Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-4.2 Lecture 56 on 02 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 Brāhmaṇa

We are discussing the Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam. Why is it called Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam? Because Maitreyī is the central figure there, and because of her, we are getting all these teachings. Just like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa – the central figure, so to say, is M. Only because of him – through him – we are getting all this nectar of immortality. Because of Arjuna, arthavākya – only because of him the flow of the milk of the cow starts flowing – only because of her child. They are just instruments, but really speaking they are eternal liberated souls – what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call Īśvarakoṭi, jīvanmuktas.

Review of the Previous Class

In our last class, we discussed two important points:

1. For God realisation, sanyāsa is very necessary. What is sanyāsa? We have to give up everything. Giving up means including everything connected with Brahman – look upon everything as Brahman. That is called Adhyātmika sanyāsa – not physically giving up. It is not possible, neither desirable.
2. The second point we discussed: nobody in this world really loves anybody in this world. Everyone loves only the Ātman. And here we have to clarify ourselves: what do you mean? There is no your ātman, my ātman, or the other person's ātman. No – Ātman means one without a second – ekam sat advitīyam. And everybody loves because everyone is truly that Brahman only. Albeit God is playing with oneself – God is playing with Himself. "I will play a solitaire game – create a lot of people, and then I will play with them." That is called līlā.

Nitya and Līlā

So God is said to be in two moods simultaneously: Nitya and Līlā. Because just as God is eternal, this saṃsāra is also eternal. But people will grow up, evolve, realise that they are Brahman. As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to illustrate: the chicks of a bird – they travel, they fall down for many days, they grow up meanwhile, and they understand the danger and then immediately turn their face towards its mother and start flying back. That falling process is called involution, and again going back is called evolution. So there is no choice whether "I want to realise God" or "I do not wish to realise God" – there is no such choice at all. We have come down, and we have to go back. We have deliberately created our own bondage, and we ourselves will break it up, and then we feel very happy: "Now I am free."

Conditional vs. Unconditional Love

So Yājñavalkya commends Maitreyī after teaching about love. Hope you remember: the Self is loved unconditionally; everything else is loved only conditionally. Even our hatred towards enemies is part of this game, because likes and dislikes, love and hatred – they are all part of the same drama, same līlā. The more we hate our enemies, the more we are learning how to intensify our feelings. And when we succeed in that, there comes a time when we will be gathering our power of love, our power of hatred – everything, every power – withdraw from every sense organ and direct it, make it one like a laser beam, and direct it towards God alone.

The Purpose of Creation

So the whole world is created only to experience the joy of Self‑realisation. Do not ask "Where was the need?" – it is līlā; we just have to accept. In any case, we are here.

Attachment vs. Love

Yājñavalkya, after teaching about love – every love we possess towards this world – Swami Yatiśvarānanda Mahārāja used to tell: "That love is not real love – that love is attachment." So there are some people who cannot live without hating somebody – what a peculiar mental condition. So loving somebody, hating somebody – both are part of this līlā only. But what is the common thing? Both are attachment – strong attachment. In fact, hatred produces more attachment, stronger bondage. But that bondage alone will now be converted: "I want to be a bondsman of Bhagavān" – that is called true bhakti.

Why We Love the Self

So Yājñavalkya having taught self‑love – that is the only unconditional love – and why do we love the Self? Because it is the source of all bliss – Sat-Cit-Ānanda, satyam jñānam anantam. Anantam means what? Infinite bliss. And everybody wants unbroken, infinite bliss. And if we want to experience infinite bliss, then we have to be Sat, and we have to be aware. There is no such thing as experiencing happiness or unhappiness without being aware of it. So we want to experience that unbroken bliss – it has a technical name called Ānanda, but everything sukha has its opposite. But this Ānanda is eternal – there is no opposite – only one.

The Threefold Path – Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana

Now ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ – as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Ātman should be realised. God should be realised. The goal of human life is God realisation." To realise that we are potentially divine and to unfold our own divinity – to manifest that divinity – that is what Swami Vivekananda had put so beautifully: "Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within."

