Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 103 Ch3.3-6 on 06 May 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
Recap: The Teaching of Varuṇa to Bhṛgu
We have been studying the Bhṛgu Vallī — how Bhṛgu approached Varuṇa Brahman and begged him: "Teach me how I can reach Brahman, become Brahman." And the teacher had instructed: "These are the instruments. This is the goal. This is the nature of your goal" — which is called the accidental nature, called Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa, the secondary definition of Brahman. The primary definition of Brahman is Satyaṃ Jñānaṃ Anantaṃ Brahma, or Sat Cit Ānanda Brahma. But we do not understand what it means.
So when we look in our life, we see that we are going through three stages of experiences — the waking, the dream, and also the deep sleep — and then we are transiting from one to the other. And our experiences of each one of these states is totally different from each other. So I remain the unchanged witness of all these three states. Therefore, you will have to understand: you are that Brahman. Not only you are that Brahman — everything is that Brahman.
How do we know that? For that, Varuṇa gave the secondary definition of Brahman:
Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante | Yena jātāni jīvanti | Yat prayanty abhisaṃviśanti ||
Find out the ultimate cause — the cause of every other cause, which is itself without any cause, which is unlimited. Find that out.
Manana: The First Stage of Deep Thinking
So how to find out? Through deep thinking — called Manana. This is the first stage of Manana. After hearing the details about our goal and how to proceed, from the mouth of the teacher, the Guru, the first thing we have to do is Manana.
The first stage in the Manana is to get rid of all doubts regarding what our teacher has said. Because if there is the slightest doubt, then we will not take up, we will not follow, the teachings of the scripture coming through the mouth of the teacher, the Guru.
How do we know whether we have got that much faith — doubtless faith? Because anything that we are convinced of 100%, without the least bit of doubt, we immediately follow it. This is a point which I had pointed out many times. If I am convinced that this world is Mithyā, if I — or anybody — am convinced, "This is poison and it will bring me suffering," then that person will not even go near it. He does not even want to think about it. He does not want to be harmed.
But if somebody comes and tells us, "I will show you something which will give you unbroken bliss — eternal and unlimited — under two conditions: for all the time, and 100%," then that is what we are all really seeking. But as the Ābhyāroha Mantras tell us beautifully, anything else that we are seeking is called Mṛtyu. Mṛtyu means what? Death. Death means what? That which comes to an end.
So anything — that is why in Sanskrit we call it Kṣaṇika Ānanda. Every Ānanda is only Kṣaṇika. There is nothing called "I have ten minutes of continuous happiness." How do we know? We know because the moment we forget ourselves — that is called the moment of becoming one with happiness. The moment we become aware, that is only a memory of the happiness. We have already disunited, separated from that state of experience.
Deep Sleep, Samādhi, and the Nature of Brahman
The only time when we have, for a long time, unbroken peace of mind — which is beyond both happiness and unhappiness — is in deep sleep. And in deep sleep, we are not aware of time, space, or any other object.
But there is a problem with this deep sleep: we are not aware, we are not conscious. Just as we are conscious about the waking state, and we are conscious about the dream state, we should be conscious — "I am consciously experiencing the state of deep sleep." And when we consciously experience it, it goes by the name Samādhi.
So a Jñāna Brahman continuously and unbrokenly experiences this bliss. And that bliss is not happiness — it is neither unhappiness. It is beyond both. And we know it because of what happens after we wake from deep sleep: we become refreshed, we become fearless. So long as we are in the deep sleep state, we are in the state of the highest bliss, because duality vanishes totally.
And duality is the nature of both the waking and the dream states. In both these states I am aware — I am aware of the understanding that I am different, totally different from everything else. Everything is totally different from everything else. And there are only three objects: I, the world, and God. So Jīvas and Jīvas are separate, Jīvas and objects in the world are separate, and both Jīvas and objects in the world are different from Īśvara or Paramātma.
That is the state of bondage. Dvaita eva abhayaṃ bhavate. Therefore, how to transcend that — that is what this teacher has taught Bhṛgu.
