Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 57 on 08 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 Wisdom of Yājñavalkya
We have entered into the most marvellous, greatest wisdom that Yājñavalkya was teaching to Maitreyī. Why did Yājñavalkya bring up the subject of love? Because Māyā – the power of ignorance – how does it manifest? First, it manifests in the form that "this world is real, my body is real, my possessions are real, my mind is real, my life is real – everything that I experience is absolutely real." And since every object is real, I can exercise my power of loving it. But Yājñavalkya debunks it and says the first thing: in this world, nobody loves anything or anybody – one only loves one's own Self.
Why Do We Love the Self?
What does Yājñavalkya mean by "one's own Self"? He means Ātman. But why do we love Ātman? Even Ātman – or let us say God – if there is a believer, just imagine, and he is praying and praying: "Give me happiness, give me that greatest joy" – and apply, apply – no reply. God does not answer at all, and he is miserable. Do you think the person will go on and on praying? At first he places his faith in the scriptures, hopes that God is there and He listens to my prayers, and He is compassionate – ananta dayāsāgara – and definitely He will make me happy. But if God does not give us happiness, then sooner or later we give up even God.
The Secret of Ignorance
And here also there is a secret – because I am not enlightened. I think I am separate from God. I am small; God is separate, but He is very big – His powers are infinite. He can do whatever He likes. It is this ignorant knowledge – ajñāna. What is ajñāna? "I am different from God. God exists separately from me." But by that very understanding, we deny the very existence of God, because by definition, God is not some powerful separate being – He is not some other person. I do not understand – I think He is different – and that is called ignorance. But if I come to know He is my own Self, then the question of God bestowing grace does not arise – I have to bestow grace upon my own Self.
The Nature of the Self
But what does it mean? Again, if I am not of the nature of bliss, if I am not of the nature of happiness, or if I am a mixture – I am a changeable being – sometimes I am happy, sometimes I am unhappy – that is my nature. If this is my understanding – "I am the Ātman, but sukha-duḥkha are my nature and they are changing all the time" – then my very prayer will be useless. Because what does every creature consciously, mostly unconsciously, do? They are praying: "Let me have unbroken happiness called Ānanda." That is all. Broken ānanda we are getting; unbroken ānanda we will not get.
The Illustration of Falling from Heights
Suppose a person goes to Brahmaloka, which is supposed to be the greatest source of happiness. Then here most of us do not understand that if Brahmaloka ānanda – no doubt great – but it is also limited. It is the highest degree of happiness we can really experience. If that is our understanding, one simple fact we forget. Let me first give an illustration. Suppose a person is walking and he falls down – the injury will be the least. Suppose he had fallen from something which is ten feet high – definitely his injury will be greater. Suppose a person had fallen from fifty feet high, one hundred feet high, or a mountain top – the higher the height, the greater will be that person's misery, injury, unhappiness, pain, suffering. So if somebody, having experienced Brahman ānanda, when he falls down from that state, do you think he will only experience a little bit of unhappiness – or do you think an equivalent amount of unhappiness he will experience? Logic and reason tell us the latter is the truth.
The Need for Infinite Ananda
So I must have Ānanda as my nature, and it must be infinite – and then only my prayer "let me have unbroken happiness" can come all the time. And that is why Yājñavalkya wants to teach the very first teaching that he teaches to Maitreyī, the greatest disciple. And every scripture also is teaching the same thing.
The Meaning of Sanyāsa
What is Sanyāsa? Sanyāsa is not an outward garb. A person puts on – sanyāsa is a state of mind where a person knows every object is undesirable because it is changing. Every object – the nature of any object – every object is not happiness. It only temporarily removes my own happiness from myself. If I can somehow find out a way how to remove that curtain which is hiding my own bliss within myself, then there is nothing else that I require – I do not need an object.
