Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.3.1.4-6 Lecture 84 on 08 November 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

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 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 to Aśvalāyana's Questions

Yesterday I had given you the introduction to this Aśvalāyana's questions. Eight questions were asked by Aśvalāyana to Yājñavalkya. And all the questions relate to how one can progress in spiritual life. And in that regard, I had given you an explanation rather a repetition of what we had already seen of the triangle. And what is that triangle? Ādhyātma, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. In every act of ours, all these three are involved.

I just want to give an example to make this point crystal clear. Supposing I am eating food. So I am the ādhyātmika. The food is the ādhibhautika. And then who is the presiding deity of this food? Earth. Pṛthvī bhūmi, the last of the grossest five elements. Pṛthvī herself or itself is becoming food. Understand. Try to understand that concept.

So, when I am eating food, what is the ritual I am doing? And we all are expected to do that. That is called brahmārpaṇam. I the eater is Brahman. The food is Brahman. The act of eating is Brahman. This is called karma sādhanā. And then what happens? I get karma samādhi. The samādhi here means knowledge. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi knowledge. Brahma jñānam comes as a result of removing all the distinctions and ultimately failing I am the food, I am the eater of the food, and I am Brahman. I am the ādhyātma, I am the ādhibhautika, I am the ādhidaivika. Patam, mind boggling concept, any act can be converted into a yajña. And that's why Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa says, convert your whole life into a yajña.

The Pañcamahāyajña Concept

And that is what is the real meaning of pañcamahāyajñas. That means to say what I am is because of my parents. What I am is because of the knowledge I received from the ṛṣis. What I am is because of the devatās who are looking after me by preserving me, my bodily health, mental health, supplying me with all the things. And everybody is helping me, all human beings, beginning with the milkman who has to get up early in the morning, milk the cows, and then bring that milk to my home. And then what about all the bacteria inside my gut, outside? Everything is doing its own yajña. If I can think, I am nothing but the resultant of the pañcamahāyajña. And then that leads to the knowledge.

What are the pañcamahāyajñas? Manifestations of Brahman. What are the three bodies? The gross, the subtle and causal bodies. They are the manifestations of Īśvara himself. What are the three states of experience? Manifestations of Īśvara only. You just have to connect the dots. Very interesting. The modern AI is called bots, dots. So different model is using different words. So they will sit on your PC or laptop and then they do what you are supposed to do. They connect together. They bring everything together. That is called the eye of universality. So that is how we have to understand.

And what are the pañcakośas? They are also nothing but manifestations of the pañcabhūtas only. What are the pañcabhūtas? Manifestations of none other than Brahman himself. And that is the truth. But how to realize the truth? So I have to start. So if I have to do something, I am having the body-mind, I have a desire to do something and I can do it only with the help of some of the limbs, I have been provided with the hands, the feet, the eyes, the ears, etc. You connect the dots. And all this is what I call me the individual. And what for this individuality? To experience the external world consisting of everything. And then both me the ādhyātma, individual, and ādhibhautika, the external world, are the manifestations of the daivika, residing deity. That was the essence of the whole first section.

Worship, Nyāsa, and Reducing Ignorance

So, to give a better example, I am worshipping God. I had already introduced that concept called nyāsa. So, I am thinking till now, because of my ignorance, I am separate, God is separate, the world is separate. But then the moment I sit to do worship, then I must become pure. Purity means lessening of the impurity. As I improve, as I increase in my purity, not much light percolates. More light, more purity, more light. Light means jñānam, knowledge. And more knowledge comes what it says, this spurious distinction that I am separate from you, my limbs, my hand is separate from my leg, my eye is separate from my ear, my body is separate from the mind, and I am separate from every other object in this world. This is called ignorance. And that wrong knowledge, ignorance means wrong knowledge, wrong perception, it slowly disappears, slowly.