True Tapasyā — One-Pointedness of Mind
"I am giving you that you have to do Tapasyā." What is Tapasyā? Śaṅkarācārya tells us: Tapasyā is one-pointed thinking of the object of the teaching. And that teaching slowly brings — just to summarise — what should be the thought in the Tapasyā: "I want to realise my Divine Mother. And I am here. I must know where I am, and I need to move forward — and in which direction."
What does it mean to move forward? So that way, I am having so many negative qualities, unspiritual qualities. What is an unspiritual quality? It is the quality of being unwilling to think about God. A lot of times I fix myself — morning, evening, or sometimes at pūjā time — I will be trying to think about God. But even at that time our minds are very restless. Restlessness means thinking of Anātma — non-God.
So we have to understand: what makes our mind restless? Only desires make our mind restless. And these desires must be increased a thousand-fold, but directed towards only God. Because every desire — indirectly — is a desire for an object as an instrument of happiness. But we have to understand: every desire is only a desire for God. "I want to be happy. I don't want to die. I don't want to be ignorant. I want to be conscious that I am — and not only that I am, but that I am very happy." So that is the goal.
And the desires — there must be only one desire. All the desires must become combined into one desire: the desire for God. That is called Tapasyā. That is the goal of Tapasyā — unbroken thought about God.
Citta Vṛtti Nirodha — Not a Blank Mind
That is called Citta Vṛtti Nirodha. It is not making the mind blank. It is to make every thought converted into one single thought: "I want only to know that I am Puruṣa, or Consciousness."
Unable to understand this, various people define this Nirodha in so many ways — oppression, suppression, etc. How do we know this is wrong? Because Patañjali, great Ṛṣi that he was, immediately outlines eight steps, the eighth of which ends in Samādhi. And what is Nirodha? To attain Samādhi and to remain in Samādhi.
So in the Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, the 12th chapter, 242nd section, 4th mantra, it defines what is called Tapaḥ:
Manasca indriyāṇāñca ekagriyam paramaṃ tapaḥ | Tat jñeyaḥ sarvadharmebhyaḥ sa-dharmaḥ paravicyate ||
One-pointedness of the mind and the senses is indeed a supreme austerity — Paramaḥ. It is the highest point of Tapasyā. It is superior to all dharmas. Because when a person attains to this highest Tapasyā, this highest Tapaḥ, then he reaches the goal. Therefore it is declared to be Sad-dharma Paravicyate — the supreme Dharma.
Meditating on the Life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as Tapasyā
Now think for a second. This is how we have to meditate upon the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — not only upon his teachings. Simultaneously, we have to meditate upon the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.
What do you think? The moment he understood the ephemeral nature of this world, immediately he turned his mind towards the Divine Mother. "The Mother that I am worshipping in the form of a stone image — is it real? Or is it only my imagination?" And he understood immediately: "I have to take shelter at her feet. I have to think of her only." And so many incidents are there which I also quoted to prove that — "O mind, if you deviate from thinking of her lotus feet, I will pierce you with this trident." He kept a watchman — his own mind as the watchman.
What do you think? Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, as soon as the temple duty was over, would disappear for the whole night until early morning when the time for opening the temple came. What do you think he was doing? He would be sitting — and we can see he became totally unconscious. But what was he thinking?
He is thinking: "Please bestow your grace." Is that the only thought? I think he would also be thinking: "How can I obtain the grace of the Divine Mother? For that purpose, why is she not bestowing her grace? Is it that she is not bestowing her grace, or is it that she is bestowing it but I am not able to receive it?" So these are the thoughts: "Why am I not able to receive it? Do I have any other thoughts other than the desire for the realisation of the Divine Mother, for the vision of the Divine Mother?"
That means one has to find out where one is and what is the next step, and slowly reach the next step. And that is what we discussed also in the second chapter of the Taittirīya: this is what is called Prāṇa, Anna Brahma, then Prāṇa Brahma, Mano Brahma, Vijñāna Brahma, Māyā Brahma, and then Ānanda.
The Goal: Direct Experience of Parabrahman
So intense thinking is the way to realise Brahman. Every seeker should give up sloth and pursue the enquiry until the highest truth, called Parabrahman, is known through direct experience — as clear as "I am Brahman," as clearly as a fruit lying on the palm of one's own hand. This is called Karatala Āmalakavat.
