Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 33 on 14 September 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So we are studying the Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda. We have taken up the sixth chapter which is called Sadvidya chapter because it speaks about everything is nothing but Brahman but herein as pure existence. So this sixth chapter of the Chandogya has 16 sections. We have in our last class entered into the fourth section. This fourth section has seven mantras and we have entered into the fifth mantra. So far we have studied five mantras. What did we study? How Brahman is manifesting first in the form of the three subtle elements herein instead of five as enumerated in the Taittiriya Upanishad in Chandogya only three elements, subtle elements, subtle Thanmatras. Agni, Apaha and Prithi are herein called Annam. We also discussed the other two have to be presumed. Why? Because we cannot move if there is no Akasha or space and we cannot survive if there is no air called Vayu which represents the sound system by Akasha and the touching system by the Vayu and since we experience all these five through our five sense organs we have to presume those two also even though only three are mentioned here but the point is not three or five. The point is everything is nothing but Brahman. Why? Following the rule that an effect is nothing but because a pot is nothing but clay and golden ornament is nothing but gold. Remove the clay from the pot, nothing remains. Remove the name and form of the clay, clay remains. Remove the gold from the ornament, nothing remains. Remove the particular name and form of the gold, pure gold without name and form exists and that is the essence of this entire creation is not a separate object other than Brahman but Brahman is as it were assuming different Namas and Rupas and we because of our ignorance think that there are innumerable uncountable things in this world which is not true and to make this point clear the ancient Acharyas have very crystal clearly analyzed our three states waking, dream and deep sleep. So in the dream state, in the waking state we think everything is different but our Rishis, Acharyas want to convey to us but really speaking there are not many things everything is nothing but different forms, different names, different qualities of only one single truth Ekam eva advitiyam that's what the Rishi here called Uddalaka Aruni wants to convey to the earnest student Shweta Ketu in this sixth chapter for that they give the example of the dream. What is the speciality? So long as we are dreaming we think exactly like in the waking state we think I am separate everything else is separate upon waking up we find that everything is me only, my mind only, I only have assumed different what we call Veshas, dressings like sometimes we find one single person acting in a dual role or three roles also I don't know how they take it in cinemas we can find it in dramas definitely we can find it only dress is changed a bit tone is changed sometimes we find some people have the capacity to speak like a woman, like a child, like a old person etc. So the whole universe is nothing but Brahman and so the system of process of creation has been given previously that first Brahman manifested at the fire as waters and as food, food means earth then they became the subtle elements which is called our subtle body as well as causal body and then these subtle elements through tripartite system had become grossified each one containing a little bit of the other two also and became the three gross elements instead of pancha bhutas you can say trini bhutani and then they combined in different proportions and became the entire visible objective creation and they want to prove this one what do they want to prove the whole universe is nothing but a common outcome manifestation of a mixture of these three elements and how do they want to prove so through the color codification the fire's color as identified red as as red and the water's color identified as white and the earth's color identified as black and here also that is the subtlest element as red color a little bit more gross in the form of waters as white and because the earth is very thick gross so as black and then what is the reasoning that whatever we see has the three colors meaning three elements remember don't simply look for the colors colors color coding you know color coding in the big stores they color code everything so certain items under red color coding certain items is white different colors of course so files also can be divided according to their importance in the computers so also easy for us to understand instead of infinite things everything is divided into only three fire waters and earth and they are symbolized by the colors so a few examples are taken first agni fire then aditya sun then chandra masa or the moon and vidyut or the lightning and with each one of us the rishi hudda alaka wants to say when you see the red color in the fire you immediately associate it with subtle element called fire and when you see the white a subtle element called waters and when black color a subtle element called earth so apply the same rule to the sun the moon and the lightning this is what we have seen so what is the point point is the effect slowly we are made to understand every effect is nothing but the cause and the effects appear to be innumerable uncountable therefore it looks as though each is separate but if we classify then it is nothing but a whole creation can be made into three elements constituting of three elements so the