Chandogya Upanishad 1.10.1-1.11.3 Lecture 148 on 19 October 2025
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :
Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.
ॐ आप्यायन्तु ममाङ्गानि वाक्प्राणश्चक्षुः
श्रोत्रमथो बलमिन्द्रियाणि च सर्वाणि।
सर्वम् ब्रह्मोपनिषदम् माऽहं ब्रह्म
निराकुर्यां मा मा ब्रह्म
निराकरोद निराकरणमस्त्व निराकरणम् मेऽस्तु।
तदात्मनि निरते य उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते
मयि सन्तु ते मयि सन्तु।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
oṃ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaścakṣuḥ
śrotramatho balamindriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi.
sarvam brahmopaniṣadam mā’haṃ brahma
nirākuryāṃ mā mā brahma
nirākaroda nirākaraṇamastva nirākaraṇam me’stu.
tadātmani nirate ya upaniṣatsu dharmāste
mayi santu te mayi santu.
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
Translation
May my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears, as also strength and all the organs become well developed. Everything is the Brahman revealed in the Upanishads. May I not deny Brahman. May not Brahman deny me. Let there be no spurning of me by Brahman. Let there be no rejection of Brahman by me. May all the virtues that are spoken of in the Upanishads repose in me who am engaged in the pursuit of the Self. May they repose in me. Om. Peace. Peace. Peace be unto all.
The Story of Ushasthi
The Famine and Shelter
Yesterday we recounted the story of Ushasthi. There was a famine, and Ushasthi was starving along with his wife. So he took shelter in the house of an elephant keeper.
Somehow, the elephant keeper obtained some third-class beans while he was eating. Ushasthi approached him and begged to give him some of the beans being eaten. Then this person said, "I don't have separate beans. Whatever I am eating, which I already started to eat, I can give you, definitely and surely." And Ushasthi said, "Be it so. Give me some."
The elephant keeper gave him some. He must be a very good person to do so, because especially when there is a famine and there is little hope of getting food in the future, even that type of sacrifice this person had done. Most people would not have done that.
The Matter of Water
While Ushasthi was eating, the elephant keeper offered him water. But then Ushasthi said, "I want to drink pure water, not water that has been drunk by somebody else already." Then the elephant keeper questioned him: "You didn't have any objection to eating polluted beans. But why did you raise the objection in the case of the water?"
Ushasthi gave a very rational answer: "That food, even in the form of these third-class beans, is not available anywhere. But for water, there are sources where I can go easily and obtain water. When it is freely available, I do not need to accept water polluted or drunk by somebody else."
Care for His Wife
Then he returned home. The next morning, having eaten some more beans which he carried for his wife, he was also taking care of his wife. Whatever was given by the elephant keeper—half he had eaten, and half he had carried home for his wife. That's why she is called Ardhangī (the other half).
But she did not eat, because she somehow obtained food from some other source. She had eaten that. So she said, "No, my husband might require it." She kept it safely.
The Journey to the Sacrifice
The next morning, Ushasthi was heard speaking to himself: "I am very hungry. I am weak. If I could somehow have some food now, I can walk. I heard there is a king who is performing a sacrifice. And if I can reach him, I can convince the king to appoint me as one of the priests. Therefore, I can earn some money and obtain some food."
His wife heard it and brought forth whatever he had brought the previous night. She offered it and said, "I did not eat. I kept it for you. Please eat this, and then do what you wish to do."
Now Ushasthi walked to that place.
Warning the Priests
When Ushasthi arrived, he addressed the three priests—Prasthauta and others. He said, "Do you know the deity whom you are going to sing about? If you sing without knowing which Devata, what his power is, what his nature is, your head will fall off."
Literally, it doesn't mean the priest will die. It means the result you are going to get will be affected. Whether you know the inner meaning, whether you are aware of the presiding deity or not, you will get a result. But if you know the presiding deity, Devata, then the result would be immense.
So the three priests kept quiet.
Recognition by the King
Meanwhile, the king saw him and asked for an introduction. When Ushasthi said, "I am Ushasthi," the king was pleasantly surprised. "In fact, I was searching for you. Even after a long search, I could not find you. So I had to appoint these priests. You please take responsibility for conducting this sacrifice."
Then, one after the other, these three priests—Udgata, Prasthauta, Pratyartha—approached him and said, "You teach us that Devata about whom you informed us earlier." And he taught them. He supervised the sacrifice.
