Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 101 Ch3 Introduction on 22 April 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Prayer (Śānti Pāṭha)
ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्
पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु
Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum
pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ हरि ॐ
OM SAHANAVAVATO SAHANAV BHUNAKTO SAHAVIRYAM KARAVAVAHAI TEJASVINAVADHITAMASTUMA VIDVISHAVAHAI OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI HARIHI OM
OM May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.
May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.
May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.
OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL
Introduction: The Bhṛguvallī and Its Setting
We have started studying the Bhṛguvallī, the third chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. There was a great spiritual seeker — highly qualified — and he was fortunate enough to have his own father, his biological father, who happened to be a great knower of Brahman. This is a great privilege, and it also points out to us that some people mistakenly think that only Sannyāsīs are entitled to obtain Brahma Jñāna, and that householders do not get it.
This question also came in the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. A Brāhmo devotee asks: "Is it possible for householders to realise God?" Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says — in a sense, of course, I am not repeating his words — that these āśramas have nothing to do with Brahma Jñāna. Anybody who lives a pure and spiritual life, as indicated in the scriptures, would realise God.
There were thousands upon thousands of Ṛṣis. Swami Vivekānanda says: "It will not do to venerate the old Ṛṣis. Each one of you must become a Ṛṣi." In fact, whoever becomes a knower of Brahman is a real Ṛṣi. And our scriptures categorically tell us: there is nobody who is excluded, who is denied, who is rejected, who will not become free. Everybody will become free. But of course, God will give in infinity. But are we ready to receive the infinity? If we have to receive the infinity, then there should not be any limitation to our receiving capacity. And the only way we can receive infinity is to completely become non-separate with infinity. There is no other way.
So we have to understand this truth so marvellously well.
Bhṛgu Maharṣi: The Seeker
So there was this seeker. He was fortunate to have his own father. Now, the relationship is not son and father, but a fit disciple and a knower of Brahman as the teacher. Very humbly — the Upaniṣad tells us — Bhṛgu, the seeker, approached his father not as a father, but as a teacher of Brahma Jñāna. How do we know? Because he addressed him as Bhagavān. Bhagavān is how the Guru is addressed. The Guru is addressed as Bhagavān. Bhagavān, of course, is also addressed as Bhagavān.
So: "Please teach me Brahma Jñānam, Brahma Vidyā. Teach me about Brahman." Then we have been studying this one — the essence of what it is.
Qualifications of a True Teacher
So far we had studied that the teacher should be qualified. He should be a Śrotriya and a Brahmanniṣṭha — a knower of scriptures and also a person who has realised. Only in the field of spirituality can a spiritual person become the real teacher, and even among the realised souls, as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says, only an authorised person can become a teacher.
To take just one example: Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is called Jagadguru. Totāpurī is by no means ever called a Jagadguru. That he was very fortunate to become the teacher of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is his great good fortune. But he can never become a world teacher. His body was not fit, his mind was not fit, and of course God did not authorise it. Even the Divine Mother did not allow him to stay with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa for more than the necessary period. And that necessary period was only three months and three days — just enough to be able to initiate Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. But he could not go even then. The rest of the period he stayed was not for the benefit of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, but to complete his own sādhanā.
So he could recognise: without God's grace, without the grace of God, a person cannot have a human birth. The association with other spiritual, genuine spiritual seekers and mumukṣā — intense longing — is not possible. It is only by the grace of God that it is possible. In Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi, Śaṅkarācārya explains this so beautifully.
But Totāpurī did not recognise the hand of the Divine Mother, the grace of the Divine Mother, who — like a most loving mother — was removing all the obstacles like anger, lust, greed, jealousy, and pride, etc. Only then was Totāpurī able to progress in life.
The Proper Approach of the Student
So there is a way a student has to approach — and this is very important for us to understand.
