Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 44 on 20 October 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad of Samaveda. We have taken up the 6th chapter which is called Satvidya. In our last class, we completed the 11th section. The topics, or rather the topic which we are discussing or the Uddalaka is teaching to Shweta Ketu, his apt disciple, is that everything is God, everything is Brahman, also called Atman, also called Sat. Sat means pure existence minus names, forms, and qualities. So really speaking, that is where we all attain complete unity. A mountain is, a river is, the earth is, a mosquito is, an animal is, a human being is, a saint is. If we take the names and forms, there is a vast difference and we can never claim our true nature. We are each separate. Not only we are separate from each other, all our limbs belonging to our body are also separate from each other. One cannot do the function of the other and every second everything is changing. We are becoming more and more changed, aged, old, decrepit, deceased and death will come. But our Upanishads, our Rishis who have realized God assure us that it is not a cause for worrying at all because neither birth nor death, both of them are not real at all. Then how come that we are deathless? Because death is another name for change and whatever is a part, whatever is a limb called Anga, it always will have change. The infinite cannot change because logically, if the infinite has to change, it will change only into finite something and that is impossible. And it is equally impossible for the finite to ever become infinite. So whatever we are experiencing because the type of lens through which we are experiencing Brahman, that is, we put on the eyeglass of names, forms and qualities, then same Brahman appears as this world is separate, is having its own this thing. But really speaking, if we can remove this specks, prism called Nama, Rupa and Guna or in other words, time, space and causation, there is nothing but pure being which is Brahman and that's what we experience. We have seen earlier examples when a mosquito, when a bird, when a tiger, when a lion, any creature, these are only just a few examples. When all of them enter into that third state of experience called Sushupti, they lose their names and forms and qualities just like any river from any direction. Once enters into the ocean, they lose their particular names, forms, qualities like that. They become one with the ocean. All beings become one with ocean. Here ocean means pure being and if we can identify ourselves with the pure being, then there is no return. But then we see there are people of knowledge, people of ignorance. How do we know? Because people of ignorance temporarily, naturally, automatically they enter into the state of Sushupti, not Samadhi, only Sushupti. True, they attain to complete oneness. They lose all differentiation just like hundred rivers entering into the ocean, merging with the ocean, lose hundred names, hundred forms, hundred qualities. We all lose. But what happens? It is only temporary state and that's why it is called causal body. Cause has the potentiality to become effect and effect in its turn has potentiality to become the cause and that can be achieved only through spiritual practice. That is why Swami Vivekananda's statement, each soul is potentially divine because we are the effects. But we are the effects having a cause and that cause is the Atman. We are the Atman. Reading will not do. Meditation will not do. Only Nidhidhyasana, realization will do. For this, various examples are given. We have seen already the example of honey. So honeybees gather various nectars from millions of different flowers and they digest, make honey and store it outside. They bring it out and store it outside. That goes by the name honey and once it becomes honey, so no flower can say, I belong to that such and such flower. The nectar cannot say, I am separate nectar, I am separate nectar, you are separate nectar. All become complete one. Similarly, all beings become like that. Second example of the reverse merging. Then naturally the doubt comes. Why is it that we are not able to understand this simple truth, realize this simple truth? Because of ignorance. Further the example in our last class of a big tree. Cut it at the root. If it is alive, it exudes sap. Cut it in the middle, cut it at the top, cut it everywhere, anywhere, anytime. If it is so long as it is alive, sap is exuded. Now what this has got to do with our talk? Sap indicates that the tree is alive. Prana is there and where there is prana, there will be consciousness. This simple truth is illustrated here. So we are also, we are never unconscious, excepting sometimes, but I don't think even sometimes we are unconscious. We say if somebody is in a chromatic state, unconscious state, or a big blow is given to the head, no, the person will, the body will not be aware, the mind will be aware, so the brain is not functioning. It is not the absence of consciousness, it is the absence of the accessing consciousness through the physical instrument called the brain. But if the brain becomes okay or the person becomes conscious, I am so and so, it requires. Now the lessons we have to learn is consciousness is all-pervading, infinite, it is never absent, but in a dead body it cannot be accessed because there is no mind. And why is there no mind? Because prana