creation is the effect three elements are the cause but in their turn the three elements are the effects and brahman is the cause so the rishi wants us to say everything is nothing but brahman but what we perceive as the effect is only nama and rupa and just like if you break a pot then the pot is gone but the clay remains if we melt an ornament the form and name of the ornament disappears but gold remains similarly through this reasoning process the what is called uncountable things are divided into three and those three again are traced to their cause which is brahman and so the whole universe is nothing but brahman and what we experience and think as real is not real brahma satyam jagan mithya this is what we have seen until now in this fourth chapter and then there are three more mantras are there having given these four examples then the uddalak rishi he himself is telling what is he telling so first of all the mantra five remember in the beginning itself uddalaka asked they proudly just to return swetaketu you feel that you are very learned person but i do not consider you as really learned that means i do not consider you as a wise person you are a learned person but not a wise person then what is wisdom says whatever you have not heard it you come to know what it is and whatever you have not thought you will come to know about that also and whatever remained completely and can remain unknown becomes completely known i'll give the example what does it mean really suppose i ask you i know a person 50 years back when i was a small baby or child do you know such and such a person you say no i do not know and have you ever visited antarkita no i have not visited have you gone to the very center of the earth no have you visited the center of the mars said no then i do not know i have not even heard some things i know because whatever i have not heard i have not come to know i will not think about it a thought can arise only when i have knowledge of that object since i do not know that object the thought will not come and if there is no thought the question of obtaining knowledge doesn't arise so take this example do you know this person no i don't know i know but i'm asking you and you say i do not know so you never think about that person and of course you do you know nothing about that person but then if you know this truth everything is brahman so you can confidently answer yes yes i know that person without knowing how because he's nothing but brahman so you can think about it yes i can think about brahman therefore i can think about him and can you know about him yes i can know about him because he is nothing but namarupa of brahman only for people listening even for most of us it looks a little bit argumentative rational useless especially useless no there is a big usefulness is there what is it if i know everything is brahman who is my enemy so-called enemy so far an enemy brahman brahman means what i just like in our dream so we quarrel with somebody and shoot somebody and upon waking up whom did we shoot only ourselves so by knowing brahman everything becomes brahman because there is nothing else excepting brahman because it is the only reality only existence only consciousness and of absolute bliss then i will never suffer are you born no no i was never born so are you growing up no are you going to die no so will you be suffering no for all answers i will be swimming only in the ocean of bliss brahmananda sagara as ramakrishna said this fellow had found me out that i am swimming in the bliss of brahman even to say i am swimming remember is only our expression it is we cannot describe brahman and if we understand this is what's wrong with the man each soul is potentially divine and if we look at a person called a another person called b another person called c then you know what happens a is different b is different c is different but takes homages words each soul is potentially divine so it is potentially means each soul is divine each soul is atman each soul is brahman so who is a brahman who is b brahman who is c brahman you can go on extending this game play of the game any numbers and in the end who is brahman who are you i am brahman so if i am brahman a is brahman b is brahman c is brahman and etc etc then who are a b and c there is no a there is no b there is no c there is no i then who says i am brahman that is to convey this knowledge to people who are ignorant about brahman this expression verbal expression of the thought and thought and expression are only the outcome of the body and mind complex in deep sleep there is no teacher there is no student there is no brahman there is no jagat brahma satyam jagan mithya doesn't exist in deep sleep and if somebody very interesting thought at least supposing a person eternally in deep sleep you know what is called this is called brahmanubhuti temporarily you are in deep sleep it is a state of bondage because it is temporary some people pronounce unfortunately temporary so what is temporary hazard unnecessary temper and useless worry this is called temporary so this is what happens but it need not happen at the end even that to say at the end is only from the what is called ignorant ignorance point of view only not the reality brahman doesn't say at the end you will become me no so in the fifth mantra this is being expressed that there will come a point of time in the life of everybody not only the living but unsurprisingly even in the so-called non-living because in the evolutionary escalator one day will come when the inorganic becomes only organic i would even go so far as to say