So when this Bhṛgu — and this Bhṛgu becomes very famous later on, considered as one of the greatest Ṛṣis — the Bhagavad Gītā tells us: Maharṣīṇāṃ Bhṛguraham — "I am, among the Maharṣis, Bhṛgu." So God himself says Bhṛgu is the greatest Ṛṣi. Not only that — this Bhṛgu Maharṣi is considered as one of the Sapta Ṛṣis in some versions. We do not know whether there can be other people also by the name Bhṛgu. But we can assume maybe it is the same person. It doesn't matter. All knowers of Brahman — whether it is a Sapta Ṛṣi, or this Bhṛgu Maharṣi, or the famous Bhṛgu which Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān marks out — it doesn't matter. They were all knowers of Brahman. And as such, remembering one is equivalent to remembering all of them.
Now he approached his teacher in a formal manner, recognising him as Śrotriya and Brahmanniṣṭha. One should approach a Guru how? With Samitpāṇi — indicating: "I am ready to burn my egotism and receive what you have to give me." That is why in the Bhagavad Gītā also it says that one should serve the Guru, please him. Tad viddhi praṇipātena — praṇipāta means complete surrender. "You are right. Whatever you say will be the best path and the greatest path, the most suitable path for me." All these are implied there.
But one should ask. What does one ask? So if a person goes to a king who is highly pleased with him and asks: "I am very fond of pumpkins — please grant me some pumpkins" — how ridiculous it would be, having a great king ready to bestow anything he asks, to ask him for some pumpkins! It would be very ridiculous. So, according to the giver, we have to ask. That is why going to God and asking for some siddhis — "give me some powers" — is one of the lowliest attitudes in life. Not that God cannot give powers. In fact, every power that we see in this world is only God-given power.
Spiritualising Our Outlook on the World
Just think for a minute and spiritualise. Let us spiritualise our life.
Look at the President of America. I am mentioning it because most of us, after reading the news, may have cherished — or may be cherishing — a wrong opinion about him, based on our own political, unintelligent opinion. No. If we are spiritual, if we are followers of the Gītā — people have elected this President and he is doing what he is doing. Is he doing it? No, he is not doing it. It is God who made him a puppet in His hands. Now, are you going to blame God? Because if you believe in God — but this God is doing something good and many bad things also — that doesn't indicate any real faith in God.
We have to say: whatever the Divine Mother does — which is equivalent to God — Sarva Maṅgala Māṅgalī — whatever She does is good. But we are like horses with coverings on our eyes. So we cannot see the past, we cannot see the future — much less even what is going to happen the next second. Therefore, our judgement is purely confined to how much it is affecting me and my selfishness.
No — the whole universe has to be run, and the Divine Mother does exactly that. She has formulated certain regulations, and anybody who follows those regulations will be able to get the highest benefit. Those who violate them will then be given the right punishment, so that they will come to the right path. So it is the Divine Mother. Anybody in power — and all of us have been given different quantities of power; not only a president or a prime minister has power — so that complete faith in this scripture is called Śaraṇāgati. That is indicated by Praṇipātena.
Then one has to ask relevant questions — Tad viddhi paripraśnena — and Sevayā. This word Sevā is commented on in different ways. One is: serve the Guru.
And what is the best way to serve the Guru? Once Swami Yatiśvarānandajī had written to me a beautiful letter. Therein he says — when I expressed my desire to serve him personally, when he was in Bangalore — he wrote to me: "Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, do it with the idea 'I am serving Ṭhākur Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.' And if you serve Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, that is more than equivalent to serving me." This is the opinion of great people.
The Three Instructions of Varuṇa
So Bhṛgu has taken refuge, and Varuṇa, the Brahmagañī, must have understood: "This boy is completely fit to receive my teaching." So what did he do? He gave two or three instructions.
The first instruction is that these are the instruments through which you will have to progress in spiritual life. What are those instruments? The Pañcakośas — five kośas — indicated by Śarīra, Mana, Vāk, Cakṣu, etc. We will see very shortly. That is the first indication.
The second is that he gave the destination. Some definition of the destination should be given. And the definition of the destination is really two-fold. One is called Svarūpalakṣaṇa — that is called Satyaṃ Jñānaṃ Anantaṃ Brahma, as given in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, second chapter. That is called Svarūpalakṣaṇa — the real nature. But it is only for a human mind — "this is whatever is Satyam, whatever is true knowledge, whatever gives the greatest happiness, unbroken happiness, not temporary happiness — that alone is God." God is of the Ānanda Svarūpa.