is not there and this is called death of the physical body. Now we are entering into the 12th chapter. These are the points we have discussed so far. What is the essence to prove that ultimately we are all pure beings and that is the goal and we have to learn it from a learned teacher. For that also a beautiful example will come towards the end. We will talk about it. Now we are entering into the 12th section, the Adhyashakandha. As usual this also has got three mantras and what is this illustration that the Uddalakadi teacher wanted to prove to his son Shweta Ketu that the visible vast anything is the outcome manifestation of something which is totally invisible because it is invisible because the further we delve into the theory of cause reason the further it becomes subtler, subtle, subtler, subtlest. Here we have to remember subtle means that which is not available either to the body or to the mind that is called subtle. Subtle is not small even though that meaning will come. Subtle means beyond the capacity of the any sense organs either of the mind or of the physical body, gross body or subtle body it is not available but here is the reason. So long as there is an effect nobody should be illogical to say I see the effect but it doesn't have any cause. If there is an effect there must be a cause and if there is a cause it must become an effect. So progress in spiritual life is to get out of both first of the effect merge it in the cause then go beyond the cause and ultimately what remains by negating every cause of the other causes that is called Atman, that is called Brahman and that is the point that is called Sat that's why the sixth chapter is called Sat Vidya. So Uddhalka asks his son this is the essence it will be easy for us to understand there are plenty of trees especially a banyan tree which is huge so you bring the fruit of the banyan tree and the I have brought it sir Shwetaketu replies cut it what do you see I see hundreds of smallest seeds the whole fruit is nothing but full of minute seeds okay somehow take up one seed now break it yes sir it is broken what do you see I see only a pulp so can you divide it further than the pulp possibly not but you see do you see the magnificent tree that you see right now whose fruit you have brought no sir you see from this invisible unseen imperceptible mass of a little bit of that pulp that contains this entire visible biggest tree even so if anybody thinks this universe is this cosmos is so vast billions and billions and billions of unimaginable galaxies and there are they say there are suns billions of times bigger than ours and much more powerful much more heat producing how they're affecting the entire cosmos is beyond the ken of even the greatest scientists for two reasons one is such an instrument is not yet made we don't know whether it is being made second reason is instrument is only an instrument it is a dumb instrument the person who uses that instrument is supposed to be conscious being intelligent being and if he uses his intelligence he can guess somewhat but the only way to know the real truth called mukti is to completely become by realizing oneness with that ultimate reality called sat that is called god realization that is called mukti that is called moksha that is called complete freedom that is called that is called satori that is called paradise or kingdom of heaven by whatever blessed name you want to call it so this is the example and with this background it is very easy for us to understand so this entire creation comes out of that unperceivable subtlest a little bit of that pulp only we can see so hence subtlest that means beyond the body and mind is sat or pure existence and for that this analogy is always analogies examples help us to delve deep into the secrets now we will read the mantras and it's very easy actually to understand so this is the 12th kanda ima dhanaha bhagava iti asam angaikam bhindi iti bhinna bhagava iti imatra pashyasi iti nakinchana bhagava iti we have to add nakinchana pashyami bhagava iti try english translation bring a fruit from this banyan tree here it is sir i brought it break it it is broken revered sir bhagava means bhagavan hey bhagavan you are not my father any longer but this fatherness is also included in godliness fatherness motherness acharyaness everything is included so i realized the soul is brahma with brahma eva bhavati is none other than brahman only the teachings are coming through that limited instrument called body and mind so break that seed is broken sir what do you see in that broken seed i see plenty of seeds like many seeds very small like particles revered sir break one of these my child is broken revered sir what do you see in it nothing revered sir so this is the kernel essence of this khanda the rest is only an explanation this was the statement of uddalaka and remember all those ashramas in those days even now they're only located in forest areas where plenty of trees are there but wherever ashramas are there even in cities there is a tendency to plant and make it full of trees greenery garden whether you see in belur mud or see in bangalore that is the condition so uddalaka we have to imagine is sitting under the tree and then he asks shweta ketu the disciple now so ataha do you see that big biggest tree huge tree do you know what is that tree yes sir i know it is nirgrodha nirgrodha means banyan so shweta ketu run there ahara