Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 81 on 01 March 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU OM APYAYANTUM AMANGANIVAG PRANASCHAKSHUH SHROTRAMADHU BALAMINDRIYANICHA SARVANI SARVAM BRAHMAHU PANISHADAM MAHAM BRAHMANIRAKURIYAM MAHAM BRAHMANIRAKAROTANIRAKARANAMASTVANIRAKARANAMME ASTU TADATMANI NIRATE YAUPANISHATSU DHARMAHATE MAYI SANTU OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HARE OM OM May my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears, as also strength and all the organs become well developed. Everything is the Brahman revealed in the Upanishads. May I not deny Brahman. May not Brahman deny me. Let there be no spurning of me by Brahman. Let there be no rejection of Brahman by me. May all the virtues that are spoken of in the Upanishads repose in me. I am engaged in the pursuit of the Self. May they repose in me. OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL It goes like this. YADA VAI SUKHAM LABHATE ATHA KAROTI NA ASUKHAM LABDHA KAROTI SUKHAM EVA LABDHA KAROTI SUKHAM TU EVA VIJIGNA SITAVYAM ITI SUKHAM BHAGAVO VIJIGNA SAHA ITI No person, no being, no living being on this earth does any activity unless it is getting or expects to get in short term, long term, small happiness or larger happiness. So we discussed beautiful laws of happiness which are put in five different ways. Let us briefly recollect these five laws of happiness. First, the first law of happiness states that every being exists at different level of consciousness at any given time. Simple example, when I am meditating, I am in one state of consciousness. When I am working in the office, I get another type of happiness. When I am in deep sleep, I get another type of happiness. So these are the three different levels of happiness. And correspondingly, there is at every level of consciousness a fixed amount of happiness. So that is what the first law says that every being exists at different level of consciousness. And for every level of consciousness, there is a definite and fixed degree of happiness. If a billion people live in one state of being, they all get that type of happiness. For example, when a thousand people climb to ten thousand feet of a mountain, all of them, they have the same vistha which they experience. Nobody is denied. But if somebody's eye is affected, that's a different issue. So there is a deep relationship between consciousness, that means level of consciousness and happiness. So according to this first law, the degree of happiness one experiences is directly related to that particular level of consciousness. And each level has its own fixed degree of happiness. And that brings us to the second law. The second law of happiness asserts that the degree of happiness associated with each level or sub-level is completely independent of external events. So that also I have given some examples. Supposing a rich person in an air-conditioned room is sitting in front of the best eatable dishes. But these are the external things. That automatically doesn't provide a better type of happiness. If a poor man after several hours of labour just eats rice and buttermilk or what we call in Bihar chatu, his happiness, because he is very hungry, starving, his happiness is far superior to this rich man. What does it mean? Externality. There may be objects, may be atmosphere. Whatever has nothing to do with happiness. It is only connected with the level of degree of consciousness where our mind is. That is why even the poorest person, even the prisoner in a dungeon, if he can dream that he is a king, is sleeping after eating royal food on a royal bed, so long as that dream lasts, it is as if he had brought his state of consciousness to that level. And when he wakes up, he may find under different circumstances. But there also we have to understand, supposing Swami Vivekananda or Sri Ramakrishna or Ramana Maharshi are kept in a dungeon, whether they are dreaming, deeply asleep or in the waking state, their experience of happiness never differs. Why? Because it is not the externality. Why? Because their state or level of happiness is completely fixed in Brahman. That is called Bhumananda. Whatever be their circumstances, they will experience only Bhumananda. So this second law says that happiness is not determined by anything external, but only by internal state of consciousness alone. So that brings us to the discussion. What is internal and external? As long as a person remains at a certain level of consciousness, one can only access the degree of happiness natural and associated to that level, regardless of their circumstances. What does it mean? He may be in the waking state, he may be in the dream state, or he may be in the deep sleep state. It doesn't matter. That is why Swami Turiyaramji Maharaj used to say that a Jeevan Mukta, a liberated soul, even while body and mind are alive, that person even becomes a witness not only to the waking, but also to the dream state and