But we have not become fit to receive that teaching. That will come later on. And in the Vedāntic, Advaita Vedāntic tradition — that is why when a person becomes Adhikārī, he goes to a teacher. He is called Sādhanā Catuṣṭaya Sampannaḥ Adhikārī — a fit person. Then what does the teacher do? The first thing he tells is a Mahāvākya Śravaṇa — "That Tattvamasi." And then of course he explains — that is called Śravaṇa. And many lives may be needed, even to observe that Śravaṇa. But after hearing it, we have to make it our own. What we hear is from the teacher. But we have to make it completely our own.
The Second Definition of Brahman
So what is the second definition? It is called the immediate appearance — what is Brahman? That this entire universe is Brahman. But Varuṇa did not teach the universe as you see in front of you — he did not directly indicate it so simply. What did he do? He says: "That cause — the ultimate cause — from which the whole universe has come. And that ultimate cause which alone is maintaining this universe: without its maintaining power, the Jagat will not be Jagat — it will be non-existent." Of course it will not become non-existent, because it is Brahman alone who is appearing both as the Janma, Sthiti, and Laya.
So He who is the Sthiti Kāraṇa — the cause of maintenance — and then ultimately, after the purpose is served, we go back into that ultimate cause.
First, there was only clay as an example, and the clay takes shape as a pot — that is called Janma, Sṛṣṭi. And then this Janma has to be maintained for some time. Growth will be there. Growth means evolution. So it is not only confined to one birth. Until we reach back Brahman, it is all Sthiti only. And then ultimately when we are fit, a competent student approaches a competent teacher, gets a competent instruction, follows it competently, and then self-destructs — and then becomes one with Brahman.
Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante, yena jātāni jīvanti, yat prayanty abhisaṃviśanti — if any one of you has studied the Brahma Sūtras, the very second Sūtra asks: "What is this Brahman about whom we have to know?" That is why first comes: Athāto Brahma jijñāsā — "One should enquire about Brahman." Okay, I never heard about this creature called Brahman. Who is this peculiar animal called Brahman? Then the second Sūtra says: Janmādyasya yataḥ — and that second Sūtra in the Brahma Sūtras is taken from this first section of this Bhṛguvallī: Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante, yena jātāni jīvanti, yat prayanty abhisaṃviśanti.
The Goal: Sat-Cit-Ānanda
So the teacher has given these two hints. "You will have to reach Brahman." Why should I reach Brahman? Because then what you are seeking, you will get it permanently. And what am I seeking? I am seeking to be infinite. I am seeking deathlessness. I am seeking complete knowledge, full knowledge. And I am seeking unbroken bliss. Sat-Cit-Ānanda — that's what I am seeking. And that's what Brahman is. So if I become Brahman, I will be Sat-Cit-Ānanda.
So that is the goal — to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. That second sentence of Swami Vivekānanda, in the beginning of Rājayoga, indicates this teaching. What is the goal? The goal is to cognise, to know. I was thinking all this time that I am not Brahman. But now, through the scriptures, through the teacher's instruction, I slowly come to realise that I am that Brahman whom I am seeking. So the question of becoming Brahman — not being Brahman, but through some process becoming Brahman — will not arise. I was Brahman, I am Brahman, I will be Brahman.
But like a person who lost his memory or obtained a wrong memory — there are cases like that — so I have come to believe: "I am not Brahman. I am a small, finite human body." No — the teacher corrects, the scripture corrects: "You are Brahman." But what about the others? When you come to know that you are Brahman, you will not see anything excepting Brahman. So that is the teaching.
The Third Point: Tapas
Then this is the second hint — what is the definition of Brahman? What are the instruments using which I can remember my true nature? And the third point: there must be spiritual practice. And all the spiritual practices — Bhakti Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Karma Yoga, every yoga — are compressed into one particular word. That is called Tapas. Tapasā Brahma Vijñānasasva. Of course, this does not come in the first section — it will come from the second. But Varuṇa gives the hint. Tapasā Brahma Vijñānasasva.
