Chandogya Upanishad 3.12.2-9 Lecture 152 on 02 November 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 Gāyatrī Upāsanā

We are discussing the Gāyatrī Upāsanā. This upāsanā of Gāyatrī Brahman comes in the third chapter, twelfth section of this very Chāndogya Upaniṣad. Here Gāyatrī is described as Śabda Brahman.

Sound-Oriented and Form-Oriented Devotees

As we all know, some people are sound-oriented. How do we know? These people whose orientation is towards sound—they can remember sounds for a longer period of time. Names, telephone numbers, and generally they will be good at calculating, etc. And they become very good musicians.

And there are some people who are form-oriented. And they become very good painters. They can remember the names, the faces of people, sceneries—beautiful, ugly. They can recognize the faces of people but may not remember their names.

So most of us do not have much of either, but a combination of both. But some people are sound-oriented. Some people are sight-oriented.

The Significance of Orientation in Worship

So what difference does it make? When sound-oriented people worship God, they like to chant. They place emphasis on the sounds. So they can hear. The mantras can come in the form of sound, called Śabda Brahman.

So a marvelous philosophy has been started that is called Sphoṭa-vāda—Śabda Brahman. And the normal things they describe are about visions of gods and goddesses with various forms, etc. So that is how we know.

So in this particular section, Gāyatrī as Śabda Brahman is being revealed very much. And we have seen almost four mantras we have completed, the essence of which is: Gāyatrī is everything—the past, the present, the future. Everything that we experience as this creation is nothing but manifestation of Brahman.

The only difference we have to note and emphasize: it is Śabda Brahman. So that is why Oṃkāra can be contemplated both as sound as well as in the form of Saguṇa Brahman. Of course, Nirguṇa Brahman has nothing to do either with sound or sight.

Śrī Rāmakrishna's Universal Philosophy

So differences of opinions, quarrels may erupt. There is no need. That is why Rāmakrishna's philosophy is the most appropriate philosophy. It is not how a devotee, a spiritual aspirant, is approaching God, but how a devotee is able to transform his life, his body—which is not that very important, even though important—but how his character is formatted.

In other words, is he becoming unselfish? Unselfishness is a marvelous word. It represents love, equality, self-sacrifice, giving away everything that one has, treating everyone as equal, looking upon everybody as equal to one's own self. All these ideas are compressed in that one word that is called unselfishness—niḥsvārthattā.

Svārthatā means confining oneself to the limited, which is one's own body and mind and possessions, and which includes family members, close relatives, religious members of the same culture, etc., or even the same language. So the goal is to go beyond these limitations, and that which is unlimited is called Brahman.

The Teaching of the Upaniṣads

And this is not a new idea here. It is the same idea we have seen in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad: Ayam ātmā Brahma. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, the very first mantra which I quoted yesterday, says Brahman or Oṃkāra is everything. Oṃkāra and Gāyatrī are the same.

The Second Mantra: Gāyatrī as Creation

So there are several things there. In the second mantra which we discussed:

Yāvān eṣā Gāyatrī, iyaṃ vāva sā yā iyaṃ pṛthivī. Asyām hi idaṃ sarvaṃ bhūtaṃ pratiṣṭhitam. Etām eva na atiśīyate.

This Gāyatrī is manifesting as this creation, and this earth here means creation, for everything that exists here rests on this earth and doesn't go beyond. It's not merely our earthly planet, but whether it be Mars or stars or Saturn—anything. That is all included in this word "earth."

And the same idea has been expressed also we have seen both in the Puruṣa Sūktam as well as Nārāyaṇa Sūktam and practically in every sūktam. Only the names change.

If it is Śrī Sūktam, Śrī is everything. If it is Nārāyaṇa Sūktam, Nārāyaṇa is everything—Brahman. If it is Viṣṇu Sūktam, Viṣṇu is everything. If it is Puruṣa Sūktam, Puruṣa is everything.