Deep Sleep as an Example
That is why we already discussed both in the Māṇḍūkya and also in the Chāndogya, and also in the very first chapter, or in this very Ajātaśatru Brāhmaṇa earlier to this, that Ajātaśatru was analysing the state of deep sleep. One of the important points we have to understand is: why is it that we get so much happiness in deep sleep – unbroken for at least a few hours? That is the first point – completely unbroken – and such a thing would never happen in either the waking or dream states. Second, even more important: what objects are there in the deep sleep that we are experiencing, and as a result we are getting happiness? Absolutely no object is there. So if I can get such a greater happiness in deep sleep without depending upon any object – in the absence of every possible object – no body, no mind, no world – then it must be within me.
The Musk Deer Analogy
So what I am searching for – like that kastūrī mṛga we call it – there is a musk deer, beautiful intoxicating fragrance. The deer goes mad, intoxicated; he wants to go to the very source – alas! He cannot find its source because he is searching in the wrong place. So taking up from there, human beings – with the help of God's grace, with the help of the Guru, and in the light of the scriptures – the Guru tells Tat tvam asi: "You are that source of infinite bliss."
The Threefold Nature of Ananda
Infinite bliss can be experienced only if I exist infinitely without any break. We always have to take this point in view. If I want to experience unbroken bliss, my existence also should be unbroken. Will that do? No – a third quality is needed. I must be absolutely aware that I am experiencing unbroken bliss. And here is another point we have to take into consideration: if I have to experience unbroken bliss, my awareness – consciousness – should also be unbroken. Otherwise, if I am distracted – like when we are reading a book or trying to meditate – then the whole goal, the whole object of my focus disappears when my mind changes the object of its experience by just remembering. That means if the same mind is there and even if it is experiencing tremendous bliss, then it will be broken. Just imagine there is a person who was in deep sleep, and the deep sleep breaks every minute – what would be his condition? So we must be existing; we must be one hundred percent aware that we are not only existing. Bliss is my very nature – and if that is my nature, nobody can take it away from me, and there is no time gap.
Body and Mind Break Awareness
At this time I get back my nature; at this time I will not get back. But I have to understand – I am not the body, I am not the mind – because what do the body and mind do? They break my awareness every second. How many different thoughts are coming? Every thought is a new world for me. But such a thing does not happen in deep sleep when a person's karma is very good and he is sleeping undisturbed for several hours. But even deep sleep is only an example. It indicates that when there is no object, where from this happiness – bliss – is really coming out? Because it is everybody's exclamation upon waking up: sukham aham asvāpsam – "I slept so happily, full of happiness" – na kiñcid avediṣam – "I did not know anything." One meaning of that is "there was no object." The second meaning of the word is very important: since I did not know a millisecond of unhappiness in my deep sleep, I was completely happy, experiencing happiness – "I did not know anything."
Between Two Thoughts
So that is why Yājñavalkya very intelligently – of course, it is the highest truth – says: if I can get so much bliss in deep sleep, which is happening how many times? Just to remind you, it is not only when we are in deep sleep that we are getting that unbroken bliss. No – in between two thoughts. That is why whenever we say "two thoughts", I am aware of the past thought, aware of the present thought. That means there must be a point in no‑man's‑land where the earlier thought vanished and the new thought had risen. In between these two, however short, that thought must be that condition – "I am myself pure consciousness."
The State of Pure Consciousness
But here is another truth we have to remember – we have discussed this point, but the purpose of the scripture is to tell us again and again and again and again and again until it does not slip away from our memory. What is it? In deep sleep, we are not aware of time – that means it is a state of infinity. When we are aware of time, it is a state of bondage. When we become unaware of time, it is the state of infinity. Similarly, in between two thoughts – it is only from the second‑thought point of view that we say "I was so happy for a millisecond in between two thoughts." But when we are actually in this state of no‑man's‑land between two thoughts, that is the state of pure consciousness. Pure consciousness means unbroken, unlimited by time, space, and causation. That is what Yājñavalkya wants to say.
