Chandogya Upanishad 4.15 Lecture 146 on 12 October 2025
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 Fifteenth Section: Satyakama's Return from Pilgrimage
Context and Background
We are studying the story of Upakosala. We have just started the fifteenth section wherein the teacher Satyakama Jabala, having returned from a pilgrimage, confronted Upakosala and recognized that he had been taught about some parts of Brahman. Upakosala had succeeded in identifying himself with those specific deities, known as Adhishthātṛ Devatās (presiding deities).
Understanding the Presiding Deities
The Upanishad is not talking about waters as a mere physical element; it is talking about Apo Nārayaṇa, the Adhishthātṛ Devatā—one of the five deities because of whom we are able to survive in space, air, fire, waters, and earth. These are called the presiding deities.
Upakosala had gradually identified with what was taught by the three fires, and his guru understood this perfectly well. Satyakama himself had been taught and had become identified with these very same presiding deities, so he could recognize this achievement in his disciple. This was the real purpose for which he did not allow Upakosala to return home like other disciples.
The Meaning of Samavartana
From this story we must understand the practice of Samavartana, which means allowing pupils to return from the Gurukula to their respective homes. Usually, people get married after this ceremony. The guru gives final instructions on how to lead a householder's life, including teachings such as Satyam Vada (speak truth) and Dharma Āchara (practice righteousness), as well as Svadhyaya (self-study) and Mā Pramāda (be not negligent).
Every guru, like every university in every country, gives a Convocation Address when students graduate. This address summarizes the experiences of senior professors and eminent people, conveying: "This is how I lived my life, and this is how we also expect you to live your life."
Why the Teacher Kept Upakosala
Now we can understand why Satyakama Jabala kept Upakosala. It was not because of lack of love, negligence, or any other reason, but out of pure love. He recognized that his pupil was a very apt student and would be able to succeed and progress in spiritual life.
Before parting from Upakosala, the five fires told him that there was much more to be learned beyond what they had taught, and this would be imparted by his own teacher. Through this arrangement, several important purposes are accomplished.
The Purpose of the Guru Paramparā System
One essential purpose is to preserve the Guru Paramparā system—the unbroken chain of guru succession. A student may have learned something through his own inner intuitive vision, and it may seem correct, or perhaps he is imagining it. Only the teacher can confirm its authenticity. We have seen this in the case of Śhukadeva, whom Janaka tested for seven days with absolute disrespect and no response.
After seven days, everybody, including Emperor Janaka, became as it were Śhukadeva's bond slave—such was his transformation from the lowest state to the highest. Janaka was observing the mental state of Śhukadeva and found that, even for a single moment, his mind did not deviate from the thought of Brahman, from the vision of Brahman, from perceiving "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma" (All this is indeed Brahman).
Then Janaka confirmed: "You are a true knower of God Brahman." The purpose of this confirmation was not to question whether a true knower of Brahman has doubts, but to preserve the prestige and value of the Sampradāya (tradition). One should never go outside the tradition, and there are strict rules never to accept anybody coming from outside it.
The Example of Sri Ramakrishna
This is why Sri Ramakrishna had to accept Sanyāsa (monastic initiation) formally, even though he had already transcended it spiritually. His guru was shocked and surprised to discover such an Adhikāri (qualified aspirant)—a Sādhana Chatuṣṭaya Sampanna (one possessing the four qualifications for spiritual practice)—in Bengal, a land consumed by Tāntrika practices.
His guru understood that Ramakrishna was a fit person, but he did not fully realize that Sri Ramakrishna was not merely fit. Sri Ramakrishna had already experienced what Totapuri experienced after forty years of superhuman Tapasyā. The Divine Mother had taken him through all divine experiences, including Nirvikalpa Samādhi, long before any of these gurus arrived—before Bhairavi, Brahmani, Govinda, and others came to him.
Why Sri Ramakrishna Went Through the Formal Process
We must understand why Sri Ramakrishna had to go through the same process again with these gurus—it was for our sake, to be an example. We should always go through a teacher. The teacher not only teaches but also confirms that this is the right way, especially for you, and that you are progressing. The teacher is an expert, like an expert mountain climber who becomes a mountaineering guide.
