Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 58 on 09 August 2026 Q&A

Q&A: On Developing a Happy Mindset, Annabrahma Upasana, and Praying for Others

Developing the Mindset for Happiness

Question: Maharaj, in today's class you mentioned about happiness – you have mentioned it before also – that it is about the mindset. So what is the most important thing to develop that mindset to be happy?

Answer: Remove any obstacle which makes us feel "I am not happy." As simple as that.

Question: Sometimes it's there – it is just the feeling of dullness, Maharaj. It is neither happy. We don't consciously feel happy all the time.

Answer: Then we have to cultivate. That's why several times I have reiterated: only a happy person can progress in spiritual life. Do you think a miserable person will ever progress in spiritual life? Spiritual life starts with happiness. It increases in happiness. It expands into happiness. And from happiness, he increases and becomes one with happiness. First experience happiness, then become one with happiness.

Annabrahma Upasana: From Happiness to Oneness

Okay, like annamaya kośa, annaṃ brahmeti vyajanāt – what is that Brahman? Annam is Brahman. Is it a miserable Brahman or what? That means what? You understand? If I am hungry, I feel miserable. Yes. But you just imagine that somebody is enjoying his food or her food – whether it is a dog, whether it is a child, a poor man – that happiness we have to focus upon. That is called Brahmabhāva.

Question: What does his happiness do to me?

Answer: That is called worldliness. You have to bring in all those Vedāntic concepts now. Why am I not getting food? Because I did not do sufficient donation of food in my previous life. What to speak of previous birth – even in this life, did I donate with happiness? Yeah. So we have to do all those things. That is why the world is created – to fulfill all these duties. Then only we can say he is slowly progressing towards Annam Brahma.

To be happy, you don't need to do anything? There was a Christian school, and when Christmas approached, the school decided to present what is called a Christmas drama in which there would be two scenes: the heavenly scene and the hellish scene. So a teacher was assigned to train them in acting. He called the boys and girls. So when the scene of heaven comes, put on bright faces, smile wholeheartedly, show that you are joyous. And one of them piped out: "What should we do when we are in the hellish scene?" The teacher said: "You don't need to do anything – just as you are. People understand perfectly what is called hell."

So remember: Annabrahma Upāsanā is a spiritual practice. It is a tapasyā – hardship. You follow now? So we have to go through that. Simply hearing of the Upaniṣad, we are not going to realise Brahman tomorrow. Of course, if Śrī Ramakṛṣṇa wants to get rid of us, that is a totally different issue altogether because you know how He wants to. He is intelligent; He can; He is capable of giving mukti. He says: "I don't want anything to do with this person. Let me give him liberation." Permanently he would be free. He is happy, we are happy, everybody is happy.

The Difficulty of the Spiritual Path

It is not easy to be a spiritual aspirant. That is why it is said in the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi itself: durllabhaṃ ... – the desire for spiritual life arises only when a man has done a lot of puṇya; citta-śuddhi happens. Anyway, what we are talking is that we have to start from where we are. The whole thing can be condensed into one simple sentence: the more we become unselfish, the more progress we are making towards God.

Question: Okay. Yes, Maharaj. Thank you.

On Praying for Others

Question: This was another question, Maharaj. When we sit down for prayer – especially when we have to pray for others, say some friend or family – what is the proper way? Sometimes we make saṅkalpa of doing these many japa counts. – do we pray for that before the japa, or during the japa for every count, or after the japa like samarpanam? What is the proper method?

Answer: You mean when you want to help somebody else?

Question: Ahh, yes.

Answer: So the saṅkalpa is there all the time. Not that you have to specially do – is it? God doesn't know? He knows every thought of ours. So this person wants to help the other person – does He not know or not?

Question: Yeah.

The Readiness of the Other Person

Answer: So if we do, then God's grace will come. But the point is: is the other person ready to receive the grace of God? He says: "I don't want God. I don't want to change my life. I don't want to become unselfish." You see how much ignorance still we cherish. Nothing depends upon me.

We can also pray. You can – that's what they say in English language: you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Only when it is thirsty, then happily it will move and then drink. An unwilling horse will not drink, isn't it? Yeah. You can't make even a child eat food. You will see how much he is turning his face this side and that side. Yeah. What to speak of helping others ?!

The Benefit of Praying for Others

But it is good for us to pray for others because our own selfishness gradually becomes attenuated. That is the truth.

Question: Okay.

Answer: Yeah, yes – I'm not saying you should not pray. What I'm saying is that don't expect that because you prayed, it should do some good to the other person. It depends on how much that person is ready to receive the help. Yeah, that's very important.