it is wrong to use the expression one day will come because it is happening every moment you eat a potato is it alive or dead until it enters into your mouth it is alive and once it enters boiled or unboiled then it is dead it is inorganic but once it enters what does it become inorganic immediately becomes organic our cell my cell your cell everybody cell and then it becomes first to sell themselves identity will come this is my hand this is my heart this is my leg etc etc so it is happening every moment but for the sake of history you say the earth was full of inorganic material then somehow elements atmosphere combined and made it organic so a beginning of amoeba or one celled organism and slowly it became two celled then multi-celled then slowly it went on evolving and as the body evolved the consciousness is also evolving through that medium of the brain which is growing and then slowly it comes to a human being and human beings also right from the from the guna point of view fully thomasic less thomasic more rajasic less rajasic more sattvic this is the so-called cash system and then ultimately person realizes i am none other than brahman i do not what does it mean negatively put i do not exist only brahman exists nothing else so everybody will get it but here in the fifth mantra the teacher is telling that whether it is householders sanyasins men women everybody will realize it who but only one condition is necessary they must evolve to what extent they must have they must be endowed with shraddha and they must be endowed with what we generally call a fourfold qualification then he becomes adhikari or fit disciple as soon as a person becomes fit by the law of the world then the in the aswami way kananda used to say when the field is ready the seed must come what is that seed that seed is called mahavakya mahamantra then the teacher will appear and he will sow the seed in the field which is here represented by the earnest seeker and then he will slowly do meditation deep thinking get rid of the all doubts then slowly transform his life and one day will come he understands i am not the body i am not the mind i am none other than brahman so this is what in the fifth mantra the aruni or uddalaka is conveying to shweta ketu etat ha smavai tad vidvamsa ahuhu purvi mahasalaha maha shrutriyaha the earlier great householders who are well read in the vedas knew this new means realized this this means what that the whole creation which we are experiencing is none other than brahman because these are the effects brahman is the mola karana original cause but by this mahasala means what householders what type of householders in the vamsa that is a knowers of vedas they are deeply learned of the vedas not some as somebody like a university philosophy professor but as somebody who put it into practice and then realized it that is called a wise person so a learned person who has got what is called certificates from the university he can become a school teacher or a college professor university professor phd guide etc but no but they can remain profoundly ignorant but here with vamsa means they have realized purvi purvi means even before me so many are there rishis how do we know because these upanishads have come only from anadi kala from time without beginning who are the great householders and maha shrutriya they are well read in the shrutis means one who is absolutely well read all the shrutis shruti means vedas and then what do they say among us there is nobody one can point out and say there is something i did not hear i did not think i did not know so all these people all those people knew how did they know that is going to come in the next two mantras but here he wants to say any any person knows the cause then the moment we come to know the cause of anything the effect becomes what we call mithya unreal because an effect is nothing but the cause that means the cause is the only reality and the same cause is appearing as the effect so we should not think the effect is separate and the cause are separate that is the point and then we go on analyzing like that deeper and deeper and one day will come when the ultimate cause is reached which is called brahma and then we we will not seek because the seeker becomes one with the short therefore there will be nobody until that time the seeker is separate the short is separate but once a person realizes from one he doesn't remain he becomes one that is the meaning so they can declare categorically there is nothing that is not heard that is not thought that is not known by any one of us how do they declare how dare they declare because they may have they heard about the what is called soundless invisible f35 created by usa oh no we have not thought it but we know if such an object is there and we come to know from you it what is it it is not f35 it is brahma what is my enemy is also brahman who am i you are also brahman and the first class food i am eating there is also brahman so who is eating brahman is eating brahman brahman is being eaten by brahman oh is it a new teaching no it's not a new teaching we are supposed to do that so there is no such distinction householders are sanyasins and he himself was a sanyasi because he produced the shwetaketu we don't know about others and he scolded the shwetaketu and swetaketu became alert and he surrendered his what is called that feeling that i am a great learned person he understood i am an ignorant person and then he wanted to really to know earnestly to know and then he requested bhagwan first of all father now bhagwan bhagwan eva mam vignapayatu let bhagwan himself