Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 122 on 20 July-2025

Sanskrit Invocation

Oṁ jananīṁ śaradāṁ devīṁ rāmakṛṣṇam jagad-gurum pāda-padmetayōśritvā praṇamāmi-mohurumō

Oṁ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇas cakṣuḥ śrutra-mathu bala-mindriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi sarvam brahmau paṇiṣadam māham brahma nirākuriyām mā mā brahma nirākarot anirākaraṇam astva nirākaraṇam me astu tadātmani nirate yau paṇiṣadsu dharmā te mayi santu te mayi santu

Oṁ śānte śānte śānte

Hāre he Oṁ

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.

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Introduction to Shandilya Vidya

In our last class, we completed all the eight chapters of the Chandogya Upanishad. But before we took up the study of this Chandogya, we had gone quickly through some of these Upāsanas from the first chapter to the fifth chapter. First to fifth chapters of the Chandogya Upanishad is dealing mainly with what we call Upāsanas.

So now I would like to discuss about one particular Upāsana in this class. It is called Shandilya Vidya. This is a most marvellous Upāsana. And yesterday I also had given the essence. Today also I will quickly go through it so that we can understand why is this Upāsana, Vidya, Upāsana, Contemplation, these are synonymous words.

So very rarely we say Upāsana, but there are also Gayatri Upāsana, etc. But Vidya is a synonymous word with Upāsana. And this particular Upāsana which comes in the third chapter of this Chandogya Upanishad and fourteenth section. So there is only one mantra in this, but that covers everything.

The Origin of the Name

So this Shandilya Vidya, why did it get the name? Because somebody taught like Sri Ramakrishna's teachings or teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. If we have to put it in this Upanishadic language, then we can also say Sri Ramakrishna Vidya, Sri Ramakrishna Upāsana.

So Shandilya was a great Rishi. He was a realised soul. How do we know? Nobody can talk about Brahman unless a person had realised. Shandilya was a Rishi. A Rishi is called a Mantra-drashta, a person who had experienced Brahman in a particular aspect. So Satya-drashta, a seer of truth, Mantra-drashta, seer of truth, discoverer of truth. Every Rishi is a discoverer of truth.

But because there are so many people like Christ, He taught in His own language and Muhammad taught in His own language. Guru Nanak taught in His own language. So every great realised soul teaches in different languages, but the essence will be the same.

Recognition of Realized Souls

So there was this Shandilya, a great Rishi. He must have been a realised soul. How do we know? Sri Ramakrishna was great. How do we know Swami Vekananda was great? After reading their teachings, there is something that echoes, that responds. Within each one of us, there is an intuitive sense.

What is intuition? That without going through the process of thinking, cogitating, etc., direct perception of truth, that is bypassing the logical reasoning faculty of the mind, straight like an arrow becoming one with the target, that is called intuition. So this is Antargnana, intuition. So a Rishi will have that kind of intuition.

When we study Sri Ramakrishna's gospel, and then we know our heart says, we may not even be able to understand everything that He says, something we understand. But there is an instantaneous response, not in everybody, but in those people whose heart is pure. In everybody there is the same intuitive power, but it might be covered up. But there are some who instinctively realise, Sri Ramakrishna is a realised soul. There can be no doubt about it.

Swami Vekananda, he must have been a realised soul. There can be no doubt about it. If you recollect, when Swamiji was giving talks in America, there was one lady, and later on she became a closest devotee, helping the Ramakrishna Order in every way. She totally dedicated, Ms McLeod, and she heard about this Indian monk. She went to attend, and then she heard Swamiji's talk.

She came out, and she started declaring, the first word that Swami Vekananda uttered is truth for me. The second word he taught, that is the truth for me. The third word that came from his mouth is truth for me. The fourth word that came is a truth for me. And thereafter, every word that came from him is a grand truth. Even his jokes, light talks, contain tremendous amount of truth.

The Truth and Its Realization

So, there must be this great Rishi. How do we know? Why did I bring up Sri Ramakrishna Swamiji? When we read this one, we may not understand intellectually, but we feel that must be the truth. And who can express the truth? Only a person who has realised the truth, a person who realises the truth, he becomes sathya kama, sathya sankalpaha.

