Chandogya Upanishad 4.9-10 Lecture 139 on 20 September 2025 Q&A
Question 1: The Guru's Path and the Disciple's Realization
Student A: Maharaj, every Rishi has that line of thought process, or contemplation, and towards realisation, and that seems to have been passed on to the disciples exactly the same way. Satyakama, even though he was not physically present with the Guru, but he received exactly the same set of contemplation.
Maharaj: Correct.
Student A: And his Guru [...], is that the case always Maharaj, universally?
Maharaj: You see, Shankaracharya was following which path?
Student A: Advaitha path.
Maharaj: Jnanamargha, and he taught his disciples what?
Student A: Same thing.
Maharaj: Christians teach?
Student A: Lord Jesus Christ.
Maharaj: So you see, what a person understands as the path. He alone can tell about that path. How can he tell about some other path of which he is completely ignorant, you see? But that is not the complete answer, really speaking. I tell you what is it. When a person realises Brahman, whether be a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu, or anybody else, after realisation, who speaks?
Student A: Brahman alone.
Maharaj: I am giving you a concrete example. Vijayakrishna Goswami was so close to Sri Ramakrishna, but he did not initiate Vijayakrishna Goswami. Vijayakrishna Goswami got initiation from some other Guru. Not from Sri Ramakrishna. And Sri Ramakrishna did not initiate Yogen Maharaj.
Student A: Yeah.
Maharaj: You know why?
Student A: Because he was a disciple of holy mother.
Maharaj: No, no. "You fellow, you insulted me. You tested me whether I was going to my wife. I will not initiate you. So you have to go to her and if she forgives you and initiates you, you enjoy the fun."
Because Yogen Maharaj's heart is so tender, so he wants him to realise Divine Mother's grace through holy mother. And his whole life he dedicated. That's why Holy Mother wept when Yogen Maharaj died. [...] used to recollect if some devotee gives four annas to Yogen, he says "This will come in good use when my mother goes on pilgrimage." He never spent for himself. Actually he died as a result of his severe austerities.
Anyway, the point is a Guru can teach only through the same path through which path he had attained perfection, isn't it?
Student A: Yes.
Maharaj: Only exception is Avatara Purusha. Avatara Purusha cannot teach anybody. And the interesting thing is, no Avatara Purusha had ever taught Jnana Marga as the important path. Rama, Sharanagati, Krishna Sharanagati.
Student A: Karma Yoga.
Maharaj: No, no, no, "sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ" (BG 18:66) Self effort is absolutely limited. One cannot get the unlimited by the limited. That is the message. But through the limited one can obtain the grace of God which can make him totally unlimited. That is the message. Sri Ramakrishan taught Sharanagati, "Tasmat tvam-eva sharanam, mama dina-bandho". Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. All Avatars, Jesus Christ, "Let thy will be done." Muslim, what does he say? Inshallah. Means what? Allah's will.
And that is the truth. There is nothing called self effort. It is an illusion. Anyway.
Student A: In the case of Satyakamma Maharaj, he was not present. He was not getting instruction in the normal sense through speech, but through intuition. Which means he was getting instructed by the Guru, Gautama Rishi only, through exactly the same path Gautama Rishi travelled.
Maharaj: Correct.
Student A: Which means there was Guru residing in himself. So that's what happens with initiation, Maharaj?
Maharaj: Correct. Whichever path, if it is Sri Ramakrishna, then he can be Jagadguru. An ordinary person, we can also follow the footsteps of Sri Ramakrishna and Avatara. But you notice that when the disciples of the Acharyas, for them the Acharya becomes greater than God. So in their case, whatever the Acharya says becomes Veda Vakya, Brahma Vakya.
The followers of Advaita, for them God is not great. Shankaracharya is great. That's why the interpretation of Shankaracharya. Krishna Bhagavan as an example is telling, "karmaṇaiva hi sansiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥ" (BG 3.20) "People like King Janaka, through Karma Yoga, Nishkama Karma Yoga, attained Siddhi." But that Siddhi was interpreted by Shankaracharya as Jnana Marga Yogyata, fitness for following the path of Knowledge. Not realisation of Brahman.
Krishna Bhagavan himself says, everybody, whoever comes through whichever path "ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāns tathaiva bhajāmyaham, mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ" (BG 4.11) He is telling, and Shankaracharya comes and says "You keep quiet, you don't know what you are talking about." You know, that is why Swami Vivekananda said, this is called text torturing.
Sri Ramakrishna said it is a God's Grace alone which can give Brahmajnana, but God's Grace can come "joto mot toto poth". You understand now? Sri Ramakrishna also taught complete self-surrender to the Divine. Then there would be no difference. I am not there, only you are.
You know what is the difference between a Jnani and a Bhakta? Bhakta says, "You alone are there, I am not there". Jnani says, "You alone are not there, I am there". Aham Brahmasmi.
That is the difference between these two. But if people are sincere, anybody with sincerity will reach the goal. That is the idea.
Question 2: Worldly Knowledge versus Brahman Knowledge
Student B: The difference between the ordinary, if we go to any professor and if a student masters a theory and go and ask confirmation of theory, in the typical worldly sense, worldly knowledge, professor says, "Yeah, that is correct," plus there is something else he adds on. Typically there is no end to this kind of worldly knowledge, secular knowledge.
Maharaj: Correct. Because it is broken knowledge.
Maharaj: Yes.
Student B: But in the case of Brahmastana, Gautama Rishi clearly indicated that this is the end. You have completed it. There is nothing more to add.
Maharaj: Correct. Nothing is left out. Twice he says, "Nothing is left out". And he did not teach anything. He said, whatever you learned, that is complete. Simply, merely, he gave us. As I explained in today's class, it is only Guru who is manifesting because Guru is Brahman. Brahman is manifesting in the form of these four Adideivika. That's all.