And then I see the unity. First there are everything is common. I am made-up of pañcabhūtas. A tree is made-up of pañcabhūtas. An amoeba is made-up of pañcabhūtas, five elements, everything, the living and non-living. Do not exclude even the mountains, rocks, stones, etc. Even the stars, not to speak of the stars, according to modern Scientific outlook, even our star, the sun, is also jaḍa, non-consciousness. How can non-consciousness is sustaining life? People do not stop to think about it. If the sun is unconscious or non-conscious, it can never give rise to anything conscious. But we are able to be conscious only because of food. Food sustains prāṇa. Prāṇa reconverts food into energy and it distributes in the form of the five functions of the prāṇa. And this so-called individuality cannot sustain. If the five elements are withdrawn from this individuality, body and mind, what remains? Non-existence alone remains.

So, the idea is that we have to get rid of that ignorance. Ignorance means separation. And the separation takes place in three ways: time, space and object—deśa, kāla, vastu, pariccheda. And the purpose of spiritual practice is to go on gradually reducing the difference. So, first, I am a human being. All human beings are just like me. So I must share my happiness and unhappiness and I must share their happiness and unhappiness. So that is the small big step. And then not only human beings, every being is made-up of the same thing. Every living creature, every manifestation of life is made-up of the same thing. Not only that, even the so-called non-life, a piece of rock for example, is also made-up because it is also sat, existence. And sat can never be separated from cit and ānanda, just like an unconscious person. So he is not conscious, doesn't mean he is unconscious. That is what most modern people think. It means the medium called brain He is not manifesting. That's all. But he is still alive. Doctors can certify. That's why they go on keeping alive. One day the consciousness might return. So this is how it works. Even when a person is completely unconscious, he is not declared as dead. But then if there is no hope of that consciousness getting an opportunity to manifest itself in the form of being aware, and thinking, talking, doing, etc. etc. Then it is better that physical instrument must be replaced like you replace a fused bulb.

So, we have to understand everything is the manifestation of God or pure consciousness. And how does a person do it in pūjā? A pūjārī, a worshipper sits down. Then he becomes gradually pure by praying for purity, by thinking pure thoughts. Then the knowledge adorns. Nothing belongs to me. Everything belongs to God. This is the meaning of Rāmer icchā. Everything is the will of God. Sakali tomār icchā. Everything is your will. I do not exist. Only Brahman exists. the Divine Mother exists, etc. So, the pūjārī, he does the second step called nyāsa and when he succeeds completely, so that that idea, this is my body, this is my mind, completely disappears and that can be done only through deliberate contemplation called upāsanā and that is how the worshipper, the one who is worshipped and the act of worship All of them merge into one, who is called Īśvara. And Īśvara then manifests as Brahman. This is the process.

The Third Chapter and Aśvalāyana's Eight Questions

With this background, we will deal with the straight go into the mantras themselves. So, remember, in this third chapter, first and second mantras deal with the story. In the second mantra, Aśvalāyana challenges. Do you think you are the wisest scholar in the world? And Yājñavalkya humorously replies, No, no, no. I am only desirer of cows. I do not claim because if anybody says I am a jīvanmukta, he is not. It is for others to declare. And who can declare? Only one jīvanmukta can declare about another jīvanmukta. Because both are same. Only one thief can find out another thief. So, Yājñavalkya indirectly is telling, You have to tell me whether I am the wisest and the only way to do that is to question me, to test me and by that I will know. I am not going to criticize you. I am going to help you. If you are stuck somewhere in your spiritual path, I will help you. Remember, all of them were not merely professors of philosophy, but they were very sincere spiritual seekers. So the question starts from third and ends with the tenth. So that is eight questions. I will read out and slowly analyze the meaning.

