Chandogya Upanishad 5.3 Introduction Lecture 157 on 22 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 the Chāndogya Upaniṣad Study

When we took up this study of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, mainly we had focused upon chapters 6, 7, and 8, which respectively deal with the Sat aspect of Brahman, Ānanda aspect of Brahman, and the Cit aspect of Brahman. Chapter 6 focuses on Sat, chapter 7 on Ānanda, and chapter 8 on Cit, or self-knowledge, Brahma Vidyā.

But Chāndogya Upaniṣad in total contains eight chapters. Of these, if we exclude chapters 6, 7, and 8, five chapters remain. And these chapters contain marvelous stories, upāsanās, special contemplations. We have seen some of them.

Today, we are going to take up a most important Vidyā called Pañcāgni Vidyā.

The Pañcāgni Vidyā

Location in the Upaniṣad

Pañcāgni Vidyā—what this particular Vidyā is, which occurs in the 5th chapter, 3rd section until the 10th section. The 3rd to 10th section of the 5th chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad focuses upon this Pañcāgni Vidyā.

Important Preliminary Points

There are several important points we have to keep in mind before we go to the original. First of all, unlike today's claim that Brahmins were the originators—that is, the sages, Brahmin sages like Vasiṣṭha, Bharadvāja, etc., were the real discoverers of truth—but no, the Upaniṣad pointedly refers to some Kṣatriyas who have discovered equally well.

That is what Swami Vivekananda wants to tell us: Each soul is potentially divine. Everyone has the same divinity in full, in infinity. When Swamiji refers to potentiality, it doesn't mean smallness. It means we are not aware of who we really are. That's all it means. So we have to bring up that self-knowledge, true self-knowledge.

Levels of Self-Identification

At any given time, we have self-knowledge. But that self-knowledge is: I am the body, I am my possessions, and I am the mind. There is an order in this. First comes the crudest identification—I am the possessions. Second comes a bit higher, nevertheless binding—I am the body. And then comes—I am the mind.

But as we have seen, there are higher truths. The real spiritual practice starts when we reach, we identify first of all, "I am the mind," which is a very high spiritual state. And then only we get a glimpse of the next peak of mountain, which we have to ascend. And that is called Ātma Jñānam.

That is why it is called Avasthā Traya. Avasthā Traya means three types of experiences. Each jīva goes through, but the Ātman is beyond these three experiences. It is called Caturtha, or fourth experience, or it is called Turīya Avasthā. But these are all for understanding. All the time, there is only one true Avasthā—that is, I am Brahman—even though we are not aware of it.

The Purpose of Creation

But the purpose of life, in fact, the very creation is, as the commentators really emphasize, for this self-realization only. So Bhagavad Gītā, as we have seen, is the very essence of all the Upaniṣads. As if Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa had brought together all the best cows—that is, every Upaniṣad is compared to a great cow:

Sarvo upaniṣadho gāvo dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ

Pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīr bhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat

So therein also, especially at the end of the second chapter, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says, each one of us, we have to attain the goal of life, which is called to become Sthita-prajña, Sthira-prajña, or Ātma Jñāna, or Brahma Vidyā, Brahma Jñāna, Aham Brahmāsmi.

And for that purpose, we have to do certain activity, which is called spiritual effort, spiritual practice. And that is indicated from the third chapter onwards. It is said in a popular way: the second chapter outlines who are you, what is the goal of life, and how to attain it. From the third chapter onwards until the 17th chapter, an exposition, an explanation, an expansion of this idea that we get in the second chapter. And then the 18th chapter is a recollection, an essence, a summary of what from the third to 17th chapters really outline, finally bringing that one who follows this methodology must end up by becoming a knower of Brahman. That is called Mokṣa, that is called Tad Viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam, the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu.

Direct and Indirect Teaching

So every Upaniṣad teaches directly or indirectly. The 6th, 7th, and 8th chapters we have seen—a direct teaching of Brahma Vidyā, taking the three aspects of the Trivacanam, definition of Brahman: Sat, Ānanda, and Cit.

