Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Structure and Theme Lecture 09 on 21 February 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
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.
The Special Nature of This Śānti Pāṭha
So, we have been discussing the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, and in our last class we have seen the meaning of the Śānti Pāṭha. What did we see? This is a very special Śānti Pāṭha. This is a Mahāvākya, unlike other Śānti Pāṭhas. In this Śānti Pāṭha, there is no prayer — no "Lord, kindly remove all the obstacles," no "remove all my bad qualities," no "endow me with all divine spiritual qualities," no "let there be no difference of opinion between my teacher and myself."
We have seen in this Upaniṣad — rather, in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad — how there seemed to be a perceived difference between the teacher and the student. It looked superficially as though the teacher got angry. It is possible that sometimes the teacher and the student do not see eye to eye, as we say. "No, let such a thing not happen," — so that is also included.
But in this particular Śānti Pāṭha, what exists is only one — that is Brahman, that is Pūrṇam, the Infinite. And from the Infinite, there cannot arise an origin of something else. So what seemingly appears to be different from that Infinite, what appears to be finite, is a mistake. It is called Avidyā, Māyā. It is called Adhyāropa. And that is what the Upaniṣad, in the very first section, wants to deal with.
So it is a prayer that what is, is only one. You call it Brahman, you call it the world — it is only Brahman alone. Then why do we not see? Just because we experience something does not mean it is different from Brahman.
The Central Theme: From Duality to Non-Duality
This is the theme of all the Upaniṣads. Even when we talk about Nārāyaṇa Sūktam or Puruṣa Sūktam, or any Sūktam for that matter — the Lord alone is. But because of the Māyā, which is our mind, we seem to see difference everywhere. And as we progress in spiritual life, that differentiation slowly is sublated. Unity is seen. That is the progress from duality to qualified non-duality, and finally to non-duality — from Dvaitam to Viśiṣṭādvaitam to Advaitam.
And this Śānti Mantra clearly says the whole world is nothing but Jīva. So Jīvātmā and Paramātmā are one and the same. That is the gist of this Śānti Mantra.
The Three Sources of Suffering
Three times we say, "Let there be peace," because there are three sources of troubles. All problems stem from three sources. Our body and mind is called Ādhyātmika. Then the external world is Ādhibhautika. And from the presiding deities — when they are displeased with our ingratitude — that is called Ādhidaivika. "Let such a thing not happen." That is the essence of this beautiful Śānti Pāṭha.
Actually, even if someone does not study this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, even chanting this peace chant is enough:
Pūrṇamadaḥ Pūrṇamidaṃ Pūrṇāt Pūrṇam Udacyate, Pūrṇasya Pūrṇam Ādāya Pūrṇam Evāvaśiṣyate.
What remains is that one Infinite Reality — call it by whatever name you call it.
As I mentioned earlier, every Veda has its own Śānti Pāṭha. This Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad belongs to the Śukla Yajur Veda, and so this is the Śānti Pāṭha. But there is something very special here: this Śānti Pāṭha does not actually come at the beginning of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. It comes only at the beginning of the Fifth Chapter, whereon Śaṅkarācārya has written quite an elaborate commentary upon it. But everybody chants this one. We also had seen that when we were studying the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad, it is there too.
Introduction to the Upaniṣad: The Nature of a Created Being
Now we enter the Upaniṣad proper itself, but some introduction is very necessary. Before we enter, we have to know certain things.
First of all, we are creatures of this created world. "I am a created being" — that is why I call myself, my body, my mind. I am a Jīvātmā. I am an individual. And that is universal experience. But the purpose of this scripture — that is, the Upaniṣad, the Veda — is totally different.
Purely speaking, this Jagat does not exist. What does it mean? It is called Mithyā. Brahman alone is the truth. So what does the Upaniṣad want to teach us?
The Pedagogical Method: From the Known to the Unknown
Just like in mathematics, they teach one truth for the beginners and another truth for the advanced students. For example: "Parallel lines never meet in infinity" — that is for the beginners. But the same students, when they are capable of understanding, are taught, "Parallel lines do meet in infinity." Remember, that is for the abstract mathematicians. Even I do not understand it — but it does not matter.