Now we understand why Satyakama Jabala deliberately kept Upakosala—because he knew the potentiality of his disciple. If Satyakama had told Upakosala, "You are a very fit person, and I know that. I am going on a pilgrimage, and when I return, I will instruct you in everything. Do not worry; I have kept you only for this purpose," then Upakosala might have been jumping with joy at receiving this certification.
The Power of Yearning
But instead, something marvelous occurred. The very yearning for truth became so intense that Upakosala was ready to give up his food. He was depressed—not mentally disturbed, but his yearning made him look like a madcap in the eyes of other people. He gave up his food entirely, like Sri Ramakrishna gave up his food. Every sadhaka (spiritual practitioner) might also do the same thing.
The Upanishad condenses all these ideas and thoughts in a very brief form. Then the doubt will come: How are we supposed to understand all these things? This is where the Guru comes into action.
The Role of the Guru
The Guru, a real spiritual master—a Brahmajñānī (knower of Brahman)—knows every step of the way because he himself has gone through it, and his own Guru made him go through it. His Guru also went through the same way. This is called Tradition. So Satyakama Jaba had this knowledge.
In order to increase the yearning of his disciple, he appeared to neglect him totally. It was a total pretense. But Upakosala came out shining like a brilliant sun. We must understand that Upakosala's mind was not worried, thinking: "Why is my teacher insulting me? Why is he not imparting knowledge when he taught others? That means they are definitely better." Instead, this made him think deeply: "Why did my teacher not teach me? Am I lacking something? Am I not fit to receive?"
He must have been contemplating these things. If anyone misunderstands this story superficially and concludes that he was obsessed with mental depression, they would be mistaken. If anybody were suffering from mental depression, he would be like a dead corpse. On the contrary, Upakosala's longing for what he sought was increasing by the minute. We know this because he must have been praying intensely to the Divine Mother: "Please reveal to me."
Upakosala's Prayer
This is what we see in the Īśāvāsya Upanishad as well, in the fifteenth or sixteenth mantra. Addressing the sun, the Upāsaka (practitioner) says:
hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham |
tattvaṃ pūṣannapāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye ||
The door to the truth within you is covered up, as it were. I am a Satya Dharma (practitioner of truth and righteousness). I am ready now to receive the final knowledge. But as it were, there is some strong obstruction.
The fires, in the form of the fires, Upakosala's own guru had become the fires, had become his teachers. I mentioned this in my last class. It would make far better sense to say "Brahma has come to me in the form of my Guru" rather than saying "my Guru is Brahma." In this way, the fires had become his teachers.
The teacher within—and Sri Ramakrishna illustrates this so beautifully—is Sat-Chit-Ānanda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss), which is the same within everybody. Upakosala became even more fit through this process. And then the teacher returned.
The Reunion with the Guru
He had one look at Upakosala and was so happy and joyous. "My disciple is ready, just like myself," he thought. Then he said: "My dear son, my dear child, I am so pleased with you. Now I will complete the instructions. They only taught you the higher and higher stages of spiritual attainment, and I see that you have attained all of them. Now I will take you to the final goal."
The Path of Self-Realization
The First Mantra: Akshi Purusha Upasana (Meditation on the Purusha in the Eye)
We then entered into the first mantra, which is called Akshi Purusha Upasana (meditation on the Purusha dwelling in the eye). The teaching is: "Find out who is this Purusha behind the eye." For that, I had quoted from the Kena Upanishad:
Śhrotrasyā Śhrotram Manaso Mano Yath Vāchavah Vācham Savu Prānasyā Prānah Chakshashasya Chakshahu Atimuchya Dhīrah Pretya Asmat Locat Amṛutah Bhavanti
The teacher—who is none other than Umā herself—saw that Brahman, pure consciousness, is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the tongue of the tongue, and also the life of the life (Prānasyā Prānah). It is the eye of the eye (Chakshashaha Chakshahu)—the real eye, the real perceiver, the real knower.
Śhankara's Commentary
Śhankaracharya comments on this teaching: "This ability of the ear to reveal its own object is possible only when the eternal non-composite, all-pervading light of the Self is there, but not otherwise. Hence the expression 'ear of the ear,' etc., is justifiable."