The Four Yogas

I am potentially divine, and life is created for me to manifest my own potential divinity – not only that. That is the goal. There must be a path. So Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Jñāna Yoga are the pathways.

The Three Steps – Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana

As far as Jñāna Yoga is concerned – and it also applies to every other yoga – practically speaking, there are three steps: śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ.

1. Śravaṇa – First, we must get the knowledge: "There is a goal, there is a God, and that God should be desired" – because what we are really seeking is only Ānanda, and God is the only source of Ānanda. Not only is He the only source, it is the eternal Ānanda. So that is what we come to know from the scriptures, and that is what one should hear – again and again and again.
2. Manana – Then one should sit – as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Now and then go to solitary places and think of God." So we have to think: "What did my teacher, the scripture tell me?" Doubts will be there at the beginning – this teaching is diametrically opposed to our everyday, every‑minute experiences. "I am not at all the Self. I am a very limited being with very limited knowledge, with very limited energy and power, and I am born and I am going to die. Continuously I am changing. How can I be that supreme eternal – ajātaḥ, nityaḥ, śāśvataḥ, purāṇaḥ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre? How could I be that?" Doubts will come. But a teacher will never tell us anything that is doubtful – he always tells the truth. Scripture always tells the truth – there is no doubt about it. So if there are doubts, that is our problem. And that process of eliminating all the doubts without even one doubt remaining – that is called manana.
3. Nididhyāsana – Then once my mind – our minds – are clear and we are convinced of the truth of the saying of the scripture heard through the mouth of the Guru, "I have to realise it" – that process of actually experiencing my divinity is called nididhyāsana.

Application to All Yogas

So only one thing: śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana – they are technical words, but at the same time they are also applicable whether it is Karma Yoga. What is it? Do not desire anything – only God should be desired. Do not be attached to anything. Do not desire very temporary results – short‑lived desires. Have a desire for that which lasts forever and ever.

Karma Yoga

Same thing – then you go and sit, go on discharging our duties in a spirit of devotion, dedication to God. That is what Śiva-jñāne jīva-śiva – "This is not done for my benefit, but to please God, because He had created me, He placed me under these circumstances, He had given me these particular duties. It is my duty to please God – He will be pleased." Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya siddhiṃ vindati mānavaḥ – every one of us can please God by discharging our own duties. A baby has its own duties; a student has his or her own duties; a married gṛhastha has got – she has got – her own duties; a vānaprasthī has his own duties; a sannyāsī has his or her own duties. So everything is bound by this duty. What is a duty? That which takes us gradually – surely but gradually – to God. That is called kartavya.

Bhakti Yoga

So in Karma Yoga – Bhakti Yoga – cultivate holy company. What does it give? Bhakti. And what should a devotee do? Earnestly pray to God: "O Lord, I am helpless – please grant me bhakti so that I do not desire." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's prayer: "O Mother, I do not wish for anything – I want only Your lotus feet."

The Bhakta's Nididhyāsana

So this is how a bhakta also practises exactly – śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. What is the nididhyāsana of a bhakta? Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life shows: he wanted the vision of Kṛṣṇa – meditated upon Rādhā. He wanted the vision of Rāma – meditated upon Hanumān, who is the very embodiment of Bhakti, Rāma Bhakti. Rāma Bhakti means Īśvara Bhakti; Īśvara Bhakti means Brahma Bhakti. So suppose Rāmakṛṣṇa wanted the vision of Jesus Christ, then he would have meditated upon maybe Saint Francis of Assisi – because they represent to us the highest pathway, how they achieved that goal. By following their footsteps, we will also reach the same goal. This is called imitation – following the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Rāja Yoga

So whether it is Bhakti Yoga – Rāja Yoga – a Rāja Yogī has his own Guru, listen, sit in one place. How Totāpurī was trained – how to sit, how to put up with dualities like heat and cold, hard and soft. So over a number of years they were taught: wherever you are, sit in a particular way and do not allow your mind to deviate here and there.

