Chandogya Upanishad 1.10 Lecture 147 on 18 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.
Introduction to the Story of Ushasti
Today we are going to explore another beautiful story that occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad. This is the story of one of the great Rishis called Ushasti.
This occurs in the very first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, sections 10 and 11. In two sections, the story is complete. Before dwelling on the meaning, I would like to narrate briefly the story and its significance so that we can contemplate on it without any problem when the actual mantras are being explored.
The Great Famine
There was a place called Kurukshetra, just like Uttar Pradesh or Bengal. Once upon a time, a terrible famine came upon it because there were no rains but rather rains of stones—what they call hailstorms—which practically destroyed everything and people were suffering extraordinarily.
The Upanishads do not tell us how many thousands of people died of starvation, but those who were able to live and survive did so because of their Prabdha, the result of what they had done in the past. We must understand that this teaching of the Vedas is absolutely true in every letter.
Even among earthquakes, accidents, airplane accidents, train accidents, and any type of accident, some people might die or get injured, while others experience nothing. Why? We have various explanations, but they will not cut any meaning. The real truth is that whatever is allotted to us is purely because of what we did in the past.
The Law of Karma and Destiny
If we are destined to be happy, wherever we are—even in hell—it turns out to be the happiest place on earth. If we are destined to be unhappy, even heaven will turn into a veritable hell.
If we are destined to live to the last second, nobody can take us away. This is called Pürna Ayudhaya, the full span of life. It does not mean one hundred years, nor does it mean one year. It means whatever a person earned because of his or her past life—the deeds done in the past life. This is what Patañjali Rishi, as I have reminded you many times, goes on enumerating, stressing, and emphasizing: Jati (which family), in which society, which country, which language, and which type of prosperity we are born.
How long we are destined to live to the last millisecond is calculated by our own karma. That means we ourselves calculate. And then what type of experience we have depends on the same law. Experience is only of two types: happiness and unhappiness.
So when we are happy because we did something, we deserve that happiness. And if on the other side, we suffer, that also we deserved only. This is the Vedic truth, the Paramasatya.
Survival in the Famine
In this country, many people must have died. That place was called Kurukshetra. There were a few people who were surviving because they were destined to survive, and they were somehow surviving despite the conditions.
There was a great Rishi, one of the great Rishis, who had realized his identity with some of the Vedic gods. He became identified through long contemplation on some of the Devatas. As a result, he became a well-known person, as we see in the story.
But it so happened that he had to leave his native place and go to a village and take refuge in the house of an elephant caretaker—those who take care of the elephants.
The Offering of Beans
One day, after several days of starvation, he and his wife (we do not see any children mentioned here) saw the caretaker of the elephant eating some fourth or fifth quality beans. The man had already half eaten them.
At that time, Vishashti Rishi could not bear any longer the pangs of hunger. He approached this person and asked him, "Give me a little bit, otherwise I am likely to die."
That man must have been an extraordinarily fortunate and kind and compassionate person. Immediately he said, "Sir, I have already eaten half of them. The quality is also worst quality bean, somehow I obtained. But if you wish, I can give this because I don't have anything worthy to be given to such great people like you."
Vishashti said, "Give me, I am about to die because of starvation."
So the man gave him some good quantity. Vishashti started eating instantaneously, rather swallowing. But then when he had filled his hunger to some extent—perhaps he could have eaten even more—he knew that his wife was also starving. "I must preserve some for her," he thought.
So he kept what he was given, reserving some portion of it. Then he was about to depart. The caretaker of the elephant asked him, "Sir, I have also drunk some water. Still some water is left out in a small utensil like a mandala. Please take also, because these are hard beans."
The Question of Ritual Purity
Then Vishashti replied, "No, I do not need to eat what is called Ashucha, polluted. Polluted means that which is drunk, that which is eaten, is called polluted. I don't need to drink."
The elephant caretaker, naturally counter-questioning him, said, "Sir, you did not hesitate to eat the beans—rotten beans. I have been eating them and they were also polluted. This water also was drunk by me. And then why are you calling one polluted? The beans you have not called polluted."
Then Vishashti explained, "My friend, I am very grateful to you. And one who is eternally grateful is not just someone who says thank you and then forgets about it. I will remain grateful. I will bless you. I will pray for you.