What does Śhankaracharya mean? He means that, for example, the eye knows "I am the eye" only because consciousness behind it lights up the mind. Mind means understanding. Thoughts arise in the mind, and understanding emerges from these thoughts. This knowledge percolates to the eye, which then knows: "Yes, I am called the eye. I have the ability to see. I can objectify whatever I see."
The awareness that knows: "I am the eye and this is my function." Similarly, "I am the ear and my function is to hear." "I am the nostril and my function is to distinguish between different odors and smells." This awareness makes this possible; otherwise, the body would be unconscious.
The body is nothing but eleven sense organs—ten sense organs (five of action and five of knowledge) plus the mind. The body would be like a dead body if we were not conscious. We see this every day in our daily life.
The Role of the Mind in Perception
This is exactly what Swami Vivekananda wants to highlight: the mind's role in perception. Swami Vivekananda says: "Even with intact instruments and organs, perception requires the mind to be attached to the organ. If the mind is detached or distracted, the sensation will not be registered."
The Process of Complete Perception
Complete perception involves a reaction within. External sensations are processed by the mind and presented to the intellect (Buddhi), which groups them with proper prior impressions and sends a reactive current leading to knowledge.
For example, suppose a person sees an animal for the first time and has no experience of that animal. Knowledge will not occur because he doesn't know what it is. But a normal person looking at an animal already knows: "This is not the plant kingdom, not the insect kingdom, not the human kingdom, not the bird kingdom—so this must be some animal." He knows it is some sort of animal, but exactly which animal, he doesn't know.
We have dealt with this before when we discussed the six Pramānas (means of knowledge): Pratyaksha (direct perception), Anumana (inference), Upamana (comparison), and others. Finally, to obtain knowledge of what is called Atindriya (beyond sensory perceptions)—such as higher worlds (Svargloka) and life in such worlds, the existence of God, the existence of hell and heaven—all these can be obtained only through Śhāstra (scripture), also called Veda Pramāna or Śhabda Pramāna.
Cognition and Knowledge
Swami Vivekananda tells us we must have prior experience. For example, when a person sees an animal for the first time, he goes and describes it to somebody, who identifies it and says: "You know, it is a cow." From that onwards, the first sight is called cognition. The second time when he beholds the same animal, this impression tallies with what he had seen before. When both tally and the intellect confirms there is no difference, there is no shadow of doubt—this is the same animal—then that knowledge is produced.
Accordingly, our reaction also starts. If a person has seen a tiger and knows it is a very dangerous animal that can destroy a person or kill a person, then this person's reaction will differ from someone who has not had such an experience.
This is what Swami Vivekananda wants to convey: First the mind groups the sensations, then segregates them, and then tallies them with past impressions if any. Then there would be what is called definitive knowledge. This reaction is the will—meaning "What do I do now in this situation?"
The Unchanging Perceiver
Even this process is not complete. There is a need for an unchanging, stationary perceiver. For perceptions to be unified and complete, there must be a permanent, motionless background upon which these impressions can be formed and gathered, similar to a stationary screen for a camera.
Here is a better example: Unless there is an unchanging screen, all the sights projected onto that screen by a projector—what we call cinema—will not be seen. If the screen itself is changing, it will not receive what the projector is trying to project upon it, and therefore we will not be able to experience anything.
What is that unchanging object or subject? That is called Ātman (pure consciousness) is the background. Upon that pure consciousness, we project all these impressions. Then something marvellous happens: that pure consciousness, which we now call a tree, is a bit of that consciousness separated from that unchanging consciousness. Strangely, this bit of consciousness now changes, it moves, as it were.
The Īśāvāsya Upanishad clarifies this:
Tad ejati Tan na jeti Tadh dhoore Tadh vantike Tadh antarsya sarvasya Tadh sarvasya bāhyatah
(It moves and it does not move; it is far and it is near; it is inside all this and it is outside all this.)
This unchanging factor provides identity and unity not only to the object but to ourselves, the perceiver himself. It is our experience. The soul as the perceiver—this permanent, motionless background upon which the mind and intellect project and group sensations into a unified whole—is identified as the soul of man.
The soul of man does not mean the hand of a man or the head of a man, as if it is a separate part of the body. No! It is nothing but that one unified whole. The real nature of man is that unchanging one, and that is called consciousness, also called Jyoti (light).
