Chandogya Upanishad 5.4.1-2 Lecture 166 on 21 December 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 Panchagni Vidyā
We are studying the Panchagni Vidyā. This is a most marvelous upāsanā. Upāsanā is also called vidyā. Vidyā always means a higher knowledge.
We have seen what is the concept of yajña. Prabhāhaṇa Jaivali had asked Śvetaketu five questions, which he could not answer—even a single question. Then he went to his father in an angry mood, disturbed mood, and accused his father of not revealing everything to him.
And the father was a very great soul, Gautama. And he said, "Had I known, I would not have left it out. But I myself do not know. I am going to the king to learn."
This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: "As long as I live, so long I learn."
Gautama's Journey to Learn
So Gautama came, but he also asked his son, "Come along with me." But the boy disobeyed, showing non-humility and more arrogance. But the father, he understood that in this world, we come alone, we go alone. We cannot influence other people.
So he came, and at first the king was hesitant to teach. But later on, seeing the earnestness and also the fitness, he started teaching. And of all the five questions he asked, he started answering the fifth question.
The Fifth Question
What was the fifth question? "Do you know how the fifth āhuti, oblation, brings forth a baby into this world?"
And this statement has a more or less significance. Yesterday, I have outlined certain things about how we should understand.
Five Teachings of Panchagni Vidyā
This Panchagni Vidyā teaches us five points:
- There is nothing called so-called death, which we think is non-existence, and this clearly indicates punarjanma (rebirth).
- Until we attain oneness with God, each one of us have to experience our own karma-phala.
- Our present life is the resultant of what we did in the past, and what we do now is a foundation for what we are going to experience in the future.
- Whether we wish or not, nature takes us gradually to God, back to the ultimate cause, which is Brahman.
- This āhuti also shows us the way to God.
Six Elements of Every Yajña
So we have noted also six things in every yajña yesterday. You must recollect it. There is a fire lit up and something is offered into it. And then four things come out of that. What are those four things? First of all, smoke, then flame, then embers, then sparks.
If you lit up fire, whether it is for yajña or simple cooking, we often see these six things. Fire is lit up, it has to be fed, and then there would be smoke, there would be glowing embers, there would be mere embers, then there would be sparks, etc.
Transformation to Spiritual Yajña
And the Vedic ṛṣis have taken this, and we have also seen yesterday how we can convert it to a spiritual yajña by re-imagining. Why do I say re-imagining? Because the ancient yajñas, along with their details and symbolism, have practically disappeared. It's only the commentaries of Sāyaṇa, Śaṅkarācārya, etc., that gives us a small clue how to, first of all, understand what is an āhuti.
Second, that ancient yajña has changed its form and now it is called pūjā or arcana, which consists of these six things. But the aim is the same: slowly to move forward.
Application to Spiritual Life
So this is how we have to choose a particular goal—Brahman—as our destination, but with a particular name and form called iṣṭa-devatā. And we have to fulfill all these conditions. So this is how we progress in spiritual life.
In fact, we progress also in worldly life exactly in the same way.
Worldly and Spiritual Progress
What do I mean by worldly life? Everybody is not running towards God. Very few people. Only one in a billion perhaps, really speaking.
Manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścit yatati siddhaye Yatatām api siddhānāṃ kaścin māṃ vetti tattvataḥ
Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa had crystal clearly pointed out very few spiritual people are there.
Now, what do I mean by worldly improvement? Everyone wants three things:
- They want to live long
- They want to be healthy
- They want to acquire higher knowledge with regard to worldly things only
And everybody wants to be more and more happy.
The Laws of Life
So there are certain rules and regulations. Let's say somebody had written a beautiful book: "Life is a Game, and These are the Rules and Regulations—How to Play the Game Called Life."
So even in worldliness, to ascend to higher and higher worlds—that means higher states of consciousness, higher states of the minds, which is graphically described in the Tantra as the seven cakras or seven jñāna-bhūmikas in the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha. They can be more or less equated.
The Evolutionary Escalator
So we all want, and we cannot keep quiet. We cannot stop because we are standing on the evolutionary escalator. Maybe we can sit down and move at a slow pace, but we have to move forward. There is no other way. Through thick and thin, happiness and unhappiness, nature forces us to move forward. We cannot simply say, "I am happy, I would be here." Impossible.