The Infinite Nature of Brahman

Not only everything—the whole creation is but an infinitesimal part of His glory. Ekāṃśena sthito jagat—so not to be calculated. Ekam means one percent? No, it is not even one percent. Actually infinity cannot be divided. One portion is manifesting—it is the finite world. Anything that is created, the effect, is called limited. No, it is not like that.

It is to convey to us that whatever we say is nothing but infinite. But we say "the infinite" because of the instruments, which is the mind, and which depends upon the sense organs. And these are limited. Therefore, our experience is limited. Therefore, our ideas are limited. And that is what is called finiteness.

Sahasraśīrṣā Puruṣaḥ—that Puruṣa or the Divine Lord, He is having a thousand heads. That means not a thousand. Every head that we see is God's head. Every eye we see—sahasrākṣaḥ—that is God's eye. Every hand, every leg, everything that we see is nothing but Brahman with names and forms.

And then, lest we may say, "Oh, so Brahman is only like this and nothing more"—no. So that Puruṣa: Bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvā, atyatiṣṭhat daśāṅgulam—that is, He envelops this whole creation. Viśva means creation. But He extends ten inches more.

So here, like a thousand heads, a thousand hands, a thousand eyes—that is not ten inches. That means this infinite is being looked at through our limited mind in a limited way. So the problem is not God. The problem is our instrument.

Transcending the Instruments

So if we can get rid of the instrument, then we can have full vision of the Divine. What is the meaning of getting rid of the instruments? That is, dis-identifying: I am not the body. I am not the mind, etc.

Puruṣa eva idaṃ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac ca bhavyam Utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad annenātirohati Etāvān asya mahimā, ato jyāyāṃś ca puruṣaḥ

This is glory. He is far, far beyond what we can conceive. What is who? Puruṣa. This Divine Being. A small part of Him is manifesting as this entire creation. But three-fourths of Him is above all the creation. But as I mentioned, it is not mathematical calculation. So that is what He says.

That means everything is Brahman. If we have right knowledge, we see only one object. It is called vastu. It is called Brahman. But if our mind is full of thoughts, we see Brahman with as many thoughts as we have—small and big, good and evil, male and female, here and there, born and dying. All these are thoughts in the mind. That is why I quoted from other places also.

The Fourth Mantra: The Heart Within

Now we will proceed. The fourth mantra. Then, now, the ṛṣi wants us to focus. His body is, of course, Brahman. But His body is a greater limitation. Within the body there are prāṇas. They are more pervasive—like prāṇamaya kośa. And then there is a hṛdaya, vijñānamaya kośa, which is much more subtle, more pervading, and which is the ruler.

Prāṇamaya kośa is the ruler of the annamaya kośa. Manomaya kośa is the ruler of the prāṇamaya kośa. Vijñānamaya kośa is the ruler of the manomaya kośa. Ānandamaya kośa is the ruler of the vijñānamaya kośa. Brahman is the controller, the ruler of ānandamaya kośa.

So that is what this fourth mantra wants to tell us: that body in man—that means man's body—and again it has a heart within that body. And the prāṇas exist in this body, sustaining it. And it is with the prāṇa, the body is born. Prāṇa continues because of the prāṇas. And when the prāṇas depart, the body also falls aside. That means it merges in its causal elements. And nobody can go beyond it.

The Flame in the Heart

And this idea we have explored. You will have to go back in the Nārāyaṇa Sūkta. There is a flame near the heart, and Bhagavān, Paramātmā, is established or manifested—more available for understanding—in the form of knowledge, in the form of light in that heart. And he is called by various names.

Sa Brahmā, sa Śivaḥ, sa Hariḥ, sa Indraḥ—and he is called Brahmā. He is called Śiva. He is called Hari. He is called Indra. He is called Christ. He is called Buddha. He is called God, etc.

