." That is the outlook of a jñānī.
The Camel and the Dog
What about us? Why does a husband love the wife? Why does a wife love her husband? Because they have desires – physical, not only in the form of desire for progeny, children, but in wealth, servants, comforts, name and fame – innumerable desires. But no object can give us that. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: like a camel chewing a thorny bush, like a dog worrying a dry bone – but both of them get their gums injured; then they get bleeding, they get blood, and then they mistakenly think that blood means pleasure comes from them. So that is a mistake.
The Analysis of Love
So what is this analysis of love? Nobody loves anybody. Everybody loves happiness, and we think happiness comes from an object. But what happens? Either happiness or unhappiness are not the intrinsic qualities of any object, because the same object can give us sometimes happiness, sometimes unhappiness. No object can give us both happiness and unhappiness at the very same moment – one after the other is fine, but not simultaneously. So what happens? That my ānanda, which is my nature, is suddenly clouded over, covered up.
The Towel Example
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it beautifully in the example of a towel. One day he was sitting at Dakṣiṇeśvara, and a small towel would always be on his shoulders. So some devotees were there, and he says: "See, I am so near to you, but if I put this towel in front of my face – even though I am so near to you, you cannot see my face." Like that, God is everywhere – in front, behind, above, below, inside, outside – everywhere God is there, but we cannot see because we are covered by ignorance.
How Pleasure Works
Anyway, coming back to this subject – what happens when we enjoy a pleasure? What happens is that we have a desire: "I am lacking some pleasure, say eating pleasure." So I see some tasty food and then I start eating. So this desire covers my own happiness. Eating the food removes that desire, because as soon as my stomach is full, I feel full – I feel that I do not need food. That is called fullness. That desire is gone. And to that extent, with regard to that particular object called food, the ānanda which was covered by the desire – by the lack of food – is re‑available to us. And this is the same thing that happens with regard to every object in this world.
Objects as Mirrors
So what is the lesson we have to learn? No object possesses any love. We are also objects – so we do not possess ānanda, happiness. But if somebody loves us or experiences us, then that experience removes their own hidden ānanda, and it becomes easily available to them. So in a way of speaking, every object acts like a mirror showing the true nature of each one of us. That is how we have to understand. That is the first thing.
Conditional Love
Second thing we have to understand is: nobody loves anything unless he gets pleasure. It is a conditional love: "If I get happiness, and so long as I get it, and only when I get so much – I am attached to you." That is why many times I give the example of squeezing all the juice from sugarcane – once I am able to squeeze out all the juice which gives me pleasure, the sugarcane is spat out. Nobody will keep it any longer. The same thing with everything in this world. Man squeezes some pleasure out of woman; woman also does the same thing out of man. So the moment we get that object, it is no longer wanted. And so every object acts as if to uncover our own real happiness. This is the philosophy.
No Object Is Loved for Its Own Sake
Everything that we love is a conditional love. What is that condition? "So long as that object yields sufficient amount" – otherwise, you know, you buy a car, it has met an accident and it is not working properly, and we are not getting what we expect from that car – whether it is new or old, it does not matter – then we try to get rid of it as soon as possible. And that is with regard to every object in this world – no exception is to be found. So that is why everything that we are attached to – we are attached not to the object but to the pleasure or happiness we are expecting to get when we come into contact with that particular object. The moment the object fails to deliver the goods, then we become detached. Not only detached, we may become disgusted; we may even hate. Friends become enemies, hateable objects, because what we were deriving, now the opposite is coming to us. So this is called conditional love.
Two Points
What are the two points we discussed just now?
- No object is loved for its own sake – but we expected to get some amount of happiness from that object. Many times our expectations far exceed the real capability of that object.
- We love that object only so long as the yield continues.
- No Object Is Ever Loved ===
So no object is ever loved. On the contrary, everybody loves unconditionally one's own self. So if this object cannot give me happiness, I am in search of some other object which will give me happiness. We do not put any condition, because we are ānanda svarūpa – Sat-Cit-Ānanda. So if our existence is threatened, then we become panicky. If our awareness becomes subjected to troubles, we try to get out of it. We do not want to be unconscious. Even our existence is in danger if we are not conscious of it. Only when we are aware "I am", then only I know I am. Otherwise, an unconscious person does not even know whether he is alive or dead.
Every Object Is Limited
Every object is loved only not for the sake of the object, but for what we are expecting to derive – that happiness, pleasure, joy – whatever name you call it. And every object is limited. Therefore, no object is capable of giving unlimited happiness. It is bound by time, space, and conditions. On the other hand, the Ātman is unconditionally loved. We want to survive, and we want to increase our knowledge, awareness – and there is no limit to how much happiness we want – unlimited happiness we want. Why does such a desire arise within us? Because the Upaniṣad tells us that is our real nature. The body is not our real nature. Mind is not our real nature. The three states – waking, dream, and deep sleep – are not our real nature. Instinctively, we seek only our own true infinite Self, where there is no duality present at all.