Yājñavalkya's Sanyāsa
So just to recollect before we proceed further, here it is. Yājñavalkya had two wives, and he was a Brahmajñānī. But to keep up the tradition alive and strong for future generations, he wants to set an example. So he wishes to take up straight away Sanyāsāśrama – that is to say, he has skipped, as it were, Vānaprasthāśrama. But then I want to add: how do we know Yājñavalkya did not spend his Vānaprasthāśrama? Actually, these – Brahmacaryāśrama, Gṛhasthāśrama, Vānaprasthāśrama, and Sanyāsāśrama – they have nothing to do with externalities. As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: "I learn so long as I live" – yāvaj jīvaṃ tāvat śikṣi – that means if our minds are open to learn what we do not know, we are in Brahmacarya Āśrama. And we can enjoy things like a maid in a rich man's house – that is called the ideal householder's life.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Example
But when a person knows how to meditate, how to contemplate, how to do upāsanas unbrokenly – remember Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to go to Pañcavatī at night. You have to meditate upon these subjects, these events – that is called dhyāna. Just imagine in your imagination that you also – after Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa goes towards the Pañcavatī, you also follow Him, and you find Him absolutely without any clothes, and you sit in front of Him. But by that time Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is absolutely externally completely unconscious, and you sit for some time – of course we all get restless after some time; mosquitoes are also great helpers in that process. Now you must be wondering: what makes this person so unconscious? How is he able to fix his mind? What is he thinking of unbrokenly? Because the body consciousness had vanished, mind consciousness had vanished – only he was aware of his iṣṭadevatā. In this, just as an example – Mother Kālī – but it is not the idea of Mother Kālī that we have. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's idea of Mother Kālī – she is pure consciousness. So he has become one with that already. We can only guess what he was doing.
Holy Mother's Example
And by the way, the perfect example of living as a maid‑servant in a rich man's house – Holy Mother's whole life – she is the mistress of that game called "I am the mother in this house." But she played only the role of a dāsī. Every child that comes, every devotee that comes, every person that visits – what were they doing? Who was serving whom? It was Holy Mother who was really serving everybody, because she assumed the role of the mother of all – even of this ant, of this mosquito. Wonderful incidents are there – we will not of course go into that.
Vidvat Sanyāsa and Vividhiṣā Sanyāsa
So what I wanted to convey is that externally also, Yājñavalkya wanted to enter that state to encourage some people. That is why the scriptures divide sanyāsa into two categories:
- Vividhiṣā Sanyāsa – that is, a person whose mind is full of distractions – not only some external distractions, but his own thoughts are full of distractions. So in order to minimise the amount of obstructions, he enters into an āśrama or a solitary place, thinking that the obstructions will be a little less – at least the concrete obstructions. Once mental obstructions, they will not disappear wherever we go.
- Vidvat Sanyāsa – Yājñavalkya was not a vividhiṣā sannyāsī. He had already attained. Not only that, he helped others also attain Brahmajñāna. We do not know – but when he was debating with Maitreyī, debating with Gārgī, debating with Kāvya and other Brāhmaṇas, when he was teaching Janaka, some of them definitely attained Brahma. How do we know? Because Yājñavalkya himself certifies in the case of Janaka: abhayaṃ vai prāpto 'si janaka – "O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness" – and fearlessness means "I am Brahman."
Fearlessness from Non‑Duality
We have seen earlier – we have to remind – so he who thinks "I am separate, Brahman is separate" – Brahman becomes a cause of fear. Only for that person who knows there are no two called "I" and "Brahman" – whatever exists is one – he becomes fearless, because from the second, from duality, only fear comes. So he was not only a Brahmajñānī, he was one of the greatest teachers of Brahmajñāna available at that time.