from that tree pluck one fruit of this banyan tree ahara bring it to me ahara means bring iti idam bhagavayati so shweta ketu we have to imagine ran plucked one fruit or it might be there already on the ground he gathered one and brought it then he showed it to the teacher bhindi iti now you break it bhinnam bhagavayati revered sir i have broken it what do you see atra means in that broken banyan fruit what do you see not banyan seed banyan fruit bhinna so what does he see like small particles these seeds full of the fruit fruit itself is very small less than a thumbs this one small like we play you know with small marbles so a small marble size and what do you see imaha anviyaha dhana dhana means small small bits particles seeds anviyaha very small you have to see carefully imaha plenty of them so uddalaka heard it asam anga ekam bhindi iti just take up here anga means my child asam of these plenty of seeds ekam grihitva where to supply take up one bhindi iti break my child break it okay so he must have used his nail and then just somehow managed to break that smallest seed and then bhinna bhagavayati that seed is now broken revered sir kim atrapasyasi like earlier what do you see in that broken one seed nakinchana bhagavayati i see nakinchana means i don't see anything but it doesn't mean he was not seeing he was seeing small bit of pulp even if you bring the most powerful microscope and look at it what do you see only the pulp is magnified do you see this huge tree in it absolutely impossible nakinchana bhagavayati this was the conversation that took place then what happened second mantra tam ho vacha so addressing shweta ketu uddalaka said ha ho vacha he said m y somya etam animanam na nibhalayase etasyavai somya esho animnaha evam maha nirgrodhaha maha nirgrodhaha tishthati shraddhatsva somya iti so the teacher said to shweta ketu dear boy this subtle essence which just now you replied you do not perceive grow but growing from this subtle essence that large banyan tree from which you plucked this does stands not the same one don't go on using your too much of intelligence this is the fruit of that big banyan tree but another big banyan tree because the banyan tree from whose fruit you have whose fruit you have brought it was also in the condition of this same what you did not see before but the moment you plant one seed and it touches tiniest seedling will come out and it will take time because it may take 1000 years even 2000 years it will take time so uddalaka is what is the point so he started teaching somya my dear one why my dear because you are my son no because whatever i am teaching instantaneously you are catching you are able to understand m y etam animanam m etam animanam why this subtlest of this matter that you just see as mere pulp na nibhalayase nibhalayase means you perceive and most of it is imagination only because unless you have a magnifying glass you cannot see properly but you can even with naked eyes can easily understand it just as you do not perceive this huge banyan tree which at one time had also come many many hundreds of years before must have come from this kind of small seed only etasyavai somya again is addressing so most pleasing one from this what you see i do not see anything you said that the smallest pulp from that panchami vivakthi etasyavai so what you see exactly evam similar manner maha greatest biggest so it will originate of course it will take time one day it will be there that's what swamiji meant even in the mosquito each soul is potentially divine this is not to be understood and confined only to human beings even that so-called lifeless rock called inorganic by the scientists one day even that will become organic it starts its journey like a small one-celled creature amoeba and slowly two-celled multi-celled then it can become plants it can become birds can become insects it can become animals it can become human beings this is the process of evolution which charles darwin had discovered evam exactly in the similar manner out of that imperceptible so-called smallest reddish or pinkish pulp and out of that this huge tree will come in course of time that is the cause the further we delve into the cause and its cause and its cause and it becomes more and more subtle i also gave the example when you look at the earth which is the grossest element you see it you touch it you feel it all the five sense organs can smell can taste can touch and then can smell and can see all the five sense organs but the higher we go go into its cause which is waters so you can see but there is one quality which you cannot see it which cannot experience it and go to its cause which is fire and that is containing only available only to three sense organs you can see it you can touch and feel it so that is why the rupa comes there so sparsha is there and it also crackles you can hear the sound but it cannot be smelt what is the smell of fire whatever is burning that is the smell that is not fire's smell that is the smell of what is being burnt that is the taste taste fire what is the taste of fire taste is not available smell is not available because smell is the special characteristic of earth and taste is the special characteristic of the waters that is why it is called rasa and then as we go higher for example the cause of agni tejas fire is what is called the air here only two sense organs you can hear and you can touch sparsha especially