Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 15 on 13 July 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad. We have entered into the Peace Chant. And what is the purpose of this Peace Chant? Four different purposes we have discussed. All achievable only by the grace of God. We have to remember only by the grace of God. That is, there should be no obstacles. Let me be a fit instrument. Let my teacher also be a fit instrument to convey the teaching to me. And may the environment be very favourable to me. And lastly, may I realise God by His grace. So, may I never reject Brahman. OM MAHAM BRAHMANIRA KURYAM MAHAMABRAHMANIRA KAROT So, may I not deny, there are so many people in this world, they say God doesn't exist. And foolish people, of course, they talk foolishly. But why should we say? That is why Hinduism had very rationally found out, if you are existing, you are an effect. And an effect must come from the cause. And the cause is the five elements. And the five elements called Pancha Bhutas are the manifestations, not the offspring. I hope you get the difference between. Offspring means a mother gives birth to a baby. Mother is different. Baby is different. Manifestation. Gold is manifesting in the form of an ornament. Clay is manifesting in the form of various parts. So, that is the difference. It is not that God created, but God became. And that is a very wonderful thing. This is the speciality. Everywhere, practically every religion, excepting, of course, Buddhism, etc., that is Oriental religions, they always say that God is manifesting, not creating. So, what happens if God creates? It becomes reality. God is separate and the creation is separate. Creature and creator, both will be separate. But no, the creator is only putting on some particular dress and is appearing in front of a billion mirrors. So, actually, there is no dress for Brahman. But according to the color, thickness, opacity, etc., of the mirror, the reflection refers small, big, fat, lean, tall, etc., etc., colored also. So, that is the difference. Each soul is nothing but divine. Then why Swamiji used the word potential? Potential means we are ignorant of the fact. It is not that like a small seed, the whole tree is contained in the seed. Not like that. It is nothing but the pure divinity. But we are not aware of it because God cannot become small, God cannot become a seed. These are all worldly analogies. So, let my body, mind become strong. Body is a very important instrument because the mind can function only through the body. So, he says, Apyayantu, that means, may it grow. Balam, may all the limbs, including body and mind, become strong. What does it mean? It means there is a tremendous difference. Just as we see a scientist, an Einstein and an ordinary physicist, both of them know about physics, but the difference in the quantum, both qualitatively and quantitatively, Einstein knows much, much better. Where is the problem? In the receiving intellect, the capacity of the intellect. So, is Einstein an isolated example? Only few people are blessed with that. No. Each soul is potentially divine. If we follow the footsteps of Einstein or Beethoven or Shakespeare or Kalidasa or Christ or Ramakrishna, we will become exactly like that. So, this is the prayer. Let me not reject means what? It is the height of stupidity to say that God does not exist. The best we can do, I do not know, but I keep my mind open and then let not Brahman reject me. Can God reject you? Perhaps in my ignorance, I can ignore Brahman, but can Brahman ignore me? No, but the capacity by us, Brahman wants to bestow, as it were, its grace upon us, but we will not have that capacity to receive. That is what it means like echo. If somebody says yes, echo also says yes. No, the echo also will be no. So, even if I, in my ignorance, reject Brahman, let God be gracious to me, bring me to the right path, grant me shelter at his feet. That is a prayer. Anirakarnam Astu, Anirakarnam Me Astu. And then whatever spiritual qualities we have and these are all enumerated in the Upanishads. Upanishads, a dharma. And then earlier, the Shanti Path says, Sarvam Brahma Upanishadam. Everything is nothing but Brahman. That is also a statement of the same Vedas. Veda means it may be Upanishad, it may be Gita, it may be the Gospel, it may be the Testament, doesn't matter. So, whatever qualities are required, especially spiritual qualities, let them repose in me by the grace of God. Why should they repose in me? Because I am a very sincere seeker. I, who am engaged in the pursuit of the Self, Tadatmani Nirate, my life proves that I am continuously engaged in trying to approach Brahman, seeking Brahman. Therefore, let not Brahman delay. May they repose in me. And then, Om Shanti Hi, Shanti Hi, Shanti Hi. Let there be peace, peace, peace. Three times uttered. We all know because there are three manifestations of Ishwara. Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. And therefore, any of these can be a source of trouble. If I do not do what I am expected to do, then I will get problem from within myself. In fact, most of our problems are only created by me, by my own body and of course, my own mind. How many people, they think they are intelligent, but they are mad. And in their opinion, everybody else is mad excepting me. So, that is the first sign that the person is really mad. So, by God's grace, let me be rational, let me be strong and let me turn my sight only towards God. And by His grace, let all the afflictions, sufferings that can arise from body and mind, let them be reduced. And the most marvelous thing about this prayer is if we take care of the body, then we will suffer very least of them. Of course, Prarabdha Karma, if we have done something wrong, that cannot be avoided. But at least, I can try my level best to have the maximum optimal of what I deserve, even if I am born in not very comfortable circumstances. That is within us. That is called Purushakara. Then, the second source of affliction is the external world. And again, we must have profound Shraddha in the Vedas. Because whether we existed in the past and what type of activities we have done, we do not have any remembrance at all. But we are born in a particular circumstance, most often people think, especially after the rise of the science. Why do I say that? Because if we study history before the rise of popularity of science and after science became popular, we see the whole world is first of all divided into those who believe, those who do not believe. Earlier, there were very few who say, I do not believe. But after, most people were religious. But after the rise of science, whatever is not provable by my limited instruments can never be trusted. Do not even say there is a possibility of existence, not knowing that there are other sciences equally valid, but their subject matter is different, and their laboratories are different, and the instruments to prove them are also different. This was one of the points. Swami Vivekananda had given a beautiful talk, Science and Religion, or it may be Religion and Science, I do not remember. But the point is that a physicist or a biologist, they also use specialized instruments. An astronomer, for example, he does not use an ordinary instrument. He requires particularized instruments, specific instruments for conducting his research, which is normally a telescope, and there are different types of telescopes. So, if somebody wants to test what are the chemicals in certain food materials, the instrument is totally different. So, if somebody wants to taste and find out how tasty it is, a different instrument, similarly art, similarly music, sculpture, poetry, etc. Exactly in the same way, if someone wants to prove the truths of the Vedas, then a different instrument is necessary. What is that instrument? A purified mind. Of course, mind is the instrument for any type of scientific research, but especially for spiritual truths, a purified mind is indispensable. So, it is foolish to say, since I do not see in my lab any trace of God after life, some idiot had made an experiment. Just before the death of a person, he weighed the body, and after the death of the person, he weighed the same body. What is the premise? That if there is some element called soul, now the soul departed, body is here. So, if the body weighs, say, a few grams less, that means the soul is existing and it has left. Can you imagine anything more idiotic than this? In fact, sometimes the body becomes heavier after death. They do not understand it. Anyway, Swamiji says that the laboratory is our own mind. The instrument is a purified mind with all these spiritual qualities. What is the procedure? Intense Upasana, which we are going to enter into very shortly. Upasana means concentration not on any subject, but on the subject indicated by the scriptures and they are called deities. Then the secrets of the Vedas will be revealed. How? By having what is called Aparoksha Anubhuti, direct experience, not like seeing a human being, etc. This is the purpose of Upasana. I will talk a few points about that after this Shantipata is over. So, this is in the physical world also according to our past karma phala. But past means not only the last janma, but aneka janma. There may be thousands of births. We do not know how many times we were human beings, what are all the things that we have done, but there is one who is recording everything and usually that person is given the name Chitragupta and Yama Dharmaraja being Dharmaraja, he decides where to send this fellow. So, this is the truth. Then people, of course, do not believe. They call it nature, but nature is under the control of presiding deities, pancha bhutas. They are, of course, very subtle. Subtle are not small. Subtle are beyond our sense organs. And if we are not grateful for what they are doing, for their blessings, for nourishing us, but think that all we are doing by ourselves. Like the brahmana who nurtured the garden and killed the cow. He did not want the negative results, but he attributed it to the presiding deity, Indra. We should not be that hypocritical. We should be always grateful. I just wanted to insert here. See, supposing somebody had fallen down, you have fallen down in the middle of the road and we know a strange fact. Even if your vehicles are moving, 99% of the vehicles, they skirt you and move on. They do not want to waste their time. Only a few people are there. They stop, run over and try to cater to you. Suppose somebody helped you and then you are safe and sound. What do you say? That you are my God because you are my saviour. You have saved me. So all the time God is saving us. All the pancha bhutas are saving us. That means they are sustaining. We are able to live. We are able to enjoy. We are able to be active only because of their grace. So we have to be eternally grateful. That is why this beautiful chant that we do before food, we should not say it is brahmarpanam, only before food. Somebody, I think a little bit foolish, asked me whether if I am drinking coffee, can