So we are experiencing the world. If the scripture straightaway says, "The world does not exist," we will not believe the scripture. So they have adopted a method: "Yes, yes, yes — the world exists. You exist. Your experience of the world is very true." And then we say, "Yes, the scripture is talking sense now. I can understand it."
Then it says, "But there is some truth about this world which you know unconsciously, but consciously you are ignoring. What is that? That there is something called changefulness." Everything in this world is changing. You were not there before your birth. You will not be there after your death. So you have to know: is this our life, that we live for a short time and then die? And many times we suffer. What is the worth of life?
The Universal Longing: Immortality, Knowledge, and Bliss
We want to live forever, and we want to be happy forever. How do we know? Because that is the knowledge we have to gain. "I have no birth, and if there is no birth, there is no death, and I am Ānanda Svarūpa."
There is no happiness in any object, so the same object, in our experience, sometimes gives happiness, sometimes gives less happiness, sometimes gives intense pain. So Ānanda is not the nature of the object — that we can understand. Then, where does the Ānanda come from? If happiness or bliss does not belong to the object, where is it coming from? Because I am experiencing it — it is a fact. Then you say it is coming from you. Then what does the object do? It merely removes the obstruction of your own happiness.
Just as you stand in front of a mirror and put a big veil in front of you — you cannot see your own reflection, not because the mirror is incapable of reflecting, but because of the veil. The moment you remove the veil — or, I would put it this way, the more you start removing the veil, the more of the reflection you are able to see. So Avidyā is the veil.
In fact, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives this example. One day he was sitting in front of devotees and explaining this truth. He said, "See, we are so near to each other." He had a towel on his shoulders, took it out, and covered his face. "See, you cannot see me, even though I am so near." So even though God is everywhere, we cannot see, because we have covered our eyes with a veil. That veil is called Avidyā, Māyā, etc.
So Ānanda is also from us only, and knowledge also is from us — from myself only.
The Three Key Terms: Sat, Asat, and Mithyā
So first, the scripture accepts — that is called Adhyāropa, it is superimposition. Then later on, through certain methods — first rituals, then Upāsanās — we acquire the qualities necessary to approach a Guru. Such a person is called an Adhikārī. Then the Guru teaches him, and finally convinces him: "The truth is: you are that" — Tat tvam asi. But that is the Guru's teaching. We have to make it our own. The Guru says, "You are that." We have to say, "I am that." For that purpose, first comes Śravaṇa, then Manana — remove all doubts, acquire one hundred percent faith, like Girīścandra Ghoṣa. And then only the last thing comes: Nididhyāsana. Once we are convinced of something, that very conviction will not allow us to do anything excepting what we are convinced of. That is the greatness of conviction, which in Sanskrit is beautifully called Śraddhā.
So, to understand Brahman or the Self, one needs a very subtle intellect. So the Upaniṣad uses the methodology of Adhyāropa and Apavāda. And here we have to know three words in order to understand this Apavāda. Slowly, the Upaniṣad — or Vedānta — introduces us to three terms: Sat, Asat, and Mithyā. Very important.
We have heard these words many times. What is Sat? That which is truth, that which always exists — that is called Sat. What is Asat? It never existed, it cannot exist. Pure non-existence is called Asat. We have to be careful here if we want to understand the Upaniṣads — to hold this difference clearly.
Something that never exists — but there is another word, and that is Mithyā. Many of us misunderstand the meaning of the word Mithyā. What is Mithyā? That which we take as something else, that which we mistake. Into the Brahma Sūtras, Śaṅkarācārya's introductory commentary — one-and-a-half pages which have been commented upon in hundreds of pages — is called the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya. Adhyāsa means superimposition.
The classical example: there is a rope, but because of the semi-darkness and resemblance, and our fear, we mistake it for a snake. And because we are convinced it is a snake, we get fear. So because we are convinced "I am different from you," and "everyone is different," there would be fear, there would be loss, somebody can take away from me — of course, somebody also can give me something, but we are frightened somebody else may take it away. Life itself can be taken away. How many murders, how many killings, how much beating, how many tortures are taking place in this world.