also dreamless state. So this is the second law. Happiness has nothing to do with anything external. That is why kings can be unhappy or even poor people can be very happy. That brings us to the third law of happiness. What is it? So what does karma or effort do or sadhana do? Everything is a sadhana. A poor man working hard, that is a sadhana for earning more money. Or a spiritual aspirant trying to control his mind, that is also sadhana. Every karma is a sadhana. And what does this sadhana do? The third law of happiness states that every action which is called a sadhana, its role is only in removing the obstacles to the state or level of consciousness we are in at any given time. So effort is needed only to remove the obstacles to happiness. So work is necessary only to remove the obstacles to happiness. Simple example. A person is suffering, unhappy from hunger. So he makes an effort to obtain food and he eats the food. So obtaining and eating food is called karma. What did this karma do? It simply removed the obstacle to happiness. What is the obstacle? Here, hunger. That's all. The food is not giving, but food, eating food merely removed the obstacle which is called hunger. That's all. That brings us to the fourth law. Every being instinctively, naturally, without effort, unstoppably, seeks higher and higher forms of happiness until a person reaches what is called the happiness of being one with God. Called Brahmananda, Atmananda, Bhumananda, Mahadananda. Different names are there. Or Anantananda. Satyam, Gnanam, Anantam, Brahma. That Anantam is Ananta Anandam. We get it in the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad. So this fourth law says that no effort is needed to seek higher happiness. But then what happens? When a person is at a lower level of degree of consciousness and he strives to attain to a higher degree level of consciousness, he gets higher happiness, but he will never be satiated, he will never be satisfied with that until he reaches, just like mountain climbing, a person climbs 5000 feet, but that is only to establish a base camp. After that 6000, 7000, 15000, 20000. So finally he will establish maybe at about 25000 feet, then the final assault to get to the top of the Mount Everest. So until we reach God, the evolution will not stop. In simple words, that is what manifests. But this urge to become one with God can manifest in different ways, which is called Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram. And there are common Purusharthas. Dharma means truth and goodness. Artha Kama is happiness. Moksha is infinitude. So in the Western philosophy, much discussion has been given to truth, goodness and beauty. But ultimately, according to Hinduism or according to any other religion for that matter of fact, it is only the Moksha. But for that, there are steps. First to Dharma, then Artha, then Kama. One cannot violate this law. It has to be completely obeyed. That brings us to the fifth law. What is the way to get the highest happiness? There is only one way. If we understand the first law, there is a fixed amount of happiness at every level up to every level of consciousness. It is also called Chakra. So Sahasrara Chakra, which is called complete union with God. So transforming our consciousness until all the levels are leveled out. That means there are no levels. There is no finiteness. It is all one unbroken Ananta or infinitude. Therefore, the last law of happiness, fifth law of stress, that it is necessary for us to transform our consciousness not to worry about what happens outside. Now, this might bring a small doubt. If a Sadhaka pays complete attention only to change his inner consciousness, then what about the welfare of his body, welfare of his mind and welfare of the society, which he is supposed to do? For that, even Shri Ram Krishna gives. There is a beautiful talk between M and Shri Ram Krishna. M was worried because his wife must have threatened that if you continue going to Shri Ram Krishna, I am going to commit suicide. And he expressed this. Naturally, he would not like her to commit suicide. First of all, she has to cook for him. Practical consideration has to be taken into account. Secondly, nobody wants the unhappiness of the other person. And M was a very soft, loving soul. And his wife was a great lady, very fortunate lady. Shri Ram Krishna himself has paid so much of attention to her, the greatest avatar. So he was worried. And Shri Ram Krishna's first reply was, such a wife is called an ignorant wife, avidyastri. But after a few minutes, he came and said, if one completely depends upon God, everybody will come under control. An adverse king and adverse wife, they will also be changed. So here only we have to be careful in understanding Shri Ram Krishna's statement. Tukaram's wife never agreed with her husband. Very good lady, but ordinary lady. Did she change in course of time? Even when Tukaram was offered, Tukaram offered, it is said