So'kṣaraḥ paramaḥ svarāṭ—He is His own ruler. Svarāṭ means one's own ruler. That means nobody can rule Him. So He is the supreme ruler. And He is akṣaraḥ—He is beyond time. Kṣara means that which attenuates, that which slowly decays. That is called kṣara. That's why when Hindus start this what is called akṣara abhyāsa—the very name akṣara abhyāsa—a habit of slowly trying to reach that state of what is called inexhaustible, indeclinable.

Akṣara means that which becomes less and less, gets destroyed. A-kṣara means its opposite.

The Fifth Mantra: Four Feet and Sixfold Nature

So then we also have seen in the fifth mantra: that Gāyatrī has four feet and is sixfold. So I told in that context that there are hundreds of Gāyatrīs. And hundreds of more Gāyatrīs will be invented in the future. Every iṣṭa devatā, chosen deity, will have its own Gāyatrī.

So we have our own Gāyatrī of Śrī Rāmakrishna, Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda. The devotee of every particular aspect of God has created, or some teachers have invented—there is Krishna Gāyatrī, there is Viṣṇu Gāyatrī.

I am going to quote a few just to support what we have discussed. So it is not that Gāyatrī is one, but that Vedic Gāyatrī has become the most popular. And every other Gāyatrī is only molded in that mold, only substituting certain words which indicate, which increase the devotion of the devotee.

The Sixfold Manifestation

So here it is four feet—means four parts, four lines—and ṣaḍvidhā. So what is the ṣaḍvidhā? This Gāyatrī is manifesting in six ways. How? As speech, as all the creatures, as the earth, as every body, as every heart, and every prāṇa. Speech and vital airs, though mentioned in connection with something else, are nothing but manifestations of this Gāyatrī.

So I am going to give you a few examples, just so that we can understand: Gāyatrīs are many, but Gāyatrī is only one. That is to say, I take refuge in you, so you take over me and you guide this body and mind. Do they belong to me? No.

The Body as Chariot

Every body is compared in the Upaniṣads as a chariot. The sense organs are the horses or engines. And there are different pathways. In the Bhagavad Gītā also: Indriyāṇi hayān āhuḥ—so these sense organs are called the horses.

So what is meant is that this body, this mind, and everything that we think is belonging to this body and mind, to this personality, to this individual—actually it is nothing but God. It came from God and it is sustained, maintained by God. And it goes back to God. It belongs to God. Not only that, it is God. That is the idea.

So I take refuge in you. For that, I go on meditating upon you. And I know that out of your grace, you will remove my ahaṃkāra—not aham, but ahaṃkāra. Aham is one. Ahaṃkāras are many. As many creatures, as many objects, so many kāras are there.

Examples of Gāyatrī Mantras

So as an example, this comes in the Nārāyaṇa Sūktam:

Om Nārāyaṇāya vidmahe Vāsudevāya dhīmahi Tanno Viṣṇuḥ pracodayāt

Then Śrī Rāmakrishna—Om Rāmakṛṣṇāya vidmahe—sorry, this is for Holy Mother:

Om Rāmakṛṣṇāya vidmahe Śāradeśvarī dhīmahi Tanno Durgā pracodayāt

We meditate upon Śrī Rāmakrishna, so that he will give us the understanding that our true mother is Śāradeśvarī, Śāradā Devī. So we surrender to this Śāradā Devī. And who is she? She is the Durgā. That means one who protects us and saves us from this transmigration. She is called Durgā. Tanno Durgā pracodayāt.

Gāyatrī for Śrī Rāmakrishna

And what about Rāmakrishna?

Om Gadadharāya vidmahe Rāmakṛṣṇāya dhīmahi Tanno Devaḥ pracodayāt

Meaning is the same. But here his name was Gadadhara. Gadadhara is another name for Lord Viṣṇu. But in this incarnation he is called Rāmakrishna. So let us become one, merge in Gadadhara. And we do for that purpose meditate or take refuge in Rāmakrishna. Then he will reveal his real nature, which is called Devaḥ, and he will save us. Pracodayāt.