So, we don't know anything about this and Ilya, but he taught this truth. And we do not even know to whom he taught. But somebody had recorded, and in the olden days, the recording is done by the mind. Even today, there are a few people who could memorise all the Vedas, especially the Rig Veda. And there are some people, blessed people, who can recite it back to the front, from end to the beginning. Such is the power of their memory.

So, somebody must have recorded it and it is a marvellous vidya. In fact, that is what we do. But if we have to squeeze the essence of this Sandilya vidya, the knowledge taught by Rishi Sandilya, it is pure sharanagati. What is sharanagati? Complete self surrender.

The Nature of Complete Self Surrender

And what is complete self surrender? To cognise the fact that this whole universe is nothing but the manifestation of Brahman. This universe takes its birth from Brahman and Brahman continues to sustain it. He is the creator, he is the sustainer. And again, he only withdraws it into himself.

As a beautiful analogy is given in the Mundaka Upanishad, the analogy of a spider, just as a spider, brings forth all the threads whenever it wants to create a net. And by the way, in case you do not know, a great intellectual was observing this spider's web. And anything, any insect, any creature, touches that web, any part of the web, and the spider instantaneously understands it.

So, based upon that, this is what we call nowadays internet is invented. Most things that people invent, an aeroplane, is invented by observing how birds fly. So, nature is a great teacher only if we are apt pupils, open to receive the truths. Open truth is open, like open secret. But we may not have that capacity to grasp it.

Anyway, so somebody had recorded this one and this is all about sharanagati.

Understanding Upasana

Upasana means what? Contemplation. Contemplation means what? Spiritual practice. Spiritual practice involves first learning from somebody, what am I supposed to think, think deeply, think one-pointedly, think continuously until we become one with the truth.

So, contemplation, upa asana, the very Sanskrit word. Asana means the highest truth. One meaning of asana is brahman. Brahman is satyam jnanam nantam. So, we want to approach brahman. Upa means slowly nearing to brahman. And to come to brahman, nearer to brahman, we have to give up, to which we are clinging earlier.

So, slowly we give up those things and slowly, slowly, slowly we move forward until we approach like a piece of wood approaching. Just imagine, we put the piece of wood into the fire, but imagine a piece of wood wants, I want to become fire. So, slowly it is approaching and as it approaches, it gets some of the qualities of the fire rub on it. So, it approaches, finally it falls into the fire, it becomes one with fire and it exhibits the same characteristics of the fire. This is called upasana.

The Transformation Process

Every aspirant, if he is really a sincere aspirant, his body, his mind becomes slowly like that of a God. Pure body means what? Sattvic body. Pure mind means what? Sattvic mind. That means his way of thinking, his way of experiencing this world and his way of interpreting the world and his way of reacting to the world, everything will be God-like. That's why we say a saint is a God-man, a man of God. How does he behave? Because he understands what we are.

So, slowly, slowly, slowly the spiritual aspirant through contemplation and contemplation must bring about appropriate changes. Just the same example, a wooden piece, as it approaches near, it becomes heated, it gets burnt up, finally it becomes fire itself. Like that, if we want to approach God, we cannot approach God and remain separate from him. We may think, I would like to be nearer to God. Enjoy him. That is also possible, not for long.

The Sugar Analogy

As Swami Brahmanandaji explains it so beautifully, when somebody asked that there is a saying, I want to enjoy sugar, not become sugar. What is your opinion? And Swami Brahmanandaji tells, that is the case of a person who has never tasted sugar. Once a person tastes that sugar, then he doesn't want to say, I want to enjoy, I want to remain separate from the sugar and go on enjoying it. No, it is a foolish thought. I will illustrate it.

Supposing a person wants to enjoy sugar and he gets some sugar and then he enjoys it. What happens? He becomes sugar, sweet, and sugar also becomes him. But suppose he says, I want to be separate from sugar. So there is sugar, it is one foot in front of the person who loves sugar and he remains separate from sugar. What would be his condition? Can he enjoy it?