sparsha and if you go to its cause space you can only know by hearing this sound because the sound has to travel there must be space then only it can travel so the higher we go the subtler it becomes again the earth is very very solid the water is liquid the fire is even more subtle and if you come to the air even subtler you can only feel it but if we go to akasha practically nothing is there only we infer through the sound there must be space because the sound requires space to travel shabda sparsha rupa rasa gandha and in that order akasha vayu agni apaha or jala and prithvi so when we go to the subtlest and even akasha can be inferred by one pramana called shabda pramana but if we go to its cause which is atman that is the beyond that is called the subtlest and that is here named as animnaha animanam and animna thus brahman is the root cause which you cannot see you cannot touch you can smell you can't hear you can't taste but how do we know because when you see a tree you can imagine it has a seed and when you see this universe you can find out there is a seed for this universe also and it has come first from prithvi of course all the five elements combined but the grossest thing is the earth then earth plus water earth water plus heat and these three plus air and these four plus space and that which is beyond the space the idea is take small examples and teach biggest lesson don't go on questioning this pulp is seen so brahman also can be seen yes brahman is also seen we can prove it yesterday i talked today also i talked what is it the moment you say i see a tree you don't you may not utter but you say because there is a tree there is a tree and therefore i am able to see there is smell therefore i can smell it there is taste therefore i can taste it there is a feeling soft hard cold hot therefore i can feel it sparsha so there is sound i can hear it therefore it proves if there is an effect there must be a cause and cause is always subtler than the effect so the highest cause the last cause causeless cause which doesn't have a cause and that is called brahman and through this example that's what he wants to say and then he concludes it so and then again he says my boy perhaps you may accept my words because i am telling you but that will not help have faith shraddha sthwa so you must have faith my dear boy why through reasoning and scriptural authority it is now established that it is from this unseen subtle essence of being without name without form without qualities that there grows this entire vast visible universe with its myriad names and forms and qualities as a product therefore to understand that this vast universe like this biggest tree has come from the subtlest essence because you cannot see so how the subtlest essence transforms itself into this vast universe therefore you must develop faith what is faith that is without realizing accepting as absolute truth that is called faith shastra guru vakyeshu guru shastra vakyeshu satya buddhi avadharana shraddha so without faith in oneself no great work can be accomplished not to speak of brahma jnanam but even if you want to even to cook nice food you must have faith yes i know how to cook very tasty food everyone is bound to appreciate it accepting of course anadis without faith in oneself no great work can be accomplished still faith is essential or where there is faith the mind becomes concentrated on the subject and then due understanding follows in course of time having said this through this illustration what is the illustration this vast visible vast universe incalculably vast universe with its billions and billions and billions of galaxies unimaginable by any one of us not even even one galaxy not even one star of the galaxy but that has all come from a cause because this is an effect every effect must have a cause and that cause is ultimately you know we call brahman but here the teacher says yes it is brahman but who is that brahman you are that atma you are that brahma so from 8th to 16th the last shloka that verse is only repetition of this so more or less the same words are used in the every shloka that being which is the subtle essence even that all this world has for itself that is the truth that is the atman that the word please explain it further to me so be it airboy so this period sir please explain it further to me continues until the 16th we are only in the 12th chapter now from the 8th onwards it continues continuous continuous what is it telling that being which is this subtle instead of saying subtlest is the ultimate cause even that being this world has for itself what is it self here means me i am i am that brahman so a cloud of earth if it can say i am brahman because brahman is pure existence and since this earth exists cloud of earth exists so that existence only plus certain type of name form and quality or priority or utility it is called cloud of earth is called a piece of stone it is called a branch of a tree anything that you say anything everything that we witness everything is nothing but pure brahman sarvam kalvidam brahma is the essence same thing in the 13th chapter also we are going to read out is it also has three mantras now what is the example now the uddalaka asks my son bring a tumbler of water bring a bit of salt and you put that lump of salt into this water at night and next morning you come to me and the shwetaketu returns then he says that you take it from the