The Meaning of the Story
Knowledge and Mastery
Every ritual provides some result. But if a person is knowledgeable about who the presiding deity is, that means he has not only the ability to operate but also knows the mechanism. Then that person's salary, position, and status will be much superior.
Even in our day-to-day life, we find that if a person knows only how to drive, his salary will be much less. But if he is a mechanic who knows the mechanisms, then his salary will be much higher. But if he is a scientist who can even invent new mechanisms, then his salary, his honour, and his strength will be much more.
So perform any sacrifice, any ritual, but take the trouble to know thoroughly all the knowledge: Who is the Devata? How is it to be done? And what dangers are there if one doesn't perform according to the directions? All this knowledge is there. That person will be a much happier person.
The Evening Hymns and Meditation
In that context, I brought the evening hymn "Khanda Bhava Bandhana." Swamiji composed this particular hymn, and it is called Avatara Stotram, and it has a specific purpose. After singing the hymn—not only "Khanda" but "Om Amritam," "Sarvamangala," and even some bhajans—one is supposed to retire to a secluded corner, sit, and meditate on Shri Ramakrishna, on the Holy Mother, and so on.
The Divine Mother and Creation
If a person is initiated and his chosen deity is the Divine Mother—Sarvamangala Prakritipara—let us look at it very briefly. The Divine Mother is she from whom creation, sustenance, and dissolution take place. Tremendous meaning is there.
The creation will be of the exact nature of whose manifestation the creation is. A mud pot or a clay pot will have the exact nature of the clay. A golden ornament will have exactly the nature of gold only, nothing else—even the slightest bit. Any furniture will be only of wood. If it is peak wood, then it will be quality wood, any furniture.
If there is furniture and it has become, say, a chair or a table, and it has become old and then is broken and fallen into pieces, it still remains wood and can be reshaped into other forms. It had never deviated from its real nature called woodenness.
The Nature of Birth and Death
So when we are born, we have the same quality of which we are the manifestation, and we remain so as long as we are alive. And at the end, there is nothing called destruction. Here, laya means going back to our original material as well as intelligent cause.
A devotee of the Divine Mother knows: "I am from the Divine Mother, I am sustained by the Divine Mother, and I go back unto the Divine Mother." In worldly life, we temporarily return to our origin in the deep sleep state. Other states we think we are completely different. There is no resemblance between the material cause—which is the Divine Mother, pure consciousness—and ourselves. But in Suṣupti (deep sleep), we become one because we have risen in a natural way and have detached ourselves from the body-mind.
So laya means going back to the origin. Janma (birth) means manifesting with a name and form. Everything is a manifestation and non-manifestation. The question of something new being born or getting destroyed doesn't arise at all.
The Path to Union with Brahman
So if a person performs these rituals, gradually they approach nearer and nearer to the chosen deity. That approaching is called upasana. When a person attains to that upasana—approaches and finally becomes completely identified with the chosen deity—then he becomes the chosen deity, who is none other than a manifestation of Brahman. This is called the Saguna Brahma aspect, also called Hiranyagarbha.
Hiranyagarbha merges into the non-manifestation of its cause, which is called Ishvara, and Ishvara finally merges into Brahman, or Nirguna Brahma. That is the process.
This story is to emphasize that you take the trouble to know what is the nature of a Devata, and finally it becomes one's own nature. Finally, a person who could identify with the presiding deity—Devata, who is none other than the manifestation of Ishvara himself—is bound to become one with the supreme reality called Brahman.
Translation of the Upanishadic Text
The Historical Setting
There is a place called Kurudesha, and in it, Matsya (a region). There was one famine full of hailstones, and people were suffering. This Ushasthi with his wife was living there earlier. He was not getting any food because of the famine. Many people had migrated from there in search of greener fields.
So, along with his wife, Ushasthi was there in that very miserable village in a deplorable condition. Ibhyagrama means a village where elephants are being taken care of. Pradranaka means he was greatly suffering—living in that condition. When this famine and hailstorm came and destroyed everything, then he migrated to another miserable village, and that village he was living with the family of an elephant carer.