I do brahmarpanam? Is it necessary to do brahmarpanam? I said yes. Anything that goes inside, every activity requires brahmarpanam and that is what we have learned a little bit. Varuna is the deity of the apana vayu. Apana means that which gives a strength to push something out. So when you go to the toilet, nothing is happening. That means there is something severely wrong with your apana vayu. These are things, not funny things. These are the things that are happening. Anyway, this is what is called Hinduism's explanation for all these things. Anything that we do is done through the help of the pancha pranas. One prana dividing itself into five activities. It is nourishing not only the mind but also the body, of course, the buddhi, the ahankara, the chitta, the manas, everything. And if that prana is not there, we cannot do anything. This is beautifully illustrated in the Chandogya. Again, we will come to that. So we should be grateful to the gods. So let us pray. Whatever I have done, it is out of my control. What I am experiencing now is out of my control. I cannot change it. But there is a being who can change it. Even a dead person can be brought to life also. We see these extraordinary miracles performed by great saints. So let God bestow His grace and make my body-mind obstacle-less, the environment obstacle-less and let the grace of the gods flow unobstructed upon me and then only it is possible for me to progress in spiritual life. All for what purpose? Because to realize Brahman. Where is this blessed Brahman? Sarvam. Wherever we see, of course, including ourselves, sarvam kalvidam brahma. Then what do we see? We are seeing the world? No. Brahman wrongly perceived is what we call world and world rightly perceived is Brahman. Once Hajra disturbed the mind of Sri Ramakrishna by denying, arguing that your visions are all false hallucinations. Then Sri Ramakrishna ran to the Divine Mother and then said, Mother, is it true? Then she said, why do you give ear to these foolish fellows? He is like that. She escaped. She did not tell the truth to Sri Ramakrishna. She should have told, I am only playing with you through the instrumentality of this Hajra. I only created the hallucination and if Divine Mother is the hallucination, Sri Ramakrishna ran to this hallucination and asking the hallucination, are you a hallucination? Are you the truth? What a funny experience we have. Anyway, the Divine Mother told that he is ignorant person. Then Sri Ramakrishna was telling, at first I was very angry because he disturbed my mind. Then the truth dawned. After all, what can the poor man do? That is what the Mother has given, that buddhi. Therefore, he can only talk like this. But why should I have any doubts? And this also brings some doubt, at least in my mind, of Mandakopanishad statement, what a beautiful statement. When a person realizes Brahman, the supreme reality, then what happens? All the knots, bondages in the form of attachments, etc. will be snapped asunder, cut asunder. All his doubts will vanish forever and all the karma bandhanas, everything will be destroyed. Agami, Sanchita, Praradha, everything. So, what is my problem? My problem is Sri Ramakrishna was a knower of Brahman. How could he have this doubt when somebody telling that you are seeing only hallucination? That is also part of the Leela only. He was sometimes in the mood of a child. Of course, these are all our support for him. Anyway, you understand in your own way. So, everything is Brahman. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahman. And what type of Brahman? Aupanishadam Brahman. We will not know this truth through any other science, any other piece of knowledge, only through spiritual scriptures, Vedas, Koran, Bible, etc. God exists. He is all-knowing. We are all His children and He can bestow His grace and make us unto like Himself. Going to paradise means becoming like that. So, until I discover the truth that I am Brahman, I should not lose faith in that truth. Therefore, O Lord, please bestow me Shraddha. I do not understand but I must not lose Shraddha. My Guru told me, etc., etc. I gave you so many examples earlier. Shabari, whether Rama will come or not, I do not know. But my Guru told me. So, He will definitely come. So, Shri Ramakrishna gives two, three small stories. So, once a small boy was asked to perform worship and see that God is fed. And this boy thought really God is fed. He will come down. He will eat. But however much this small boy was praying, God is not coming. He started to weep. What does my father will say that I have not fed you? Then suddenly, God came down smiling, ate up the whole lot. That is the problem with God. You are supposed to eat a little bit and leave everything as Prasadam. But if you earnestly request, He takes it for granted. You want Him to eat the whole lot and make the plate completely Purnamadaha, Purnamidham. No, I am just joking. So, whatever God touches, it remains Purnam only. So, we should never say God doesn't exist. We should say that my Guru told me God exists. Vedas tell me God exists. Therefore, let me never reject Brahman. After approaching Guru, we have no right to say that I don't believe in God. So, this realization of Brahman is not possible by human effort. Simple logic. Through limited means, we cannot attain unlimited results. So, what should I do? I will have to have Prashraddha and question only my understanding. When I understand my understanding, there is a problem. And what is the proof? You should never simply intellectually