an aerial chariot had come down to take Tukaram to Vaikuntha. And Tukaram, out of his love and compassion, he called his wife and said, come with me. But she said, no, children are there. I have to look after them. So you go. And she did not regret at all. So there may be people who are never changed. It is not that always. It also depends upon one's karma phala. But Shri Ram Krishna says, if somebody depends upon God, God will bring. Food is necessary. Clothing is necessary. Shelter is necessary. Protection is necessary. Anything is necessary. God himself will come. But that is a very high state. Until that time we have to obey the law of the society. So every prani instinctively craves for the highest happiness albeit unknowingly. And this highest happiness is variously called as Bhumananda, Brahmananda, Atmananda, Mahadananda, Anantananda, etc. And to this state is where Sanat Kumara is gradually leading Narada step by step. So in this 22nd section, Sanat Kumara says, my dear Narada, it is only in a complete union of being one with Brahman, that you can find unbroken, infinite, unlimited, eternal happiness. And this Bhumananda, Atmananda alone is independent of any kind of contact with any number of finitudes. And that infinitude, that Bhuma alone is the real source of happiness whose reflection in some manner or other is reflected in an infinite number of, finite number of objects. So there is a beautiful example given. I do not remember the Sanskrit shloka. There is a full moon and it is reflected in the waters of the river, waves. So there are minnows. Minnows means small fish. They are happy thinking that they are playing with the moon. What does this example illustrate for us? It is our belief that happiness lies in the objects outside us and that is called bondage, agnana, maya, avidya, samsara, anatma, nitya. These are various names. And the effort to get out of that illusion is called sadhana. And this is what we discussed in our last class. In the next round, we will very briefly discuss the 22nd section, the original mantras. That is how you have to split. एवा लद्धवा करोती सुखंत एवा विजिग्ञा सितव्यम इती Then, this was the teachings of Sanath Kumar. Then Naradas replied सुखं भगवो विजिग्ञा सैती When one obtains happiness, then alone does one act. Without obtaining happiness, one does not act. Only on obtaining happiness, does one act. But one must desire to understand happiness. So, let us analyze this mantra again very briefly. यदावै सुखं लभते अथः करोती So, when a person obtains happiness, then he plunges into activity. Simple example, there is a person who never ate a very beautiful, very sweet, fragrant, ripe mango or a sweet, whatever it is. Until the person experienced, he did not even know such a thing exists. But once having experienced it, he gets what he thinks is a great happiness in comparison with eating either better fruits or not so sweet fruits or sour and sweet fruits etc. But once experiences, that becomes a samskara. And that samskara, it becomes strong. I experienced so much of happiness automatically, without thinking, instinctively. I would like to have it. How many times? Again and again and again and again. Supposing, extend this example. Somebody one day brings to him a golden mango. You know, there is a variety called golden mango and each one might cost one lakh of rupees. A very rare fruit, golden mango. So, suppose somebody gives him or somehow he obtains it. Oh, this is much better. Then, what would be samskara? That was okay, but this is much better. Apply this example to any experience. If it is unhappiness, our effort will be to get as far away as possible from such kind of event experiences. If it is happiness, getting as near as possible to those kind of experiences. So, Sukham na labdha Nasukham, that means asukham. Labdha nakaroti. So, if a person gets unhappiness, he will never do. Is it true? No. What we have to understand is, he does it. What does he do? He doesn't seek unhappiness, but he tries if unhappiness is encountered by him, he will do his level best automatically, instinctively, not thinking even how to get rid of this unhappiness. That means, how can I be free from unhappiness, which is called happiness. That is what is reiterated. Sukham eva labdha karoti. So, small Sukham propels us, inspires us to get a little more happiness for a longer time, more of that. So, it could be money, but money is only an instrument. Through money, one can buy things, secure things, one can buy or borrow or rent, whatever it is. That is why, when people are running after money, nobody really needs money, but money is needed for first artha, then kama. And here also, we have discussed what is called artha. Artham, anartham, bhavaya nityam. Shankaracharya says, artham means money or wealth, anartham. But the word artham has different connotation also. What it means? Whichever is an instrument for us to give happiness. So, for example, a fine fork for picking up