Enjoyment by definition means becoming completely one, at one-ment, completely become unified. That is called Ananda. Once a person enjoys. By the way, eating sugar means becoming happy. So if somebody says, I keep happiness separately and I want to enjoy at the same time, is like the foolish fellow declaring, I want to keep this sweet away from me, but I want to enjoy it at the same time. If you want to be separate, you cannot enjoy. And if you eat that sweet, it becomes one with you.

So Brahmanji was telling that in the case of a person who never tasted sugar, sugar here means divine. Once a person experiences the indescribable joy that comes from Brahman or God, then he cannot tolerate one billy-billy-trilly second separation from God. So that is the condition of all of us.

The Magnet Analogy

Asana is the way how we slowly approach the divine, and he, seeing our sincere effort, slowly pulls, draws. In fact, our progress in spiritual life, I would say, is purely negative in description. What do I mean by that?

See, supposing there is a powerful magnet and there is an aerophile iron piece, and it is covered with all sorts of layers of dust. Now this person slowly wants, pushes this iron nearer to the magnet. Even if it is very near, very close to the magnet, the magnet cannot attract it. That means the iron filing cannot approach the magnet. What does it mean?

Because there is something which is making it separate, and that which makes us separate, seemingly separate from God is called maya or agnana, ignorance. So ignorance manifests in the form of our worldly thoughts, attachments to the body, especially mind. Samsara, this world, is nothing but attachment to body and mind.

So if we want to become one with God, one with Brahman, and that is kalupasana, then slowly we have to detach ourselves, I am not the body, I am not the mind. That is the final realization. But for a short time, in a small way, we have to detach by not thinking about it.

Recognizing Attachment

How do we know whether we are attached or not? Because if we are attached, first of all, whatever we are attached to appears to be the only truth. Reality. And we act and react according to that concept of reality. So if we go on practicing, okay, the sweet is okay, but it can produce adverse effects. So let me eat occasionally after referring to God, and that too in small quantities, tolerable by the body, etc. This is called shama and dama.

And if difficult circumstances come, we have to put up without becoming discouraged or without becoming ferocious. So that is called titiksha. Beautiful definitions are given by Shankaracharya at the very beginning of his marvelous book, Viveka Chodamani.

So this is how slowly we become detached from body as well as mind. This detachment from the body and mind is called getting rid of all the impurities. And this is called the spiritual practice because we are the atman, we are the same magnet. So that fact we have forgotten. So we want to become the magnet. The only way is let us wash our dirt, impurity.

Negative Spiritual Practice

So what do we need to do? We don't need to do anything because each iron piece is potentially a magnet. In fact, what we call a powerful magnet is nothing but which manifests its attractive power. It is also a piece of iron only for your information. So what did I say? That all spiritual practice is negative. What do I mean? That let us get rid of all the dirt and dust which is covering us. Like dirt and dust is covering the iron piece and that is what we call spiritual practice. Then the magnet automatically attracts as the dust becomes, covering becomes less and less.

And interestingly, we have studied, we will study also in even more details in the Taittiriya Upanishad. So there are three models are there. Three body model, sthula, shokshma, karana, shreera model, pancha, kosha, annamaya, pranamaya, anumaya, vijnanamaya, anandamaya, kosha means shreeth.

The Process of Detachment

So we have to detach ourselves through spiritual practice. Either we detach from the gross body, become identified with the subtle body, becomes detached from the subtle body, become identified with the causal body. And if we can do that, we understand that all these three bodies is not me.

Same process occurs like we will see, study in the third section especially as Bhrugu was progressing. First reality is this physical world and second reality is the pranamaya kosha, vital body. And as soon as he identifies himself with the vital body and immediately he understands the physical body is anatma, is insubstantial, mithya, it is not the truth.

And then he thinks for the time being this prana is the highest truth, that is the only reality. But after some time he catches glimpse of something higher which is its cause. Even this annamaya is an effect, its cause is pranamaya and pranamaya is an effect and its cause is manomaya. And manomaya is an effect, its cause is vijnanamaya and vijnanamaya is also a cause, an effect and anandamaya is the cause. And anandamaya is also an effect. Ananda is the real cause.