listen to these things. Look at the life of so many people. How many thousands of monks are there, nuns are there. They have renounced the world. What made them, what gave them the power to renounce the normal joys? Of course, their opposite also will be there. But nobody expects all the time only the opposite things. So, what makes a person renounce everything? It is only faith in the Guru's words. I would not even say faith in God, but faith in the Guru's words. But what makes the person have faith in the Guru? His character. That is why Satsanga means a person who is living that kind of life. Then only we will get benefit. Otherwise, if it is merely a professor of philosophy, that is not going to help us. Therefore, definitely Brahman exists. I pray for the grace of God so that let my Shraddha never waver and let Him endow me with all the necessary qualities, equipment. And then why should He bestow His grace? Because whatever I have in complete faith in my Guru's words, I am trying my level best. I am completely immersed in this sadhana. I am not a casual student coming just to spend time. I am a serious, committed student. That seriousness, like Naciketa, is the greatest qualification we must all have. Now, the first chapter is starting. As I mentioned, my main purpose is only to treat with the Brahma Vidya which occurs in the 6th, 7th and 8th chapters of Chandogya Upanishad which belongs to the Sama Veda. But I wanted to give you a small sample. I will give you a few small samples. These are called Upasanas. Sometimes they are called Vidyas also. For example, Sri Vidya or Gayatri Vidya or they are also called Sri Chakra Upasana, Gayatri Upasana, Omkara Upasana and here the first chapter, this Omkara Upasana. As we all know, in Hinduism, Omkara is the essence of everything. Omkara is the representative of both the personal Brahman or Saguna Brahma and the impersonal reality called Nirguna Brahma. It is the gateway to the highest reality. But Upasana, that means near, approaching God in His Saguna aspect, qualified aspect, slowly, slowly. So the entire world is nothing but manifestation of Brahman and the most important manifestation of this Brahman in the form of this world is in the form of Panchadevata. Panchabhutas, we should not call them Bhutas, elements because the chemist uses the word element. In his understanding, an element is something absolutely lifeless, at least there are creatures with life. But these elements, the earth, the water, the fire, the air and then the space, they are absolutely devoid of consciousness. Whereas every religion, especially Hindu religion tells us these are the direct manifestations of Brahman. In Taittiriya Upanishad, we are going to see, which is a marvellous Upanishad and highly chantable, Atmana Akashaha, the space, the first manifestation of Atman. Manifestation means grossification. Then Akasha Dvayoh, air or the space became even more grossified and acquires the name air and the air becomes still more visible, first time it becomes visible. Until that time, space, you can't see, you can't hear, you can't taste, you can't touch, you can't feel but at least vayu, it has one quality, you can't see it, you can't smell it but you can touch it. It is cool, it is hot, etc. But when this air becomes more gross, then for the first time, we are able to see the form that is called Agni or Tejas. So vayoh agnihi, from what is called vayudevata comes this Agnidevata and Agnidevata, we can see the greatest manifestation of Agnidevata or fire god is Surya. For us, the Surya Devata, what we call the star, the sun, without him, there would be no life at all. Of course, if there is no life, there is no death also will be there. So even scientists are forced to reason, sun is the only cause of life in this world. In fact, the whole system is based upon this star only. So Hindus do not consider the sun. Of course, this we see through our gross eyes, only the star, burning gas. But for every spiritual person, it is the Devata, Srishti Devata. In fact, Dhyaya Sada Savitru Mandala Mathyavarti, he who is seen in the midst of Savitru, the word Savita, another name for Gayatri, is Srijana Devata is called Savitri. So Savitri, Savita, the sun god, the real power of the sun in the form of the Devata, that very mantra indicates that this is a Devata. Because if it is not the highest manifestation of God, how can that God be prayed to? And even if we pray ignorantly, how can that God bestow upon us the highest intelligence? The highest intelligence which reflects the highest consciousness is called Surya Devata. From Surya, Chandra comes. In fact, the fire, the air, the water and the earth, they are all the effect of the Surya Devata only. Even scientists, they said that there would be no wind at all, there will be no air and there would be no space, there would be of course no water and no earth and no life, no food because food means energy and all energy comes, light and heat, from the base, Savita, Surya Mandala. That is why in the Isavasya Upanishad also, I think it is in the 16th or so, so the aspirant prays. What I see now, what everybody sees is a golden disc but behind the golden disc and this disc acts like a covering, like Maya, really hiding the truth, the divine power within, the divinity within and there is a beautiful chapter in the Brihadaranyaka called Antaryami Brahmana. By the way, every chapter in Brihadaranyaka is called a Brahmana. It has nothing to do with what we call the Brahmana Jati. This is a chapter's name, Jyotir Brahmana, Madhu