And is it real? Just like you imagine you are watching all these things happening in our day-to-day life — it is a cinema. The same thing happens there also. There also, people fall in love, people quarrel, people get married, people get divorced. Everything exactly happens, but we enjoy it, the capacity of the actors and actresses. If they act, and some of them are extraordinarily good, we forget it is acting and we think it is real. But we never think it is completely real. We are continuously aware — Sākṣī — that I am watching a cinema. I paid money for it, and therefore for two hours I immerse myself and enjoy it. And I enjoy it because I know it is not true.
This is the state of a Jīvanmukta. He seems to be flowing along with the current of this world, but he knows in his heart of hearts: "This is all a big drama." And the manager of this drama is Śrī Raṅganātha Nārāyaṇa himself. That is why he is called Raṅganātha — Raṅga means a dramatic stage. That is called Raṅga.
So, to be careful: Sat means that which always exists without change. Asat never existed. Mithyā means we mistake something that is real as something else, and because it is a mistake, the mistake will always be corrected. Satyam can never be changed — for eternity it will be truth only. And that which never existed, called Asat, is also called Tuccha — utterly unreal.
The Three Kāṇḍas of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad
So, this is the methodology used by the scriptures. In this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, first the process of creation is given, so that children like us in kindergarten can understand — "Yes, yes, this is an apple." But what apple? It is made up of wood, made up of rubber, something like that — it appears to be like that, for the purpose of teaching. So this is called Adhyāropa. Then Apavāda — we have to understand. Apavāda means the removal of our temporary mistake. And how does it do that? Neti neti — "not this, not this." That also comes in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka. Not this, not this.
So through the process of Adhyāropa, the student is gradually led from what he thinks as real — because he is experiencing it — slowly to higher and higher stages. And how does the Upaniṣad take it? It takes a Sādhaka — it does not take everybody; it takes only a person who is suffering, who has suffered very much, and who seeks: "Is there any solution?" And ultimately he starts believing in God. He prays: "Let me come to you." At that time, this Apavāda starts.
"Then God exists. But you cannot all of a sudden, right now, see God. You have to purify your mind." The problem is in the mind; the solution is also in the mind. So this is called the Upadeśa Kāṇḍa.
As I said, the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is first of all divided into three parts. The first is the Madhu Kāṇḍa, which is also called the Upadeśa Kāṇḍa. The second is also called the Muni Kāṇḍa or the Yājñavalkya Kāṇḍa, where reason is used to convince people who are a little bit intellectual. And the third is called the Khila Kāṇḍa, where miscellaneous subjects are given — and that also is a wonderful word.
The Manifest and Unmanifest: Vyakta and Avyakta
Now, in this first process — in this Madhu Kāṇḍa — the world is also divided into two: that which is unmanifest, and that which is manifest. What are we talking about?
Just now we hear the news: "A baby is born." But this baby — nobody had seen the baby before. Only after it is conceived, maybe through X-rays we can see, but before that, nobody has seen. And we know something cannot suddenly appear — every effect must have a cause, and a cause is always unmanifest.
Just as you take a mango seed and break it — you see something, but you do not see a mango tree. But put it in the soil, go on watering it carefully, and slowly it becomes a seedling, then a small plant, then it starts growing, and in three or four years it starts bearing mango fruits — whatever kind, sometimes sour, sometimes sweet, sometimes very, very sweet, small ones, big ones, etc.
So every object is called an effect, and every effect must have a cause. Every effect is called Vyakta — that is, manifest, experienceable. And the cause of every object is not experienceable. As I said, even if you take a banyan seed, that huge banyan plant is there within it.
Nāma, Rūpa, and Karma
Also, we have to be familiar with some other words. Every object is called Nāma-Rūpa-Karma. Nāma-Rūpa-Karmātmakam Vyākṛtam Prapañcam. Take clay — you give it a form, and after that you give it a name. You make a pot. Call it a pot. You make a second pot. Now you have to distinguish between the first pot and the second pot. So you have to say: the small pot, the bigger pot, the square pot, the round pot, the conical pot, etc. — to distinguish. That is called Karma. The form is called Rūpa, the name is called Nāma, and its purpose is Karma. Karma means what? Prayojana — purpose.
For example, the same wood — if you put it on the floor, it becomes the floor; put it above, it becomes the roof; close it, and it becomes windows and doors; make it another way, it becomes a table; make it another way, it becomes a chair; make it yet another way, it becomes a stool. So according to the need, according to the utility — that utility is called Karma.