But several spiritual practices had to be undertaken in order to get that adhikāra, yogyatā, fitness to become an adhikārī. The Sanskrit word adhikārī means to become fit, whereas in normal terminology, somebody has become a district collector or MP, MLA, a minister—they are called adhikārīs, or a police officer, etc. No, adhikārī means a person who has become fit.

The Fourfold Qualifications

And an adhikārī should possess the fourfold qualities as magnanimously explained by Śaṅkarācārya in his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Sampannaḥ—by the nine qualities one has to develop, even though it is all outlined in four words: Viveka, Vairāgya, Śamādamādiṣaṭka Sampatti, and finally Mumukṣutvam.

And slowly as we become purified, as we progress in spiritual life—progress in spiritual life means progress in purity. Progress in purity means gradual detachment from all the three: possessions, body, and mind.

Defining Detachment from Possessions

What do we mean by possessions? That I do not become, or one doesn't become, proud—"I am a billionaire"—or regret—"I am only a poor man. I am a tramp." Like that. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter.

Then body: "I am young. I am healthy. I am strong. I can suppress other people. I can do whatever I like. There is nobody who can stand up to me." This is one kind of attachment. But even that—"I am healthy, I am not healthy"—that also—do what best one has to do, controlling one's desires, eating properly, etc. That is absolutely fine.

But in spite of that, however, we hear stories that those who are exclusively devoted to exercise and healthy diet, suddenly while running, they have a heart attack and they die. Generally it is good to observe these rules, but they don't guarantee a long and healthy life, because accidents can happen. Our prārabdha karma can catch up with us, or we can die at any given moment, as we discussed many times—jāti, āyu, and bhoga.

Detachment from the Mind

And then coming to the mind: "That person doesn't respect me. This person, he loves me. However bad this person is, I don't care. He loves me. That is enough for me." This kind of attachments must be dropped. I don't care who loves me, who doesn't love me. I want to know whether that person is a good person or not such a good person. That is all that I care about in life. Nothing else.

So this is how we will have to progress. The more dhārmic we become, the more we follow the scriptures—that is how we become dhārmic. Dhārmic means to become pure. Purity means detachment. And then to the extent we become pure, to that extent we have better and better glimpse of what is called our true nature. The scriptures unfold their meaning only when we become purer and purer.

The Meaning of Vidyā and Upāsanā

Yoga has been so beautifully defined: Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. So there are umpteen number of Vidyās. Vidyā in general is translated as knowledge, but there is a specific meaning. Vidyā means Upāsanā. Upāsanā is a way of attempting to approach nearer and nearer to God. That is called Upāsanā.

We have already discussed several Upāsanās, and in this, today, from today onwards, we are going to take up the most marvelous, as I said, very important Upāsanā. It is called Pañcāgni Upāsanā—a contemplation on the five fires. What does it mean? Why does it occur in the 5th chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, from the 3rd section onwards until the practically 10th section?

The Story of Pañcāgni Vidyā

The Characters

So the story of Pañcāgni Vidyā, or the doctrine of the five fires, is about—there was a king. He was called Pravāhaṇa Jaivali. And his teaching is sage Gautama, and along with his son, probably Śvetaketu.

The knowledge of birth—real birth—and the journey of the soul from birth to Mukti.

Connection to Earlier Teaching

Now very interesting. We have seen in this very Chāndogya Upaniṣad, in the 6th chapter, the son of this Gautama, Āruṇi—that is, Śvetaketu—he studied for twelve years, returned home, very proud, arrogant, absolutely thinking, and the best among the students. "There is nothing that I have not excelled. No branch of knowledge I have not excelled compared to other students." He was swelled with pride.