So, what is this Tapasya? Tapasya is one-pointed contemplation on the instruction given by the teacher. What is Aham Brahmāsmi, or Tattvamasi, or Prajñānaṃ Brahma, or Ayam Ātmā Brahma? One or all of these things.
And part of this Tapasya is a certain type of both bodily or physical and mental Upāsanās, and certain types of Karma Yoga. Everything is Karma Yoga only. Śama is Karma Yoga. Dama is Karma Yoga. Śraddhā is Karma Yoga. Viveka is Karma Yoga. So if you don't sit and bring two objects together in the mind, think about them and start discriminating — which is good, which is not good — that is deep thinking. And then, once we know for definite that this is not good for me, the ability to give it up — that is called Vairāgya.
Vairāgya is not simply running away. Vairāgya is a mental action. Vairāgya is the ability to give up what one knows to be completely untrue or not beneficial — whether it be physical health, mental health, moral health, spiritual health, or aesthetic health. Whatever it is — that is what we have to understand.
The Vratas: Instructions on Food
So we get some Vratas. In our last class, we have seen: food should not be criticised. What is food? Not what is tasty, but what brings complete health physically and mentally. One should not criticise food. One should not waste food. One should, in fact, increase food.
This is an instruction especially for householders — not only for householders. If there are monasteries where many Sannyāsīs or Sannyāsinīs are living, one should accumulate quite an amount of food. What for? Because any time, guests may come. And especially, monasteries should not reject a person who comes saying: "I am starving, I am hungry, please give me food." And if we do that, monasteries — meaning not buildings, but the people who live there — they become arrogant.
In the book of Mirdad, we see how monasteries degenerate and how Mirdad slowly brings them back to the original teaching. One should accumulate food to a great extent. But for householders, they must do it to the best of their ability, so that somebody who comes and says "Tonight I have no place to go, I want to stay" can be told: "Okay, we have a spare room — you stay there." But then one should not say: "We will not supply you food." No. If you accept a guest for staying, you have to provide food. Both of them go together. Therefore, one should accumulate food, especially householders.
The Virāṭ Upāsanā
Then Upāsanā Yoga — several Upāsanās are given. So what is the first Upāsanā? Virāṭ Upāsanā. What is the Virāṭ Upāsanā? The whole universe should be considered as a single body of God. In plain words, what it means is: the whole universe is nothing but Brahman. So since I am in that universe, I must consider that I am none other than Brahman. But to realise that, first we have to accept it with faith.
Then we have seen in the Chāndogya and other Upaniṣads: this body is called Brahma Purī. Why? Because it houses Brahman — pure consciousness. Then within this body, there is an inner sanctum sanctorum. That is called Hṛdaya Ākāśa, Dahara Ākāśa. And within that is that pure consciousness, otherwise called Ātmā, otherwise called Brahman.
So slowly one should enter. What is the meaning of entering? Entering means just as when you enter into a room, you give up the door — you don't stay at the door. You transcend the door and then move forward, and then you will be inside the room. So, moving from our identity with the external objects, moving our identity from the body to the mind — or according to the scheme of the Pañcakośas — first identify with everybody. That is called Virāṭ. Then identify with Prāṇa — that is Sūtrātmā. Every Prāṇa, not only my individual Prāṇa. Then give up that identity and identify with Manomaya — Hiraṇyagarbha. Then give up slowly that one and identify with Mahat, or with every intellect, universal intellect. Then finally come to the Ānandamaya Kośa — identify with what is called Īśvara — and then go beyond it.
Because all these are only coverings, dresses. Every covering, however wonderful, has to be given up if I want to know.
The Analogy of the Mirror
And actually, this is what we do every day of our life. After taking bath or whatever, you enter into the toilet — it will be full of mirrors and 150 bottles of all sorts of decorations — and then we want to decorate. So you have to get the help of the mirror. What do you do? If you put a covering on your face, will you be able to correct yourself? Similarly, we can see what we are only when we take off all the coverings and destroy the coverings. Destroying coverings means removing our identification — just as we know in one sense of the term that we are not the dress, but still we fall under the illusion: "If I dress well, then I am looking beautiful." So you decorate an old monkey with the finest silk clothes — will the monkey look beautiful, or will it look even more ugly than before?