Gāyatrī for Swami Vivekananda

Then what about Vivekananda? Why Vivekananda? Every jīvanmukta, every realized soul, is none other than Brahman. In our order:

Om Vivekānandāya vidmahe Yatirājāya dhīmahi Tanno Ṛṣiḥ pracodayāt

So these are only just a few samples to show that not only were there many Gāyatrīs—and if you go to the internet and search "various Gāyatrīs," you will get hundreds of Gāyatrīs. But all Gāyatrīs have only Brahman.

The Purpose of Gāyatrī Meditation

I want to become one with Brahman. Therefore I meditate upon that visible splendor of Āditya or Sūrya, because I cannot directly meditate upon Brahman. I know Brahman exists. I know I am coming from Brahman. I know I am manifestation of Brahman. That is only intellectual knowledge. I want to convert it into experiential knowledge.

Therefore I surrender myself to this visible God who is called Āditya. Bharga means the most desirable splendor. And what should you do out of his infinite grace? Let him remove my finiteness, so that there is no I and He. There is only one. Call it I, call it He—it doesn't matter.

The Sixth Mantra: The Greatness of Brahman

So this is what is being said in the sixth mantra. Such is the greatness of Brahman through this particular symbol of Gāyatrī. Greater than it is the person Brahman. One of its feet, one part of Brahman, covers all beings, all creation. But the rest—which is called immortality—is the rest of the three feet in heaven. That means beyond creation.

This is for the people of limited understanding, finite understanding. This is what is called mathematical calculation. One-fourth of Brahman is manifesting in the form of this world. And the rest of it is beyond, which is called nirguṇa, nirākāra, nirviśeṣa. And that is what is also said.

The Nārāyaṇa Sūktam Reference

Again, this is Nārāyaṇa Sūktam. Whatever part of the world we are experiencing, we are seeing, and we are hearing—indicating, we are experiencing through every sense organ. How many organs are there? Ten. So if I am walking one foot—that is the symbolism of the story of Bali and Vāmana, Vāmana Avatāra.

So the whole universe is nothing but Brahman only. But because of my limitation, I am only seeing it, hearing it, tasting it, touching it, etc.—inside, outside. There is no inside, outside. So everything, pervading: Nārāyaṇa sthitaḥ. Nārāyaṇa is one who is manifesting both inside and outside. Then what is in between? That is also Nārāyaṇa only.

The Analogy of the Ice Cave and Water

I gave the example of an ice cave made in the Arctic area. So there will be water inside, and some part of the water had frozen, became like a cave. And it as if divides the water into two—inside and outside. But it makes a lot of difference. Inside, water is just the most suitable temperature for sharks, for whales, for so many marine creatures to give birth and to make them grow. After six months or so, then they can stand the severe cold or the freezing conditions of the external world.

So that is how the same water in the form of ice dividing, as it were. So what divides is also water. What is inside is also water. What is outside is also water.

The Pot-Space and Universal Space

But our Advaita Vedānta gives the example of ghaṭākāśa and mahākāśa. So when we make a pot, before the pot is created, there is only one space—unbroken, undivided, untouched. At the moment a pot is created, then as if that pot contains that space, which is called pot-space, ghaṭākāśa. And as if it is inside, it is different than the space which is outside. Actually, as if a pot is something which is dividing the indivisible.

But we also discussed: a pot also is nothing but condensation of the space only. How come space becomes air, air becomes fire, fire becomes water, water becomes earth, and a pot is nothing but made out of the earth. But what is the original cause? Only space.

But space itself is a created thing. So who is the cause of space? Ātman. So what is this mahākāśa? Ātman. What is the ghaṭākāśa? Ātman. What is the ghaṭa? Ātman.