But I don't need to drink water which was already drunk by you, that which is polluted by somebody else. Why? Because there are some sources of water—maybe some ponds, some lakes, etc. So when such free water is available, I do not need to accept water that is polluted by somebody else.
Among Hindus, this is a very common system. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'Once you have eaten some food, you should not give it to any human being, not even to animals, because you have to see God in them.'
But you have eaten the beans. Okay. That is because beans are not available elsewhere. Had I been getting beans elsewhere that were not eaten by somebody, I would have eaten them. I would not have touched you. I would not have even begged of you.
But they are not available. Water is available. Therefore, wherever there is a choice, you try to be pure. But when there is no choice, it doesn't matter.
Why? Because preserving life is the most precious thing in the world."
A Similar Story from the Mahabharata
Exactly a similar story occurs in the Mahabharata. There is a beautiful conversation and dialogue between Vishwamitra Rishi and a Chandala—those who eat the flesh of dogs.
There was a terrible famine. Many people must have died because people do not keep records of that. Vishwamitra was starving for many days, like Vishashti Rishi.
So one day at night, he went in the streets of these so-called low caste families, whom Mahatma Gandhiji used to call Harijans, people of God. Some words are coined by great people like Mahatma Gandhi. Earlier to him, Swami Vivekananda coined some words: Daridrā Nārāyana (poor as God), Mūrkha Nārāyana (fool as God), Rogi Nārāyana (sick as God), Artha Nārāyana (homeless as God), etc.
Mahatma Gandhi must have taken a hint from there, because everybody belongs to God. Nobody is left out. God does not say, "You are fourth caste people."
The Caste System and Gunas
All this caste system is one of the horrendous things that ever happened. Actually, the caste system came into vogue as Bhagavān Krishna so beautifully explains to us in the Bhagavad Gita.
A person belongs to a caste according to the Guna—the dominant characteristic, which is either Tamaguna, Rajaguna, or Sattvaguna, usually mixed gunas. It has nothing to do with birth.
There are better people than Brahmins, like Ramakrishna at Dakshineshwar, and there are Brahmins who are worse than untouchables. The behavior, the character, and the purity of the mind decide to which caste a person belongs. That is called Varna.
The Degradation of Hinduism
Coming back to our story, this person was looked down upon by society in the Mahabharata as a Chandala—the worst of persons. This is how the degradation of Hinduism had started: hating people, looking down upon them instead of trying to help them come up.
Until Swami Vivekananda came, the system was continuing in the most horrible way—even more horrible with the burning of widows in the name of Dharmaśāstra. So many horrendous things have happened in history, are going to happen in history, and are going to be repeated in history.
Even now it is not stopped. It is rather increasing only in different forms. Earlier there were earthquakes and devastations by fires, etc. Now, because of drones and bombs, etc., the result is this unbearable suffering. That's all.
Vishwamitra and the Chandala
Now, coming back to our story, Vishwamitra did not ask the dog-eater to give him food. The hunter, the untouchable, must have killed some animal, eaten off some, and kept and preserved the other one. He was drying it in his backyard or front yard.
So Vishwamitra saw it and became a thief. He was about to steal. Of course, for the first time. So immediately he was caught. And then there was a conversation between that Chandala and Vishwamitra.
The Chandala said, "Sir, you are a Brāhmana. How come you are stealing from a lower caste person?"
(Actually, Vishwamitra was not a Brāhmana. He was a Rājarshi. But he became a Brahmarshi through his Tapasya.)
It was a wonderful conversation—practical Vedanta.
Then Vishwamitra said, "For the sake of preserving life, one can steal, one can of course beg. There is no caste restriction. Keeping life alive, keeping Prāna alive is permitted by any means. Because without Prāna, preservation of the Sattvaguna, Rajaguna, Tamaguna, or caste system is impossible. It is impossible to acquire either worldly goods or spiritual goods.
Therefore, for the sake of Prāna, one can do anything."
And he convinces the person and accepts some Māmsa and then goes away.
Wonderful truths are being taught here: do not kill somebody for preserving your own body, but if somebody has something, take a little bit of it. See, ultimately Prāna depends upon one's own fate.
Even if one steals plenty of food by hook or crook or whatever way, but if that person is destined to die, he will definitely die. There is no way he can escape it. So we have to understand these marvelous truths.