Understanding the Limitations of Worldly Happiness
So there will come a time when we understand clearly: Even if I go to Brahmaloka, the time is limited and the happiness is limited. You may be surprised to hear Brahmaloka-ānanda is not Brahmānanda. Lokānanda and Brahmānanda are distinct things.
Lokānanda is an experiential pleasure. Brahmānanda is to become one with ānanda. It is not to be experienced, but it is to be completely identified. A small glimpse of it we will get in the suṣupti state.
The Need for Spiritual Life
So a time will come when a person understands this distinction. Everything in this world, including Brahmaloka, is limited by time, space and causation or vastu or object. So if we want to have eternal happiness, we will have to become one with the eternal Brahman—satyam, jñānam, anantam.
That is the basis we have to understand. So then we can say we are turning towards the spiritual life. And how do we continue in the spiritual life?
Important Points for Understanding Panchagni Vidyā
So there are some very important points for our recollection. Recollection means we have discussed these points, but again and again we have to remind ourselves of them. And especially in the context of this Panchagni Vidyā, we have to remember certain points.
Key Principles
Here are the most important points. Without understanding them, Panchagni Vidyā would remain incomprehensible. We will not understand anything of Panchagni Vidyā or any yajña. So here are some very important points before we go to the original mantras:
- Every event—the birth of a star, the birth of a baby, the birth of an atom—is a cosmological event. Every birth is also a cosmological event.
- Yajña is a purely cognitive, that is knowledge, mental modification, travel from limitedness gradually to the unlimited, from selfishness to unselfishness. And it is a purely cognitive process.
- We are severely bound by the laws of the universe. There are some L-A-W-S laws of the universe.
- We cannot see subtle things. So, a baby is not born of parents. It is a product of its own countless number of past making. And not only a baby, even the birth of an atom, the birth of a mountain, the birth of a star, the birth of a plant—anything.
That is why the eternal ignorance: which is first, egg or chicken, seed or tree? Nobody can answer it because it is such a long process. Nobody has the capacity to go back. In fact, Vedānta calls it anādi (beginningless).
What We Cannot See
So we cannot see subtle things. We cannot even see gross things right in front of us. How many accidents happen only because we cannot see even the grossest things? A car is coming towards me behind me and we can't see it. We call it accidents because we do not anticipate them. And when we are not aware of our own driving, especially at busy corner, round about corners, many accidents happen.
The Birth Process: A Cosmic Event
So what is the... Why am I referring to the baby? Because this is the answer. The king starts with the fifth: "Do you know how man is born?" Instead of "man is born," we have to substitute it with "how is a baby born?" No man is born. Only babies are born.
The True Source of Birth
So a baby is not born of parents. It is a product of his own countless lives' past making. The birth of a human being in this world—and it is only an example—does not take place in this world alone exclusively. It takes place in the very highest regions first.
It also means we are the architects of our own faith. If we understand this, then we can change. We start making changes. That starting to make changes in our life is called yajña.
Spiritual Expansion
It is a spiritual expansion. We can also call it evolution. With every expansion that is called going forward in spiritual life, progress in spiritual life, the difference between me and God and the world diminishes.
We are aware of three things:
- I am different from everything in this world
- I am different from God
As we progress, as we expand, the difference between I and God and the world slowly diminishes. That is called spiritual progress.
How Religions Teach This
And this is what every religion teaches us, in a sense. Sometimes indirectly, scriptures tell us: "This is what God wants you to do, this is what God doesn't want you to do"—vidhi and niṣedha—because they change the character. Character changes our thinking. And along with the change in our thinking, our view, our understanding, our perspective changes. And so we start moving forward.
The First Mantra: The Highest World as Fire
With this background, let us go and study the original mantras.
So as I said, Prabhāhaṇa Jaivali accepted Gautama, the father of Śvetaketu, as his very fit disciple. And then he started giving the answers. First answer will be the answer to the fifth question. That is, how is the baby born? And that is symbolically, it means, how is anything born?