And the father was a knower of Brahman, like the Varuṇa, who was the father of Bhṛgu. In the 3rd chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad we get, who was a knower of Brahman. Several of these ṛṣis were grand knowers of Brahma Vidyā. That is why they are called ṛṣis.

The Father's Question

So this father asks—we have seen in details—"Have you learnt that by which one can cross birth and rebirth, birth and death?" And proudly Śvetaketu replies, "Sir, certainly my teacher did not know. Had he known, he would have taught me." Meaning that "my teacher is a very ignorant person. And he did not teach me, because whatever I am, I am fit to learn. Even if I am not fit—so I may get—I am fit to learn whatever, because the teacher may be fit, may not be fit." Indirectly he was telling, "My teacher did not know anything about it."

Then gently his pride was shattered, and then he became humble. "Please teach me." And then the father teaches.

Śvetaketu's Second Encounter

The same Śvetaketu story again comes in this Pañcāgni Vidyā with one twist. Here there was a Pañcāgni Vidyā. Once this Śvetaketu, he approached one great king who was a Brahma Jñānī. He was called Pravāhaṇa Jaivali.

And then this king immediately understood. And then he asked: "Do you know where people go after death? Do you know why the other world is never filled completely? Do you know how a dead person is again reborn?" So in any form of a series of questions, which we will take up when the time comes, Śvetaketu was asked.

And Śvetaketu not only did not know the answers, he did not know such questions could even arise.

Śvetaketu's Arrogance

Interesting part of the story is he became very haughty. "I am a Brāhmaṇa, and this king is questioning me, and I could not answer. This arrogant king, he is one of the worst kings in the whole world. He is a Rājanya Bandhu"—in Sanskrit, anybody says he is Brāhmaṇa Bandhu. Brahma Bandhu. Bandhu means a friend. So he is a friend of Brāhmaṇa. But the real meaning is, it's a ridiculous term, saying that he is born as a Brāhmaṇa, but he doesn't have the qualities of a Brāhmaṇa.

Similarly, Rājanya Bandhu—he is a king, but he is the worst of the kings. He doesn't have any good quality. "He should have respected me."

Return to the Father

And then he returns to his father, who was called Gautama. And he says, "Somehow, I don't know why I went, and this worthless king, he asked me these questions. I never heard even the question. I don't know anything about the questions, let alone the answers. Father, you tell me."

Gautama's Humility

Father was a great person, a very humble person. The greater a person, the greater is the humility. And actually, all great people, they are open-minded people. Even Śrī Ramakrishna says, "So long as I live, so long I learn. I can learn from anybody. May not be Brahma Vidyā. I can learn even from a child many things."

That openness, that humility, that in this world, God is manifesting through many people. And there may be any number of greater people than me. That humility of seeing the greatness, of the mahimā, the glory of Bhagavān everywhere, and is humble enough to acknowledge it, to sit at their feet and learn. That's a great quality.

But Gautama says, "Even I do not know about this knowledge. I want to learn, because he's a great learned person. I don't care whether he's a king or a Śūdra or anybody."

The Universal Nature of Knowledge

Swami Vivekananda was considered a Śūdra. He was insulted at Madras by Brahmins. "How did he become a sannyāsī?" So not only in America, but even in India, Swami Vivekananda was insulted. Even now there are people who write books about Vivekananda. "He was a glutton and he mixed with women," not knowing what he did to India. Not only these people are ungrateful for what Swami Vivekananda, the great Swami Vivekananda did, and is still inspiring people everywhere.

Anyway, this is also the Mahāmāyā of this creation. We have to accept all sorts of people will be there.

Gautama Becomes a Student

So this Gautama Ṛṣi—we do not know whether Śvetaketu agreed to accompany his father or not—humbly approached this Pravāhaṇa Jaivali, and then he humbly accepted the position of a student, and then learnt.

Seeing the humility of Gautama Ṛṣi, the king had no hesitation, because the great people have only one qualification they look for in the students: Are they students? Are you a student? Are you eager to study? Are you eager to learn? That's all. And once they find an eager person, fit person of course, then unhesitatingly they will teach.