Kanda, Madhu Brahmana, Maitreyi Brahmana and here Antaryami Brahmana. Antaryami means indweller. So behind this Surya Devata, that Antaryami is there and we are all pieces of Antaryami. This is accepted even by the scientists. If you are eating a piece of bread, actually you are eating a piece of the sun because the sun is nothing but energy. That energy is absorbed by the plants and we eat those plants, all our flour and baking the flour into bread, everything, whether it is sweet or sour or anything, everything is the outcome of the Surya Devata only and that is what is meant by manifestation of Brahman. This whole universe through the form of the Pancha Devatas, Brahman is manifesting and they are the presiding deities. That means we come from them, we are sustained by them. Ultimately, all the five parts, each one of us have got five parts, whether it is gross or subtle and after body is over, that is what we call death, then all the five elements go and merge in them. This is the recycling process. Similarly, after realization when the mind, by the way, the mind dissolves only or the entire what is called subtle body, causal body, it becomes destroyed. Destroyed means goes back to its original elements. They are called subtle part of the physical gross five elements. So only five Pancha Devatas are there. That is why they are the presiding deities. So this is how we have to approach these deities. These are called manifestations of the Saguna Brahma and as I was mentioning Omkara is the most marvelous symbol for meditation. In the Mandukya Garika, we have seen Omkara has three syllables A, O and M and these three combined becomes Om and there is an unsounded sound called Arthamatra or Amatra and that is the silent merging of all these three and that is representative of the fourth state called Turiyam. So in the Mandukya, what did we say? Akara, every living creature, not only human being, every living creature goes through three states of experience, waking, dream and deep sleep. So don't have any doubt. Does a mosquito also have a dream state? Yes. What do you think? It is dreaming that there is a stupid human fellow and he did not spread his mosquito net. So he is an open invitation to all the mosquitoes like me and he is really a very good man. May God keep him in that sense only. So every mosquito will be dreaming. As I put it very funnily, every young male mosquito will be dreaming about what? You have to guess. Don't make me utter those words. So Omkara is the best and in Katha Upanishad also with the very beginning teaching of Yama Dharma Raja, he says, and that aksharam Om. So it is a gateway first to the Saguna Brahma and next leading to the Nirguna Brahma. Not that there are two Brahmas. As our understanding, first understanding of Brahman is Saguna, personal aspect of Brahman or with form, name, form and qualities. The totality of the universe is called Brahma, what is called Saguna Brahma, called Ishwara. So Om, I will just first read out how this Upasana comes. This first Upasana in the first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad is called Udgetha Upasana. Omkara in the form of Udgetha Upasana. And what is Upasana? Gradually approaching Upa and Asana. Upa means we are approaching, nearer. What is the nearest? Our own true self of which we are ignorant is the nearest to us. In fact, that only is working as each one of us, but we are not aware of it. So slowly approaching step by step. This is a process. A small baby becomes a child, then adolescent, a boy or a girl, an adolescent, a youth and middle-aged, old-aged. Like that, he enters into the nursery, elementary, high school, then college, university, etc. Growth has to be done. An Upasana is in that way. Nobody can see Brahma because what is this Upasana process? It is like an onion. Sri Ramakrishna gives this beautiful example. You go on peeling the onion and then you remove the last peel, the innermost peel. What remains? Nothing remains. Is it? No. The very essence we are missing each time. So what is it? We have got three bodies, the gross, the subtle and the causal. Or we have got the five bodies, Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, Anandamaya. Like onion, peel off. What are we talking about? Upasana is gradually peeling out the grossest and then what is inside and what is inside and what is inside. Finally, the last one. Then what remains? Don't say nothing remains. I remain. If you have got five dresses, this is I think a good example or good analogy. So you are putting on, your mother has put on five dresses upon you from the birth. You are looking at yourself in the mirror at your reflection because you can't see yourself and then you see this is me and then one day your mother removes the grossest fifth layer, outermost layer and then a new you is revealed, new body, new mind and then apply the same thing, a fourth one is removed, third one is removed, second one is removed, first one is removed, then there are no dresses at all. Don't say nothing remains. You remain there. So this example, this Upasana is you go on removing. Earlier I told you what is Upasana? It is removing the ignorance, destroying the ignorance and when totally ignorance is destroyed, what remains will be only pure knowledge. So the very first, when a sincere aspirant approaches, then first of all we will have to accept this marvellous truth that in this world there is nothing called individual. Everything is connected with each other, interconnected. If you talk about Karmaphala, that is nothing