The Significance of Prāna
Coming back to our story, this was the reason that Prāna Devatā must be kept alive—like Agni Devatā. The keeper of Agni has to be preserved.
And he convinced and then he took some food. The rotten bones, he ate half. The other half he carried to his wife.
But what happened? Maybe some other person had given some better food to his wife. Maybe she had done more Punya. Anyway, she got better food. That is how the story tells us in the Chandogya Upanishad.
And then when the husband handed over what he had preserved, she carefully kept it. "If the husband becomes hungry, he can have them," she thought, because she was quite satisfied with whatever she got.
The Morning After
Next morning, Ushasti Rishi was very, very hungry again. He must have eaten only a little bit, keeping the rest for his wife.
And then he was muttering to himself, "I am an expert in performing all the Agnas. I can supervise any Agna. I believe the king of this present country is preparing to perform an Agna. Somehow, if I can reach him, I am sure he will appoint me. But I don't have the strength to walk to the place where that sacrifice is being conducted by the king."
His wife said, "Do not worry. Yesterday, whatever you gave me, I did not eat because I had eaten something else. Please eat this one and then you will be able to walk."
So he ate, he walked, he approached, and then he sat near the priests.
The Three Types of Priests
There are three types of priests: those who chant the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, and Sama Veda.
And then he questioned them: "You are going to chant the hymns of a particular deity. Do you know that deity? Who is that deity? Do you have knowledge of that deity? Have you done contemplation of that deity? Have you become one with that deity? If you do not, then your head will fall down."
We should not take this literally—that because Vishashti told that person, not caring for what he had uttered, that his head literally will fall down.
We get to this teaching: your head will fall down. Even Āgastya Rishi, when questioned by one of the Rishis in the court of Janaka, also said, "Do not make Atiprashna. Atiprashna means do not approach a Swami and ask him, 'Swami, please teach me how to attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi.'"
You have to ask according to how much you understand really. Do not ask questions even which you do not understand—what the question means, what Nirvikalpa Samadhi means. Ask for the next step.
The Story of George Washington Carver
I remember there was one of the greatest Rishis, an American Rishi, a scientist born in a Negro family called George Washington Carver. He became a scientist and he used to go out early morning for a walk, and he used to talk with God all the time.
He was a very dwarfish person, very lean and thin. His own parents did not believe he was going to survive after he was born. But somehow, as I said, his Prarabdha will work all the time. Not only did he survive, he surpassed many of the contemporary scientists.
So George asked God, "Reveal to me the secret of your universe."
And God said, "George, ask a question of your size."
Immediately, George understood and said, "Lord, reveal to me the secrets of a peanut."
"That is an appropriate question of your size," God seemed to reply.
And God revealed to him. And because of that, George Washington Carver had saved a lot of farmers. And then he discovered more than 300 products out of peanut. And today if we are enjoying peanut butter, it's all because of this discovery. His research—of course, he was not the creator of peanut butter—but his research, his discoveries led to the discovery of peanut butter.
So just a humble peanut! How many secrets are there? God alone knows.
The Importance of Knowing the Deity
Anyway, so if you do not know the Devatā whom you are about to praise and contemplate, if you do that without knowing thoroughly, your head will fall down. That means you are not going to get any result.
You would get the result only if you know, if you have knowledge of the Devatā whom you are going to contemplate.
Sri Ramakrishna contemplated on Hanuman. Was Sri Ramakrishna ignorant of Hanuman's nature? He knew very well that Hanuman is the greatest devotee of Rama, God.
What does it mean? This is how Tulasi Das praises. Whenever we chant Ram Nama—not the middle portion, but Śuddha Brahma Paramparā Ram—Goswami Tulasi Das had composed some marvelous shlokas and sandwiched this Ram Nama in between.
So it starts like Varna Nama, Artha Sangha Nama, etc. And in that, this marvelous shloka is then praising because the very soul, the essence of Ramayana is Hanuman. He is the one, and Hanuman in South India is called Mukhya Prāna.
Hanuman: The Guru and the Bridge
Mukhya Prāna means the matchmaker, the guru who brings the devotee and God together.
That's why Guru is considered like a mountaineer guide. He knows the path from the beginning to the end. He has conducted so many people, so he can help us avoid dangers. He knows shortcuts. He knows what is called, nowadays, "secrets of windows, shortcuts to more productivity," etc.