Śrī Ramakrishna's Teaching

The whole Gospel of Śrī Ramakrishna, for most of the time, it is to non-Brahmins that Śrī Ramakrishna had taught. There were also, of course, some Brahmins were there, but Śrī Ramakrishna never made any distinction.

Holy Mother never refused anybody, only because of the village customs. She had to feed the Amjad, the Muslim devotee—even though he was a highway robber—but he was not by nature a highway robber, because when the pangs of hunger start burning a person, for the maintenance of the family, etc., one has to humbly sit and do whatever is necessary. First comes prāṇa-dhāraṇa.

The Story of Viśvāmitra

I also mentioned during my talks, Viśvāmitra went and stole some dried flesh which was hanging in the backyard of a Caṇḍāla, the lowest of the castes. And there was a beautiful conversation between Viśvāmitra and then this Caṇḍāla. "Sir, is it not wrong that you steal, being a ṛṣi?"

Then the substance of the conversation is: first comes prāṇa-rakṣaṇa. I have to be alive. Whether I want to be a worldly person, or a spiritual person, or a good person, or an evil person, the very first condition is, I have to be alive, I have to be healthy.

The Suffering in War and Famine

So when famines come, or wars come, how much of injustice is still going on, that ordinary people caught between two warring nations, they suffer so much. Children die by the thousands, and yet they have no compassion. Big countries do not even look at them.

If you study the history of any country, you will see how much of evil is ruling this world. There are also, of course, equally good people—there is no doubt about it. But study of history should awaken us to the fact that most of our lives are nothing but pure evil. Sometimes inactive selfishness, many times active selfishness. That is all the difference.

A fellow, for example, may steal one rupee, because his capacity is that much. But if he had the capacity, he would not hesitate to kill—billions of pounds, bank heist, etc.

Anyway, I don't want to go into all those things.

The Grace of Mother Sarasvatī

What is important is that knowledge, Mother Sarasvatī, will be bestowing her grace upon any person who has acquired the qualifications. And our scriptures outline those qualifications very nicely. What is the purpose, prayojana? Are you an adhikārī? And what is the subject in which you want to excel? And what is the prayojana? What are you going to get? So these are called Anubandha Catuṣṭaya.

And we have to ask, we are only listening, we are only reading, but we have to ask: Am I reading because am I an adhikārī? Am I seeking this prayojana? Lot of energy will be saved if we ask ourselves those questions.

The Doctrine of the Five Fires

Basic Definition

Coming back to our story, so the story of this Pañcāgni Vidyā. Agni means fire. Pañca means five. So the Upāsanā called five fires. Contemplation on the five fires. What is it?

So the king, seeing that Gautama was very humble—we are not sure whether Śvetaketu accompanied him or not—the king instantaneously, finding Gautama a very eager student, an adhikārī, explains that the universe in which we live is a large sacrificial fire, where every soul is undergoing five stages of transformation: birth, and then living for some time, then death.

The Questions of Existence

What happens for this person? Who goes? Where does he go? What does he do? How long does he stay? And then how does he return back? These are the marvelous questions. Each one of us must question, because indirectly or even directly, it tells us: there is no death.

What is called mṛtyu, or death, is only one stage in the evolutionary scale of life.

After Death

So after death, the jīva, giving up, of course, this physical body, which is like a dress, worn-out dress—worn-out means not fit to be worn, which means it cannot do any more karma, especially fit karma, accepting becoming a burden to the family and to the whole society—then he goes according to his merit.

The Foundation of Rebirth

This is one of the fundamental foundations of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism: that we had many past lives and we will have many future lives. This evolution goes on and on until one day we wake up, we approach the great ones, humbly sit at their feet, learn the goal of life and about our nature, and practice spiritual disciplines and realize who we are. Then only we attain Mukti, or freedom. That is the subject matter.