bottom from the middle from the upper part or the other way around and then first question that he says is yesterday you yourself have put the salt in this water because it takes a little bit of stirring or a little bit of time to melt become one with the water salt is there throughout the water but nobody can see it this is another illustration from the unseen this visible universe it is there but how do we know because just as a person can see a huge tree you plant yourself a small seed and you will see in course of time it goes on growing if it is marigold within one month it gives beautiful flowers and then it also goes to seed and then it also dies afterwards the purpose of every tree is produce the flowers seed flowers fruits seeds and its life cycle is over like any human being he gets married he produces children establishes children and after that old age comes yesterday this is the life cycle irrevocable and unchangeable life cycle called brahma chakra so this in this 13th chapter this is the example so early morning when shwetaketu comes so he says do you see the salt no but he wanted to prove salt has not gone anywhere it has not disappeared it is there in invisible form so you touch it you taste it from the upper part from the middle part from the lower part whichever part how is it it is salty sir it is salty sir it is salty sir even exactly in the same way you do not see it it doesn't mean it doesn't exist whatever is unseen doesn't mean it exists you know many accidents we see every single day countless accidents happen and when you try to probe and say how did this accident happen you don't see the causes but there must be cause later on some people come and then they try to find out what caused this accident so maybe the brake had come loose until the time it was working but afterwards it did not work maybe the one of the drivers or both drivers they were scolded by their bosses either at home or at the office and then they became distracted they could not open their mouth and then their mind is thinking furiously they were not paying attention while driving and suddenly this accident happened how much time it takes one billionth of a second to take a wrong decision and have an accident so we call it accident means unknown cause is called accident if you probe everything can be explained very nicely whether it is an aeroplane crashing or a trains colliding anything every event that we say must have unseen cause that is the example he wants to give with this background he can go lavanam etam etat udhake avadhaya atha ma prathah upasita atha iti sah tatha chakara tam hauvacha et dosha lavanam udhake avadhaha anga my child tatha ahareti tatha avam rishya nani veda put the salt into water and then come to me in the morning that means udalakha asked it asked shwetaketu to do this just before going to bed and he did so shwetaketu mixed salt poured salt into the water the father said to him in the morning bring the salt my child which you put into water at night i want to see that salt which you yourself have put into that tumbler of water having searched for it so he must have put his fingers or a spoon and stirred it he looked upside down he might even take another utensil and transfer the water slowly searching whether any lumps of salt are there or not he didn't find it why as it had completely dissolved so this is the meaning lavanam etat that is at night he must have said bring a little bit of salt lavanam means salt etat the salt that you brought this salt udhake avadhaya so put it mix it with the water and then now means mom me you approach me in the morning and he did exactly as his teacher demanded from him and then addressing him udalakha now says addressing shwetaketu dosha means night you have put remember the salt poured the salt udhake into the water my child that lavana i want to see bring it ha avam rishya so he searched for it he did not understand there was no salt only water was there so he had to say sir i don't see any salt here what happened to that salt did it disappear then he says yatha who says udalaka says so now udalaka says he wants to prove that the salt has not suddenly disappeared it is there all over the water it has become attained oneness with the water so he says always is using a peculiar word called anga anga means limb that means shwetaketu you are my limb because you are born of me so he addresses and says yatha this salt which is not seen completely melted away become one with the water so you sip it achyama from where anta means end here end end means stop so achyama is called achyama sip it not drink it but sip it and he must have sipped it that is not there in the mantra how do you find it it is salty sir so you now taste it from the middle and he did it how is it now lavanam iti so go to the bottom and taste it how do you find so take a sip from the bottom how is it salt then he says lavanam it is only salty now throw away this water because it is no good i don't know it might have been useful in putting in a curry or in a sour curds very useful i don't know when he said probably he didn't have anyway and shwetaketu did exactly like that why did udalka ask him to throw away the water because the purpose is to teach a lesson and that purpose is served you said you did not find the salt but then you when you tasted for the eyes which is pramana for seeing for the smell for the touch for the sound the salt is not