Bhṛgu's First Realisation: Annamaya — Anna Brahma
So we have seen in our last classes that Bhṛgu went and did Tapasyā. And then he realised: what did he realise? From what source does this entire creation that I experience through this gross body, this physical world, this external world, come? What is the cause of the entire world — not only my body and mind, but the entire world, the physical world, my body, everybody's body, etc.?
Then he understood. There are certain steps there which I am going to outline now for the sake of clarity. Then he understood: "I am Anna Brahma — I am the entire physical universe." And then he saw, he thought, "I have reached Brahman." But then immediately he had a doubt: "But this physical universe — it is born, it is growing, it is changing, and it will disappear." Birth and death — what is called the sixfold change, Ṣaḍvikāra — that is the nature of everything.
Even the Himālayas: there were no Himālayas before the birth of the Himālayas. When two continents collided with each other, what was lying in between was thrown out, and slowly it started to grow and it grew and grew. And then slowly it is melting down. Now scientists say Mount Himālayas, as well as other mountains, even the icebergs — everything is melting down. So whatever has a birth will have a death. In between there is growth — going up, going down — everything has to go back from where it has come.
So even if I am the Anna Brahma, the Pṛthivī Devatā — as soon as I understand "I am the Anna Brahma," which is to say "I am the Pṛthivī, the grossest of the five elements" — immediately I understand that this is not the final cause. This has a cause.
Anyway, he had this doubt. He came to his father, and the father confirmed — yes. We do not know what conversation took place; the Upaniṣad is extraordinarily brief. So please understand: Bhṛgu, after this realisation of Anna Brahma, must have come to his teacher, who is none other than his own father in Varuṇa. But here he is a teacher of Brahma Vidyā. So he confirmed: "Yes, you are right. Your doubt is absolutely certified. It is not the final cause. It is only an approximate cause." Then: "What is the way?" The same way — go and do Tapasyā.
Bhṛgu's Second Realisation: Prāṇamaya — Prāṇa Brahma
The second time, the teacher told him: "Now, this time, intensify your Tapasyā." And then Bhṛgu goes, and then slowly he asked: "What is the cause of this body?" Prāṇa. And then he understood that he must identify himself with Prāṇa — that means he must disassociate from his identity as this body. "So I am no more the body. I am the Prāṇa." At first it is the individual Prāṇa. Then he says: "This is the same thing. I must identify — Brahma means everything. So if I am Prāṇa and I am separate from you, who are also Prāṇa..."
This is a point we have to note down. As long as we think "I am the body," we cannot think of anything else as other than body. The moment a person knows "I am the Prāṇa," then he cannot think of anybody or anything else as a physical body — it must be Prāṇa only.
So he realised: "I am Prāṇa Brahma" — Prāṇa Brahma means the Prāṇa, the original Prāṇa, the Prāṇa Devatā, which is lending itself into every single living creature in this world. It is that Adhiṣṭhāna Devatā, the Prāṇa Devatā. We can call it Jalam. He understood.
So then the same doubt came. The moment he understood Prāṇa, he also understood that Prāṇa has a birth. Birth means the manifestation of Prāṇa. Death means the disappearance of Prāṇa. So Prāṇa also has birth and death, and in between it is changing all the time. When I read a book which I like, my Prāṇa becomes very high. When I have to meet people whom I don't like, don't love, or hate, then my Prāṇa becomes shrunk, contracted, less.
Sometimes, if we cannot tolerate something, then we might commit suicide — give up our body. Giving up the body means Prāṇa goes elsewhere.
So just like the body, the Prāṇa also has a birth, etc. Then what happened? So Bhṛgu realised: "The mind is Brahman." From the mind, where really are these beings born? By the mind, when born, do they live. Into the mind, at the time of dissolution, do they enter, do they merge.
Having realised this, he approached his father again and said: "Venerable sir, guide me further to reach Brahman." To him the teacher Varuṇa said: "Seek to know Brahman by means of austerities, for austerities are the means of knowing Brahman. Think deeply."
Bhṛgu's Third Realisation: Manomaya — Mano Brahma
So Bhṛgu practised austerities. Having practised austerities, what did he realise? "I am not the Annam, I am not the Annamaya Kośa, I am not the Prāṇamaya Kośa. I am the Manomaya Kośa." Why? Because the mind creates doubts — that is what we have to understand. The mind, a supreme power, has many properties to its credit.