The Capacity to Receive
But another point we have to understand: even though he may argue with other people, Brahmajñāna can be imparted only to a person who has the capacity to receive what God or Brahman gives through this jīvanmukta Mahāpuruṣa. Without that, we are always begging: "Give me Your darśana." Yes, if I give you My darśana, will you be able to hold it? Will you be able to bear it? Like a vessel – or like a fuse which is only five watts, and then a thousand‑volt electricity flows into it – what happens? Fuse becomes diffused. That is why Rāmakṛṣṇa said: "Slow and sure – we should not even ask for what we do not deserve. You give me because You know better than me what my receiving capacity is."
Why Yājñavalkya Took Sanyāsa
So Yājñavalkya, externally, was called a Vidvat Sannyāsī. Vidvat means "already attained knowledge." He was a knower of Brahma – that is called Vidvat Sanyāsa. But to encourage other people – especially those for Vividhiṣā Sanyāsa – he wanted to take sanyāsa. And because of his not only Brahmajñāna but his capacity to teach, to argue, and to clarify others' doubts, he became one of the best known teachers. And we guess hundreds of students must have gathered around him. And students will not come empty‑handed. The nearer they come to such a personality, the more they surrender to him, because they get more than what they can give physically. Of course, kings as well as the parents of the students will give. Janaka himself had given a thousand cows with their horns completely covered with solid gold – that message is there in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which we are yet to enter, but we are going to do that after completing this.
The Provision for the Wives
So then he says: "I have plenty of money, and I want to enter – which means I cannot live with you. So I have you, Maitreyī, and you, Kātyāyanī – you permit me." And whether you permit or not, a sannyāsī will not stay, because it is not a pāpa. If a person – a raw fellow who is not fit to become a monk – forcibly, and keeping his wife in distress, takes up sanyāsa, he will be committing a sin. That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa specifically says: even for a good wife, the husband must make provisions for the future, knowing fully well what is going to happen in future is not known. Such a marvellous commentary – Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the living Upaniṣad we have to understand.
Holy Mother's Life
So also Holy Mother – even more. At least Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa lived almost an isolated life. He never allowed any worldly people to interfere with his life, but he was more than happy to get some eager disciples – both some monks and household disciples – and they were only few. But Holy Mother had to live with the unsavoury relatives – and so many troublesome even disciples. Of course, there were many good devotees also who revered her, looked upon her as the mother of the universe, etc. So she had to deal with everybody. But unlike us, she did not discriminate – even those who were oppressing Indians at that time, she said: "They are also my children." We have to understand – if you are looking for an example of how to live like a maid‑servant – that is pure Karma Yoga, Śiva-jñāne jīva-śiva – the best example we will not get other than Holy Mother. We have to understand that.
Yājñavalkya's Offer
So he offered – Yājñavalkya offered these riches: "I am not going to leave you in distress. Where, how are we going to live? You are looking after us all this time. Now you will have plenty of it. You can have servants, and all your needs will be met as far as possible." Because any amount of riches cannot prevent diseases, cannot prevent mental distress – there are so many things. External possessions have a very limited role to play in our happiness. In fact, they cannot produce even the least bit of happiness. They can make our life comfortable. That is why, as one Swami said, a rich person who is worrying too much will be worrying in an air‑conditioned room, and a poor man without air‑conditioning worries – absolutely, air‑conditioning is not going to help either of them in any case.
Maitreyī's Fitness
So first to Maitreyī – of them, we can clearly see Maitreyī was a highly fit spiritual aspirant, highly developed. So we should understand that if she was at the initial stages, only started her spiritual life, or only after her husband announces his intention, then she starts thinking – no, it is not like that. She must have been practising like Holy Mother. Remember why I am bringing Holy Mother again and again? There is a lot of resemblance between Holy Mother and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. These are the modern Yājñavalkya and Maitreyī.
Holy Mother's Response
So Holy Mother was told by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: "I want to lead a spiritual life – what do you want?" Because since I married to you, you have a right. This is a great opening to all husbands – just because you marry, you do not become God to your wife; she has fifty percent right – sahadharmiṇī. Then immediately Holy Mother replied – we all know that: "No, I have not come to pull you down. I also want to follow your footsteps." Rāmakṛṣṇa not only was very happy, immediately he initiated her and told her. But the point is, how was she able to answer, give that answer instantaneously without thinking? That is because she had become, so to say, from a spiritual point of view, ready to receive that initiation, that higher teaching from Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.