So the purpose of the Pañcakośa description is so that you slowly give up the attachment, starting from the grossest and slowly moving inward. Like an insect having four legs: first it lifts its two legs, then it wants to move from one leaf to the other leaf, and then it firmly plants all four legs on the new leaf — and then only it lifts the back legs and starts moving. So, like that insect, we have to first firmly be established with Virāṭ Brahma, to Sūtrātmā Brahma, to Hiraṇyagarbha Brahma, through Mahat Brahma, and to Īśvara. But even Īśvara is Saguṇa Brahma. That is why he is called Ānandamaya Kośa. Collective Ānandamaya Kośa is another name for what we call Īśvara.
And by the way, don't identify Īśvara with what is called Śiva's other name Īśvara. Īśvara means ruler. So the ruler is Brahman — that is a different meaning. Here Īśvara means one who lords over — the creator makes us dependent upon him.
So step by step we have to go. Even Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully illustrates: even after reaching the fifth story, don't remain in the fifth story. Go to the roof. And what is the roof? Ākāśa — Ākāśa is the Paramakāraṇa, Mūlakāraṇa, the causeless cause, Parabrahma. You can't go beyond the Ākāśa-space. That is the process given here.
The Virāṭ in Viṣṇu Sahasranāma
So these are given even in Purāṇas. This is called Virāṭ Upāsanā. And I am giving you this because there are many people who are devoted to reciting Viṣṇu Sahasranāma. And the traditional method is: before we start Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, we have to meditate upon Bhagavān Viṣṇu. And Bhagavān Viṣṇu has to be maintained as the everything, as the universal Puruṣa, Viśva Puruṣa. And this is the essence of all these Sūktams — Puruṣa Sūkta, Nārāyaṇa Sūkta, Sahasra Śīrṣa Puruṣaḥ, for example.
Śīrṣa means head. Sahasra Śīrṣa means what? You see thousands and thousands of heads — not only human beings, it can be mosquitoes, it can be ants, it can be microbes — everything as an individual head. But don't say "this is an insect's head." It is Nārāyaṇa's head. Every head that we see belongs to Nārāyaṇa. Every hand, every leg, every limb of the body, every body — everything belongs to Nārāyaṇa only. That ability to see one God in everything — God in everything, everything in God — is epitomised in the very first verse of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad. As we have heard this quotation many times.
So don't covet anybody's wealth. Why? Because like a fool you are robbing yourself. You are cleverly thinking that I am robbing somebody else and so I am gaining something. It is like a fellow who picks his own pocket and says, "I gained something great." No, that is not the thing.
The Dhyāna Śloka Before Viṣṇu Sahasranāma
So this is the beautiful, what is called, meditational śloka before starting Viṣṇu Sahasranāma:
"I salute Viṣṇu, the Lord of the Universe. So what are all these three worlds? It is His body — Tribhuvana Vapuṣam. Vapu means body. His means God's." So it is not Viṣṇu alone — it applies equally to Śiva, Divine Mother, Viṣṇu, to what we call God, what we call Allah — everybody.
"His two feet are the earth, His navel is the sky, the wind is His breath, the moon and the sun are His two eyes, His ears are the quarters, His head is the vault of heaven, His face is the fire, and the ocean is His dwelling, in whose form the entire universe resides — Gods, humans, birds, cattle, serpents, Gandharvas, and demons — ever delighting in its wondrous Līlā, play to Him, the Lord of the three worlds, whose form pervades all. I bow to him."
Here also there is a beautiful word — we should never misunderstand. So it is the Lord of the three worlds. Like a Prime Minister — our Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of our entire Indian country. So what is the misunderstanding? He is not the entire India, but he should be considered the administrator of the entire India. Most often people don't do it. He won't feel he is a Ṛṣi. He at best has good goodwill, and that's all he can do.
So it is not like that — the ruler is different, the ruled are different? No. The ruler and the ruled are both exactly the same. Like what? Like when we dream — we are the individuals in our dream, we are our neighbours in our dream. So if you have created a dream in which you are moving in a forest, the whole forest is created by you. You only became the forest. You only became the time. You only became the space. You only are quarrelling with yourself. You only are loving yourself. This is the idea we have to understand.