So in the Mahābhārata again we get this. What are some properties of the mind? Patience, reasoning, remembrance, forgetfulness of error, imagination, endurance, inclination towards good and evil, and restlessness — these are some of the elaborations of the characteristics of the mind. This we get in the Śānti Parva of the Mahābhārata. Very interesting.
So there are also other characteristics, but these are the important ones. Patience — putting up with many things without losing happiness. The power to reason and to remember. And sometimes, when we make mistakes, we again commit the same mistake because we forgot that last time we suffered a great deal because of this action. We forget it and commit the same error again. Whenever we are imagining, our imagination flares up and creates a different image than what the object in front of us actually is. Then endurance, then inclination either towards good or evil, and restlessness.
Further: the mind is an organ or instrument, like the eye, ear, etc. Because the mind becomes restless — "mind" means thoughts. How many thoughts? A thought is born — that means the mind is born. That thought remains for a short time — that is the Sthiti, the continuance of the mind. The thought disappears, giving rise to another thought — that is the death of the thought.
The Seeker Identifies with the Universal Mind — Hiraṇyagarbha
Therefore, when a person realises "I am the mind," then not only is he the individual mind — two things happen. First of all, this seeker, on the way to the realisation of his own true nature, when he reaches this stage of the mind — two things happen.
He identifies: "I am not the body, I am not the Prāṇa." Then, "Who are you?" "I am the mind, because I am the cause of both the Prāṇa as well as the Annam — the food, the physical body." But then this is only the first step: "I am not the body, I am not the Prāṇa."
The second thing is: "I am not merely the individual mind. I am the Universal Mind." This is called Hiraṇyagarbha. Remember, in Vedānta, the collective name for all the physical bodies is called Virāṭ. The collective name for all the combined Prāṇa — that is the Prāṇa Devatā — is called Sūtrātmā. The collective name for every mind is called Mano Brahma — that is called Hiraṇyagarbha. The collective name for all the Buddhis, or intellects, is what we call the Mahat. And then, of course, the Ānandamaya Kośa.
So the Annamaya Kośa and the Sthūla Śarīra are equal. The Ānandamaya Kośa and the Kāraṇa Śarīra — wherein we experience deep sleep — are one and the same. But in between, the Sūkṣma Śarīra has three stages: collective Prāṇa, collective thinking power, collective deciding power. That is why they have given three names: Sūtrātmā, Hiraṇyagarbha, and Mahat.
So Bhṛgu understood and identified: "I am the mind." Not only "I am the mind" — that means "I am not the body, I am not the Prāṇa. But I am Prāṇa, I am Mano Brahma, I am Hiraṇyagarbha."
Hiraṇyagarbha Is Not the Ultimate Cause — On to Vijñānamaya
But Hiraṇyagarbha also is the effect of a cause. "Effect" means there must be a cause. Who is the cause of Hiraṇyagarbha? We have to understand: Mahat is the cause. Mahat means the Buddhi — herein it is called Vijñānamaya Kośa. Only at that stage do we understand that Hiraṇyagarbha is only the cause of the physical body and Prāṇa, etc., but not the ultimate cause. It is only a proximate cause. What is the cause? The mediate proximate cause is the Buddhi — the Vijñānamaya Kośa.
So he had this doubt, and he must have come and said: "Teacher, Bhagavān, am I the Manomaya Kośa? Because I see this problem." And another way to understand why this doubt comes: when a person beholds Brahman, the doubts will disappear. The question will not come.
The Parable of the Seven Doors and the King
And that is what happened in the case of Bhṛgu also. Hiraṇya Kṛṣṇa gives a beautiful illustration. A poor man wanted to meet the king. Somehow, somebody who was working with the king promised: "I will take you to the king." And there were seven doors.
At the very outer door, a gorgeously dressed person was sitting. This man had never seen such a dress, such power, such authority. So he mistook: "Is this the king?" And the guide said: "No, no — this is only a lower official." Thus, when the person starts going inside, there is even more splendour than at the outermost door. And then when he went to the sanctum sanctorum — the seventh chamber — that seventh person also is not God. But who can describe the splendour of that seventh person?