Sādhya and Sādhanā: Goal and Means
So therefore, I must do some Sādhanā to get rid of my hunger. What is the way? I must procure food — I can cook, I can beg, but I have to get food. The food is called Sādhya — to be attained. And the way — how I get it — that is called Sādhanā, whether it is spiritual Sādhanā or worldly Sādhanā. I want a house, I want money, I want a car, I want name and fame, I want power. Whatever way, we have desires. Every desire is called Sādhya, and the desire can be fulfilled only through one way, and that is called Sādhanā. We have to adopt appropriate means in order to get the appropriate result.
So that is also what we have to understand. Why are we talking so much? Because the whole world is there. What is the purpose? I have to deal, from birth to death, with this world. That means I have to deal with every object. Some objects give me happiness; some give me unhappiness. Therefore, the objects which are likely to give me suffering and unhappiness — I have to avoid them, and for that also I have to do Sādhanā. Certain things give me pleasure, happiness, joy — for that also I have to do Sādhanā.
But what is it? Everybody wants unbroken life. Nobody wants death. Nobody wants to be ignorant. And nobody wants to be unhappy. That is why that very prayer — we will soon see in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — they are called Abhyāroha Mantras. But that is a prayer, that is my unfulfilled desire: "I want to live forever. I want to be knowledgeable of everything. And I want unbroken happiness called bliss." That is the Sādhya — the goal to be attained.
And if there is a goal, if there is a desire, it is an inevitable rule that we will have to do Sādhanā. If there is a Sādhya, there is a Sādhanā — the means of achievement exist. If there is a means of achievement, the desired end also must exist.
The Progressive Path: From Rituals to Liberation
Now the Upaniṣad wants to take us along. "Are you happy in this world?" "Yes, I am very happy." Then the Upaniṣad is not for that person. "Are you happy?" "Sometimes I am happy, sometimes I am unhappy." "So do you want always to be happy?" "Of course, everybody wants it, I also want it." "Then there is a way. You do this, do not do this." That is called Vidhi and Niṣedha. Then, if you follow, you will do that. "Yes, now I get more happiness."
And we have to note here: nobody can remove unhappiness forever, even if it exists in the same proportion as happiness — not less, not more. So soon, man learns: even if I follow all the directions of the scriptures, birth and death cannot be avoided. But the desire to overcome death does not immediately flash in this person's mind. He says, "Even if I have to be born, I want to have higher happiness." So he starts believing the scriptures after some time, of course, and he says, "There are higher worlds, and I want to attain to those higher worlds. What is the way?"
So: perform certain rituals. A person who wants to go to Svarga — what is Svarga? A place of higher happiness for a longer duration of time. For that purpose there is a ritual called Agnihotra. One must do that Agnihotra, and if one does it correctly, the result is guaranteed — like when a person does exactly a scientific experiment, he gets the exact result. And that is the Śāstra.
This person believes in it, understands it, accepts it, and does it. Then, after certain number of experiences, as the Bhagavad Gītā tells so beautifully — the Bhagavad Gītā says, if you do these scripture-commanded rituals, you will go to higher Lokas. But because all results come from certain Karmas, and Karmas are limited, their effects are also limited. As soon as the result — Puṇya — is exhausted, they will have to come down again. So a person says, "I want to go again to that hotel." And then, after some time, he becomes more purified, because these rituals unconsciously, indirectly, are slowly purifying that person's mind. We have to understand that.
And then he understands: the same scripture which is taking me to heaven is telling me, "You do not need to go and come down. You go and stay there permanently." That is called the realisation of God. You become one with God, and you will be eternally happy, infinitely happy.
Then slowly the longing comes — it takes time. That is called evolution. And then, for that purpose, you have to do Sādhanā. And for that purpose, you require to acquire certain qualities called spiritual qualities, and you have to get rid of certain other — what are called demonic qualities. For example, attachment to the world. You love the world. Loving and attachment are opposite sides. You can love but you can be detached. But if you are attached, that is not love — that is slavery.