The Taittirīya Upaniṣad's Holistic Upāsanās
So the Taittirīya Upaniṣad takes certain objects and wants to give a universal outlook. This is called a holistic attitude. For that, certain Upāsanās are designed. Certain objects are taken as a sample, and two types of relationships are explored — Anna and Annāda: the enjoined and the enjoyer, the eater and the eaten. And the Pratiṣṭha, Pratiṣṭhita — support and the supported.
There cannot be subject without object. There cannot be object without subject. So if you are dependent upon somebody, that person is called the depender — you are called the dependent. So if you are not dependent, the depender will not exist. Similarly, if there is no depender, you will also not become dependent. Then Pratiṣṭha, Pratiṣṭhita — support and supported. So the table is called the support to keep, let us say, a book — and the book is the supported, the table is the supporter. But if the book is not there, the table will lose its title that "I am the supporter." Both are necessary.
The whole thing can be squeezed into the subject-object relationship. So we are: without me, the world doesn't exist; without the world, I don't exist. Sometimes I become dependent upon the world, and sometimes the world becomes dependent upon me. So I am supported by the world, and the world also supports me.
For this, certain ideas are taken. For example, annam and śarīram. Anna depends upon what is called the Pier. Śarīram is dependent upon annam, and annam also is dependent upon śarīram. So when the body becomes dependent upon food, food becomes the supporter and the body becomes the supported. But if the body is not there, the body will not work, the body will not produce food, and then food will not be there. Therefore, in that sense, the body is the supporter and the food is the supported.
This is, in brief, all these things are called Pirat Upāsanā — contemplation of the universal.
Results of the Upāsanā
What does a person become? Annavān annādo bhavati mahān bhavati prajayā paśubhiḥ brahma varcasena.
So the Upaniṣad gives two results. If he is a worldly-minded person, even this worship, this contemplation, will result in him becoming a rich person, a famous person — a person who supports many, a great person with children, with a beautiful, pleasant, happy, united, and cooperative family. Husband, wife, children, parents, friends — everybody is the most supportive person in this world, only if the person does this contemplation as a result.
If you want an example: Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was remarking about the household of Balarāma Vasu. He says: "In this family, even the servant is swimming in the ocean of devotion." What a marvellous statement! So if the husband thinks that way, the wife thinks the same way, children think the same way, even the servants think the same way — all of them are completely united in devotion to God. They are swimming in the ocean of devotion. That was Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's unqualified remark, his certificate about Balarāma Vasu's family.
And there are fortunate families — that's what Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa says: somebody who has fallen from Yoga — to progress further — will be reborn. What type of family? He is born in a family which is full of devotion — the entire family — which will have a positive influence upon his whole life. But the person doesn't have any desires, but still has to progress. Otherwise, a yogī, to fulfil his desires legitimately, will be born.
So there is an order in this world and nobody can escape. That is why I said: Hinduism's greatest pillar is Karma Siddhānta. That means all of us get what we deserve. We don't get what we don't really deserve.
The Role of the Guru in Leading to God-Realisation
So this person who contemplates in this particular way — if he still has unfulfilled worldly desires, he will get all these things. But if he becomes really, really devoted to God, wanting to realise God, he says: "I don't want all these things." Then such a person's mind will become one-pointed, and then God will arrange — God himself will come in the form of an appropriate teacher — because every realised soul is another form of Brahman only.
And what is the role of the Guru? He takes one to that highest realisation. So that is how we have to understand. One Swami — Brahmānandajī — was asked by one of his disciples: "Can a Guru give us knowledge of Brahman?" Brahmānandajī looked at him and said — he did not say loudly "you are a fool, not to be able to understand the simplest equation" — but: "Guru not only can help you advance towards God, he can give you God-realisation." And how does he do it? The Guru, slowly taking the hand of his disciple, takes him to his Iṣṭa Devatā. Then what happens? The Guru merges in the Iṣṭa Devatā.