fruits or a vessel for cooking or a oven for making what is called bread or cakes, etc. So, anything that helps us get objects of enjoyment, it could be money, not only money, it could be instruments like home kitchen full of instruments. Not only that, money is another instrument. Not only that, more importantly, our body should be healthy. That also falls under artha. Even more importantly, our mindset. Mind should be not having any negative thoughts, worries. So, what happens? What might happen if I do this one? Other person is threatening me. When body is healthy, mind is healthy and all the instruments are working properly, I can digest what I eat and then I have the means to obtain those things which I can experience. That is called artha. Then comes kama. What is kama? Using all these things, experience the objects of pleasure. But there is also a catch there. And the catch is, as Sri Ramakrishna illustrates, a mother cooks the same fish but it gives to the child, baby, only very watery portion of it. Why? Not because her love is any less but because she knows this is the best that the baby can digest and grow happily and healthily. This is very important for us to understand that because a person has got money, etc., there should be a control how much we can eat, when we can eat, in which manner we can eat and when to put a stop, etc., etc. So for that, tremendous discipline is necessary. And even when we want to experience anything, it could be a house. So puja has to be done. That house has to be dedicated to God. A good name has to be given to that house so that it is Lakshmi Nivasa. It is where Mother Lakshmi's grace is always obtainable, etc., etc. So offer Brahmarpanam as the grace of God if we experience how much within our limits. So that putting limit and first offering everything to God and then considering it as the most sacred grace of God, if we experience it, that gives us greater happiness as much as possible. That is called Kama. Having gone through this Dharma, that means righteously earned money, etc., for a long time, if we carry on our life like that, then slowly we really Chitta Shuddhi, purity of the mind happens, Chitta Ekagrata, mind becomes concentrated, then Chitta Vaishalyata happens, mind becomes slowly expansive and means he becomes unselfish, he learns to share everything with other people as much as possible. So he goes on expanding that way and of course because he does everything righteously, he obtains Punyam and the inevitable result of Punyam is greater happiness either on this earth or in the higher worlds. But those very Chitta Shuddhis, they provide also that deeper understanding. These are all temporary things. These are called broken rafts, holy rafts. As the Mundaka Upanishad says, these are all absolutely true. So the Karmakanda gives right result. No doubt about it. But they cannot give you the highest happiness. But in order to understand that, one must attain the highest happiness that is possible within the realm of duality. Such a place or such a level of consciousness is called Brahma Loka. So Brahma Loka is not a geographical location. Indra Loka, Gandharva Loka, Prajapati Loka, Brihaspati Loka, these are not some geographical locations. Just now as we discussed, they are higher and higher levels of consciousness. That is why in the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad it says, all these happinesses without actually going anywhere, one can obtain if a person is in two conditions. Shrotriyah means what? A person who is capable of raising his consciousness to the highest possible level. So as an example, if a person through Upasana on Brahma, he becomes one with Brahma and Brahma is living at a very high state of consciousness which is called Saguna state of consciousness or Sahasrara Padma consciousness. Seventh degree of Chakra and that is only one step lower to what is called Brahmananda. So Brahma's Ananda and Brahmananda we have to distinguish. One is subjective, another is purely subjective. One is temporary, another is permanent. One is limited, another is completely unlimited. But when a person goes there and then he sees even this is also limited. Then only a tremendous Yakulata, yearning springs up from the bottom of this Sadhaka's heart. He says, I will not stop until I assault the very Everest, until I climb there. Very few people can do that like climbing Mount Everest but this person also wants to become one. He can no longer tolerate and that is what Sri Ramakrishna explains until the Agna Chakra. Still it is a dualistic happiness. Perhaps we can say Agna Chakra Ananda is equivalent to Brahmananda but it looks as if it is very near to real Brahmananda but this is the lower one is called Brahmaloka Ananda not Brahmananda. So Brahmaloka Ananda looks almost like Brahmananda but there is a glass case there is a thin obstruction is there. So if the person dashes, he will only dash against the glass but he will never enter