instruct me and so this is the instruction we are getting it so they said there is nothing anyone can mention you mention anything that is nothing but brahman that is not heard of thought of are already known to us why because we have come to know that everything is made up of three colors three colors means three subtle elements called agni apaha and annam or prithvi and these three are nothing but manifestations of brahman so everything is brahman so what we want to know is here interesting question and the great master swami sharadanji raises that question does siram krishna know the secret of nuclear fission and then swami sharadanji says no he will not know it but then he said if he wants to know and then if he turns his mind to get that secret so before einstein or anybody can do anything they can he can know instantaneously but then his mind will not go there because what is the purpose so we can kill each other but he doesn't want everything is brahman what purpose we want to destroy the other so that we can enjoy without any competition but i'm already enjoying i'm a brahmananda is my own nature i have nothing to depend i do not need anything and therefore i am not interested in anything i see everywhere only brahman who is a wise man learned man a learned brahmana endowed with spiritual qualities like humility and he sees an animal called a cow an elephant a dog and another human being who is the eater of dog's flesh so means means cooking means dog he who cooks a dog and eats so even all these are who are they that is what is meant here everything is brahman with nama and rupa and when such a the loftiest wisdom is realized who is a murderer there is no murderer why because there is no one who is murdered even if that person happens to kill so in your cinema suppose you are killing you take a fake gun and sometimes if it doesn't go off that is not the other fellow's fault sometimes it goes and strikes you that is also not the other fellow's fault but you know in a drama one fellow one there was a scene one person had to shoot the other person so it was acted in such a wonderful way the whole audience rose as one man and said encore encore and immediately the fellow who was shot red shot up and then he the both of them went again came into this onto the stage and the fellow was shot again and then it was so successful the applause lasted for a long time so after coming out the police is going to arrest that fellow or what so this is the point sometimes as i said the fellow who shoots you is only acting as the shot dead also same fellow is alive same fellow is dead how is it possible only in cinemas it is possible so it is the whole brahman only the shooter brahman is only the shot and this is expressed in the i am the creator of the vedas i am the eater of the food i am also the food that is eaten though that come this is the what we have discussed actually and now we are entering into the sixth mantra so how did these great seekers great householders mahashalas with one aha at this realization of brahman so they claimed would the staircase called effect to cause and the second first step is the effect second step is the cause but when they when they reached the second step the second step becomes the effect and the third step becomes the cause or roof imagine like that so then first floor leads to second floor second floor not doesn't lead to the third floor but to the roof how did they realize this is the process from the effect from the karya to the karana and that karya or effect herein is represented by color so this is what is being told how did they realize sixth mantra You do Rohitam ever abhood ity teja sah tatroffen, ity tat vidam chakroho. You do shuklam eva abhood, so itity apam roopam, ity tadvidam chakra hoteyou krishna viva abhood ity anyaso roopam iti tadvidam chakroho they know that whatever was seen as red but the colour of fire is the subtlest element in this Chandogya. Whatever else was seen as white is the grossification of that fire in the form of the water. So white is the colour of the water and water had become still grossified in the form of the earth and solid. So you see, here also there is something wonderful and whatever else was seen as dark was the colour of the earth. So the earth is very solid, thickly packed, in comparison its cause, waters, become very liquidy and very fluid and that in its turn becomes even more subtle, even more pervading because anything subtle is more pervasive than the gross. So it becomes fire and what is the cause of the fire? Brahman, ekam eva adhithiyam. So through, from, by climbing, by catching hold of, as it were, a rope or a staircase called the effect. From the effect to the cause, from the cause to its cause, ultimately to its cause which is called Brahman. So this is how, wherever they saw red colour, that represents the element called Tejas or fire. Whatever colour they saw as white, then that colour represents the element, subtle element called waters and whenever they saw any black colour and that is the representation of the earth. And you know, as we know, I think it is called RGB, red RGB. So red, green and black, blue. So all these things are here instead of blue, instead of green, it is only red, white. The point we have to take in, don't go on saying scientists tell this and the Upanishad is telling something else. The whole universe consisting of every single element, living and non-living, but a combination, a mixture of these three elements, main elements. And the main elements are nothing but three types of dresses put in by Brahman. But only one point