The Universal Sādhanā

So what I wanted to convey: śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana are not peculiar sādhanās – they are only peculiar words in the Jñāna Mārga. But they are – in sādhanā, everybody has to follow the same thing: become unselfish, approach God nearer. That is how we have to understand.

The Tavya Pratyaya

But here, a bit of Sanskrit grammar: śrotavyaḥ – that word -vyaḥ is called tavya-pratyaya. Tavya-pratyaya means "you must do it; it is your duty to do it." Kartavyaḥ – "you have to do this." Śrotavyaḥ – "you have to listen to this." Mantavyaḥ – "you have to think deeply about it." Nididhyāsitavyaḥ – "you have to meditate upon it." So four commandments will come in the form of tavya-pratyaya. The example is kartā, kartavya. So that is what Yājñavalkya used here, saying: "I have already told you about the glory – because you will be eternally blissful, eternally present – Sat-Cit-Ānanda – you will become that, and therefore strive to become that."

The Mistake of Some Jñānīs

Some jñānīs think that is the only path – they write books also: "No other path will take to God." But the mistake they commit is that even most of the jñānīs – nobody had attained Brahma jñāna only by meditating. They have tremendous bhakti for their own Guru. So many of these followers of Jñāna Mārga used to do upāsana – Rāma upāsana or Hayagrīva upāsana, Sarasvatī upāsana, or Bāla Sarasvatī upāsana, or Lalitā upāsana.

Only by God's Grace

So according to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, one can realise God by any path – but only by the grace of God. So according to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, these three commandments: the truth has to be heard again and again, and it has to be thought until all doubts are eliminated, and then it has to be followed in every minute of our life, every step of our travel. And then such a person will slowly realise God, become one with Him, united with Him – and that is called mukti, mokṣa, liberation.

The Five Commandments

So Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say the five commandments he has given:

1. Cultivate holy company.
2. Now and then go to solitude and think.
3. God alone is your Saviour – nobody else.
4. Always discriminate between what is real and what is permanent, what is temporary.
5. Live in this world like a maidservant lives.

All these – śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana – are represented only in that manner. But the special emphasis Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives is: "One can realise God only by His grace."

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa's Assurance

Yesterday also we have seen Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, having taught all the yogas and assuring Arjuna that Sāṅkhya Yoga and Jñāna Yoga or any other yoga – they are not separate. Any path can take us to God, and even Karma Yoga – so by karma, if one can fulfil one's own duties wherever one is placed, God will be pleased. When God is pleased, what can He give? He gives Himself. And what is the nature of God? What is God? Sat-Cit-Ānanda. So He gives Himself – that is, the devotee becomes Sat-Cit-Ānanda.

The Attainment of True Bliss

Having established that the attainment of true bliss is nothing but the attainment of one's own Self – that is a point we have to discuss. Bliss is not in Vaikuṇṭha; bliss is not in Kailāsa. Bliss is within ourselves – and our true Self is everywhere. So the Upaniṣad shifts to the methodology. What methodology?

1. Listen to it.
2. Think deeply what you heard.
3. And then realise – śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana.

Sarvātmabhāva

And then ultimately, what happens through the process of this sādhanā – spiritual struggle – through continuous study, meditation, and transformation of one's character, a spiritual seeker achieves what? He achieves sarvātmabhāva. That is to say, "I was thinking I was an individual – I never knew what is the meaning of 'individual'." The very meaning of that word "individual" – indivisible – that is called individual. We are saying twenty‑four hours "I am an individual", but we mean "I am one small object among countless other objects." No – sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ, sahasrākṣaḥ – "I am everything." So we have to understand that one – sarvātmā – "I am everything. There is nothing else excepting God." That is what it means.