that but by God's grace when a person reaches that 6th Chakra then God himself pulls like a moth once it sees the flame it cannot resist it like that Brahman pulls this person with that irresistible attraction and that is called Brahmananda. So even Brahmananda is a dualistic happiness what is the difference? It is called Pratibhimba Ananda it is called limited happiness it is called changing happiness it is totally dependent upon if somebody falls from Brahmaloka. Our Puranas, Mahabharata is full of these stories even this Shantanu she was a denizen of Brahmaloka mother Ganga so the legend goes there so in this particular episode she is also a beautiful young woman and even in the presence of Brahma the Shantanu looks at her with a lustful desire Brahma immediately notices that you are not fit to live in this so you go to the lowest Loka which is called Manushya Loka and become husband and wife then get married get suffer and then come back again there is a lot of meaning in these Puranic stories also so that is what here slowly Sukha means what? It is Brahmananda there is another word perhaps better word but Sanathkumara doesn't use that word. What is that word? Ananda. So Sukham is always coupled with Dukham Anandam is beyond both Sukham and Dukham which subsumes which integrates both Sukham and Dukham because there is no duality as such that is why in Sushukti we get so much of happiness Sukham eva labdha karoti that means any action he can do only when a prani gets only this one even if you observe a mosquito and if the person is alert and he is about to crush it it will not go near it will seek another person who is likely to fall a victim to it so therefore Sanathkumara concludes Sukham tu eva vijignasita vyam ithe you must try to understand what is the nature of this Sukham everything, the whole life birth, continuation death, everything is subsumed is compressed within this Sukham ultimately happiness, unhappiness and merge in happiness every being, that's what it does Sukham tu eva vijignasita vyam ithe what was Sanathkumara telling that you must not stop with these limited happiness you must go into deeper happiness and then Narada says Sanathkumara, hey Bhagwan Sukham bhagavo vijignasaiti yes, now I understand what you mean by Sukham and I have not attained it so I would, I desire to realize that and something must have happened so how to realize that highest happiness so Sanathkumara must have instructed and that is then he comes to that then this is the end of the question answer for the next 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th four sections in this 7th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad it is the explanation of what is called Bhuma Sukham then he says O Narada this is where we will enter into the 23rd section, O Narada he says we have to understand it, it is not there we have to understand the first four lines are Sanathkumara's instructions the last, 5th one is Narada's rejoinder, so let us briefly discuss the word meanings of this this Sukham I have been talking about in the last section and from now onwards all that Sukhams are limited but we have to obtain the unlimited happiness because every Sukham is accompanied by its Dukham, like the movement of a wheel what is up goes down what is down goes up so this is called Brahma Chakra whenever we experience happiness it is accompanied by unhappiness or what is called Dukham and Dukham is the payment for Sukham and as well Sukham is the payment for Dukham we have to understand it the greater your Dukham the greater will be your happiness when you are relieved of that greater Dukham small hunger, small happiness ravenous hunger much much greater Sukham, that is why an English saying is there hunger is the best sauce sauce means the spices that make food very very palatable so but even what is called why because just now we discussed first of all it changes because if a person had obtained tremendous amount of Puniyam, that is virtue as a result of it he will go, but it is not permanent Kshine Puniye Martyalokam Vishanti even Brahma himself is not permanent neither Vishnu is permanent nor Shiva is permanent because even Saguna Brahma is only limited Brahma he is unlimited from our view point but he is limited because Saguna means what, limited Brahma married Brahma, how he suffers so Saguna Brahma is a married Brahma, this Maya makes him also suffer, this is what Sri Ramakrishna means quoting a beautiful Bengali saying when God, Brahman himself falls into the snare or net of the Panchabhutas, five elements he has to weep like Rama wept and we don't know whether Krishna wept, publicly he never wept, privately whether he wept or not we don't know so first of all it is changeable second of all it is temporary because according to the Puniyam so like a big hotel 7 star or 70 star hotel, so you pay so much money and that much time they will allow you but this person who is living there is completely aware, one