The First Meeting
Ushasthi begged and got his residence, and he started staying with his wife there. One day, he was exceedingly hungry. So he saw one elephant carer eating. What was this elephant carer eating? Kolmasha—that is, an inferior type of beans. You know, in the West, there are companies that, along with tomatoes, make tins of these beans. They are carried in ships in case food runs out, and anybody can live on them. It is a full meal, and even though a little bit boring to eat in morning, afternoon, and evening, when no other food is available, this food will taste like nectar.
So he asked, "Do you have something to spare for me?" The elephant carer said truthfully, "I have got no beans anywhere save those that are being eaten by me. That means they are stale; they are impure; they are polluted. So, if you want, I can give some." Ushasthi had no option. He must have understood that if he gave the whole thing, that man might not survive. Thus, Ushasthi said, "Please give me a few out of what you are eating."
The elephant keeper gave some out of his plate which were already being eaten by him. These things would not go down easily. So the elephant keeper said, "My dear sir, here is some water. I already drank some. May I offer this water to you?"
Then Ushasthi immediately said, "No, no. That has become polluted because you had already drunk it. So if I drink this, then it is equivalent to polluted water."
Then the elephant keeper countered, questioning Ushasthi: "Is it not a fact that these beans which I was eating are also polluted, and the water is also polluted? Both are polluted. Then what is the logic? One you accept, the other you refused."
Ushasthi's Reasoning
Then Ushasthi replied, "I have a desire to live, to keep up this body, and therefore I have eaten these things even though they are polluted. But whereas for a drink of water, I can get it whenever I like. There must be a source of water nearby. So if I don't eat, I am going to die. If I don't drink, I am also going to die. But as far as food is concerned, there is no place where I can have food. But so far as water is concerned, probably there are many sources of water—not necessarily. Even if there is one pond, that is more than enough for a long time to quench the thirst of many people."
Having eaten, Ushasthi had some strength, though some good quantity must have been given by the elephant carer. He thought his wife must be starving. So, for her sake, he carefully tied up the remaining beans and brought them home.
But from some other source, his wife—Sa (the wife of Ushasthi)—must have obtained Subiksha (perhaps good food, perhaps plenty of food—not only Biksha but Subiksha). Agraiva (before her husband returned), she had already eaten. So she didn't require food. But even if her hunger was not completely filled, she was a very devout wife. Whatever beans her husband had brought, she accepted them from his hands and kept them away safely.
The Morning Resolution
The next morning, Ushasthi got up, as Brahmins do. Upon waking up from his sleep, he was talking to himself: "Alas! Yet if I could get some more food, I could obtain some money. There is a Raja of this place who is performing a sacrifice. If I can approach him—not as a beggar but as one of the priests—he will give me some money. If money is available, or he might give food and other things also.
"Most sacrifices (Yajnas) require 16 priests. There is one main priest from each of the four Vedas—Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharvana Veda. And then each main priest will have three assistants. So, there are four from each Veda—4 Vedas, 4 into 4, making 16. Definitely, when the king comes to know about me and I reveal myself to him and give my introduction, he will definitely appoint me, because I am a master of all these things. I can act as any one of the priests. So the king would employ me along with the other priests."
The Wife's Support
His wife heard it. She said to him, "Indeed, here are those beans that you brought for me. I safeguarded them and kept them for you, even though that is the only food available. I did not eat because earlier I had eaten better food. Now you have them, and please go to the Yajna Shala (sacrifice ground). Meet the king and do whatever you want."
Having consumed them and having eaten them, Ushasthi came to where arrangements were being made for the starting performance of a big sacrifice. He saw that everything was ready. Three types of priests were all sitting in front of three types of fires, and they were about to start.
The Warning
He just arrived at the sacrificial place. Now he approached all of them. There was one priest called Udgatha—the Samaveda priest, the main priest who had to sing hymns from the Samaveda. He approached him, came near and sat very near. He turned towards the Prasthauta priest and said to him:
"Oh Prasthauta! That deity (Devata) of whom you are about to sing—do you know anything about him? The presiding deity whose hymn you are about to chant in this particular sacrifice—if you proceed without knowing anything about that Devata, if you go on singing without knowing him, your head will fall down instantly."
Not that the person is going to die, but rather the result which you are going to get will be very inferior. Usually, when an offering has to be made—for example, some clarified butter (Ghee) is to be offered into the fire—the priest says, "I am offering this, O Indra, but not for me (na mama). The result should not come to me, because I am only a priest accepting some fee. I am doing it on behalf of somebody. The result should go to the arranger, to the king usually, or rich people."