The Psychological Truth

So there is a deep psychological truth involved here. As long as a person views the world as "other" – that means "not me, but something else" – they inadvertently reject the world. "It is separate from me, different from me" – and the world also separates them. Since you say "I am separate from you", I also say "you are separate from me." That idea is brought out: he who thinks a Brāhmaṇa is different from me, mother and father are different from me – so Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, rich man, poor man – they are all different from me. So long, the whole world is not me. I am separate from the world – I am the experiencer; the world is the experienced. And the subject – the world is the object – and in its turn, the world becomes subject and it rejects all of us. It is a beautiful passage; we will soon come to it.

The Love of a Realised Soul

But earlier we said everything in this world is conditional, but the love of a realised soul is universal. What does it mean? A jñānī like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, like Ramana Maharṣi – they do not love people individually. They see Brahman, and Brahman is of the nature of bliss, and that bliss is called love. So a knower of Brahman loves – that is why he cannot see any difference in this world. Everything in this world is dear, adorable – "me only."

Samadarśī – Equal Vision

That is beautifully expressed by Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa in his inimitable words: vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini, śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. A jñānī of Brahman becomes a paṇḍita – paṇḍita means one who has ātmajñāna (Self‑knowledge) – and they become samadarśīs. Samadarśī means "equal vision." They consider the whole world is me – I am the whole world – no differentiation at all. That is why they are capable of loving, and their love never produces – it is never time‑bound. It never produces hatred, never looks down: "I am the lover, you are the loved – so you are like an object to me." No – you are exactly like me.

The Sufi Parable

Swami Vivekananda beautifully describes this through a Sufi parable. There was a man who loved another woman. So this lover one day went to the house, to the cottage of his beloved, and he found that the door was closed. He knocked at it. From within came the question: "Who are you?" He said: "It is me." The door did not open. Second time he knocked – same question, same answer. Third time he knocked, and then same question. But this time he said: "I am thee, my beloved." And then he found there was no door at all. So these are beautifully said by great saints – Sufi saints, Hindu saints, Buddhist saints, etc.

Universal Love

So a jñānī loves everybody, everything equally. That universal love is not possible so long as a person thinks "the world is different – I am different – everything in this world is different." So the progress starts:

1. First of all, I see God, I see everybody, I see everything – but I see also God's creation. God Himself created the whole world – that is called Dvaita Vedānta (dualistic philosophy).
2. But when he progresses through spiritual practice, then he attains a higher state of the mind wherein he says "unity and diversity – I see also separation, I see also an unbreakable unity" – that is called Viśiṣṭādvaita.
3. Then something within that person says "my journey is not complete" – and he progresses further, and he reaches a point in knowledge that "I am Brahman." So there is nothing else other than Brahman, and this world also – even if he happens to transact with the world – it is nothing but pure Brahman. That is called universal love.

Universal Love – A Caution

But do not worry – universal love means do not go on imagining that he goes on embracing a tiger, goes on embracing a wicked person. No. What it means is that this person loves everybody unconditionally. But if he finds somebody who is fit to receive this teaching, he becomes an instrument in the hands of the Divine Mother. And the Divine Mother – who is Divine Mother? Pure knowledge is called Divine Mother. Call her Sarasvatī, call her Lakṣmī – because several times I mentioned Hindus inject certain wrong ideas in our minds: "Lakṣmī – the goddess of wealth." No – Lakṣmī is what is called Ānanda. Ānanda comes only when we become unlimited. So call her Sarasvatī, Mahālakṣmī – we have a choice, infinite choice. You like God in this form? Very good. You think of God in that form, and God will reveal Himself in that form, and He will make you one with Him – then you will know.

The Wax Garden Analogy

So the infinity has no form, but being so much identified with this form, we think that everybody – the truth is that no, the truth is everything is the same. Further, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also gives a beautiful analogy. He cites the example of a huge garden made up of wax – small plants, big plants, some animals, some insects, some houses. They are all made up of wax – looked at from the viewpoint of forms and names, everyone is separate, but looked at from the source material, everything is one and the same. So that is why it is so beautiful.