day passed, two days passed I have only another five days left out, four days left out two days left out one day left out and his plane is in the afternoon in the morning itself he has to quit and then he comes to the ashram can I keep my luggage here that is what he says many devotees do that so like that everything is changing limited, limited not only in time, limited also in its quantity, quality both that is what Sanath Kumar wants to convey because how do we know because as soon as that Sukham comes to an end and every Sukham that is limited, finite Sukham comes to an end, that is why it is called finite time and space then what happens so Bhooma Eva Sukham only the infinite alone is happiness because there is no competitor because that is infinitude you must now aim your aim should be the final aim should be to become one with Atman one with Bhooma one with Brahman and one with what is called infinite what does this mantra say says that there is nothing besides infinite, what about this world seemingly finite but it is nothing but infinite only, how do we understand this, you take any object, here is a tree and this tree is composed of five elements and the grossest of these elements is called Prithvi, food so that merges in its cause which is called Jalam and now it becomes more pervading because it is much thinner just like you put some mud in a bucket but you put some water in the same bucket more amount of space is occupied but even this water is the outcome of fire therefore the heat goes not only the outer inner space but it even heats up the inner space and then even from outside if you touch I hope you are getting the point if the water is there from outside the bucket say you touch the outer side of the bucket you will not get any touch of the water but heat it then you will get it but even higher than that is called Vayu air, that air is there inside and outside and then its cause is called Akasha or space so the outside the bucket is space inside the bucket is space and in between outside and inside is also nothing but space and space generally is considered as unlimited and what is called unattached indivisible so many qualities like the Atman that is why the greatest Upasana we can do if we have to think about Brahman is only Akasha so therefore Akasha has become an object of Upasana and only one who succeeds then he will because in Akasha the whole created universe is there contained and if we can meditate and become one with Akasha that means we become one with the entire created universe both in its grossest form, subtle form as well as causal form therefore Bhuma to Eva only Bhuma only the infinite bliss should be sought after, so for that you have to understand, for that you do Sadhana, what is that Sadhana for this Bhuma now comes what is called complete Sharanagati, complete self surrender my effort makes that effort itself makes me completely limited because every effort leads to another result it is like Shri Ram Krishna says, you take one big thorn and try to get rid of all the smaller thorns, any number of them but in the end that big thorn also has to be thrown out, the only trick is you cannot throw that thorn because you require another effort to throw out that thorn, no that is not going to help, somebody else has to come and then he will have to do that, like a small river completely the ocean comes and submerges it like that Brahman comes, falls upon us and we disappear totally, we do not exist except in the pure infinite ocean which is called Brahman therefore, Bhuma we don't even have to say infinitude, Purnam Ewa Ijigna Sitavyam Iti, one should seek and then Narada understands it, that this is the final goal, how do we know because this chapter ends with the explanation of what is Bhuma, Bhuma is not something that can be obtained with any effort effort can be done only by the body and mind therefore, he says it is the eye cannot see it, the ear cannot hear it, whatever experience we do including the experience of the mind that is also creating any effort is a creation of duality one should go beyond and automatically that happens in the Sushupta state a sort of what is called unity but that gives us an understanding when all duality is completely submerged in non-duality and time disappears space disappears causation disappears and that is called Sushupti Ananda this is what Sanath Kumar wants to tell, so 23 to 26 4 chapters are beautiful descriptions of both positively and negatively of what is called Bhuma, Ananta, Sukham Brahmananda, Atmananda etc. which we will discuss in our next class Om Jananim Pratam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Padapadmetayo Sritva Pranamami Muhurmuhu Today happens to be the auspicious Janma Tidhi of Sri Ramakrishna on this most auspicious day may Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Swami Vivekananda and all other direct disciples bless us all with Bhakti, Jnana, Viveka and Vairagya Ramakrishna