So now, in this third mantra, we have to remember three things. Suppose there is a yajña and then there would be chanting by the hotā, Ṛgveda, adhvaryu from Yajurveda and udgātā from Sāmaveda and Brahmā master of all the Vedas, but specially Atharvaveda. So, speech, fire and hotṛ. That is to say, speech means whatever the person is thinking. We have to understand, speech cannot descend from the sky. Speech comes only as a result of thought. So, first the mantras are formed as thoughts, then they are expressed through the power of the lung, in speech and that is why fire, Agni devatā is the lord of the or the manifestation of Agni. So, hotā is the Ṛgvedic priest and especially Aśvalāyana is a special family priest of Janaka of Ṛgveda. Chanting is his main purpose. Adhvaryu is the priest for Yajurveda. The business of adhvaryu is to put the mantras of the Ṛgveda into actual process of worship. Now you wash yourself. Now you pray to God. Now you offer water to the various beings etc. etc. Practically implementing Ṛgvedic mantra in the form of ritual. That is called yajña. So fire is necessary. So because in the olden days everything is offered into the fire. But in the modern pūjās we don't offer into the fire excepting on special days which we call homa. But we have to imagine mentally we are offering into the fire.

So the speech, the fire and the hotā. One has to do upāsanā, three in one, one in three. Again to put it in different words, the ādhyātma and the ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika are three angles of same Īśvara. And this unity, oneness of these three is achieved through this process of upāsanā thinking. So my body belongs to God. My mind also belongs to God. The whole universe also belongs to God. So, me, the individual, the creation, the universe, and the presiding deity, Īśvara, but who is manifesting as different separate presiding deities like the Sūrya devatā, Candra devatā, etc. as we discussed yesterday, Everything is nothing but manifestation of Īśvara and Īśvara is none other than Brahman. That is the idea.

Only keep one point in mind now. Sri Ramakrishna is calling the same Īśvara whom the Vedantins call Īśvara or saguṇa Brahma. Sri Ramakrishna used to call as my divine mother, Śakti. Śakti and Brahman. So, Śakti is saguṇa Brahma. Brahman, we use one small 'n' at the end, like Tamilian names and Rāmānujan, Subrahmaṇyan, etc. So, why is it added? Because to remove the misunderstanding that Brahmā, the Creator, that is Īśvara, is separate from the nameless, distinctionless, formless, highest reality called Brahman—satyaṁ jñānamanantaṁ brahma, saccidānanda. To distinguish only.

The Third Mantra: Understanding Hotā, Speech, and Fire

So, with this background, we will go. याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच, यदिदं सर्वं मृत्युनाप्तं, सर्वं मृत्युनाभिपन्नं, केनायजमानो मृत्योराप्तिमतिमुच्यत इति; yājñavalkyeti hovāca, yadidaṁ sarvaṁ mṛtyunāptaṁ, sarvaṁ mṛtyunābhipannaṁ, kenāyajamāno mṛtyorāptimatimucyata iti;

होत्रर्त्विजाग्निना वाचा; वाग्वै यज्ञस्य होता, तद्येयं वाक् सोऽयमग्निः, स होता, सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः ॥ hotrartvijāgninā vācā; vāgvai yajñasya hotā, tadyeyaṁ vāk so'yamagniḥ, sa hotā, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ ||

Now, we are all bound. Bound by what? Time. In this example of the Mantra 3, what does it mean? Speech. Because your mind goes to sleep and doesn't function properly in deep sleep. Similarly, When the mind doesn't function, speech is impossible. And then when we wake up, again the mind also wakes up. Then the energy comes out. And then it comes in the form of the thoughts. Thoughts grossify themselves into words. Words are uttered called speech. And to do that we require energy. That energy is called fire. And who is doing it? Hotā. Hotā means the Ṛgveda priest is doing this one.

Now, when he is uttering, chanting the mantras from Ṛgveda, he has to say, Me, the chanter, and the fire, the speech, i.e. the mantras I am uttering and offering into the fire. And the fire, who is the adhiṣṭhātṛ of the hotā, presiding deity of thought and speech. speech especially, they are one and the same. It is the Agni devatā who is manifesting as my understanding of the Ṛgveda, as the ability to move my mind, to use my mind and to express the thoughts of my mind. Agni devatā. Agni means energy. And then I am able to do the physical activities like moving my hands taking, worshipping the fire, showing a lighted lamp three times round the yajñakuṇḍa, etc., etc. All this is possible only because of the fire. In other words, Agni has become me the hotā. Agni himself is manifesting in the form of thoughts and speech. Agni in the form of energy is making this ritual possible.