The Three Types of Space

In the same way, the outside ākāśa, inside ākāśa, space outside, space inside. And as we mentioned, studied earlier, there are three types of spaces. So bāhya ākāśa, citta ākāśa, and cid ākāśa. Do not get confused between cit and citta.

That is, the space in which our physical body is moving is called external space. That space in which our mind—means thoughts, means ideas of knowledge—are floating, they are born and they stay and they become merged—that is called citta ākāśa. Citta is another name for various thoughts, mind, mind-space.

But what is sustaining both? That is called cid ākāśa. Cit means pure consciousness. That is how we have to understand.

The Eighth Mantra: The Space Within and Without

So in this eighth mantra of this twelfth section of the third chapter:

Ayaṃ vāva sa yo'yam antaḥpuruṣa ākāśaḥ. Yo vā eṣo'ntaḥpuruṣa ākāśaḥ—so that space which is outside a person is the same as that which is inside a person. And that space, ākāśa, here which is outside a person is the same as that which is inside a person.

So the idea is: though it may appear to be two types of spaces, or in our parlance three types of spaces—bāhya ākāśa, citta ākāśa, cid ākāśa—really speaking, it is one ākāśa. Perceived through the body, it is called bāhya. That which is perceived by the mind is called citta ākāśa. That which is perceived by sattva-guṇa or purified mind, that is called cit ākāśa. That is the idea.

Ayaṃ vāva sa yo'yam antaḥpuruṣa ākāśaḥ. Tad etat pūrṇam apravartinam. Śreyaṃ labhate ya evaṃ veda.

So that ākāśa which is inside a person is the ākāśa within the heart. There is no difference at all.

Understanding Space from Different Viewpoints

Then why do we call outside ākāśa and inside ākāśa? That is because from the viewpoint—ākāśa is not outside or inside. We have to understand this idea clearly. That ākāśa, because of our identity with the body, we consider: I am in this hall. That is called hall-space, hall-ākāśa. I am inside the house. That is called gṛha ākāśa. I am within this hall. That is called śālā ākāśa.

So all these are names because of the upādhi, or limiting adjunct. Only from the viewpoint of the limiting adjunct, this is external, this is mental, and this is spiritual. But really speaking, one ākāśa, when it is perceived through purified mind, we know that is God, because ākāśa means the final cause of everything, the whole creation.

Ākāśa is Not the Ultimate

But even as I said, even this ākāśa is not final. Even though we say it is one, unlimited—but we have to say it is limited only. Limited by what? Limited by time, limited by another vastu. So limitation in the most subtle form—and that is what we have been discussing just now: this is house-space, this is pot-space, and this is stomach-space. And as Swami made fun, if we can't understand it, there is space within the mud in the brain.

So the same one ākāśa has been described variously.

The Purpose of This Teaching

What does this Gāyatrī Mantra in this twelfth chapter want to say through this? Because ākāśa is one, just like ākāśa is one, Brahman is one, Gāyatrī is one, the cause is one. But actually, from the Advaita point of view, we don't call Brahman as cause. Is not Brahman the cause? Only so long as we are aware of the effect, Brahman is a cause. But if we get rid of the idea that this is an effect, then automatically with the disappearance of the object, the disappearance of the subject also disappears. Object is the effect, subject is the cause. That is the understanding.

So this is the glory of Śabda Brahman in the form of Gāyatrī symbol, and for that, the upāsanā is given.

What Do We Gain from Gāyatrī Upāsanā?

Naturally the question comes: Why should I do this contemplation of Gāyatrī as Brahman, Gāyatrī Brahma Upāsanā? What do I get out of it? Because we are always looking: if I realize God, what do I get? I get mukti. So that is our desire. We want to get mukti.

What do I get by this Gāyatrī Upāsanā? The counter-question should be: What is it you don't get? Everything you get. Brahman means infinity. You get infinity. In fact, to say you get infinity is a misnomer. You were infinite. You are infinite. You will be infinite. But then you do not know. I do not know. We do not know that we are Brahman. That not-knowing our true nature—and that is called obtainment.