available but for one sense organ it is the pramana taste and shwetaketu tasted from the top from the bottom and from the middle and any part of the water from any side it doesn't matter and then through his sense organ of taste he proved it is salty it is salty that means the salt is there but in what form invisible form and therefore he could not see he could not could not hear etc but he could taste it and that organ of taste it proved without doubt there is a salt though in invisible form having taught this lesson hovacha atravavakila satsoumya nani bhalayase atrayeva kila iti so he said ho ho ha hovacha atra addressing seeing shwetaketu udalka addressed him satsoumya how pleasing one sat just as you are questioning where is that sat like this salt it's not available nani bhalayase that means you are not able it is present there but you are not able to experience it you do not see it but you can taste it and prove that it is there so it is there all the time so father said to him you do not see what is present though indeed it exists though that salt that is dissolved in water cannot be perceived by sight or touch but it can be known in another way by tasting through this udalka or this chandogya upanishad wants to teach us so whenever a rishi or a scripture issues a statement brahman is the root cause of everything you may not be able to prove it even through the five sense organs the salt cutting down the tree it is all possible because you experience through one sense organ or the other but that is not possible in the case of brahman then what is the pramana that's why we discussed what are these pramanas while we were discussing both chandogya and taitriya that there are five pramanas are there pratyaksha anumana etc five including abhava absence but there is another fifth these are the four what is the fifth that is called shabda pramana what is shabda pramana through the teachings of the scriptures and what is the teaching of the scripture it is the expression of the realization of realized souls if you want to express you have to express in some language some words and those who are who know that those words so then it might convey the meaning but in this case it is very difficult if somebody says that is a tree that is quite easy but if somebody says that this is the power of gravitation and as i last class mentioned if you ask a baby how do you know your mother and father love you you cannot see love you cannot shabda it is beyond shabda sparsha uparasa gandha but it expresses through shabda sparsha uparasa the way the mother addresses the baby the way mother touches the baby the way the mother gives warmth comfort by hugging the baby the way the mother feeds the baby through food through water etc so the child knows my mother loves me very deeply more than she loves her own body and mind through actions through the five sense organs so that which is invisible can only be proved through something that is visible but we must have that faith first of all that it is existing then finally through realization it is possible to know the highest truth in the same manner it happens with regard to the body which is of the nature of a short a product of fire water food and other things to prove it by any pramana but brahman the root of this universe is everywhere including this body but it is neither perceivable by the sense organs and the subtle essence of salt was not perceived but there are other means to know it and then again say a show way that being which is the subtlest sense even that all this world has for itself that is the true that is the atma so therefore that the word oh shweta ketu and as these teachings are being given through various illustrations we presume the understanding of shweta ketu is becoming deeper and still deeper and still deeper but still something has to be explained deviate sir please explain it further to me so be it my dear boy said the father so what is the other means by which the this subtlest being can be known and i am giving you a hint there was a man he was traveling some wicked evil people caught hold of him met him completely blindfolded him left him in the forest and he was shouting please save me please save me some maha purusha somebody was going and he found found out he released him and this man said he was asked where from are you coming gandharadesha okay i know in which direction it is there so you travel in this direction you will come to a village and there you go on inquiring that what is the way to gandharadesha so the nearer you approach the clearer becomes the answer finally from village to village from town to town while inquiring you go follow their directions and finally you will reach your home mana chalo nijani ketani you will reach your own home which is brahman thus without a acharya van purusha without guru it is impossible to realize that brahman who is a guru he is himself he knows the directions he knows how to make his disciples also guide that is why a gps i call gps in every car guru parampara system so we all require gurus without guru we do not accept the realization unless the person had a guru in the previous birth and he has progressed and in this birth a little is left out like ramana marshy and then he will realize this beautiful topic we will continue in our next class oh jananim sharadan devim ramakrishnam jagat gurum may ramakrishna holy mother and swami vekananda bless us all with bhakti