And as a result of this ritual, what happens? I attain to higher lokas, higher states of mind. That means higher state of existence, higher state of knowledge, higher state of ānanda. So, if I do without this kind of upāsanā, it gives me some benefits. My earthly life becomes better. and I might even go to Svargaloka that is temporarily I will enjoy better happiness in higher spheres or it could be even here my mind ascends to that higher sphere so we should never think there geological locations like India and America, they are states of the mind. Svargaloka is a state of mind and hell also is a state of the mind. That is how we have to understand.

So, what was the question of Aśvalāyana? That how to... he is asking, even though it looks like a challenge, he is actually requesting Yājñavalkya. I know how to chant the hymns. remember the chants and I also do the rituals. I know I can get some result out of it, but how can I get better result which is called Brahmaloka, the highest happiness available in the sṛṣṭi, in creation. This is the inner meaning, not challenging, but learning. So everything is threatened by limitation. That limitation is called mṛtyu. Mṛtyu means death. Like you think one thought one minute before and that is dead. That is the mṛtyu of that thought. You spoke something then it is finished. Mṛtyu of the speech. You did something. Say, you finished your dinner. That is the depth of the process, that ritual, called eating food. Everything in this world is changing continuously. That is why saṁsāra is called brahma cakra.

सर्वं मृत्युनाभिपन्नम् sarvaṁ mṛtyunābhipannam

So, somebody is paying you. Oh, hotā. So, yajamāna is called yajamāna. So, how does the yajamāna, how does the priests, mṛtyorāptim, that is this all-pervading death. That means everything is under the control of the time. Birth is under the control of time. Death also is under the control of the time. Can I overcome? Can we overcome? Atimucyata iti. And then Yājñavalkya answered. Please keep this third mantra in mind because more or less different limitations are discussed in the coming mantras. We will talk about them.

So, what was Yājñavalkya's reply? Hotā. So, ṛtvik is also called ṛtvik. होत्रर्त्विजाग्निना वाचा hotrartvijāgninā vācā

So you should contemplate. I am the hotā, chanter of the Ṛgveda. I am the ṛtvik. I am the performer of the yajña. But I am able to do it only because of the grace of the Agni devatā. So I am able to utter the mantras, chant the mantras only by the grace of the Fire. That's why when somebody speaks very inspiringly, we say a fiery speech.

वाग्वै यज्ञस्य होता vāgvai yajñasya hotā

First you think that I am nothing but the speech that comes out. And speech is nothing but the outcome of thoughts. So, by these words, provided they are sincere words. Sincere words come only from sincere thoughts and sincere words lead to sincere actions. According to Sir Ramakrishna, you should remember what is truth? The thought, the speech and the action become one. That means what? You hear a person speak and you understand the truth. I love you, for example, and the other person understands. Yes. Truly he means he really loves me. A baby knows. The mother need not say, I love you, baby. She doesn't need to say. The baby automatically understands because her actions, her looks, her thoughts, everything is centered on herself in the form of the baby. She is not thinking about her body and mind. She is thinking of her body and mind only in the context of the baby. How can I say that my baby survives and grows up and stands on his or her own feet? So, my speech. And we cannot see the thoughts, but we can hear the speech. And therefore, real yajña is where there is no difference between what a person thinks and what a person speaks. Otherwise, any number of prayers insincerely meant are not going to bring the grace of God. That is why one Sri Ramakrishna answered a devotee's question, If the prayer is sincere, the grace of God is bound to descend, there is no other chance. You are sincere, but God will not answer you. That is why in the 17th chapter, यो यच्छ्रद्धः स एव सः yo yacchraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ

Bhagavad Gita. God says, A man is none other than what he sincerely believes. वाग्वै यज्ञस्य होता vāgvai yajñasya hotā तद्येयं वाक् सोऽयमग्निः tadyeyaṁ vāk so'yamagniḥ

But what is vāk? What is speech? Speech is nothing but agni. And then if somebody contemplates these three as the triangular format, my speech and the fire, the energy through which I am able to express And then the root cause of all this, the Agni devatā, that is the individual and the action performed by that individual and the presiding deity who is by whose grace alone this is possible. So step, I am not the individual, I am the hotā. I am not the hotā, I am the speech, I am the chanting and I am not the chanting I am the fire. So this is how three steps. Three in one, one in three.

Then what happens? Ahaṁ agniḥ. Ahaṁ agni devatā. Then what happens? सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ

The person is freed because fire is free from time, from space and from object because fire will ever remain fire. It never changes. Because the nature of fire is only to burn. Just like sweetness cannot be separated from sugar, the energy we call burning and giving light cannot be separated from agni, fire. Which means we have to understand crystal clearly. That which changes is limited by time, space and causation. Change means that which is affected, limited by time, space and causation. But that which is never affected is the very nature of everything. Bitterness, sweetness, sourness, heat, light, all these are unchanging, eternally existent factors. What a marvellous vision. Then what happens? Yajamāna, he attains to higher loka. Because attaining agni means attaining hiraṇyagarbha. That is attaining to Īśvara. If without contemplation, a person just mechanically performs. But sincerely, not adding this upāsanā, his life he will go to heavenly world. But if he adds this upāsanā, he goes to Brahmaloka prāpti which is called Īśvara prāpti in Vedantic language, remember. And it means Brahmaloka prāpti, Brahmananda prāpti. That is what we need to understand. So, this is the trend. So, you make three angles as Īśvara with this background. We will move into fourth one. Here, eye, sun, and the adhvaryu.

The Fourth Mantra: The Limitation of Time

So, the fourth mantra. याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच, यदिदं सर्वमहोरात्राभ्यामाप्तं, सर्वमहोरात्राभ्यामभिपन्नं, केन यजमानोऽहोरात्रयोराप्तिमतिमुच्यत इति; yājñavalkyeti hovāca, yadidaṁ sarvamahorātrābhyāmāptaṁ, sarvamahorātrābhyāmabhipannaṁ, kena yajamāno'horātrayorāptimatimucyata iti;

What was the question? In a different way about limitation of time. What is he asking? Everything is enveloped by these day and night. And day and night are directly related to the sun. Not really related to the sun. Because when we are on earth and you say, when we say, supposing I am in Varanasi and the sunrise is at 5.30 say as an example, but there are countries where it will be 5 o'clock, where it will be 4:30, our 4:30. For them, it is early morning. But if you go to the UK, they are four and a half or five and a half hours behind us. If you go to America, East Coast, then it will be almost 8 to 10 hours, something like that. If you go to the West Coast, as you move on, there are three, I believe there are three time zones in USA. So what I am trying to tell you, from our view point, day and night are caused by the sun and that is our limitations. But from the, you go to the sun, there is no day, there is no night. So everything is limited by time. And this time works both day time, night time. Day time comes, night time is up changes. Night time comes, day time changes. Every billy second, billy billy billy second, time is changing. It is wrought with changefulness. That is what we have to understand.

So, this is another way of questioning from the viewpoint of time. The third mantra is from the viewpoint of the ritual. The fourth mantra is from the point of time. We are all grasped like crocodile by this factor of time. That is why there is a time when a baby is born. There is a time when the baby is growing up. There is a time when the baby becomes young man or woman, youth, middle age-old age. Then one day he goes back from where he came. and that continuous change like a revolving wheel. How Arjuna killed, supposed to kill a revolving fish which is tied to a revolving fan. And looking at its reflection in the water pole below, he is supposed to pierce not only the fish but the eye of the fish. How difficult it is. But he did accomplish it. So, we are all completely limited by past, present and future. That is how time works. Past, present and future. And if you recollect Māṇḍūkya, he says, यद्भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव yadbhūtaṁ bhavadbhaviṣyaditi sarvamoṅkāra eva