After pointing out to the disciple: "Look — there is your Iṣṭa Devatā." The question now comes: after pointing out the Iṣṭa Devatā, the chosen deity, what does the Guru do? Does he remain by the side for the disciple to gawk at his Iṣṭa Devatā? No. The Guru smilingly disappears into the Iṣṭa Devatā's form, indicating to the disciple most clearly: "I only appeared in the form of the Guru and was guiding you towards this." And that is the end of the matter. Anybody who has this kind of Iṣṭa Darśana — that Iṣṭa, along with the Guru and the disciple, also merges in the Iṣṭa Devatā, and that Iṣṭa Devatā now manifests as Parabrahma. This is the beautiful idea that we have to understand.
Minor Upāsanās: Brahma Upāsanā and Ākāśa Upāsanā
Then there are minor contemplations. One is called Brahma Upāsanā. What is that Brahma Upāsanā? Every force of nature — raining, lightning, thunder, the sun, the moon, the stars — from the viewpoint of the scientists, they are all lifeless matter, nature. But from the spiritual viewpoint, it is Brahman only manifesting.
Then contemplate on Ākāśa. This is called Ākāśa Upāsanā. And what is the result? The Ākāśa-space is infinite, indivisible, unattached, all-pervading, and equal to everybody. Those qualities will manifest in the spiritual aspirant's mind.
Upāsanās for Name, Fame, and Greatness
And there are some people who have some desire for name and fame — for becoming great, to be honoured by everybody. Then how should they contemplate? Brahma — Ratiṣṭhā — Mahāḥ — Manaḥ — Namaḥ — Brahma — and Parīmāra. That means simply this: "I meditate upon, I contemplate Brahman as name and fame." Then what happens? Brahman manifests in me in the form of name and fame, and everybody will revere me in some form or the other.
"I meditate upon Brahman as Mahāḥ, the greatest" — I become the greatest.
"I meditate upon Brahman as mind" — then I will have all the intellectual knowledge.
"I meditate upon Brahman as Namaḥ" — that is, everybody: Brahman is the only object worthy of salutation. As a result, everybody will salute me, because that Namaḥ quality of Brahman manifests in me through contemplation as Brahman. Therefore, automatically, everybody will be bowing down to me even if they don't want to.
And Brahman is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. And anybody who meditates on Brahman as the unrivalled power — then his enemies will perish automatically.
Two Illustrative Examples
I just want to conclude today's talk with two examples.
The first example: When Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's father, Kṣudirāma, used to walk going to the tank for taking bath, everybody — without exception — automatically, without any compulsion, would get up, and until he was out of sight, they would not be able to sit down. That is showing respect. Why? Because Kṣudirāma meditated upon the Divine Mother as Mahāḥ — or as name, fame, respect, kīrti, etc.
The second example: When the Buddha joined some bhikṣus — five bhikṣus — so they were together, five plus one, six, and they were practising the hardest of austerities. Then Buddha realised this extreme asceticism is not the way. Neither too much of indulgence nor complete abstention from indulgence — both are bad. The golden mean: just eat whatever you have to for sustenance, but don't pay attention to it. Pay attention, after that, with the strength gained, on your goal.
So he left them. And then he performed other tapasyas, and soon he became a knower of Brahman — that is called Bodhi. And then he thought: "My brother disciples — they are the fittest persons to receive this newly acquired knowledge." So he made his way to Sarnath, near Vārāṇasī.
And he approached. The five brother disciples were sitting, and they looked at Siddhārtha from a distance and decided: "This Siddhārtha is a fallen person. He has left our practices, and whoever leaves our practices is a fallen man. We will not show him any regard, any respect." But as soon as Bhagavān Buddha approached — we don't know what power had taken possession of them — involuntarily they got up. They bowed down to him. They welcomed him. They made him sit down. They surrounded him, and very humbly said: "Your face shines like a knower of Brahman. Please teach us what you have learned."
So Buddha, by meditating upon Brahman, became Brahman. And nobody can be greater than Brahman. This is one of the Upāsanās.
Conclusion
With this, different Upāsanās are indicated. They have both worldly benefit as well as spiritual benefit. Now, from the next class onwards, I will go straight to the original text. If you keep this background in the mind, then it is just a breeze — there is no difficulty in understanding them.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्
पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु
Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deviṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum
pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!