The Light of the Self
Every day we sing in the first hymn at Vesper service:
Namo Namo Prabhu, Vākyamān Ātitha Jyotira Jyoti, Ujjvalā Hridi Khandhara
This is the Ātman that Satyakama is talking about and teaching to his beloved student Upakosala.
Having abandoned the sense of self or I-ness in the body-mind complex and rising above sense life, the wise become immortal. This passage is interpreted to convey the taintlessness of the person dwelling in the eye. He is behind the eye, behind the nerve currents produced by the eye, behind the mind, behind the intellect, and that which illumines both the body and mind and yet remains unchanged. That is the Ātman.
This is what Satyakama wants to say in the first mantra of this fifteenth section.
The Qualities of Brahman
Understanding the Nature of Brahman
Now we move to the qualities of Brahman. It is not very difficult to understand why these qualities are described. Because we want to know what type of Brahman we are going to identify ourselves with, Ramanujacharya so brilliantly calls it "Aśesha Kalyāṇa Guṇa Sāgara" (the ocean of infinite auspicious qualities).
Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa is the Aśesha Kalyāṇa Guṇa Sāgara. Sāgara means ocean. Guṇa Sāgara means He is the embodiment of the most blissful qualities—those that only do good, with no evil and no taint. And how many qualities? Infinite, like the ocean itself—infinite number of blessed qualities that help humanity.
Some of these qualities are being briefly mentioned here for contemplation on that Supreme Brahman, which Satyakama Jabala is going to teach to his beloved disciple Upakosala.
The Selection of Upakosala
We should also note that although Satyakama Jabala perhaps has many other disciples—we don't know how many—when a person becomes a Knower of Brahman, God Himself directs to him who should receive the highest knowledge. Many may have come to him, but of all these persons, Satyakama Jabala retained only this one person, Upakosala so that he could pass on his own knowledge to a fit vehicle, a fit instrument—just as Sri Ramakrishna did before passing away.
These are marvelous things we have to understand.
Sri Ramakrishna's Transmission to Narendranath
Sri Ramakrishna was being pestered by Narendranath, who wanted to experience the Samādhi of which he had already glimpsed through the blessed touch of Sri Ramakrishna. When Sri Ramakrishna touched him, Narendranath perceived: "This pot is Brahman, this mat is Brahman, and everything that I am seeing is Brahman." He had actually experienced this by the pure touch of Sri Ramakrishna, but it had not become a permanent property of his own.
Just a few days before passing away, Narendranath prayed intensely, and on what may have been a Śhivarātri night, he obtained this realization.
Then something most marvelous happened. Just before passing away, one day Sri Ramakrishna was talking with Narendranath. Towards the end of Sri Ramakrishna's life, he spent more and more time alone, not even with his other monastic disciples, only with Narendranath. What they talked remains a sealed book; nobody knows. Swami Vivekananda never opened his mouth about it, except once or twice, letting out a little of what had happened.
Sri Ramakrishna was looking intently at Narendranath, and suddenly both of them entered into a deep Samādhi state. After a long time, both of them came to consciousness. Narendranath found Sri Ramakrishna was weeping with joy.
Do not imagine he was weeping thinking: "Oh, I have given away my everything." Sri Ramakrishna was telling Narendranath: "Oh Naren, today I have become a fakir by transmitting everything I obtained into you. I have become a fakir."
What does fakir mean? It means a renouncing monk who keeps nothing, totally depending upon God. Why was Sri Ramakrishna weeping?
If anybody construes this as "I have lost everything I had and had no option but to give it away," such a person must be one of the most ignorant. We can only pity such a person, not really understand him.
But what did Sri Ramakrishna do? He became completely one with Narendra. When Narendra opens his mouth thereafter, who will be speaking? Sri Ramakrishna. If Narendra was giving a talk, who was talking? Sri Ramakrishna.
This is why Swami Vivekananda used to say: "I am HMV, His Master's Voice. I am just an instrument." Swamiji realized this deeply. There is concrete evidence of this, but which I will not go into now. I want to complete this story today.
The Five Mantras: Qualities and Powers of Brahman
First Mantra: The Eye of the Eye
Find out who is this Purusha behind the eye. The eye is not the seer or perceiver. Behind that eye, there is somebody lending his consciousness. Behind the mind, there is a perceiver. And that perceiver is pure consciousness, Brahman.