Everything is omkara. And what did you do? Yājñavalkya say, how to overcome death in the form of time. That is why death is called time. So then, what is he telling? अध्वर्युणर्त्विजा चक्षुषादित्येन; चक्षुर्वै यज्ञस्याध्वर्युः, तद्यदिदं चक्षुः सोऽसावादित्यः, सोऽध्वर्युः, सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः ॥ adhvaryuṇartvijā cakṣuṣādityena; cakṣurvai yajñasyādhvaryuḥ, tadyadidaṁ cakṣuḥ so'sāvādityaḥ, so'dhvaryuḥ, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ ||

What are the three steps? That here cakṣu means the I Eye has a limited function of seeing the colors especially. That is its domain. And how are they able, the eyes are able to see? Because of light. And who is providing that light? Sūrya Bhagavān, Āditya. So Āditya is the presiding deity who is giving light. Āditya is manifesting within every creature has the power of seeing colours. Why do we say colours only? Because the ears have the power of hearing, the nose has the power of smelling, the tongue has the power of tasting, the skin has the power of touching etc. That is how we have to understand it is the sun who is manifesting as the eye. Don't say my eye. Say, the power of seeing belongs to the Āditya. And how are the entire external universe manifests? Because of the power of the sun. No sun, no world, no creation.

Therefore, ultimately you meditate upon it. You do upāsanā, contemplate. I am nothing but a tiny manifestation of the Sun God. He is the Īśvara so far as the colours are considered. So, do the ritual without this understanding? Every ritual gives its own result, which is because every action gives its own result. This is an action of worshipping God and therefore it has some limited result. But do this, add this upāsanā that I do not exist. The objects, colors do not exist. What exists? Only the Sun God. Without the Sun God, nothing exists. And if a person identifies himself with the Sun God, what happens? He will attain to, he will go beyond the limitations of time. because there is no day or night when we look from the viewpoint of the sun and the same thing applies here also. That means there is no day or night and therefore I go beyond time. That is the essence of this fourth mantra.

The Fifth Mantra: Overcoming the Fortnights

Then the fifth mantra is how am I able to prāṇa? Prāṇa is only doing the function and it is Vāyu devatā. Every minute 16 times I am borrowing oxygen from this Vāyu devatā. And then Udgātṛ. These are connected together. Udgātṛ means the chanter of the Sāmaveda. So, याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच, यदिदं सर्वं पूर्वपक्षापरपक्षाभ्यामाप्तं, सर्वं पूर्वपक्षापरपक्षाभ्यामभिपन्नं, केन यजमानः पूर्वपक्षापरपक्षयोराप्तिमतिमुच्यत इति; yājñavalkyeti hovāca, yadidaṁ sarvaṁ pūrvapakṣāparapakṣābhyāmāptaṁ, sarvaṁ pūrvapakṣāparapakṣābhyāmabhipannaṁ, kena yajamānaḥ pūrvapakṣāparapakṣayorāptimatimucyata iti;

The same question. But earlier he said, how do we get out of the limitations of day and night? But here he used different words. Who is using Aśvalāyana? What is this different word that we count always what is called the śukla pakṣa and kṛṣṇa pakṣa? The bright fortnight and the dark fortnight. And mind is the, of course we said the presiding deity of the mind is the moon. So from the point of the moon etc. So how do I get out of the limitations imposed not by day and night, or not only by day and night, but in the form of the 15 days of the bright fortnight, 15 days of the dark fortnight. And then Yājñavalkya replies: उद्गात्रर्त्विजा वायुना प्राणेन udgātrartvijā vāyunā prāṇena

Ṛtvija means what? The act of chanting. Vāyunā. Prāṇena. So, through this Vāyu devatā, who is coming to us, entering into us, sustaining us in the form of prāṇa. And that prāṇa, as I discussed earlier, is doing five functions: prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna and samāna. And I catalogued what happens. Our very existence is maintained only by this prāṇa. in the form of five-fold functions. So, Yājñavalkya now telling how to overcome limitations of the fortnights. So, pūrvapakṣa and aparapakṣa.