Example of Natural Phenomena
Simple example I am giving. Suddenly you see, there would be thunder and there will be lightning. There will be a cloud. Is it simply these three consult with each other, come back and then want to do it? No.
Long, long before—maybe aeons before—how the oceans behave, how the arctic areas behave, and how the sun is moving, stars are moving, and they bring about, one brings change into the other, that brings change into something else. This infinite number of actions and reactions suddenly bring about, and we see in our vision, only there is a cloud, and there is a thunder, there is lightning, and we, through past experience, imagine there is going to be a rain like that. Why sometimes there is no rain? That is also due to cosmological plan.
Human Impact
Only thing is, we are also players. Nowadays, scientists call it environmental pollution. We are polluting our own atmosphere through our endless usage of natural forces.
Now, a big question—maybe most of you are aware of it. A lot of people are questioning the artificial intelligence companies because we sit in front of a computer, put a question, get the answer as quickly as possible depending upon the internet, but we are completely unaware how much electricity those servers are consuming, how much of effect of that consumption, how much pure water is being consumed, and to that extent of consumption, it is not available for human beings like us. And if this trend continues, there may be perhaps wars for clean water. In fact, it is going to come for land, for clean water, for food, etc.
So this is what the scientists call holistic attitude.
The Original Mantra: Section 5.4.1
Now, coming back, the fourth section in this fifth chapter, first mantra, the answer to the fifth question: "Do you know how a baby is born?"
A man is—it is said a man is born, but as I said, a baby is born. Man means baby here in our eyes.
Sanskrit Text
Asau vai loko gautama agniḥ Tasya āditya eva samit Raśmayo dhūmaḥ Ahaḥ arciḥ Candramā aṅgārāḥ Nakṣatrāṇi vispuliṅgaḥ
Translation
As I said, six things are there whenever we lit up fire for a yajña.
So Prabhāhaṇa Jaivali is teaching: "O Gautama!" He is addressing Gautama, "Hey Gautama, the world yonder is indeed the fire, O Gautama. Of that, the sun is the fuel, the rays are the smoke, today is the flame, the moon is the embers, and the stars are the sparks."
Understanding the Symbolism
Let us slightly alter the translation to make it—so here is a man, he lives a life, he dies. Let us assume that he had done lot of righteous actions, avoided doing wrong actions, he accumulates a lot of puṇyam as a result. And that result in Vedānta has a technical name. This is called apūrva.
The Concept of Apūrva
Pūrva means "before." Apūrva means "completely new." When you are cooking, you just add one pinch of salt extra. It alters the flavor taste of the entire dish.
Similarly, here also, ever new and one who is keeping an eye, he is called vidhi or the karma-phala-adhyakṣa, called usually vidhi. Vidhi means "that has to be." There is no escape.
So this apūrva is produced and this apūrva takes a person to the highest world.
Understanding Loka as Experience
We have to understand this is only symbolism. An example: if somebody had done less righteous actions, he will go to lower lokas. And as I explained, keep always in mind: what is a world? A man's experience of happiness and unhappiness. In other words, it is called a world.
If a man is very unhappy, it is called hell. Even if he be in this geographical location, we are not talking about geographical location. We are talking about a state of the mind that is called loka.
Higher States of Consciousness
And if a person had done very grand actions and he had become pure, his mind has attained or he removed obstacles, more consciousness is manifesting as a result of purity and the more manifestation of consciousness, more manifestation of satyam, jñānam, anantam, ānandam, sat-cit-ānanda. This is this simple equation.
The Limitation of Karma
So here is a person, he went to the highest loka that is deserved by him. It could be Brahmaloka, it could be Indraloka, Prajāpatiloka—it does not matter. But the apūrva as the result of our past actions is limited. Why is it limited? Because the actions are limited and a limited effort can only bring about a limited result.
Śaṅkarācārya's Argument
That is the main argument of Śaṅkarācārya: Mokṣa is eternal. Karma is temporary. So a temporary karma cannot bring us to mokṣa, liberation.
Then how does one get it? Because even if we go on working for eternity, the infinite cannot be reached. Then what is the way?