for our intellectual understanding that the first element called fire, Tejas, is very subtle. But it became more grossified, it became waters. And it became even more grossified, solid, that is called the earth. So through this climbing from the lower step, the next step, then reaching the roof, they realised everything is Brahman. So they became Vidvamsaha, that is truly wise people. Continuing in the 7th mantra. This mantra we can divide, this 7th mantra we can divide into two parts. What is the first part telling? So these people realised everything is Brahman. Therefore, Suppose you come and tell, this point I have already pointed out today itself. Somebody says, do you know such and such a place? No, I have never visited, I never even heard, I never know about it. But it doesn't matter, it is what is it consisting of these three elements. Grossified place, person, living, non-living, everything is nothing but a combination, a mixture. Trivrutti Karana. And that is called that particular place, person or being, living or non-living. So therefore, even if I have not seen something, I have not heard something, I have not smelt something, I have not tasted something, I have not touched something. But whatever comes in future, whatever was there in the past, then everything is nothing but Brahman. Therefore, I know everything as Brahman. Eka Karana Vignanena Sarva Karya Vignanam Labhanti So we can get, anybody can get by that one ultimate, the knowledge of one ultimate cause, any effect that comes out of it, even if it be almost infinite number of objects, they are nothing but only that same one cause manifesting in this. That is what it means. Whatever else was not properly known, these great realized rishis understood. It was nothing but the combination of the three deities, which is nothing but pure Brahman. That is the first part of the mantra. Then the second part, the teacher is addressing the student. Here in Uddalaka, he is addressing the Shweta Ketu. Yatha tu khalu Soumya, indeed Soumya, my dear boy. So, Imahatishroho Devataha, how these three Devatas, here he is using instead of Agni, instead of Apaha, instead of Prithvi or the fire, waters and earth. He is addressing in their real name, which is called Devata. Devata means what? The manifestation of Brahman and who further grossified themselves as a mixture, as subtle world, subtlest world and of course the gross world. So, Imahatishroho, these three Devatas, that is essential elements of Brahman, Purusham praapya, having come to the obtaining, approaching the Purusha. Purusha means a human being. Purusha does not mean male being. Purusha means human being. Why human being? Earlier, we were saying every Jiva is nothing but Brahman, but the Chandogya class will not be attended, excepting mosquitoes also I find attend the class. So, human beings only have the capacity to understand. It is not a bird, but one has to become fit to listen, to think, to understand and to transform their lives. That is why when these three elements approach this person, Trivrut, Trivrut, again the tripartite system will kick in. Eka Eka Bhavati. So, they have three different effects. And what are those effects? Tat me vijani hi. You try to know about them from me. This is the second part of the seventh mantra. So, this is what he wants to say. Whatever else was not properly known, they understood was the combination of the three deities, fire, water and earth. Oh Soumya, my boy, now learn from me how these three deities enter into a person and become threefold. Every person, every human body, mind, personality, human personality is now thoroughly analysed. And if we analyse, what is the result? They are nothing but a combination of these three elements, these three Devatas. That is why he is addressed as Devatas. How is it so? So, this is what he is going to expound, which will come in the next section. Because with this seventh mantra, the fourth section is completely over. So, the fourth section is over. And we have also known, now we will enter into the fifth section. Atha Pancha Maha Khandaha. Now, analysis of food. First of all, food leading to our personality, body and mind. Then waters, etc. So, through this analysis, what is the Rishi trying to impart to us? He is trying to tell, you think you are one person. The other person thinks he is a second person. Another person thinks he is the third person. Person means it can be male or female. But here primarily, only a fit human being is being. Because there are human beings, they don't want to know about the scriptures. So, this study is not meant for them. So, what is he telling? First mantra in the fifth section. And this section has got how many mantras? Four mantras are there. So, we will enter into them. Atha Pancha Maha Khandaha. Analysis of food leading to our personality, body and mind. Annam Asitam Tredha Vidhiyate Tasya Yaha Stavishtho Dhatuh Tat Purisham Bhavati Yo Mathyamaha Tan Maamsam Bhavati We have to supply Bhavati. Yo Anishtaha Tan Manaha So, whenever we eat food, that food divides itself into three parts. So, what are the three parts? The grossest part of it becomes excreta. And that which is the medium, middle part, neither gross nor subtle, the less gross becomes our flesh. And the finest part becomes our mind. So, this is what the Rishi is trying to tell. What is he trying to tell? The food divides itself into three. The subtlest part can be compared to the earth. We are made to understand it belongs to what is called Tejas or fire. And the second part is compared to the waters. That is a little gross but not grossest. And the grossest