Ananda is another name for sat chitta ananda, satyam gnanam, anantam. Anantam is a substitute for ananda. Why the substitution especially ananta? Ananta because the word ananda may make us misunderstand our normal happiness, forgetting every happiness is a negation of unhappiness and every unhappiness is a negation of happiness only.

And therefore so pancha kosha, first we go on, the grass is merged and merging can be possible only into its cause. You can't merge something in something else. So slowly slowly this grass is merged in the subtle, subtle, even more subtle, even more subtle. And the subtlest of all is the anandamaya kosha. And then we realize this also is a sheeth only, is a separating principle only. Then we become one.

Understanding Spiritual Progress

So all this explanation is to make us understand very clearly what we call spiritual progress, is progressively detaching ourselves from the body-mind complex and as we succeed our inner divinity becomes more and more clear until when we are completely detached and that is the process called neti neti. Then we understand we are atman, we are brahman. That should be the process. This is the realization.

Once a person has this realization, when he comes out and what happens when he comes out, then he sees everything not as multiplicity but as one. And that seeing everything as one is called sharanagati or complete self surrender.

Practical Application of Surrender

So what is it? This body is given to me by God for His own purpose. So I have to serve God. This mind is also given to me to serve that same God. So I am only borrowing these things by the grace of God and they have to be used to obey the divine commandments, pidi and nishedha.

Slowly as we progress in these six steps of sharanagati, then we find that everything belongs to you, everything is God, everything has come from God, everything is sustained by God, everything is again going back into God.

Then there can be also a misunderstanding that at the end of a long, long, after many lives of spiritual practice, one becomes merged in brahman. That is also a wrong idea because when is it that we are not identifying ourselves with brahman? Put yourself this simple question. When is it that we are not identified with brahman? And you will see.

The Constant Presence of Brahman

So that is what prati bhava viditam says. Kenava Upanishad says every time you become aware, you are aware first of all I am the atman. And with the help of that atman you also use the body and mind. So prati bodha viditam. Every bodha, bodha means what? Awareness, every awareness.

Not only that, in between two thoughts we become completely identified with brahman. And if we extend that analogy, so what is waking state? It is a state of thought. What is dream? It is also nothing but a state of thought. What is deep sleep? That is also a state of thought.

So when we go on detaching ourselves through observation and through spiritual practice, then there is a state before the waking disappears and the dream appears. There is a state because as we said it is nothing but two thoughts. So in between two thoughts there is a crystal clear no man's land that is called pure consciousness.

Similarly before we fall into deep sleep state, the dream comes to an end and the deep sleep begins. In between there is a gap, no man's land that is also pure consciousness. Again from the deep sleep when we wake up there is a crystal clear no man's land and that is also the state of pure consciousness.

What I wanted to convey is there is no time when we are not conscious that we are not brahman. We are always conscious we are brahman only. In fact everything takes place in time and the time itself when we become aware of the time, the time itself is a created thing because if your mind doesn't work the creation will not happen.

The Nature of Time and Consciousness

So your mind is the creator of time but the mind is also inert. It cannot work unless there is that reflected consciousness called Chidabhasa. And therefore that Chidabhasa time also you are not paying attention to the Chidabhasa part. You are only paying attention to the mind part.

How do we do that? You be aware that I am thinking. If you are not aware I am thinking there would be no thought. You should be aware now I am thinking about a tree, now I am thinking about an animal etc. Every thought should remind us, every thought has got two parts. The mind part which is functioning and the consciousness part where I think that I is nothing but reflected consciousness.

So when am I not brahman? All the time I am brahman. But why am I not able to understand? Because every millisecond or millisecond or millisecond we because of ignorance identify I am brahman but in the form of the body. I am brahman but in the form of the mind just like children when parents make what is called sugary sweets at the time of Diwali and they put them they melt the sugar and put it in a mould having different shapes and different colours also.

So the children they prefer they have strong preferences. I want to eat a horse, I want to eat an elephant, I want to eat a parrot. So they are aware it is sweet because if it is not sweet they will never even go around it. So that only thing is now their focus is sweet with a particular name and form, a particular colour, particular shape. The focus is more now on the name and form and all the time unconsciously they are aware. This is nothing but very desirable sweet and of course when they put it in the mouth Nama Rupa Pravilapanam and what remains sweetness also goes inside and what does it become? The child itself.