So Hanuman is the person who crossed the ocean of Samsāra, went to the Jivatmā who was captured by Rāvanasura. In this case, Rāvanasura is the Māya Śakti, Sita is the Jivatmā, and he conveyed the message that God is longing for you.
"Don't think you are longing for God; because God is longing for you. You are longing for God. If God is not longing for you, you would not even have an inkling of whether God exists or not."
This is what every Christian mystic so beautifully expresses: "Unless God loves us and teaches us what love is, we would not be able to love."
Just imagine a child whose parents do not love him. How do we know we are capable of loving? We learn it from our parents, especially from our mothers. What is called the most unselfish love—our mother is ready to sacrifice her life from the beginning to the end, even after birth.
So we understand what love is from her, and then we know what love is. And when our turn comes, we also know how to use it, how to expand it, etc.
So a Guru is one who tells about God and says, "God is more suffering from your separation than you are suffering. But God has sent me." It is Bhagavān who sends Guru, and he reassures Sita Devi and made her very happy.
Studying the Ramayana
We have to study Ramayana, not read Ramayana, not do Pāyana. Ramayana Pāyana—especially Sundara Kanda—is the most important.
Sundara Kanda is considered the very heart of Valmiki Ramayana. Why? Because that is where Hanuman goes, and then he reveals to Sita how much Rama loves, how much he is suffering.
Mother suffers more from separation from her child, or does the child suffer more? We have to understand that. That is why he is called Mukhya Prāna.
In South Indian terminology, Mukhya Prāna means Guru, and Hanuman is the very jewel, Ratna, of Ramayana—Mahamala Ratna, Vande Anilatmajam.
The Meaning Behind Rituals
So what I am trying to tell you here is that everything has got a meaning. So if somebody does rituals without understanding, will there be any result? Definitely there will be result, but thousand times more—or one hundred thousand times more—will be the result if a person knows the meaning of the ritual.
Simple example: Every day we are singing Khandana Bhava Bandhana, and if we know the meaning, then our devotion to Sri Ramakrishna, that is to God, will increase billion fold.
Khandana Bhava Bandhana—he who is ready to grant you eternal liberation and Ananta Ananda, infinite joy, unbroken bliss—not joy, but unbroken bliss of which happiness, pleasure, happiness, and joy are only infinitesimal parts of that Paramānanda.
Therefore, if we know the Devatā and our heart will long, "I want to become one with that Devatā," then the result will be much greater.
So Vishashti asks three of the priests of the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, etc., and unfortunately, they are like our modern Pujaris. They know how to perform the rituals, but excepting a few, most of them—almost all of them—they do not know what the Devatā is that they are longing for.
The Emperor and the Pumpkins
Sri Ramakrishna used to illustrate beautifully: if a person somehow attains or is taken to the presence of a great emperor who is capable of bestowing so many kingdoms, and this person has knowledge only of pumpkins, of which he was accustomed in his village, then he will say:
If the emperor becomes gracious and asks him, "Ask me what you want, and I will give you," then immediately this person says very happily, "Grant me some pumpkins."
What would be the thing? The king, the emperor, will be disappointed. This person also may be temporarily happy. How long would pumpkins last?
So Sri Ramakrishna used to say: "When you approach..." And that is what happened to Narendranath (later Swami Vivekananda).
When Sri Ramakrishna sent him on a Tuesday evening, at night, to Mother Kali's temple, he actually saw the living Divine Mother, the Empress of this entire creation, and then he forgot everything.
"Mother, grant me devotion (Bhakti), Jnana, Viveka, Vairāgya, Śraddha!"
Three times it happened.
The fourth time, Ramakrishna scolded him severely and sent him again. This time Swami Vivekananda remembered, and he said, "Fi upon me! Seeing the Divine Mother living and ready to grant anything, should I ask? Who can ask? Even if we remember, we cannot ask."
The Secret of Upasana
So what is the whole point? Rituals are wonderful. They are very fruit-giving, exactly as we have been told by the Vedas: perform any ritual, any Yajna, any sacrifice, you will get your result.
But if you know the Devatā, you don't need to ask. Just to make it easier for us to understand:
Suppose somebody marries the daughter of a great emperor, and the emperor has got only one daughter as his child—there is no son, no other daughter—a single girl. This person may not inherit everything that belongs to the emperor, but his children will.