Bādha-Sāmānādhikaraṇyam

So this is called Bādha-Sāmānādhikaraṇyam. We are suffering from this idea of separation, individuality – vyakti-bhāva. We must transform it into samaṣṭi-bhāva (universality), so that negating "I am different from everything else" – that is called bādha. Bādha means removing the obstruction, and then we find everything is absolutely the same.

The Rope and Snake Example

So a teacher may be reassuring a student. An example is given: what is this bādha? So somebody walking in semi‑darkness sees a snake and is frightened, scared. Then somebody comes along – he says: "The snake you see is only a rope" – and it is difficult. But this truth – that person says: "I know this person – he is a truthful person. He never tells even by mistake any lie. So maybe he is right." And then the man, to remove the person's doubts – any lingering doubts – he brings a light, and with the help of light, he says: "Oh, this is a rope – somebody has left it here." So this is called bādha. Bādha means negation. Negation means your idea that "this is a snake" is because of certain limitations you imposed upon the rope. And when the light is brought, those limitations are automatically removed. The moment light comes, all the limitations just disappear – just as as soon as light is lighted up, all darkness simultaneously disappears.

The Meaning of Bādha-Sāmānādhikaraṇyam

This is called Bādha-Sāmānādhikaraṇyam. So this statement means that what is currently perceived by all of us as pluralistic – with infinite number of objects – this world is in reality nothing but that one Ātman, non‑dual Self – advitīyam advaitam.

Brahman as Both Material and Intelligent Cause

Then Yājñavalkya also goes to show: what is the relationship? You always go on saying "This world is created by God. God is the cause." And there are two types of causes: material cause as well as intelligent cause – upādāna and nimitta. Nimitta means intelligent cause. Before creation, God is both the material as well as the intelligent cause. So Yājñavalkya wants to teach this to Maitreyī. Maitreyī means she is only a representation – anybody who is sincerely wanting to tread the same path and realise his own true Self – for everybody, this teaching is there.

Everything Is Consciousness

So he demonstrates that this world – the names and forms that we see – are the result of the material which is Brahman. And that Brahman also comes in the form of consciousness which reflects in every object – that is why it is called cidābhāsa. So Cit, cidābhāsa combined with body‑mind – that is the whole world, every object. Because Sat will be there even in inert material, and Sat cannot be separated from Cit and Ānanda. In fact, every Sat is external, so we think, and its perception, understanding in the mind, is called Cit – the knowledge, everything – jñānam. So I see a tree, and that tree becomes a thought in my mind, and that thought illumined by a reflected consciousness called cidābhāsa – it becomes alive – "I see a tree" – to distinguish it from all other objects.

The Clay and Gold Examples

So everything is made up of pure consciousness alone. Just as any number of objects created out of clay are nothing but clay – it is only the spatial limitation – small, big, square, round, etc. – that is what makes us think every object is separate from every other object. In fact, they are all nothing but clay. Clay is one example, gold is another example, wood is another example. But everything is caitanya-svarūpam, because we do not see anything outside directly – only indirectly, like on our TV monitors or phone monitor, we see everything – even something that is going on or that went on in the past.

Brahman as Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, Laya

So Brahman is the sṛṣṭi-kāraṇam – Brahman is the sthiti (maintenance) – Brahman is the laya-kāraṇam. So sṛṣṭi (creation), sthiti (maintenance, sustenance), and laya (going back) – coming forth, staying for some time, going back again – and that is what is continuously happening. So every millisecond – sṛṣṭi, sthiti, laya – how many objects are coming from non‑manifestation into manifestation, and flash for some time, and again go back from where they have come: avyaktādīni bhūtāni, vyakta-madhyāni bhārata, avyakta-nidhanānyeva, tatra kā paridevanā – "There is nothing called death, nothing called non‑existence." That is what he wants to say.

The Examples of the Upaniṣad

So Yājñavalkya has given certain beautiful examples: of a blazing fire, of a spider, etc. And finally for the going back, he gives the example of salt: you take a lump of salt, put it in the sea, and immediately it becomes one with the sea. Like that, everything that comes out of the ocean stays separate as if it was not the ocean, and again goes back. This play – eternal play – is going on all the time.