Brahman Cannot Be Obtained Through Karma

Really, there is nothing to obtain. Just a beautiful discussion. So karma can never—karma means sādhana here. Sādhana means contemplation. Through karma, nobody can obtain Brahman. Why? Because the results of karma are only four. And if I tell you what the Vedānta had discovered, you will not get a fifth result of karma.

Whatever action we do, it only yields four results. What is the first thing? It is called utpatti. Second is called āpti. Third is called saṃskāra. Fourth is called vikāra.

The Four Results of Karma

What do these four mean really?

1. Utpatti (Creation/Production)

So the first order is: some object is not there. So we produce through karma a new object. In fact, these ideas are nursery school ideas. Really speaking, nobody can produce anything. But with our limited intellect, we say, for example, two hundred years before, there was no airplane. Therefore, somebody—what did they do? They did not create an airplane. They took different parts of what is already existing, modified them, and brought them together with the help of scientific knowledge. And we are able to fly like birds.

So it is not a new creation, but it is a new combination of the same old creation.

The Example of the Wheel

The first time when human beings had created a wheel—so do you mean to say there was no wheel? Billions and billions of wheels were there already made by nature. Maybe an ice cube looks like a wheel. So the idea is that is the easiest form of transportation. Somebody observed it. "Oh, if it is flat, it travels very slowly. But if it is round, then it can roll very quickly, and especially from a higher grade, higher level, to a lower level, very quickly." Of course, the opposite also.

That is what happens when water flows—always from a higher altitude to a lower altitude. Nobody has seen water climbing from a lower altitude to a higher altitude. So man observed it. So it is possible to increase the speed, reduce the time to reach a destination. So that is how, slowly, through the observation of what is called nature, this wheel is created.

The Discovery of Cooking

Then things will be easily digestible if we can create something—that is cooking. And this also from observation. Forest fires—something is cooked, not rendered into cinders, ashes, but well cooked. And when the person went and tasted that flesh, maybe of a bird, of an animal, it was tender and it was easily digestible. Then he discovered, "This is what I am looking for."

The World Wide Web

So observation of nature, including WWW. A man was observing a spider web, and that is how the World Wide Web, WWW, has been created.

Whatever is already existing has been modified to suit our particular desires, our particular conveniences. That is what we need to understand. So what is the point? There is no new creation. Same creation, modified to suit our needs. And this human being has been doing in the form of manufacturing tools, etc. Everything is a tool only. A cooking pot is a tool. A bicycle is a tool. A car is a tool. An airplane is a tool. A rocket is a tool. Everything is nothing but a tool. And the dress is a tool, etc., etc.

What about medicine? That is also a tool only. Medicine, in fact, exists. That is why our Vedic ṛṣis called all these plants oṣadhayaḥ—that which cools down the heat. Oṣadhi dāha—dāha means that which burns. So that which cools—that is called a medicine.

Nothing New Under the Sun

So what I am trying to tell: creation is nothing but original substance exists. Only thing is, it becomes modified. And we also modify it to suit our purpose. Our air conditioning, our creating what is called a cooling fan—everything is, but whatever was existing, we modify it. There is nothing called new in this world.

So coming back: so we want something. So through karma, through action, what is the first thing? So there is a tool which would be highly useful for my comfort. So I created. This is called utpatti. And nobody can create Brahman, because Brahman is ever-present. It is never born. It is not going to die.

2. Āpti (Obtaining)

Then āpti. The second result of karma is: I want something, but it is not available where I am. But if I travel to the next village, perhaps, or another shop at a slight distance, that is available there. Āpti means obtaining. So it is there already, and I do not possess it. But it is available for purchasing or borrowing. But I have to take the trouble to go somewhere.

Brahman is not to be obtained. Why? Because it is everywhere. You do not need to go anywhere. Brahman is already existing, ever-existing. And Brahman is available everywhere. It never becomes less or more.