So He is called the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, etc. The Prāṇa of the Prāṇa (the life of the life). This means these are all manifestations of Brahman only. Everything is the manifestation of Brahman. Naturally, after the knowledge of Brahman, whenever we see, whatever we see, is nothing but Brahman. Sarvam kalvidam Brahma.
Second Mantra: The Centre of All Blessings
etaṃ saṃyadvāma ityācakṣata etaṃ hi sarvāṇi vāmānyabhisaṃyanti
sarvāṇyenaṃ vāmānyabhisaṃyanti ya evaṃ veda || 4.15.2 ||
The Knowers of Brahman call him as the centre of blessings, for all blessings come together in him. When a person contemplates Brahman as the repository (asesha kalyana Guna sagarah), here that is what is said: "Vāmani" (blessings). All is the repository. He is the embodiment, the very condensed form of every good anybody can desire.
What does anybody desire? Only three things: "Let me be" (Sat), "Let me know" (Chit), "Let me be happiness" (Ānanda). Sat-Chit-Ānanda!
All blessings come only when a person is living—not with the body, which comes and goes—but here as pure Brahman. "I exist. I know. And I am of the nature of bliss."
Every person who contemplates Brahman—and the purpose is that you must contemplate now Brahman, not merely Ākāśha (ether), Vāyu (air), etc.—understands that Brahman is the very embodiment of all blessings.
Vāma means blessings. "Sanyad Vāma" means the centre, the storehouse of all blessings. Sanyad means what? The centre. Centre means what? The very embodiment, the house, the storehouse of all blessings.
Anybody who contemplates on Brahman—and this process is called Upāsana (meditation)—becomes one with Brahman, like Sri Ramakrishna became. He became Hanuman, Rādhā, Kāli, Krishna, Gopāla, Śhiva, everybody - "Sarva Deva Devi Svarupāya" (All gods and goddesses, all means and paths). Similarly, Holy Mother also - "Sarva Deva Devi Svarupinyai"
So Brahman should be contemplated as the very storehouse of blessings. Whoever succeeds in identifying himself with Brahman becomes that house, that storehouse of all blessings, because all blessings come together in him who knows or contemplates Brahman.
Therefore, this Brahman is to be meditated upon as the very storehouse of all blessings. This is what we do again at the Vesper service, albeit we do not think much about it—maybe sometimes, but most often no. We just open our mouth and some sounds come out, but we don't stop to contemplate.
Actually, here I want to tell you why Swami Vivekananda composed the first stotra called "Avatara Stotram" (Hymn to the Incarnation of God). There is no mention of Sri Ramakrishna in it, but it can be applied to every Avatara.
Swami Vivekananda composed this poem so that after singing it, when the restless mind is, and the way we sing is put together in a particular rhythm called Chauthal—slowly sung—by the time the song is over, if we are paying even a little bit of attention, our mind becomes absolutely calm.
After the Vesper service is over, one is supposed to find a nook or corner and sit and meditate. Meditate on what? On the mantra, on the chosen deity given by one's own Guru. But how do I do that? See, just now you have sung: "O Ramakrishna, you are like this, you are like that," with all these qualities. And then there is one śloka:
Nirakhi Tava Kripaye (I see that you are God Himself, not because of my superior understanding, but because of your pure grace.)
Nirakhi means "I see, I perceive, I understand." Tava Kripaye means "by your grace." What a marvelous thing!
Then we have a second hymn that, excepting by surrendering oneself to Sri Ramakrishna, there is no other way. So that is why it is in the fourth line of this second stotra:
Tasmat Tvameva Sharanam Mama Dīna Bandho (Therefore, You are my only refuge, O Friend of the Poor!)
But when we come to the third hymn, which is to be addressed to the Holy Mother especially—because Sri Ramakrishna did it when He did Puja (worship) of the Holy Mother on that Phalharini Kali Puja—we have:
Sarva Mangala Mangalye Sarva Mangala Mangalye Mangalye
(You are the very embodiment of Auspiciousness.)