Entering the Original Mantras

That is what we need to do. With this background, let us enter into the mūla-mantras – and it should not take long time. So this Maitreyī Brāhmaṇam has got fourteen mantras.

Mantra 1 – Yājñavalkya's Intention

The very first mantra, where Yājñavalkya expresses his intention of taking up the fourth āśrama according to Hinduism, that is called Sanyāsāśrama. So he called both his wives, and then addressing them he said: maitreyīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ – Yājñavalkya said: "O Maitreyī!" Why did he address only Maitreyī? Because he understood intuitively that she is not going to accept my offer – she is going to be my student and follow my teachings and become a Brahmavādinī. Whereas Kātyāyanī has silently accepted. She was a good person, chaste wife – but she did not have that intensity of spiritual life. So we should not look down upon her, especially the wife of a ṛṣi – ṛṣi-patnī. We know very little about her.

The Declaration

So Yājñavalkya, addressing Maitreyī, said: ud yāsyān vā are aham asmāt sthānāt – but implied meaning is: "From this state of householdership, aham udyāsyāmi vā – I want to give this up and enter into another state, which is called sanyāsa – though he did not specifically mention it, but the implication is there." So hantate anayā kātyāyanayā antam kariṣyāmi iti – "I want to bring to a halt my relationship. I will not be a husband any longer. You will not be my wives. I will be a sannyāsī; you will be Brāhmaṇīs in the form of two women."

But the doubt might arise: "You are simply going away?" No – Yājñavalkya was quite a rich person; hundreds of disciples used to study under him. That is very important for us to understand.

Mantra 2 – The Reply

Now we enter into the second mantra. So Yājñavalkya made crystal clear his intention of taking up Sanyāsāśrama right from the Gṛhasthāśrama. Why did he not go through Vānaprasthāśrama? Because the result of leading a Vānaprasthāśrama – already he got that. What is it? He became endowed with those nine qualities – sādhanā-catuṣṭaya-sampannaḥ – he became a fit person. Not only that, he realised Brahman. He even imparted that knowledge of Brahman to Janaka, as I mentioned. So he was called a vidvat sannyāsī – he need not take sanyāsa. He wanted to preserve the tradition, to encourage other people. Like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa – he was the greatest sannyāsī even if he did not formally take sanyāsa. Nāg Mahāśaya – he did not take formal sanyāsa, but even direct disciples used to bow in awe of his intense vairāgyam, etc.

The Distribution of Wealth

So he said: "You don't worry. How are we going to live? There is plenty of wealth – and equally both of you, Maitreyī and Kātyāyanī, would get that one."

The second mantra says: Maitreyī – this is the reply, having heard this one. So there must have gone a lot of conversation, dialogue between them. But the Upaniṣad only briefly mentions the most important teaching – that is all. The whole dialogue may be imagined; we do not know. But this is what happens – just as it happened in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Holy Mother.

Maitreyī's Question

So having heard that her husband wants to take up sanyāsa life – first, secondly, he is ready to give: "You will not suffer; you will lead a rather very comfortable life, because I am leaving sufficient wealth for both of you." Sā hovāca maitreyī yan nu me idam bhagavaḥ sarvā pṛthivī vitteṇa pūrṇā syāt katham tenāmṛtā syām iti – she asked: "O Bhagavān, if the whole earth filled with unimaginable wealth is offered to me, it becomes my property – tena – katham amṛtā syām iti – do I become immortal by that? Will I attain liberation?" Straightforward question.