Maitreyī's Readiness
Exactly the same thing we have to understand. Maitreyī must have not suddenly become a spiritual person, but janma janmāntara – so many lives – and this would be her last life, because once Yājñavalkya accepts, there is no question of her having further lives. So immediately she asks the most intelligent question: "My goal is liberation – mukti. I want to be a Brahmavādinī."
Brahmavādinī
The word Brahmavādinī has two meanings:
- One who has already obtained knowledge of Brahma.
- A jīvanmukta goes on talking about God only in understandable terms. If Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is talking to a Christian, he will talk in terms of Christ; to a Muslim, in terms of Allah and right practices – so they can adopt, because there is no such division in their minds. The only division is: "Is this person ready for this instruction?" That is the only thing.
Yājñavalkya's Acceptance
So Yājñavalkya wanted Maitreyī, and he knew – because he was such a great teacher – the moment I teach, she will also become like me, a Brahmavādinī. That is to say, she would not only be a knower of Brahma. We do not know anything about what was the life of Maitreyī after she became enlightened. But what do you think – if she, so long as she lives, if she had not entered into nirvikalpa samādhi, we have to guess that whoever comes to her, in general she would be talking about God – but in particular, if somebody wants, then she herself becomes a fit person to teach about Brahmajñāna, because a knower of Brahma does not have these divisions of gender – "this is male, this is female."
Examples of Brahmavādinīs
So there are so many wonderful saints – one Mīrā Bāī – she was a Brahmavādinī; even though she used to call that Brahman as Kṛṣṇa. There was Tulasīdāsa – he used to call Brahman as Rāma – so he was a Brahmavādī. In the south, Basavaṇṇa is there – he who does not see Śiva in everything all the time is not a Śiva bhakta. But even more marvellous – there was one lady called Akkā Mahādevī – she used to wear no clothes at all. But it is said that whoever sees her, she has become so pure that immediately the idea of motherliness – "this is my mother" – the idea "this is a woman, a desirable object" – such a thing never enters into the mind of anybody who encounters her. She used to live in wild places; rarely she used to encounter people, but if she encountered them, her naked body does not produce worldly thoughts. On the other hand, they only produce most marvellous thoughts of God, purity, sacredness, etc. That is the power of these great people – God makes them like that. Otherwise, if anybody looks upon them in a negative way, worldly way, they will be turned into ashes that very moment.
Other Women Saints
Anyway – what about Āṇḍāḷ, the greatest lover of Kṛṣṇa, and she became one with Kṛṣṇa? She married Kṛṣṇa – of course His name was Raṅganātha Svāmī. All these – how many other stories are there? I am just mentioning because this is more important than just reading the sentence meaning of these Upaniṣads. Maharashtra had produced marvellous women saints. We know everywhere there were men saints – male saints – but female saints. Now what we need to understand here – how marvellously there was one, I think, Rukubāī (Sakkubai). Her husband, her mother‑in‑law hated her, got the greatest amount of work done through her, and the mother used to use her son – who could not say no – to beat her up. Once he was beating her up, she was completely helpless. Remember, several centuries back – East or West – women were playthings in the hands of men. How much hellish suffering these people had to go through, and even people burned – you know, the famous witch burning, etc.
Sakkubāī's Story
So this lady – her only gati is to call upon her beloved Kṛṣṇa. She used to, every time pain came, she used to call out Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa had taken all the blows that her body was receiving upon His body – like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa took upon himself the blow of one of the boatmen who was beaten by another boatman – we must recall that incident. So the husband went on beating, and then next day the priest found traces of blood on the image on the back of the image. They were shocked – how can a stone image suddenly emit blood? For us it is a lifeless stone – however, what is called, we invoke prāṇa while opening the temple, while doing pūjā, etc. – for us still it is a statue. But in the eyes of these great people, there is no statue. If this lady had gone to that Puraṇḍara Pīṭhā, then she would have seen Him, she would have talked with Him, etc.