part or the earth part that is called Anishtaha. So, Anishtaha, that is what we are going to study. Now, the teacher is going to take all these gross... Remember, gross elements now. So, what is called Trivrutkarani, gross element. If it is five elements, Panchikarna. If it is three elements, Trivrutkarana. So, they got mixed up. And this physical body is gross body. Therefore, this gross body is made up of the gross three elements only. And so, when food is eaten, the body is made up of what? It is only all the three elements are there. Therefore, the gross body is made up of the three elements only. Gross three elements. And he is trying to analyze what is the purpose of this analysis to prove that anybody's body-mind, billion, seven and a half billion human beings only. All their bodies, if we take, it is there all made up. Everybody's body, man or woman, old man, young man, child, baby, whatever be, whether it is Indian, American, Australian, African, Japanese, Chinese, every human body is made up of three elements. Then what becomes? We are making you are a Chinese, you are a Japanese, and you are Indian, you are American, you are Hindu, and you are a Brahmana, and you are a Chandala or fourth class Shudra. All these things create what we call terrible amount of suffering as we see every single day becoming worse and worse. But if we come to know, absolutely there is no difference. That is why you know what Ramakrishna says, there are only every human being, all the human beings in this world can be divided into only two categories. Those who are devotees are spiritual people and those who are worldly people. He's not condemning the worldly people, but he says not this Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, not black, white, yellow or mixed brown, not Indian, American and Mongolian and African, but it is only either they are all spiritual people. Anybody who is spiritual belongs to one category. This is strangely he calls it Jati or caste and the other is worldly people. Are they, do they need to be hated or pitied? No, it's only to say they are also on the way to the same state as the spiritual people. But at this moment, they do not seek something higher unconsciously. Yes, consciously, no. So this is how the division is made. And through this division, Uddalaka wants to convey every human body is nothing but made up of only the three elements. The grossest part of three elements, grossest and then a little more subtle and less gross and still more subtle. So what is he telling? Food. means food. Asita means eaten. And when it goes inside, after we chew and then swallow it, it divides itself into three parts. And what are those three parts? That grossest part of that food, which divides itself into three. What are those three? Grossest, a little less gross and subtle and the subtlest. So the grossest part of it. Purusham means that excreta, that which is thrown out of the body. Yo madhyamaha, that which is a little less gross. What does it become? All over what is called the entire physical body, the flesh, the bones, the nerves, anything, the heart, the hands, the legs, the eyes, etc. Everything, physical body. Remember, physical body. That is called mamsa. And yo anishtaha, that which is very subtle among this annam or the subtlest part of the annam, goes to become manaha, the mind part. So what is it telling? That depending upon the type of food that we eat, our qualities also will become. So if we eat very grossest type of food, then the body also becomes gross. And when we eat much more refined, refined means not using refined oil, refined means sattvika food. And in Chandogya Upanishad, in this Upanishad, it comes that when a person eats sattvika food, that's why Ramayana says viveka means discrimination between what is sattvika food and what is not sattvika food. So when food is sattvika food, our body also becomes sattvika. Our mind also becomes sattvika. Not only that, what we throw out also becomes much less and much more pleasant. There in Yogashastra, there is something very interesting. So it is described when a yogi, and in the earlier days, they used to openly go and answer the calls of nature. So when he's throwing out the excreta, the animals like pigs, they do not even touch that one because they don't get the masala smell. And they don't see it is just like pure boiled vegetables, very few people like. So they also get some special smell in that excreta and they get excited, at least in India. And then they run out. But yogis, if there is any yogi pig, then it might prefer it. And I think it may be true also. I'm just making fun. Don't take me too seriously. After all, God had incarnated Himself and incarnated to bore. And He has to also eat food. He will be bored of all other types of food. And if there is any yogi, then He will be sustained on that. Anyway, that is just fun. So what is the point? Everything, the body, mind, etc., the root cause of it is only the food that we eat. By this also, and in the 18th chapter, three types of food, the Sattvika food, Rajasika food, and Tamasika food, so elaborately given by Bhagawan Sri Krishna, is based upon this only. So when food is pure, आहारशुद्धव सत्वशुद्धेह। सत्वशुद्धव ध्रुवास्मृतेह। The remembrance that I am Brahman becomes easier, continuous, and very enjoyable the more we become Sattvik. And this is a beautiful idea. We have entered into the fifth section and we will talk about it in our next class, which is tomorrow. ओम् जननें शारदां देवें रामकृष्णं जगत् गुरुं पादपद्मेतयो सृत्वा प्रणमामि मोहर्मोहो। May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.