The Path to Liberation
That we become like children, less and less and less. Egotism becomes less and less until we get rid of this egotism to the minimum extent and the grace of God removes that remnant like camphor burning, giving light, burns itself out totally, not retaining any remnant—like that, God's grace.
That is why Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā at the very end: "Surrender yourself to me, O Arjuna." But this surrender can come only after you tried your level best. And that trying level best is called sarvadharmān parityajya māmekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja.
The infinite cannot be attained by the finite. But the finite can become one with the infinite by the grace of the infinite. And this becoming is purely a cognitive process.
Realization Through Grace
So God, out of his infinite grace, removes the ignorance. "I thought I am separate from God, but now I know that I am none other than God. I, in fact, never existed, do not exist, will not exist. Only God exists."
Interpreting the World Yonder
So "the world yonder" means whatever world a person is experiencing, that is his world. Somebody may be in Indraloka, somebody may be in Prajāpatiloka, Bṛhaspati loka, or even Satyaloka or Brahmaloka. Whatever it is, the effect of karma is limited.
The Return Journey
As soon as the person exhausts—kṣīṇe puṇye martyalokaṃ viśanti evaṃ trayīdharmam ānuprapannā gatāgatam kāmakāmā labhante—so he has to come back. And that process, how he comes back?
He said that highest world, what happens? That is the fire. And there the sun is the giver of light and heat. And then the sun spreads through the rays. And the sun is considered the fuel in this yajña sacrifice. And the rays of the sun are comparable to the smoke.
Day, Night, and the Journey Down
And then daytime—there is no daytime or nighttime from the viewpoint of the sun, we have to keep in mind. But what we call the daytime, because of our geographical location, so that daytime is called flame, intense flame, illumining everything as far as possible.
But what happens when night comes? The moon is the embers. And then there will be stars. And sometimes in places like Middle East, where there is no electricity, these stars are so enlightening, lighting up. Even with the help of that starlight, after some time, our eyes get accustomed and with some little bit of discomfort, we can continue our journey.
In fact, that is how nomads—they used to travel in the desert areas only at night times, because only night times, men and animals, camels especially, they can bear that intense heat. It will be cool. Sometimes it is cold also.
The Sacrifice of Return
So it is a sacrifice. And what is the sacrifice here? That world itself is a sacrifice. What is sacrifice? Now one has to come back from that world. That is the sacrifice. Travel from that highest loka.
And how does this man travel? Because agni is the fuel which keeps up. What is this agni comparable to the knowledge? "I have outlived my righteous result of my puṇyam, dharma. And now I have to return back." That knowledge will be there. And his path downwards is illumined by the sun. And as he comes down, day or night.
The Role of Deities
So it is beautifully explained how some devatās, some special deities. This prescription we get in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, saying when a person offers lot of fuel—that is ghee, refined oil or ghee or kerosene or petrol, whatever it is, clarified butter. Then the very flames and those flames are described as of seven different colors, named as Kālī, Karālī, etc.
And those very flames, they keep in mind: "This person had lit us up, kept us up, so we will await his leaving this body." And we are standing at the door of this person's death. As soon as he comes out of the door—that means out of this house, out of this body—they welcome him. "Ehi, ehi, welcome, welcome. Please come. We will conduct you."
So from one place to the other place.
Conduct According to Actions
So that is also described in the last mantra of this Panchagni Vidyā, which we will see. So if he has done wonderful things, he will be conducted by one set of his own puṇya karmas in the form of the deities. And according to the actions, he will be conducted by the resultants of his own actions. Good, best, better, good, not good, bad, very bad, etc.
So this is being said. This is the first fire. So he starts his descent back. That is described in this first mantra, in this fourth section of the fifth chapter of Chāndogya Upaniṣad.
Why Start with the Fifth Question?
So why did the king start answering? Because he wants to tell: This is an endless cycle. So the baby that is going to come through descent, he already was there in that higher world. How did he go to that higher world? Because of what he did in countless past lives.
Understanding Our Present Birth
By the way, one of the points to be clarified here is: we are not the exclusive or our present life is not the exclusive result of our the very last birth. No. So it could be some result, some of some karma done 5,000 years back or 10,000 years back, but there is a power, invisible power, which says in this body, all those karmas can be exhausted.