Unknown to Earlier Brahmins

So this story also highlights that this knowledge previously is unknown to Brahmins. It was passed down by a king who was a realized soul.

The Meaning of Pañcāgni Vidyā

And what does this Pañcāgni Vidyā really want to convey? So this Pañcāgni Vidyā, the knowledge of the five fires, illustrates the interconnectedness of the cosmos. The whole universe is interconnected. How is it interconnected?

Human Evolution and the Pañcakośas

Each one of us, we become human beings. Until then, evolution helps us to develop the instruments which are the Pañcakośas, or three bodies, necessary for our final journey, spiritual journey. And that is when human life starts.

And once we become human beings, we are given a very special privilege called Viveka—the capacity to look at ourselves objectively.

The Faculty of Viveka

What is Viveka? Usually translated as discrimination, but it also can mean discernment. Some people prefer this word "discerning." Doesn't matter, because the word "discrimination" is a quite bad name. What is called gender discrimination, class discrimination, educational discrimination, etc., etc., or even wealth discrimination. There are some clubs. There are only billionaires and millionaires. I'm not aware whether there is exclusive billionaires club, but at least millionaires club is there. Only anybody who becomes a millionaire is fit, if he wants to join that club.

Anyway, so once a person becomes human being, he acquires very special capacity which is called the faculty of Viveka. There is no equivalent English word there, only Sanskrit word. What is Viveka? The capacity to look at oneself objectively and study oneself. That is called Viveka.

The Progress Through Dharma

So from then onwards, it takes many lives to get over the fascination, the illusion of artha and kāma, and then enter into dharma, and then slowly progress. Spiritual life starts only with the acquisition of dharma. Until that time, however much we try to control our artha and kāma, our wealth and our enjoyment, it is not going to help us progress in life.

So slowly we progress in life, and the more progress we make, the more dhārmic we become. Dhārmic means to become pure. Purity means to gradually acquire detachment from all the three: possessions, body, and mind.

Understanding Detachment

What do we mean by possessions? That I do not become, or one doesn't become, proud—"I am a billionaire"—or regret—"I am only a poor man. I am a tramp." Like that. It doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter.

Then body: "I am young. I am healthy. I am strong. I can suppress other people. I can do whatever I like. There is nobody who can stand up to me." This is one kind of attachment. But even that—"I am healthy, I am not healthy"—that also—do what best one has to do, controlling one's desires, eating properly, etc. That is absolutely fine.

But in spite of that, however, we hear stories that those who are exclusively devoted to exercise and healthy diet, suddenly while running, they have heart attack and they die. Generally it is good to observe these rules. But they don't guarantee a long and healthy life, because accidents can happen. Our prārabdha karma can catch up with us, or we can die at any given moment, as we discussed many times—jāti, āyu, and bhoga.

Mental Attachments

And then coming to the mind: "That person doesn't respect me. This person, he loves me. However bad this person is, I don't care. He loves me. That is enough for me." This kind of attachments must be dropped.

I don't care who loves me, who doesn't love me. I want to know whether that person is a good person or not such a good person. That is all that I care about in life. Nothing else.

The Path of Dharma

So this is how we will have to progress. The more dhārmic we become, the more we follow the scriptures—that is how we become dhārmic. Dhārmic means to become pure. Purity means detachment. And then to the extent we become pure, to that extent we have better and better glimpse of what is called our true nature. The scriptures unfold their meaning only when we become purer and purer.

The Nature of Death and the Universe as School

So there is nothing called death. That is the main point. And then what is—the whole universe is meant as a school. As Swami Vivekananda had said, that life is a school. The whole universe is a school for us to learn lessons. That is the one answer Swamiji had given.

Life as Gymnasium

Second answer: life is a gymnasium. Once we learn what we have to do, what we have to avoid, is like going to a gymnasium and then do what the instructor asks us to do. Gradually develop our dhārmic muscles, discriminatory muscles. Become dhārmic person. That is called, usually associated with, gṛhastha āśrama.