It is like that. So if we become one with the Devatā, then we don't need to beg the Devatā, because the owner is called Devatā. And whatever he owns—whether it is Agni Devatā, Aditya Devatā, or any other forms (infinite forms are there)—we become the owners of whatever that Devatā owns.
This is the real secret of every Upasana:
- Contemplate upon Indra, identify yourself with Indra, and the entire Indrananda will be yours.
- Contemplate upon Brihaspati, and the entire Brihaspatinanda will be yours.
- Contemplate upon Lakshmi, and you become the giver of wealth to everybody.
- Contemplate upon Saraswati, and you become the giver of knowledge to everybody.
- Contemplate upon Brahma, and you become the Srishti Kartha (creator of the universe).
This is the idea, and that is why in the Puranas it is said that every Yuga, only one particular person who had attained to that divine state through his meritorious acts attains oneness with Brahma. That is called going to Brahmaloka, Satyaloka, and he enjoys there, and he will have gradual liberation.
Unless he is still longing for his dry fish, which he was accustomed to from his childhood. So it is like that, and this is the essence of it.
The Priests' Ignorance
Ushasti asks each of the three priests, "Do you know whom you are praising? About to do the praise in this Yagna, this sacrificial rite? If you do, that would be absolutely fine. If you do not know, but if you go on chanting like a tape recorder, then your head will fall off."
That means, it is another way of saying, "There are better things for you to learn. Not that your head will literally fall off, but you have to better learn from those who know about it."
"That is their way of expression. You will not get superior result. You will get a very inferior result. But definitely you are going to get the result."
And then all three priests simultaneously said, "We do not know. We only know how to perform the ritual, but we do not know even which Devatā we are addressing. What is the nature of that Devatā? And how to become one with that Devatā?"
The King Recognizes Ushasti
So then the king saw him, approached Ushasti, and said, "Sir, may I know who you are?"
And Ushasti says, "My name is Ushasti, and I know all the Devatās which your priests do not know."
Then the king said, "I am so fortunate. I have been searching for you. I searched all over, and because you moved away from your usual village—in search of food perhaps—and took refuge in the house of an elephant caretaker, I could not trace you.
At the beginning I had the idea to appoint you only. I am so fortunate. You yourself came to me. God is very gracious to me."
Then Ushasti says, "Appoint me as Brahma, as the manager, as the leader of all the priests. I will guide them how to do it, because I know them. I will also teach them which Devatā they are supposed to contemplate upon.
And as a result, this Yagna will yield immeasurable benefits. But you pay me, because he was poor."
That means we have to understand that if somebody has money, anything can be obtained. I don't know whether I should use the word "black market" or what they call "black web." Anything—you have money, you can obtain anything.
So this person had obtained it, and the king was so glad. "Whatever you ask me, I am going to pay you gladly, much more, because my desire is fulfilled by God's wish. You yourself came, whom I failed to locate."
Teaching the Priests
And then he sits, and then one by one the priests approach him. "I am the priest, Udgatra, etc. So, I do not know which Devatā I am going to praise. Please teach me. As you yourselves have said, without knowing the Devatā, if you chant the hymns, then your head will fall off."
As I said, it is not literally that the head will fall off, but the result will be very inferior.
And then Vishashti teaches them, "This is your Devatā, this is your Devatā, this is your Devatā," to the three priests representing three different Vedas.
And then he becomes the Brahma, or the supervisor, and the Yajna is done.
The Story in Brief
This is the story in brief. That is to say, ritual will yield its result—no doubt about it. Every ritual will yield its result.
But if we know the glory, the greatness of the Devatā, then the result, the benefit will be far, far superior.
The Vesper Service of Ramakrishna Order
And as an example, I am going to tell you some things—especially the devotees, followers of the Ramakrishna Order. We all know that as soon as the dusk comes, Vesper service is done.
And especially in most of the places, Khandana, Omritam, Sarvamangala—these are the three hymns sung in some places like Jairambati, Bangalore, and our Varanasi Advaita Ashrama.
The fourth mantra, composed by Swami Avedanandaji, is also sung: Prakritim Parama.
Now the point I wanted to tell you first is about Sarvamangala.
Sarvamangala Mangalye
This hymn is to be found in the Durga Saptashati, which is from Markandeya Purana. Saptashati means seven hundred—Sapta means seven, Shati means one hundred—so it contains seven hundred shlokas.