Dual Purpose of Present Life
So the present birth is for both two purposes:
- Exhaustion of what we did—and exhaustion means experiencing sukha and duḥkha, happiness and unhappiness
- It is a fresh opportunity for us to lay foundation to our future life
And that is what is being indicated here so beautifully.
Returning to Physical Fire Imagery
So an agnihotra is performed as a fire by the orthodox people. And then there is a fire is lit up and is kept up by adding fuel. And then slowly it blazes up. Then there is some smoke. There are some embers, there are some sparks and there are some—sometimes it is very bright. These are observed when we are dealing with the lighting up of the fire.
So that is given for our imagination and this is the first sacrifice. First, let us say, for the sake of easier understanding: this jīva has gone to the fifth floor after his last death and now he cannot stay there for long. So he will come down slowly to the fourth floor, then third, then second, then first, etc. That is being described here.
The Symbolism of Sun as Knowledge
So sun means āditya. Āditya means knowledge. Light means knowledge. That is why the most popular Gāyatrī mantra, what does it say? We are meditating. What is the meditation? We want to completely remove our egotism and surrender ourselves to you.
Gāyatrī Mantra Explained
That is why bhargo devasya dhīmahi. Dhīmahi means "we meditate upon you, upon your splendor." Splendor means knowledge.
And if we succeed in it, after many a birth: dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt. We remove our egotism. Our buddhi will be there. But at present our buddhi is being illumined by our own petty saṃskāras.
But when we go on praying and living a life in accordance with the expectations of the scripture, slowly our buddhi understands that his egotism is the only and greatest obstacle.
Manifestations of Egotism
And this egotism, how does it come? It manifests in the form of lust, anger, greed, pride, jealousy, intolerance, etc.—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya.
Then what about the good things like unselfishness, friendliness, charity, etc.? The more we do that, our egotism slowly becomes less. In fact, it is the other way around. If our egotism doesn't become less, we don't feel inclined to change our life to live the life of a holy person, sat.
Reducing Egotism
So this kāma, krodha, etc., they should become less. That means egotism should become less. That means God should occupy that area which is made empty by us.
There is a beautiful discussion called anupraviśya (entering into). I am not going to go into it right now, but when the time comes, we will go into it in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the Aitareya Upaniṣad, in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. A most elaborate description is given in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. We yet have to come to that.
The Sun as Symbol, Not Physical Object
So, it is the sun, āditya. It is not the physical sun that we see, the star which we call our sun. First of all, there are billions of suns. Every galaxy has its own sun. And every sun has a birth. Every sun has a growth, a diminishing and an extinction. And then, with the extinction of the sun, life itself becomes extinct. Because the less the knowledge, the less will be the life. Beautifully connected.
So this is the symbolism. A person has started descending after experiencing what he deserved. So we have to understand in that way.
The Second Mantra: Offering of Faith
Then what happens?
Tasmin etasmin agnau devāḥ śraddhāṃ juhvati Tasyā āhuteḥ somo rājā sambhavati
So into this fire called asau lokaḥ, the deities offer the oblation of faith—śraddhāṃ juhvati.
Understanding Śraddhā
What is śraddhāṃ juhvati? Just as when we offer clarified butter, the fire becomes more intense, blazes up. The more śraddhā we have, the more it possesses us.
I already explained what is called difference between faith and śraddhā. English word "faith." Faith is what is in our control. Śraddhā is what controls us. Like a spirit possessing, a demon possessing a person, sitting on his head and making him do. Madness possesses a person and makes him do. He is helpless.
The Origin of Śraddhā
But that madness we have to understand is not something that comes extraneously, accidentally. It is a buildup of our own past actions. If we go on thinking wrongly, that becomes condensed into madness. That's why they are called manias.
So like that, even śraddhā in the scriptures—the idea is śraddhā, that which doesn't allow us to do anything—to the extent we have this śraddhā, we have to obey it like a man putting a gun behind the head of somebody. Says, "You do this, you do that, otherwise I will blow your head off." That is called śraddhā.