Gṛhastha āśrama doesn't mean only a married life. Gṛhastha āśrama means where we learn, or where we practice, like a scientist practices in the laboratory, puts his theories into practice. So where we practice what we ought to do, experiment, experience, enjoy, become purified, and move forward.

Life as Circus

And then once we learn our lessons and we can use artha-kāma—they will not master us anymore. They will not be sitting on our head and driving us, but we will become their masters. And then we move on to the third answer Swamiji had given: We become free. That's what he meant.

Life is a circus. You go to circus. I go to circus. What for? To enjoy a tumbling about, all the wonderful actions they do. But it is better than circus, because circus is real. People can fall down. People can get injured. But I would say, watch a drama. Watch a cinema. And then even better, sit down in an easy chair and go on imagining with full awareness that this is my imagination only. It has nothing to do with reality.

The Journey Between Worlds

So this is how life becomes. And for that purpose, according to our karma, we go to other worlds, experience the result. So the other world can be a lower world—maybe this very earth somewhere, or maybe what is called the six higher worlds counting from above earth, from Bhuvarloka to Svarloka, etc. And then at the end, they have to return back.

The Main Points of Pañcāgni Vidyā

So what is the main point? First, there is nothing called death. It is only a travel. So one train is given up. We enter into another train. Meanwhile, we may stay for some time in one place, gather on experiences. But ultimately, we have to come down.

And how do we come down? That is what very graphically, very illustrative way—that is why it is called Pañcāgni Vidyā. Every returning soul passes through five fires before one is reborn. That is why it is called Pañcāgni Vidyā.

The Fifth Fire: Woman as Mother

And incidentally, the last fifth fire is called a woman, or our mother. Why is it called fifth fire? Because our Purāṇas sometimes graphically describe what happens to a baby inside the womb. Can't move. Maybe he is a highly developed soul. Maybe he has knowledge better than one's own parents. But so long as inside the womb, so he cannot move. And he is surrounded by all unpleasant odors. Everything has to depend. He also gives trouble to mother, etc.

How much a mother has to go through? Only every mother knows. Even though she puts up with it, because once the baby is born, then the woman feels, "I am highly fulfilled, because I want to be called mother."

The Joy of Motherhood

The desire of every woman is to be called a mother. And when a child wholeheartedly cries, "Mama"—not "uncle." "Mama" means philosophically, you are not my mother. Divine Mother is my mother. But you know, in Western countries, "Mama." Here we call "Amma," "Ma." And then her heart swells with joy. "This is my child. This is me." Father's heart also, it expands. "This is me."

The Three Main Lessons

So this is how the story goes. So what is the first point? That there is no real death. It is only giving up one useful instrument. Then it becomes worn out, and we want to get a new instrument, just as a person gives up worn-out dress and then moves to the second one.

What is the second lesson? The whole universe is nothing but a huge sacrifice. And that is what is so beautifully illustrated in the form of twelve sacrifices in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, of which the culmination is called:

Brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam

Brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā

That is, everything is Brahman. It is the God who is creating himself, who is recreating himself, who is playing with himself in the form of birth, death, etc.

Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram

Hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate

So the Bhagavān, dreaming—consciously dreaming, not uncontrollably dreaming—consciously dreaming and thoroughly enjoying as sākṣī. On one side he also undergoes happiness and unhappiness. On the other side he remains as the witness of everything that happens. We have been discussing those points umpteen number of times.

The Universe as Sacrifice

So this Pañcāgni Vidyā says the whole universe is nothing but only a great sacrifice. The whole viśva, the whole universe, the whole sṛṣṭi, made up of the three guṇas, is nothing but a huge fire sacrifice that is going on. So that is what we want to tell. That is the second thing.