3. Vikāra (Modification/Repair)

What is the third thing? A part is broken. So you repair it. Karma. What is karma? You fix it together. Remove the defects. Make it useful. That is called correcting the vikāra. And that is the third effect of karma.

Brahman never becomes old. Never changes. And therefore it does not have any parts. Therefore there is no question of one part coming loose and we again fix it. Brahman's leg is gone, so we fix another artificial leg or robotic leg—whatever it is. That is also not possible.

4. Saṃskāra (Purification/Polishing)

What is the fourth effect of Brahman? Brahman never becomes old. That is one meaning of the Purāṇa. Purāṇas never become old because the truth never becomes old. Truth never changes. But we may mistake the truth. That is a different issue.

So the fourth result of any karma: say your brass pot has become tarnished. So therefore you buy some brass polish, or gold polish, silver polish, or wood polish—whatever it is. And then you remove those stains, etc. This is called saṃskāra.

So these are the four effects. Nobody can show any effect of karma, of action, other than these four.

Brahman Is Beyond All Effects

Because Brahman is ever infinite, He is never born, and He never becomes old, and He doesn't have parts. Therefore karma can never obtain Brahman.

Then what is the meaning of the obtainment of Brahman? We are unable to understand that we are Brahman. And that is called ajñāna, or ignorance. So through spiritual practice, we get rid of this ignorance. That getting rid of this ignorance is called contemplation.

The Process of Self-Realization

So as we approach—approaching is not a physical movement. Approaching means as we purify our mind, our mind becomes more and more a cleansed mirror. It is able to reflect what is in front of it. When it is perfectly cleansed, then we see what is in front of it.

I stand in front of the mirror. The mirror doesn't show I am a human being. It shows I am Brahman. You stand in front of the mirror. You are not a woman. You are Brahman. Because of what is called cleansing: that Brahman is not the body. That means I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am not also the third state. I am not a prājña.

Therefore, when all these—I am not viśva, I am not taijasa, I am not prājña. I am not sthūla-śarīra, gross body. I am not the subtle body. I am not the causal body. When these things are removed, the truth will come out. These are like coverings.

The Analogy of the Three Coverings

You stand in front of a mirror with three coverings, completely covered. Imagine. Then one by one, if you are born with these three coverings, so you know yourself: "I am this outermost covering." But one day will come when you are able to get rid of it. Then you say, "Oh, I mistook. I thought I was that, but I was this." This second one is also a mistake.

Then after some time, you enter into the—remove all the first two coverings, enter into the third with the third covering. And that is called suṣupti, or deep sleep state. And then you come out and say, "I thought I was the third covering, but that is also gone."

Negating the Three States

So when we enter into dream state, the outermost covering is removed. When we enter into the deep sleep state, that sūkṣma—that subtle body covering, subtle covering—is also gone, intellectually, cognitively. And when we wake up, the third covering is also gone. We understand: I am not the deep sleep. That means I am not even the third covering.

After some time, these liṅgas—then each covering is completely negated. Then I must be free of all the three. Then who am I? Therefore, I cannot say I am so-and-so. Simply, I can only say, "I am." Aham. And that is expressed in an explicit manner: Aham Brahmāsmi.

The Conclusion of the Ninth Mantra

So the same Brahman which is outside, the same Brahman is inside. So anybody who understands this—what happens? Śreyaṃ labhate—attains the greatest welfare, greatest attainment, which is called mukti. Ya evaṃ veda—who knows? He who knows this obtains that infinite Brahman by, in the form of knowing, Aham Brahmāsmi.

With this, the nine mantras of the twelfth section of the third chapter are over.

Symbolic and Spiritual Significance

Now we will discuss the symbolic significance. There are two significances: the what is called gross, or normal understanding, and then the spiritual understanding. And it is the spiritual understanding which is most important, which we will do in our next class.

Closing Prayer