Faith Intensifies Knowledge
So, what is this agni? Knowledge. In that agni, śraddhā is there. This śraddhā makes the knowledge blaze forth. And then according to that, the person's knowledge, the person's holiness, and the person's happiness or bliss increases. That is called, what is spiritual progress? Progress in knowledge. What knowledge? "I am not different from God."
The more we approach God, the less we become. Finally, we realize that just as when a mirror is broken, the reflection automatically disappears. But metaphorically, it is said, that reflection resolves back into the person. So that is how śraddhā works.
The Result: Soma-rasa
And out of this śraddhā, when it is poured as oblation into this fire, what comes out? Soma-rāja. What is soma-rāja? Soma-rasa. So it is soma-rasa, experience of happiness comes. "Another opportunity I am getting."
And this śraddhā is the basis of commencing a spiritual life, otherwise called yajña, sacrifice.
The Necessity of Faith
And with this faith, oblations are offered into the fire. Without śraddhā, nobody will do any yajña because the results—the knowledge about higher worlds, higher type of life, higher experience of happiness—are described in the scriptures. And other than having śraddhā, there is no way for us to know.
The Proof is in Experience
But in the way, the only way—that's why in English there is a saying: "The taste of the pudding is in the tasting and eating." Even if your tongue is one millimeter away, millimeter away from the sweet, you will not have any knowledge of how it is. So that actual experience is obtained.
But for that, we must have faith. And that is the faith with which every baby grows. We all grow up. If we take initiation, if we go on practicing spiritual disciplines, then slowly we are going to come to God and our life will be blessed.
Maintaining Faith Through Practice
That faith we have to keep up, but faith is kept only with continuous, constant, intense practice. That is a very important point.
So this person has faith, especially people in the past. The less they are distracted, the more faith they have in the scriptures. Everything is the work of gods. And the idea is all the works of nature came only with the development of science. There are invisible beings who are controlling our lives. We came from that stars.
Popular Culture Reflects Ancient Wisdom
If you watch The Lion King: "Dad, what happens when you die?" "Oh, I will become a star." "And if I am in trouble, if I need guidance, what shall I do?" And then Dad says, "Look up. All those bright shiny stars are our ancestors. You look up at them, pray to them, ask them, and they will give you that knowledge."
See, through these movies also, the eternal fight that goes on between good and evil is very well depicted. That is why satyam eva jayate—that is the logo, motto of our national flag.
Faith as the Foundation
So this faith is the basis of doing anything in this world. So the oblations repeatedly offered in the five fires mentioned here become subtler and subtler. And in every instance, the power of faith becomes increasing. Those who perform sacrifice as described with milk, soma juice, etc.—so these are only what is called symbolisms.
True Offerings to Ancestors
It is not the food that we offer for our ancestors, dead ancestors. It is the prayer. It is the welfare. Then they will be pleased.
This is called pitṛ-yajña, ṛṣi-yajña, deva-yajña, bhūta-yajña, manuṣya-yajña. Five types of yajñas. And this is one yajña that helps us perform all the other five yajñas.
Mental Performance of Rites
So, the performance of rites like agnihotra and they can be done mentally. That is the important point. When we are young, we can do it if possible if we know physically, like the homas done in our āśramas. But if we are not, this is the whole point of vānaprastha āśrama.
The Mind as Sacrificial Ground
So the mind itself becomes the sacrificial place. It can be consecrated. Whatever we are doing physically, same thing can be done mentally. Everything is done exactly as it is prescribed. Only we do it mentally and it has tremendous effect. And that is called meditation.
And if the effect is not coming, there is some defect in our meditation. The effect is not that God is pleased or not pleased. Are we ready to receive?
God's Grace is Ever-Present
God's grace is ever like a southern breeze blowing all the time. But the more we unfurl our sails and we let the natural wind help us, that is the grace of God. So the less we become, the more we receive. So the more we empty the room, the more fresh air that comes.
That emptying our egotism is the crucial point in meditation, in sacrifice, until we do not exist. What exists is one and that is satyam, jñānam, anantam, brahma.
Conclusion: The Journey Continues
So the way the person has gone from the ground floor to the fifth floor, same way he will have to come down again to continue his journey and to progress in spiritual life, which will be described in the next few mantras, which we will talk about in our next class.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :
Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!