Converting Life into Sacrifice

What is the third thing that we have to learn from this superb tale? That until and unless we also convert our life into a sacrifice, we will not enjoy real happiness.

This is beautifully outlined, I think, in the eighth section of the second chapter, Ānanda Mīmāṁsā. What is important in this Ānanda Mīmāṁsā: that unimaginably greater happiness will be available in the higher lokas. But that is not the important point.

Important point is: Śrotriyasya akāmahatasya—even a human being, even he may be the poorest of the poor, but if he has got vairāgyam and faith in God. Faith in God, faith in the scriptures are one and the same thing.

Faith as Foundation

So if a person has got faith in scriptures, it is only faith in God. That is called śrotrivattvam. And then, once we have faith—many times I discussed—whatever we feel that this is real, our actions, our reactions, follow our conviction that what is real.

If somebody feels that this is nectar, even though it is poison, he would drink unhesitatingly. Later on only he is going to experience the effects. But if somebody believes this is poison, then even if it be nectar, he will not drink it.

So our conviction is the guide which makes us do and not do, act and react. And we act and react according to our concept of what is real, what is unreal. And that reality is what is called conviction, faith. Faith means, "This is the real thing."

I know we have discussed at this point, but we have to discuss, keep it in our mind again and again.

Summary of the Five Fires

So in brief, before we go: what are those five fires? Very briefly, but I want to dwell upon it even longer time, but this is just the summary and introduction.

So this doctrine of Pañcāgni Vidyā explains the cycle of birth and rebirth as a series of sacrificial fires. Going to the higher loka is one type of sacrifice. Remaining there and experiencing, another type of sacrifice. And slowly at the exhaustion of the karma-phala, it is another sacrifice, how it is happening.

The Five Stages

So there are five stages. Each stage is called a fire.

First Fire: Svarga Loka

And what is the first fire? It is called Svarga. Svarga means other world—not necessarily higher world, because if somebody is evil, he will also be punished. Punishment is meant for purifying, not for really making him suffer. So this is called Svarga Loka.

So the sun, the sacred stick—some, with its rays—are the smoke. The day is the flame. The moon is the ember, and the stars, the sparks. The soul becomes a jīva and enters Svarga Loka, provided of course he practices what the scripture tells.

Second Fire: Rain

Second fire is called rain. What happens at the end of the Svarga Loka? When does the Svarga Loka end? When the karma-phala, or puṇya-phala, comes to an end.

So the wind—this is called Vāyu—the sacred stick, the clouds the smoke, lightning the flame, thunder the charcoal, and its roars the sparks. This is the description of the rain. The soul is the oblation which becomes soma and then enters the clouds in the form of rains. That is the second fire, rain.

Third Fire: Earth

Third fire is earth. The air, the sacred stick. The sky, ākāśa, is the smoke. The night, the flame, and the directions, the sparks. The oblation is rain which, upon reaching the earth, grows into food—a very natural phenomenon. So from the sky, first cloud formation is there, then rain pours in, and that rain enters into the earth. Without that rainwater, there is no food.

That is why we have said, whenever there is a thunder, lightning, and clouds, every being's heart lights up, saying, "We are going to have plenty of food." Joyously they cry.

Fourth Fire: Man (Puruṣa)

Then fourth fire is man, puruṣa, human being. Speech is the sacred stick. Prāṇa is the smoke. The tongue is the flame, and the eyes are the embers. The oblation is food, because that food—that rain which comes in the clouds become the rain, rain becomes the food, and the food is eaten by the puruṣa. And the oblation is food, which becomes semen in the male. And that semen, in the sacred yajña called marriage, is poured into the fire called woman.

Fifth Fire: Woman

So the fifth fire is called woman. A woman is the fire. Semen is the oblation offered to her, into her womb, from which the fetus is born after about nine months or so. This is the last fire. That is how the jīva is reborn. And according to the previous puṇya-pāpa, etc., which details—marvelous details—we will talk about in our next class.

Closing Prayer