उद्गात्रर्त्विजा वायुना प्राणेन; प्राणो वै यज्ञस्योद्गाता, तद्योऽयं प्राणः स वायुः, स उद्गाता, सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः ॥ udgātrartvijā vāyunā prāṇena; prāṇo vai yajñasyodgātā, tadyo'yaṁ prāṇaḥ sa vāyuḥ, sa udgātā, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ ||

any priest. Udgātṛ, Sāmaveda priest. Because what is his main function? Chanting. And chanting loudly and chanting musically. And how he is able to do that? That's why when the lungs are not functioning, when old age comes, we cannot breathe in deeply and that person's voice goes down. So this Udgātṛ, Gātā means gātā, who sings. Ut means loudly. What is he singing? The same Ṛgvedic mantra. Some selected Ṛgvedic mantras tuned to music. They are chantable because of their very composition. What does he do? Vāyunā prāṇena. So he requires tremendous amount of lung power. Vāyunā prāṇena. And this prāṇa, it is really that energy, that lung power, that capacity to Breathe in deeply and hold the oxygen. That is the real chant. No air, no chanti. तद्योऽयं प्राणः tadyo'yaṁ prāṇaḥ

And what is that? Where from that power is coming? From prāṇa. So, and what is this prāṇa? Where from it is coming? Whose manifestation is this prāṇa? Vāyu. That's why Vāyu devatā. That's why if Vāyu devatā takes leave for a few seconds, Not one living creature will live. Sa udgātā. Think that you are not chanting. You are not the chanter. It is the vāyu who is chanting. And it is because of the prāṇa you are able to chant. And what is this prāṇa? तद्योऽयं प्राणः स वायुः tadyo'yaṁ prāṇaḥ sa vāyuḥ

That prāṇa is nothing but higher manifestation of Vāyu devatā. And sa udgātā when he does this contemplation that I am not the singer. It is the prāṇa who is the singer. And it is not the prāṇa who is the singer. It is the Vāyu devatā who is the singer. That means I am the vāyu. I am the Agni. I am the Candra. I am the Āditya, etc. Sā muktiḥ. Then he gets over what? The what is called egotism. That kāra will come down.

The Sixth Mantra: The Mind and the Manager of the Yajña

Then mantra 6. Now Sūrya devatā is done. Now we are talking about mind, peace. Atharvaveda, the priest who is expert in it is called Brahmā. And this Brahmā is not to be identified with Veda. Brahmā should not be mistaken as the creator. Brahmā means who knows all the Vedas and who has specialized knowledge of all the Vedas and who is managing is called tantradhāraka like in modern pūjās. He assists the pūjārī. So, that is how we have to understand. So, it is because of the mind. The mind should remember which mantra comes first, which mantra comes later and then with the help of the prāṇa śakti one has to do. But the moods of the mind are controlled by whom? By the moon. So, mind moon and the priest Brahmā. Atharvaṇa priest, when he is doing, he has to keep his mind. What is the hotā doing? What is the adhvaryu doing? What is the udgātā doing? Are they doing it in the order prescribed by Yajurveda? So everything has to keep an eye. That's why he is called tantradhāraka or manager of the modern pūjās or ancient yajñas, etc. So, याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच, यदिदमन्तरिक्षमनारम्बणमिव, केनाक्रमेण यजमानः स्वर्गं लोकमाक्रमत इति; yājñavalkyeti hovāca, yadidamantarikṣamanārambaṇamiva, kenākrameṇa yajamānaḥ svargaṁ lokamākramata iti;