The Essence of Shandilya Vidya

Anyway all this discussion we are telling the essence of this Andhya Vidya is what is called complete sharanagati. So the world has come from him, world is sustained by him and world goes back unto him at every second. That is the point I wanted to emphasize not at the time of eons and eons of spiritual practice then only we attain to that Brahmagnanam that is one way of understanding but when we have keen intellectual capacity then we understand prati bodha viditam.

Every time I am aware of anything I am aware that I am Brahman. Remove that I simply I am seeing a tree, remove that I. Will there be somebody to say I am seeing that I is not there? He is not there. What is that I? Find out.

So yesterday we gave what is it that everything arises from Brahman, everything is sustained by Brahman and everything returns to Brahman. And we know that

And this knowledge comes from a Rishi to each one of us whether it is in the form of Gita or Gospel or Swamiji's works or Kabir Das's works or bhajans but we have to contemplate them. That is called meditation and meditation is not easy.

Prerequisites for Meditation

So it requires extraordinary mental purity and psychological preparation and mental purity and psychological preparation come through leading a life as directed by the scriptures. And here there is a beautiful word usually krathu ho. Krathu means will, action, determination, meditation means that we think this is the truth. I would like to obtain that truth and I would put forth all my faculties.

So a person first after coming to know something then he makes up his mind and keeps his mind very strong. That is the difference between weak-willed people and strong-willed people. So a strong will is necessary that is called krathu.

And this is very deeply connected with Karma Siddhanta, the theory of Karma. Because whatever we understand that leads to an action and whatever action we do that brings inevitable karma results. Yatha krathu ho tatha manushyaha. Just as the determination of a person. And this is what Bhagawan Krishna was talking about.

Developing Will Power

So this is called krathu. Krathu means will power. We have to develop a strong will power and will power is a faculty lying dormant within each one of us and we like a bulldog. We will have to develop it. As we go on exercising as our muscles grow similarly as we go on exercising our power of will slowly our will becomes stronger and stronger and stronger. And then only we can overcome all temptations and that is a very important word used in this particular upasana that we will cover.

Then you see there is a relationship between body and mind. If the body is not healthy, mind will not be healthy. Mind is not healthy, body will not be healthy. In between the body and mind, remember all the pancha koshas are covered by this concept of body and mind. So all of them must be made sattvic, pure. Then only it is possible to progress in spiritual life.

Brahman as Consciousness

Then Brahman in this particular upasana called bharupaha, Brahman is effulgent. Simply effulgence means consciousness. So one has to be aware whatever whenever we are aware that is nothing but Brahman. So and then in this upasana also it comes Brahman's self is as vast as space because space akasha is nothing but the very first manifestation of Brahman.

So it is very near and beautiful what is called spiritual practices sarva karmaha, all actions, sarva kamaha, all desires, sarva gandaha, all smells, sarva rasaha, all tastes. That is the enjoyer is Brahman, the enjoyed is Brahman. So we normally enjoy ourselves along with through the help of the five sense organs what is called enjoy, shabda, sparsha, roopa, prasa, gandha, sounds, forms, tastes, smells and touches.

Subject and Object Unity

And then the rishi, he also tells us, Sandali rishi tells us that the contemplator and the contemplated, the subject and the object both are nothing but Brahman like in our dream. So we are the enjoyers of the dream. We also create, we divide ourselves as the subject and everything as the object. So in dream we divide ourselves into the subject and object just like that in the waking state Brahman divides itself into the subject and object.

So I am Brahman but I am the subject. But you are the object when I am looking at you and you are also Brahman as an object. That is to say sarvam kalvidam brahma and there must be practical application. So we must be able to see everything in God.

How do we do that? So whatever you are doing, so pralapan, visrujan, srujan, unmishan, nimishan, so asnan, gachchan, swapan, shasan, eating, moving, working, fluttering the eyelids, opening the eyelids, taking breath in, throwing breath out, digesting. Everything that is happening is Brahman alone is doing and all these ideas are compressed in that one wonderful mantra. Brahma pranam brahma haver, brahma agna brahma nahutam.