Becoming an Adhikārī: The Qualified Seeker
So slowly this person understands. And what Śaṅkarācārya put it — and I think nobody can put it so beautifully — he says a person becomes an Adhikārī. Adhikārī means he becomes fit to receive the instructions from the teacher. His mind becomes mature. Otherwise it is useless.
That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to tell some people, "Go and enjoy the buildings and the gardens." Not because he did not want to — to kick them out. No, no. He wanted to say: even if you come here, you will get bored. I also will get bored. It is wasting your time, wasting my time. Of course, when Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is speaking with some other people, there is no question of his wasting time. Because the people who sit there without listening, without understanding, or even trying to sleep — Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is not losing anything. Even if there is one person who is listening and ninety-nine percent are only sitting there not listening, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's time is not wasted. But the atmosphere becomes polluted. That we do not see. That is why we have to cultivate Satsaṅga.
So this person approaches a Guru. And what does the Guru do? Do not think that straightaway he is going to initiate the disciple into Mahāvākya. We have seen it in the Praśna Upaniṣad: "You live for some time with us, then we will see." In many other Upaniṣads also we have seen this. Some Upaniṣads, of course, straightaway — even without mentioning — the Guru starts teaching. Īśāvāsya, then Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. But in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, for example, Brahma taught it to his son, and his son taught it to his disciples — like that it goes on.
We have seen the Kaṭha Upaniṣad where Yamadharmarāja himself was the Guru. Naciketā — he was tested, then only he was accepted. We have seen the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in all the three important chapters — sixth, seventh, eighth. In the sixth chapter, for example, we have seen how Śvetaketu was taught good lessons. First he was scolded, then he became humble — we hope so — and then his own father started teaching him the highest Vidyā. Similarly we have seen in the seventh chapter how Sanatkumāra started teaching Nārada. And in the eighth chapter also we have seen how Prajāpati had kept Indra for one hundred and one years. What a marvellous thing for us to understand.
But if anybody comes like Narendranāth, who came to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, or like Nāga Mahāśaya, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa will immediately want to pass on the highest knowledge, because he understands: these people are ready to receive. They are like highly cultivated fields, ready to receive the seed at the right season.
The Bridge Between Karma Kāṇḍa and Jñāna Kāṇḍa: Upāsanā
So we see the Guru — how does he do it? He develops certain techniques. Now, as a married person — Gṛhastha — these people are supposed to have gone through these physical rituals called Karma Kāṇḍa. But before entering into the Jñāna Kāṇḍa, there is a bridge which connects the Karma Kāṇḍa with the Jñāna Kāṇḍa. That is called Upāsanā Kāṇḍa. That is where the teacher also — to some students at least — this Upāsanā is very important.
Now, what is this Upāsanā? First of all, there are certain ideas about Upāsanā we have to understand. First of all, Upāsanā is a mental process — it is called mental contemplation. And what is that contemplation? That you take any familiar object, however small it is, and impose upon it some of the biggest ideas.
For example: Śiva Liṅga. For example: Śālagrāma. For example: a Yantra. For example: a cross. The cross — what does it represent? That breaking-up of the egotism. Just imagine a huge vertical line, and it is crossed. What is that vertical line? "I." What is that cross? "Not me. Let Thy will be done."
Jesus Christ had first cried out, "If possible, please pass on this cup to somebody else" — "cup" meaning suffering. But he understood that is not the Father's will. Immediately he said, "Let Thy will be done." Similarly, we also have to accept: "Let Thy will be done." It is a marvellous concept. You reduce, I reduce, we reduce our egotism.
As I mentioned so many times: in front of every Hindu temple there will be a flagpole — that is called Dvajastambha. That represents the ego of all of us. Everybody has to give up his ego there. Only then, when he goes inside, will that be called, properly, Darśana.
So this is how all of us have to give up. What does this Upāsanā — this mental contemplation — do? "Oh Lord, everything is you. Everything belongs to you. In fact, there is nothing else excepting you." That should be the realisation.
The Technique of Upāsanā: Expanding the Vision of the Divine
So the Guru teaches: you take the Guru himself — he is an ordinary person. But even the Guru cannot be taken straightaway as an ideal. First comes Mother — marvellous idea. We have seen in the Śikṣāvallī, the Eleventh Chapter:
Mātṛ devo bhava. Pitṛ devo bhava. Ācārya devo bhava. Atithi devo bhava.