The Advent of Holy Mother
So we see everywhere Brahmavādinīs are there. And if anybody thinks Brahmavādinīs are not there nowadays, we have to hang our heads in shame, because as Swami Vivekananda had proclaimed: with the advent of Holy Mother, so many women will become Brahmavādinīs once more – our sacred land will be flooded with that. Anyway, I am carried away a little bit.
Maitreyī's Question and Rejection
Coming back to our subject: Maitreyī asks one question: "If I get all these things, will they help me in obtaining the knowledge of Brahman?" Of course, Yājñavalkya says: "No – you will live a comfortable life." He did not even say "you will live a happy life" – we have to take this point into consideration. He said: "You will have a good bed, a good house, beautiful animals, many servants, many utensils – they will be catering to your comfort, but not to happiness or bliss." That is a purely state belonging to the mind alone – not anything to do with externalities.
Maitreyī's Viveka and Vairāgya
In Maitreyī, this is where her viveka gets exercised – vairāgya comes. She says: "What am I to do? My goal is not to have riches. My goal is to attain Brahmajñāna" – and she rejects all this property, because she understood not only will they not give Brahmajñāna, but what is the greatest obstacle to our progressing in spiritual life? It is too many possessions. So that is what she understood – she rejects.
Her Request for Knowledge
But it is not that she rejects – she says: "You offered me something – you have something else – not only property, but you have something else. What do you have? You have that knowledge of Ātman, knowledge of Brahman. As a rightful partner – dharmapatnī – you will have to give that to dharma also. Teach me how I could become immortal." And Yājñavalkya, being a great Brahmavādī, understands, accepts her, because he recognises this is a very fit future disciple.
The First Teaching – Vairāgya
Then the teaching starts. What is the first teaching? First thing is about vairāgya, about dispassion. What is dispassion? People are running mad after the objects of this world under the mistaken notion that:
- Every object gives happiness.
- Every object goes on giving happiness because it is its nature.
- There would be no time when the object will give me the opposite result – suffering.
So that is why if we come to know really that object does not possess happiness – objects cannot give the same one moment – they can give happiness; next very moment, they will plunge us into the deepest abyss – and every object is changing, including me the experiencer – my body, my mind, my sense organs – everything.
Naciketā's Reply
This is the most wonderful reply Naciketā gives to Yamarāja: "Even if you grant me all these possessions – me the experiencer – I cannot be unchanging." Because there is only one object which is unchanging – that is Brahman. My body is not Brahman; my mind is not Brahman. They go on changing, and they only become less and less energetic, and the senses lose their power of squeezing out happiness. What a person can enjoy at the age of ten or twenty years old, no old man can ever enjoy. He can only squeeze probably one percent of happiness, pleasure out of it. And then he goes on wondering: "What happened? I used to enjoy – what happened to you? You used to cook such tasteful things – now you are neglecting me – your food is just very ordinary food." Unable to understand he was the root cause of the problem – not the food or anything else.
Nobody Loves Any Object
So in this world, nobody loves anybody – nobody loves any object. But everybody uses an object, thinking it is an instrument for one's own happiness. But sooner or later, that person, as soon as he squeezes all the happiness, understands no more squeezing of even one drop of ānanda will come from this object – he discards it like a chewed‑out sugarcane.
The Source of Happiness
So everything is loved solely for the sake of one's own Self – that is, for my happiness. But you say the happiness is not belonging to the object – then where is it? Because Yājñavalkya never denied there is happiness, bliss – but he denies objects have happiness. Objects do not have it, but they merely temporarily remove the obstacle we ourselves have created, not allowing our own inherent bliss to manifest. An object temporarily – only temporarily – removes that obstruction, and we experience momentarily that happiness. Wise persons understand: "It is my own happiness I am experiencing."