Yājñavalkya's Reply

And then Yājñavalkya said: na iti hovāca – "No." Then what happens to all? What can all this wealth do? Yājñavalkya: yathā eva upakaraṇavātāṃ jīvitam, tathā eva te jīvitam syāt – upakaraṇavān means people with plenty of gadgets and many things that can make life very, very comfortable – highly adjustable AC which can control both heat and cold, first‑class food, everything at his fingertips. Great people – wealthy people – they have everything. What they do not have is ānanda – ānanda is not there. Evam yathā eva upakaraṇavātām – "Just like wealthy people, how do they live – jīvitam tathā eva te jīvitam – you will be very comfortable and you will live a comfortable life."

No Hope of Immortality Through Wealth

"But of immortality – amṛtatvasya – the attainment of immortality – tu na āśā asti vitte nāsti – there is absolutely even one in a trillion percentage of hope that if I have money I will be liberated. Āśā nāsti vitte nāsti – categorically he said no – it is not possible."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Example

By this also he is hinting – a saying of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa comes to my mind. Once Hṛday was begging Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa so that he can live a little bit comfortably. Actually, they were very poor people – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was poor. But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's father was quite rich – a kind of small jāmindār having thirty‑three acres of wetland in that village called Dere. So we know the incident because he was commanded to bear false witness – flatly he refused, and as a result that jāmindār had instituted a case against Śudhīra, bringing false witnesses. I do not know the details, but as a result, the court only knows what the witnesses are saying – they are not having intuition, but it is God's will. So he lost everything – with his two children, with the clothes he had on (I doubt whether he even had a shirt on – maybe some wearing cloth and something to put on upper cloth), he had to come with his wife and two children to Kāmārpukur, not knowing what is going to happen. We know the rest of the story.

Why Did He Give Up?

So why did he give up? Because satyam jñānam anantam – all the three are one and the same – cannot be attained by vitta (wealth). Had Śudhīra been attached even a little bit, then he would not have – he would have borne the false witness, he would have told the falsehood. That is what most people do, or even out of fear they can do that. So crystal clearly here the Upaniṣad is telling.

Wealth Is Not Opposed to Spirituality

But we should not misunderstand that wealth cannot give spirituality. Spirituality is different, but wealth is not opposed to spirituality. We have to understand: it is not wrong to have wealth or name and fame or knowledge or honour – everything one can have. But one should know the limitations – what they can give, what they cannot give. What cannot they give? They cannot give ānanda. Ānanda comes only from pure knowledge, from the control of mind – nothing to do with the possessions a person has. That crystal clear knowledge one should have – no doubt about it.

The Taittirīya Measure of Happiness

So here is the hint that even if the whole earth becomes one – we have seen in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, second chapter, Brahmānandavallī: what is the measure of one human happiness? If a young man, healthy, idealistic, learned, intelligent, full of strength, full of willpower, and if he owns the whole world – because of these qualities, he can derive, and he will derive without doubt, tremendous happiness – not a single person on this earth can obtain that. That is only the smallest measure. But at the end, as we have seen, śrotriyasya ca akāmatasya – the same happiness and much more happiness – because nearly, I think, twelve times or so he repeats that one. That means the śrotriya – one who has tremendous faith in the scriptures and as a result practised spiritual disciplines, and as a result has realised Brahman – that means he is swimming in the ocean of bliss. He is bliss.

The Fly and the Nectar

We should not get that picture – there is a lake and it is a lake full of ānanda, and you are separate and you go and jump into it. Funny thing – I think you remember when Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was teaching this: suppose there is a huge vessel full of sweet nectar, and you are a fly – how are you going to enjoy this nectar? Then he said: "I will sit on the edge of the utensil and stretching my tongue I will be sipping." Why? What was this idea? Because "I am not this nectar – if I fall into it, I will lose my life." Immediately the correction came from Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: "My child, this is not ordinary nectar – it is Sat-Cit-Ānanda – one who falls into it becomes Sat-Cit-Ānanda." Through these small examples, how much Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was trying to teach us.

Conclusion

Now in this second mantra, an important point is that wealth and other things are not to be thrown out. But there is a proper way of earning wealth, a proper way of using wealth – and for the good of the world. Let one enjoy it, let him also help others enjoy it as much as possible. These are beautiful thoughts. We will talk about 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!