Mangala means auspiciousness. "Mangala Mangalye"—You are the origin, You are the manifester of every auspiciousness. Whatever happens in the life of a devotee—"Sarvam Mangalam" (Everything is auspicious only). Outwardly, sometimes there may be difficulties, but the Holy Mother Herself clarified in what way misery and suffering are a gift of God.
So we have to understand: anybody who contemplates that Brahman is the centre of all blessings becomes identified with Brahman. That means he becomes what Sri Krishna calls and teaches to Arjuna: "Sthita Prajñah" (the sage of established wisdom). He attains Samādhi—complete onement with the supreme reality—and then he himself becomes the blessings because there is no "him." It is only Brahman now.
Third Mantra: The Vehicle of All Blessings
Now we proceed to the third mantra: "Esha U Eva Vāmanihi Eśhahi Sarvani Vāmani Nayati Sarvani Vāmani Nayati Ya Evam Veda."
He—this Upāsaka who became one with Brahman—is the vehicle of blessings because he has become Brahman. If he says "I bless you," then you become less. Bless means what? To become less. Go on becoming less and still less and still less until nothing of you remains—only He remains. That is the true blessing!
Such a Sādhaka, through contemplation, becomes the vehicle of blessings. We have seen in the second mantra the same thing: whoever contemplates Brahman will also, like Brahman, become a great bringer of every good, every blessing.
He is the very vehicle of blessings, the carrier. This means we can also understand that if his body is alive, he is a Jīvan Mukta (liberated while living). If anybody contemplates him as such, he also receives the blessings.
Recollect how Sri Ramakrishna blessed all his devotees by uplifting their minds on January 1, 1886. That's why we celebrate it as the day of Kalpataru (the wish-fulfilling tree). He is the vehicle of blessings for he carries all blessings. Just like Brahman, this realizer of Ātman, also carries all blessings.
"He who knows it thus carries all blessings." And "he who knows" means "he who worships" a Jīvan Mukta. Here is a beautiful idea: You worship a Jīvan Mukta, and you will become a Jīvan Mukta because that Jīvan Mukta is none other than Brahman, but visible to you.
That great Upāsaka, that contemplator, distributes and presents to all living beings the results of their righteous deeds in due accordance with their piety, in the shape of Dharma (righteousness) and pertaining to the Self.
Not only does he become a source and storehouse of blessings, but he becomes the very vehicle—like a mobile library. If somebody cannot go to the library, this person can stay at home, and from the library, a chosen number of books will be brought. One can also phone and say: "I would like such and such a book." If such and such an author has written many books and that particular book is not available, some other book can be brought.
So first, he himself becomes a storehouse of blessings. The third mantra says he becomes a vehicle of all the blessings, which more or less means the same thing.
Fourth Mantra: The Bringer of Light
eṣa u eva bhāmanīreṣa hi sarveṣu lokeṣu bhāti sarveṣu lokeṣu bhāti ya evaṃ veda || 4.15.4 ||
The fourth mantra states: "He again is the bringer or vehicle of light, for he shines in all the regions. He who knows it thus shines in all the regions."
What a beautiful word—light! Light used to come out of Sri Ramakrishna's body, the Holy Mother's body, Swami Vivekananda's body. People cannot see it because they don't have eyes, but they are attracted like a huge magnet. When a small magnet is near a bigger magnet, how it will be attracted—even without any effort. Like that, these people attract others. The Brahmā Tejas (splendor, the light of Brahman) shines.
But it is not a physical light; it is a purifying light. That is what we understand. Bhāmā means what is called light. That is why our India is called Bhārata—"Bhā" means light, full of light. That place, that country which is immersed in light—what light? The light of the Vedas, the light of the saints. Every other country is also like that but especially India because there is nothing like the number of scriptures and saints—innumerable saints in every part of India. There is no comparison. Don't think I am exaggerating; that is the truth about India.
So this person is a lighthouse—not only a storehouse of blessing, but the lighthouse. He brings light to everything. "Oh, this happened to you? That is for your good." He can sometimes tell; it is very good. So whatever he speaks brings light. In his light, we can understand the scriptures much better. That is the meaning of this mantra.