Even sometimes, only two words will be one shloka, or "Kali said this" would be one shloka, like that. Even one word also is considered as one shloka.
Why did it enter into the Vesper service of the Ramakrishna Order? Because Ramakrishna had worshipped Holy Mother on a particular day called Phaladahini Kali Puja—a Divine Mother who eats up all the fruits, both merit and demerit, Punyam and Papam.
And when Divine Mother eats up all the Punyam and Papam, there is no rebirth possible. Every rebirth is because of either Papam or Punyam.
That is why somebody says, "I will give up all the demerit but retain merit. Give up Papam or destroy Papam, but I will retain Punyam." That would be the cause of rebirth in a higher world where greater happiness is found. But that greater happiness itself becomes a deep desire from then onwards, and then that would be the root cause of the prolongation and continuation of the Samsara Chakra.
This is what is called worldly existence. Like Brahma Chakra, it goes on and on and on. So therefore, one has to give up both Papam and Punyam.
The Story of the Gopis
For this, there is a beautiful illustration in the Bhagavatam, in the tenth section (Skanda), where Bhagavān Krishna invites the Gopis, on their own prayer, to come and play with him.
Usually, it goes by the name Rasa Panchadhyay—five chapters dealing with the swimming in the bliss of Satchitananda Sagara. This has to be studied with a spiritual eye.
And Swami Vivekananda said, "Anybody even with a speck of lust should not even read those shlokas, because not only does he degrade himself, he also degrades God. His concept of God is also degraded, and if he talks with others, they will also be degraded."
There it is said Krishna invited them—how? By the playing on his flute, Venunatha. Everybody understood that Krishna is calling. That is the irresistible call of Bhagavān Krishna.
Then everybody, whatever they were doing, just left it there and ran towards the banks of the Yamuna.
But there were some who were restrained by their children, by their brothers, by their husbands. So one Gopi was restrained, and the Bhagavatam describes that she suffered intensely.
"I cannot see, I cannot meet my beloved Krishna," she cried, and then she suffered so intensely that all her Papas—what is the result of Papa (sin)—intense suffering. She suffered and she experienced that suffering, and that suffering burned all her Papas.
And then she experienced so much of bliss by just thinking about her beloved Krishna—indescribable bliss. And this experience of indescribable bliss exhausted, destroyed her entire Punyam.
Not having either demerit or merit, immediately that Gopi attained liberation.
So that is why first we have to overcome what is called the demerit through merit, and then discard the merit also.
It is a marvelous story. When opportunity comes, we will deal with that.
The Meaning of Sarvamangala
So what is the point? As an example, I am giving you that Sarva Mangala Mangalye—just those three words—Mangalye: the Divine Mother is of the nature of auspiciousness. But she is the auspiciousness of every auspicious event and experience.
But we have to understand: she is not only what we call an auspicious event. Any event that takes place—Sarva Mangala Mangalye—am I suffering? Very good. Am I enjoying? Very good. Am I suffering more? Even better.
That is what Holy Mother said: "Misery is the gift of God."
The Gift of Misery
So we may not understand immediately how our misery—so much suffering—I do not see. Doctors are not giving hope. Nobody else is giving hope. And the suffering is of two types: bodily and mental.
Bodily suffering can be overcome easily through sleep, through anaesthesia, through unconsciousness. However intense the suffering, it can be forgotten temporarily.
But if a person is suffering mentally, it is almost impossible. There is a way, but it takes a long time. The suffering—mental suffering—is too intense even to describe.
So the person will be suffering so much. At that time, misery is a gift of God.
If someone remembers this, then it will be—what type of statement is that? What type of teaching is that? "I am suffering so much. How can this be auspicious?"
Understanding Suffering Through Ignorance
Because we are ignorant of what is going to happen in the future—either soon or later, or in the next birth—this very experience is exhausting all the demerits. And the person's merits are evading. It is very good. Everything is good.
In fact, suffering is the only one that can take us to God. I don't know whether you can show me one example where a person, nicely enjoying this world, eating nice sweets, and getting the love of everybody, has longing for God realization.
True longing for liberation comes only when a person is being roasted by the threefold sources of suffering: Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika.
This is a beautiful topic. We will talk about it further 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!