We have seen how it works. So what does it mean? It means the nearest object, nearest to us — first is Mother. Not that every mother is a Brahma Jñānī, every mother is a Jagat Guru. No. But I have to impose that idea. So far as I am concerned, without her I would not have been. Whatever I am is because of father, mother, teacher, etc.
Therefore, first practise on one person, one object — that is the Mother. We see Rāmakṛṣṇa advising the Holy Mother that all those things offered in the Kālī Pūjā — the sārī, etc. — "Offer it to your mother. But when you offer, do not offer to her as your ordinary mother. You must consider her as Mother Kālī herself." So this is what is called Mātṛ devo bhava — let your mother be Brahman to you.
And then, once we succeed — after some time — then expand. First one person, then it must be a second person. Who is the second person? Of course, Father. He is the protector, he is the provider, he is everything for us. Therefore, Father is the closest — not as close as Mother, but next to Mother he is the closest person. We are what we are because of the union between Father and Mother. Therefore, the Father should become — should be looked upon — as Brahman.
I hope you are getting the point. If we look at our mothers and fathers, they are just ordinary persons most of them. It is quite different — Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's father and mother were highly evolved souls. That is a rare exception. But mostly, it is our father and mother, ordinary people like anybody else. Sometimes they may also be spiritual people, quite advanced in spiritual life. But that is a very great good fortune, to be born to them. But mostly the idea is: it is target practice.
"I decided to look upon my Mother as Divine Mother." In fact, you meditate upon your own Mother. And probably you may be afraid to jump into the lap of Holy Mother, but you will not hesitate — you can imagine, when you are a child, how many times you jumped into the lap of the Mother, you touched her. So, imagine: Holy Mother slowly transformed herself into your own Mother, and then you jump. But now the idea is: she is as powerful, as gracious, like Holy Mother. Take that idea, combine these two, and meditate upon her, and you will see that our meditation, our fear, will go away.
Similarly, you can merge Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa in your own Father, and you can demand anything of your Father. Not as of now, but when we were children: "I want chocolate," "I want to buy that, Bābā," "I want that" — and he will not hesitate to give you, and you will not hesitate, you will not think, "Will he give? Will he not give?" So that is the idea.
Expanding the Vision Further: Teacher and Guest
You will have to think about this. This is how — then the teacher. There are very good teachers, and whatever we have been educated in, it is all because they passed what they knew, and some of them are extraordinarily talented in conveying what they know in understandable language by us. They are called talented teachers. Otherwise, some teachers know more than other teachers but do not know how to convey it to their students — like the Paṇḍit who failed to teach Pāṇinīya Vyākaraṇam to Svāmī Vivekānanda in Rājasthān.
So we have to now — if we succeed in looking upon our mother and father — add a third person. That means we are expanding our God-vision more and more. And when we succeed in that, now the point you have to understand: our teacher may be moral or immoral — that is not the point. He gave me knowledge, and in my eyes he is Jñānadātā. That is the idea. He is target practice.
And then to everybody — that "everybody" is called Atithi. Atithi devo bhava. So whenever you meet anybody, anywhere, even now, known or unknown, they have to be looked upon as God, because it is only God who is manifesting as everybody in this world.
That is the essence of Sahasraśīrṣā Puruṣaḥ. Every head belongs to God. Every hand belongs to God. Every leg belongs to God. Every body belongs to God. Every mind belongs to God. There is nobody who can be separate from the Infinity. That is the idea.
So that is called slowly expanding our consciousness. For that — slowly — the First Chapter, First Brāhmaṇa: every section in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is called a Brāhmaṇa. "Brāhmaṇa" has nothing to do with the Brāhmin or with Brahman — it simply means a section.
Looking Ahead: Meditation on the Horse
So in this First Chapter — the Prathama Adhyāya — the sections are called Brāhmaṇas. (Brāhmaṇa has nothing to do with the Brāhmin or Brahman — it simply means a section.)And first of all we are given the idea of a horse. One has to meditate upon a horse — the Aśvamedha Yajña. And why on a horse? This is a beautiful subject matter which we will talk about from our next class.
Closing Prayer
Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum
Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.
Jai Ramakrishna!