Whoever contemplates on the contemplator of Brahman also shines in every region because he has become one with the entire creation. "He who knows it thus also obtains the same result"—he himself shines. If a person imparts the knowledge of Brahman, and the person who receives this knowledge through identification becomes Brahman, then his disciple also becomes Brahman. This is true Guru Paramparā—the genuine succession of teachers. That is to say, Brahman cannot directly be contemplated but through these qualities, one should contemplate.
Fifth Mantra: The Path of the Gods (Devayana)
Then comes the final result: what happens to these contemplators after they pass away?
The fifth mantra (also, final mantra) comes. With this, the story of Upakosala comes to an end:
atha yadu caivāsmiñchavyaṃ kurvanti yadi ca
nārciṣamevābhisaṃbhavantyarciṣo’harahna
āpūryamāṇapakṣamāpūryamāṇapakṣādyānṣaḍudaṅṅeti māsāṃstānmāsebhyaḥ
saṃvatsaraṃ saṃvatsarādādityamādityāccandramasaṃ candramaso vidyutaṃ tat puruṣo’mānavaḥ
sa enānbrahma gamayatyeṣa devapatho brahmapatha etena
pratipadyamānā imaṃ mānavamāvartaṃ nāvartante nāvartante || 4.15.5 ||
This is called a pure description of Krama Mukti. What happens to the contemplator, the Upāsaka? Even if a person does not get complete knowledge while living, he will not come back to this earth again. What happens after he passes away?
He will be taken by the very gods presiding over the different regions. He moves gradually from one lower region to a higher region until he attains the supreme reality called Brahman. This is being described here.
This is the English translation of the mantra -
Whether or not the disciples or relatives of this Brahman contemplator perform the funeral rites for such a person, whether they perform or not, he goes to light—from light to day, from day to the bright half of the moon, from the bright half of the moon to the six months during which the sun goes to the north, from those months to the year, from the year to the sun, from the sun to the moon, from the moon to lightning.
When a Sādhaka reaches this world of lightning, there a person who is not a human being—a non-human being, a divine being meets him and leads him to Brahman. This gradual ascension leading to Brahman is called Shuklagati or Devayana (the path of the gods)—the pathleading to Brahman. Those who travel by it do not return to this whirl of humanity. Yeah! They do not return!!
Only one point I might add - This upasaka has become as good as a sannyasi. Just as a sannyasi's funeral rites are not performed, so also this person who had attained to that highest stage, whether they perform or do not perform, it makes no difference because he had evolved to such a high state. So, what happens? As soon as the body falls off, he goes to light. Here we have to understand that light, day, bright half of the moon as higher and higher stages of pure consciousness. Don't understand that there are worlds like America, Australia, or Sweden where happily people live, they say 'Stupidity can go no further !'. These stages are in a way, like going from lower three chakras to Anahata chakra, then Vishuddha chakra, then to Ajna chakra, then to Sahasrara. This is the description.
Many times we get it in the Upanishads. And also in Bhagavad Gita - Shukla gati, Krishna gati, the bright path and the dark path. Swami Vivekananda wanted to comment upon this and he said, "I myself do not understand what it means". But I'm sure he understands. What I understand is that these are all not worlds but higher stages of consciousness. From a limited consiousness, the sadhaka (spiritual practitioner) is attaining to higher and higher and then when he reaches the very verge of the last stage, then somebody who is not a human being (that means Brahman himself) conducts the sadhaka to Himself. That is what it means. This is called the Devayana. Devayana means the path of the Gods. Path of the Gods means gradual way by which a person slows transcends, step after step, and become one with Brahman. And then what happens? Those who travel by it do not return to this whirl of humanity. That means he will not fall into the world of Māyā (illusion). Yeah! They do not return—that means they become permanently, completely Mukta Puruṣas (liberated souls).
And this same goal will be attained in a much better manner, in an easier manner, in the simplest manner by coming and somehow not moving from Varanasi and they will die.
Conclusion: The Completion of the Story
With this teaching of Satyakama Jaba to his beloved disciple Upakosala, the story comes to an end. We presume that Upakosala attained the realization of Brahman just like his teacher.
Whether Upakosala himself had passed on this knowledge to others is another story. But with this, the fifteenth section of the fourth chapter—wherein we get beautiful stories of Satyakama Jaba and we also saw the story of Janashrutī and other marvelous tales—With this, some of the stories are now over.
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!