So what did we speak so far? Everything is sarvam kalvidam brahma. So I am also Brahman but I am ignorant that I am Brahman but I am longing to be Brahman through my prayers asatoma, tamasoma, mrityorma etc. So spiritual practice is necessary and that should be practical vedanta.

The Actual Text

With this background we will enter into the actual text and as I said this text in the third chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. Remember Chandogya has got eight chapters and first to fifth chapters are upasanas and this Sandalya Vidya comes in the third chapter and third chapter has many sections and it comes in the fourteenth section.

And you see at the very beginning how it goes. Sarvam kalvidam brahma tat jalan iti shantaha upasita. So first the truth is enumerated and then how to realize that truth that is the second. Third the karma siddhanta these are the three points. Let us now discuss this first mantra.

First Mantra Analysis

Verily all this universe is Brahman from him do all things originate into him do they dissolve and by him are they sustained.

Sarvam kalvidam brahma. Indeed kalu means indeed sarvam idam. Idam means whatever we are experiencing I am experiencing we are experiencing our bodies and our minds and through these bodies and minds they are experiencing this entire creation cosmos. But what is everything sarvam brahma I the experiencer and everything that is experienced it is nothing but brahma tat jalan iti tat jala.

So this word tatjala is a beautiful word it is given this word came from the mouth of this rishi Sandalya so it indicates tatjala means what srishti sthiti laya. They have given the acharyas have given that special Shankaracharya that meaning so why sarvam kalvidam brahma just like everything that every ornament that is made of gold is nothing but gold every furniture that is made of wood is nothing but wood.

Every part that is made of clay is nothing but clay so the universe is a manifestation of Brahman with Nama Rupa and the universe is created by him it is sustained by him and again at the end it goes back because this is the law whatever is created from whichever cause it is created it goes back into that cause only. So from the scientist viewpoint everything is a combination of these atoms and everything is sustained by the atoms and everything goes back to atoms and that going back process is what we are afraid it is called death but there is no death.

Contemplation Instructions

Tat jalaan iti that thus one should contemplate how shantaha upasita that a person must be absolutely tranquil that is he has been practicing preliminary spiritual disciplines his mind has become completely prashantata. He became very peaceful and then upasita he should contemplate what should this spiritual aspirant who first made his instruments fit his body and mind fit by developing sattva guna.

What should he contemplate upon tat jalaan iti that is this creation has come from God and it is continuously sustained only by God or here Brahman and ultimately it goes back to Brahman iti upasita so he should contemplate upon it.

So if everything is Brahman who am I? I am Brahman. If everything is Brahman who are you? You are also Brahman. If everything is Brahman the living the non-living beginning from the one-celled amoeba until the highest evolved saint everything is nothing but manifestation of Brahman.

Second Section: The Nature of Will

Atha khalu kratu mayaha purushaha. A person is really speaking what his will is. Kratu here means full of will and a person's will totally depends upon what he believes without any doubt. Shraddha mayoyam purushaha. In the Bhagavad Gita 17th chapter instead of kratu mayaha the word Shraddha mayaha is used. So a man is nothing but what he believes in and that is what beautifully taught by Swami Etishvand Maharaj.

A person's concept about himself determines his concept about the entire world. If a mosquito thinks that it is a mosquito that is the truth then the whole world is looked upon from the viewpoint of a mosquito how it has a right to go and suck the blood of anybody. Everything is a victim, every object is a victim just as for us every object that means every person living non-living is an object for our experience enjoyment just like that.

So kratu has got beautiful meanings we will discuss in our next class but everybody is what his will is and what a person's will is depends upon what he believes about himself and what he believes in himself he sees the entire creation in that light only.

Just as a person becomes through his actions thoughts etc. that develops that complete faith he becomes that and then what happens to the next birth next world whatever he is he will attain to that same state in the next birth also. That is giving up this body when he goes to the other world he continues in the same way. Therefore what is the commandment?

Let a person make himself a kratu. Kratu means of a strong-willed person develop tremendous will power gigantic will powers and then it depends upon his shraddha ultimately shraddha alone can take us to God all these beautiful ideas are involved which we will talk about in our next class.

May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.