Aśvalāyana asks, what supports the sacrificer ascended to heaven? You look up at the space. Do you see any pillars which are supporting? So, what is it that is supporting the space? Anārambaṇa means as if it is supportless. Kenākrameṇa, by whose support, then how is the yajamāna? That means yajamāna, Brahmā and the act of ritual. All these become one. Svargaṁ lokamākramate. How do we go to svargaloka through the act of rituals etc.? That was the question. And then Yājñavalkya. ब्रह्मणर्त्विजा मनसा चन्द्रेण; मनो वै यज्ञस्य ब्रह्मा, तद्यदिदं मनः सोऽसौ चन्द्रः, स ब्रह्मा, सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः — इत्यतिमोक्षाः ॥ brahmaṇartvijā manasā candreṇa; mano vai yajñasya brahmā, tadyadidaṁ manaḥ so'sau candraḥ, sa brahmā, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ — ityatimokṣāḥ ||

Marvellous reply is giving, everything depends upon the mind. Sri Ramakrishna says, everything is according to our mind. A man looks upon his wife in one way, upon children in another way, upon his parents in another way, but it is all the works of the mind. This is my parents, relationship is different. This is my wife, this is my husband, relationship is different. These are my children, relationships are different. These are my friends, relationship is different. These are my enemies, relationships are different. Everything is depends upon the mind. That's why the mind is called मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः mana eva manuṣyāṇāṁ kāraṇaṁ bandhamokṣayoḥ

So, that is what Yājñavalkya says. Everything depends upon the mind and this is Brahmā. This ṛtvik of the Atharvaveda, priest of the Atharvaveda. Manasā, because he is keeping his mind, what is the Ṛgveda priest doing? What is the Sāmaveda priest doing? What is the Yajurveda priest doing? What am I supposed to do? What comes first? What comes next? Mano vai, really speaking, mind is the performer of the yajña, the manager of the yajña. तद्यदिदं मनः सोऽसौ चन्द्रः tadyadidaṁ manaḥ so'sau candraḥ

What is the mind? It is the power of the Candra, the moon, according to Vedantic terminology. स ब्रह्मा, सा मुक्तिः, सातिमुक्तिः sa brahmā, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ

If somebody can say, I am not doing this management, it is the, my mind is doing, my mind is doing it because of the direction given by Candra devatā. So it is the Candra devatā who is actually performing everything. It is the Candra devatā who thinks I am the husband, I am the wife, I am the children, I am the parents, I am the friends, I am the enemies, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, I am a Muslim, etc. etc. Everything in this world Including I am the body, I am the mind. Everything is the outcome of thoughts. And who is the in charge of divinity, presiding deity, the moon. If somebody can do this contemplation that it is not me, it is the Candra devatā who is doing. So Candra devatā, Āditya devatā, etc. in these mantras we get. So what does it mean? Pride dually get rid of the I am doing feeling. Now it is Candra who is thinking. It is the Āditya who is doing. It is the fire Agni devatā who is chanting. I have nothing to do with it. I do not exist at all. This is called nyāsa. And this is how yajamāna goes to Svargaloka. And the priests go to Svargaloka. They overcome a lot of our limitation. Even attaining Brahmaloka, it is only what we call a longer period of time, less limitation, but nevertheless it is a limitation.

So, here we have been given whenever you are eating food, as an example, this food is not mine, the eater is not me, it is Brahman, that is called brahmārpaṇam. And that brahmārpaṇam is expressed in these mantras, in this detailed way. And now you think over it and then apply it. I am breathing. How am I able to breathe? Because of energy. And where from this energy is coming? From Vāyu devatā. And then when I am having this energy, then I can act, I can think, I can speak, I can see, etc., etc. Beautiful thoughts. We will talk further beautiful ideas in our next class.

Closing Prayer

Today is the very auspicious Kālī Pūjā at night. May the Divine Mother bless all of us with bhakti, with buddhi śakti, with jñānam, with energy, and with śraddhā so that we can reach her lotus feet as quickly as possible. Jai Ramakrishna.

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!