The Abhyāroha Mantras
That is why earlier also I mentioned in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, three mantras have come – they are called Abhyāroha mantras. And even an amoeba must be praying: "I do not want to die; I do not want to be unconscious" – because there is no difference between death and unconsciousness – "and I do not want to be suffering." These are common features of every living creature. So the unconscious prayer is: asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya. This is the fact of life. We have to understand it.
Searching in the Wrong Place
So unconsciously we are seeking, but we are searching in the wrong place – a limited place. We are saying "we want unlimited happiness", but we are seeking only limited objects – knowing fully well that every object is changing. Changing means what? So long as it is capable of giving some happiness, but it changes – and when happiness changes, what does it change into? Unhappiness. What is attractive changes into unattractive, and what is valued changes into non‑valued. So it applies universally.
Yājñavalkya's Answer
So that is what Yājñavalkya wants to say. Why is he telling? Because in one way, it is an answer: "Can I get immortality through wealth?" No. You can get immortality not because you are going to get it from somewhere – you are immortal, but you have forgotten. Every teaching – spiritual teaching – is only to remind ourselves: "You do not need to seek anywhere. You do not need to obtain it. All that you need to remove is the wrong notion that 'I am limited'."
The Notion of Limitedness
That means: "My happiness is limited, my existence is limited, my knowledge is also limited." So with the idea of limitedness – when we remove that idea of limitedness, we remain alone. Not only we remain alone, we become one with the entire universe. Because in infinity, there is no minus, plus, division, multiplication – nothing is possible. This is the essence.
Yājñavalkya's Instruction
So Yājñavalkya begins his instruction by logically establishing a wonderful truth: the Self is of the nature of supreme bliss – only the Self, nothing else. He proves this by conducting a psychological analysis of the nature of human love. He reveals the unpalatable but universal truth that nobody loves any object or any person for the sake of that object or person – everything is loved solely for the sake of one's own self.
The Example of Mother's Love
Another beautiful example: every mother loves her children – she will not extend that love even to neighbour's children. And I am afraid to speak out – even one sister will not extend that love to the children of Rādhāśyāma. How many murders have taken place when it is a question of one's child going to inherit the property or the kingdom – how many murders have taken place and are still taking place, positions, etc., etc.?
Unconditional Love
So Yājñavalkya beautifully analyses unconditional love. So this love is directed solely towards one's own self. Why? Because it is important, universal, completely independent of any external conditions. That means we do not need to do anything – it is always available in unlimited quantities everywhere. Time, space, and conditions do not obstruct or limit it. Because this love never wavers, never grows, never becomes less. So it is our own true nature – that is, unconditional love is only towards the Self.
Cultivated Temporary Affection
Unconditional love directed towards everything other than the Self – that is called anātma – is cultivated, temporary affection. Why is it cultivated? You do not know somebody – the baby does not know its mother; mother does not know its baby until she conceives. And she cherishes tremendous attraction: "This is my baby" – and goes on looking after it, mainly for the purpose of protecting the baby. So no object can ever replace our love for the Ātman, because every object is changing, limited, and therefore temporary – and temporary affection gives only temporary joy. And we have to remember: temporary joy can turn into temporary sorrow also. So when conditions are favourable, a bit of that bliss is squeezed – which we call happiness. When not, then we suffer a lot.
From Love to Hatred
The moment an object or relationship brings pain or ceases to fulfil our expectations, that very love will turn into not only rejection, sometimes even unmitigated hatred. So by analysing this, Yājñavalkya proves that Ātman alone is of the nature of real bliss. We are that Ātman, while everything else is either a source of sorrow or fake joy – fleeting joy is called by some people "fake joy".
True Detachment
A true seeker must develop dispassion – not by hating the world, but by ceasing to expect. That is the true detachment. A housemaid does everything in the house – calls "my Rāma, my Hari" – but she knows nothing belongs to me; I have my own home. So what are we doing? Whom we love, we expect them to give. If they fail to give, if they give it to others, then we become murderers – even kill other people. So we are expecting permanent joy, even though our bodies and minds are themselves changing every second, even though we are impermanent – we are expecting joy from worldly objects which are only temporary.
The Self Is the Only Source
So according to Advaita, the Self – we are the Self – and we have to realise the Self, because the Self is the only source – infinite source – of Sat, Cit, and Ānanda.
The Command to Realise
Now Yājñavalkya turns his mind and commands practically: ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ – like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: the goal of life is to realise God – and then for that, that is what draṣṭavyaḥ means – "to be realised."
The Threefold Way
Then what is the way? Śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. Probably more or less we can say:
- Śravaṇa – belongs to holy company – cultivating holy company.
- Manana – go into solitude and think of God deeply, pondering how temporary are objects, and also discrimination – everything is changing. And that we have to do – develop in solitude. That is manana.
- Nididhyāsana – "I am real – Jñāna Mārga – I am really the Self. So I have to know that I am the Self, not that I have to one day get the Self which I am not now. I am – I was the Self, I am the Self, and I will be the Self. But I have forgotten temporarily – and that is why it is called Māyā."
The Three Steps
For that, three steps are given: ātmā vā are mantavyaḥ, śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ. Here you get the exact words: first śravaṇa, then manana, then nididhyāsana.
Conclusion
So about these beautiful subjects, there are some very important points. We will discuss them 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!