but interconnected. How? I will talk about it tomorrow. But what I wanted to, every Upasana, so you are thinking this is my body but I merge this body in higher reality, that means higher body and that higher body I merge in still higher body or still subtler body like that, like the Annamaya merges in Prana. Prana is much subtler than this physical body and mind is much subtler than the Prana and the Buddhi is much subtler than the mind and the Anandamaya Kosha is absolutely the subtlest but still it is subtlest only. It is not the truth. That also has to be removed. That is why the Taittiriya Vibhima. Upasankramya means having transcended. Transcended means he merges this gross in the subtle, subtle in the subtlest, subtlest in the still more subtler and still more subtler and the whole thing is nothing but pure Brahman. So we are only talking about Saguna Brahma. Brahman with name, form and qualities but even though every object in this world has got both a form, a name and an appropriate quality but there is this difference what is called grossest, gross, subtle, subtler, subtlest. Slowly the nearer we are approaching, just like you imagine there are five layers, there is a lamp, it is covered with five layers and the first layer above the light is very thin and the second layer thicker and third layer more thick, more thick and thickest is the outside and how much light do you expect to come? So first of all I see light, true but that is not the final real understanding of light. So we remove the grossest, then remove the a little thinner layer covering and then the last one also we remove. Then light remains in its absolute glory, splendor, purity and then what we discover is that I am only that light, there is nothing else and some of you must have studied some of the scriptures in the Brihadaranyaka, the famous world. Neti, neti twice, there is a big discussion why this double neti is used. The first neti is the thorn or the instrument by which all other processes have to be experimented with. So with this mind which remains as a Sakshi, I am not the physical body, gross body, I am not the subtle body, I am not the causal body and after that, that mind also has to be thrown out. So what are we talking about? Upasana from one point of view is approaching God nearer and still nearer but if we have to understand it better way, upasana is removing the gross, grossest identifying by identifying with the less gross and then going still inside identifying with more subtle, subtlest and finally we come to that to a state where only this is that the remover and the removing instrument, both become completely identified. So brahmakara vritti and the vritti which brought us to that brahmakara vritti both become merged in brahmakara vritti and that brahmakara vritti cannot be removed any further by us but when we reach there like a dry piece of wood is approaching fire and then as it approaches it acquires more and more qualities. What qualities? First heat then of light and when it comes very near to the fire it catches fire and it becomes fire and there is no difference between fire and that one. This is the process of upasana. Until that time upasana is like you can say that you are climbing certain steps to reach the reality or I prefer that removing the obstacles first gross, then subtle, then subtler, then still subtler, then still subtlest and what we discover that the light I am seeking is my own self, the consciousness gets rid of body and mind and then chidabhasa. Until body mind are there it is called chidabhasa and once the body mind are negated chidabhasa also disappears along with that just like when the mirror is broken the reflection also breaks down. Then what remains? Only the being who is all the while standing in front of the mirror alone remains. Until that time that being has forgotten itself and then identifying with the reflection now since the mirror is broken he has no option but to say this is me. Instead of saying that is me now we say this is me, I am this because how many are there? There is no more aham brahmasmi. That is the beautiful process and for that purpose first few mantras in this first chapter called khanda of the Chandogya Upanishad omiti etat aksharam udgeetham upasana. It is called udgeetha. Why is it called udgeetha? Udgeetha. Ud means loudly when sacrifices are being done, yajnas, yagas are being done then this akshara called om assumes a tremendous importance. Then for everything do you give me permission to put this ghee inside the fire and there is a priest he is called Brahma and he is the supervisor and he doesn't say yes yes what we call in English language yes what does he say om and the priest who is requesting he also says om but both know what they have to do that means the priest is telling may I now offer this clarified butter into the fire may I but he is not telling that he is saying om because a particular sequence has been accomplished now the next one is the priest also knows and the brahmana also knows that brahmana nowadays is called the assistant for the pujari is that is called in popular language tantra dharak is the assistant he knows tantra dharak knows better than the priest so he goes on reciting the mantras and then he said this comes first this comes second this comes third etc so these are the beautiful omkara upasana as udgeetha loudly chanted and hyadgat gayate it is chanted and their explanation which we will see in next class may Ramakrishna holy mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with bhakti