All Happiness Is Within
With that, one thing becomes clear: there is no happiness outside – all happiness is only within inside. Then naturally, if I find anybody – even a fool – "I am not going to get any happiness in this object; I am going to get happiness in that other object." Then after experimenting with several objects: "No, there is bliss, there is happiness – but it is not outside – it is inside."
The Upaniṣadic Teaching
That is when the Upaniṣad says so beautifully: parāñci khāni vyatṛṇat svayambhūḥ, tasmāt parāṅ paśyati nāntarātman – "The Creator created the senses outgoing" – but now he understands: "I have been wondering like the musk deer, but I must examine myself, because all the intoxicating fragrance is coming from within myself. The bliss is coming from within myself." This withdrawal from outside to inside is called Vānaprasthāśrama.
The Purpose of Upāsana
Then the real upāsana starts – how I can obtain that bliss not occasionally, not a small bit, but permanently and one hundred percent. That is the purpose of Upāsana. So Yājñavalkya makes it clear that there is only one object – it is of the nature of infinite bliss, of infinite existence, of infinite consciousness – and that is the object.
Conditional and Unconditional Love
So he also breaks down love into two categories: conditional love and unconditional love.
Conditional Love
What is conditional love? Every object – only when my mind, my body should be in a particular condition, and the object also must be in a particular condition. Even though you are all intelligent students, still I want to repeat it again and again. So only when I am hungry and my stomach is able to digest, I have no other health issues, I have no mental worries – that is the condition upon the part of me, the experiencer. And the object – say a ripe mango – it should not be unripe; it should not be overripe – it is just at the right ripe condition, and it should be available to me, and it should not be contaminated with insects. Many times when you open the mango, you will see terrible insects – they burrowed, they grow up there, they eat that pulp, and then they are ready – big huge maggots like that will be there. Now perfect – and the flavour is perfect. So outside also there are conditions. Of course, the greatest condition – please do not reveal it to anybody, only for my particular students in this class – see that nobody else is present to share that one mango.
Making the Object One's Own
When these conditions are fulfilled and then when we come into contact, we make it our own. Even then, we have to make it our own – that is a beautiful point. So whatever happiness we think the mango can give – now that happiness, as it were, entering along with the mango inside us – and that is what we mistake – that reinforces my mistaken notion that "this happiness is outside." Now because of this mango, I have become one with the mango – I made the mango one with me – so I am getting its happiness along with it to me. This applies to every object in this world.
Every Love Is Conditional
So every love is a conditional love. But there is another unconditional love – everybody loves one's own Self, and there is no condition: I am healthy or unhealthy, rich or poor, even happy or unhappy – it does not matter – I love myself, because I identify myself with my body, with my mind. Even at that stage, I do not wish to die. Only when this body becomes insufferable, then only we wish to give up. So this is what he said.
The Path to Unbroken Bliss
And then Yājñavalkya continues this topic and says: if you want unbroken bliss, you will have to know that you are that unbroken bliss. The point involved here is that if the Self is something different – even if it be unbroken bliss, an infinite existence – but not one with you, not you – then it does not do any good. Because the fundamental point we have to remember: one – two separate. If there are two separate objects, one object can never ever become the second object completely – no, it is not possible. So if there is only one object, and I am not able to understand that I am that one object, then only it is possible. And what makes me think I am not one with God? Ignorance – that ignorance can be destroyed. It is a negative action – I am not obtaining anything new; I am only removing the obstacle. Then I realise: "I am, I was, I am, I will be Brahman only."
Śravaṇa, Manana, Nididhyāsana
This is the lesson he wants to tell – how to reach that state: śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana. Of course, we discussed what is śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. So even we have also gone through, I think, two mantras. In our next class, we will take up from further mantra onwards. The main important points I have discussed here – it should not be difficult for us to progress further quickly.
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!