But here is a big "but"—if this person knows the Devata, if he has tremendous devotion for that Devata, knowing the Devata and having devotion for that Devata, he cannot be indifferent. Only when we do not know can we be indifferent.
In the same manner, he approached the Udgatha priest and said, "Oh Udgatha! That deity (Devata) of whom you are about to sing this Udgatha—if you do not know anything about that particular presiding deity, your head will fall down, meaning the result you get will be very inferior."
Again, in exactly the same way, he approached another priest called Pratihartha and said, "Oh Pratihartha! That presiding deity (Devata) of the Pratihartha—without knowing who that deity is, if you go on singing, your head will fall down."
The Priests' Silence
Hearing these words of Ushasthi, the three priests stopped. They did not dare to open their mouths. In complete observance of silence, they cast down their eyes, shut their mouths, and all three sat down in silence.
The Recognition and Appointment
The King's Introduction
Now the real teaching comes in the eleventh section of the first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. The Yajamana (the arranger or the king) was watching the whole affair. Seeing all this, he addressed Ushasthi with tremendous joy, with folded hands. The king said, "Oh Bhagavan (Revered One)! I looked for you everywhere for all these priestly offices, but I did not find you. Not finding you, I had no other option. I decided to perform this sacrifice, and I willy-nilly had to appoint these other people."
The Yajamana must have known of the difference between Ushasthi and those three other priests who admitted that they do not know who the Devata is. So the Yajamana must have known that if Ushasthi is a greater person, a greater priest, if he does it, the result of the sacrifice would be much greater. This is the essence.
The Appointment
The Yajamana said, "Oh Bhagavan! Now I appoint you very well. Let these priests, with my permission and under your supervision, sing the hymns of praise belonging to their respective Vedas and deities. Three deities because three priests were there. But as much wealth as dakshina (fee) I agreed to give to these priests, so much alone give to me as well. I am not demanding much. I am not a greedy person. I would not have accepted money, but because the famine is going on, I have a wife to maintain. So I require some money. That is why I am requiring this money. Otherwise, happily and gladly, if I had money, I would have done this."
The king said gladly and happily, "Very well, this is an agreement. You supervise, and you see that the sacrifice is done properly."
The Role of the Vedic Priests
The Structure of Soma Sacrifice
The Samaveda's main priest is called Buddhgatha, and he has three assistants who are called Prasthauta, Pratihartha, and Subrahmanya. So, Buddhgatha, Prasthauta, and Pratihartha are priests in a Vedic Yajna ritual, and they are subordinate priests under the principal priest called Buddhgatha.
The Buddhgatha is the main priest. He has got three subordinate assistants:
- The Prasthauta invites the deity using certain mantras.
- The Buddhgatha (the main priest) sings the hymns.
- The Pratihartha bids the deity farewell.
So, inviting and praising the deity and doing farewell are done by the assistants, but the main singing of the hymn is accomplished only by the main priest, the Sama Veda priest, called Buddhgatha. "Buddhgatha" is from gatha, meaning "singer," and buddh, meaning "in a high voice, in a rich voice, in a loud voice."
An Analogy with Modern Ceremonies
This sequence is analogous to welcoming a guest, offering them food, and then seeing them off. In our Ram Krishna order, when some guest speaker is invited, you know what happens: they are all sitting in the front seat in the auditorium. Then there is somebody who welcomes them. Usually, a Swami or a learned person says, "We are very happy to have you. Most welcome! Now I am inviting Swami So-and-so. Please come forward and take his seat on the stage."
One by one, if there are many speakers, this person will go. That is what he says. And then he gives a little introduction: "Who is who?" Sometimes, I was also given such an introduction, and after hearing that introduction, I myself was shocked. "Do I really possess all those epithets this welcoming person is pouring on my forehead?"
At the end, when the programme is finished, some other person comes as the thanker. He goes on giving thanks. Sometimes they want to show themselves off, so they summarize what each speaker had said. And unfortunately, sometimes the summary is longer than what the speaker had spoken! The thanker wants to show how attentively he was hearing and what he grasped. Unless to some of the foolish audience who did not understand, he tries to explain what the speaker himself could not explain properly. That is what happens sometimes. Anyway, these are additional notes I am giving.
These are the main praise-sayings, but the assistants do the welcoming and bidding farewell. We will talk about this beautiful sequence in our next class.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :
Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.
May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!