So he asked — he was sure that was the king — but the guide assured him: "No, this is not." Then he beheld, sitting in that seventh chamber, the real king. Then he understood. Then there were no more doubts. He did not ask, because that seeing of the king itself is the proof.
So when a person has no doubt — Chidyante sarva-saṃśayāḥ — there is a beautiful verse in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad. Chidyante sarva-saṃśayāḥ — when a person beholds Brahman, because there is no questioning mind there, that separation — "Is this Brahman or not?" — will not be there. When there is only oneness, who is going to question?
Bhṛgu's Fourth Realisation: Vijñānamaya — Vijñāna Brahma
So then Bhṛgu realised this. He went and must have discussed, then must have received further instructions. What is the nature of the Vijñāna? The Vijñānamaya Kośa is called Niścayātmikā Buddhi — from various pros and cons, it decides what should be done. So you find that out.
Then Bhṛgu went and did Tapasyā. Then he identified himself with the Vijñānamaya Kośa. Then the same doubt came — the same characteristics too. "I am not the Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, Manomaya. I am the Vijñānamaya. I am not only individual Vijñānamaya — I am the collective Vijñānamaya." And then he must have had doubt. He must have come. Then the teacher must have told him about the Ānandamaya Kośa.
The description is not here, so only up to the Vijñānamaya Kośa is it described. Then straight away the Upaniṣad jumps to: Ānandaṃ Brahmeti vijānāt.
Bhṛgu's Fifth and Final Realisation: Ānanda Brahma
You have to crystal-clearly separate: "I am the Ānandamaya Kośa" — no, that was not the realisation. "Ānandaṃ Brahmeti vijānāt, Ānandamaya Kośa Brahmeti na vijānāt." So that is how he went there.
As soon as he became identified with the Ānandamaya Kośa — saying, "I am not the Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya; I am Ānandamaya" — first, "everybody is Ānandamaya only." That is called Ānandamaya Brahma. Then he must have discussed, of which description is not given here. And then the teacher must have told him further: "Do Tapasyā."
Then, in the description, it is there — Ānanda. That word Ānanda comes: Priya, Modha, then Ānanda — Priya, Modha, Pramoda. "I am not Priya, I am not Modha, I am not Pramoda. I am Ānanda." And then, with that, this slowly reaching a higher step, a higher story, has ended.
So he must have reached not the fifth storey, but the roof of the fifth storey. He must have approached. What is the nature of the intellect? It is the understanding: "This is the best course for me to adopt." So he must have discussed and must have been confirmed. That is what he says in the sixth Anuvāka:
Ānando brahmeti vijānāt | Ānandād dhyeva khalv imāni bhūtāni jāyante | Ānandena jātāni jīvanti | Ānandaṃ prayantya abhisaṃviśanti ||
Saiṣā bhārgavī vāruṇī vidyā | Parame vyomani pratiṣṭhitā || Sā ya evaṃ veda pratiṣṭhati | Annāvān annādo bhavati | Mahān bhavati | Prajayā paśubhiḥ Brahmavarcasena | Mahān bhavati ||
The Sixth Anuvāka — Ānanda Brahma
So in this sixth Anuvāka there are two parts.
Ānando brahmeti vijānāt — Bhṛgu realised: "I am Ānanda Brahma." Remember — never mistake: "I am Ānandamaya Kośa Brahma." No. "I am Ānanda." That is the supreme Brahman.
Then it is from Brahman — the whole universe comes, in the form of the Pañca Bhūtas. It is because of Ānanda that we all live. In the hope of Ānanda only we continue our life. And we merge back into from where we have come. The effect always must go back to its cause, and all causes merge back into what is called the supreme cause — the ultimate cause, the causeless cause — which is called Brahman.
And he understood the hint, because the father had given: "From where do these beings come? Who is the very first cause of the entire creation? Who is sustaining? And to whom does every creature go back? That is Brahman."
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva — Creator, Sustainer, Liberator
So in the Paurāṇika language: Brahmā is the creator, Viṣṇu is the maintainer or sustainer, and Śiva is supposed to be taking us back into the causeless cause. That is why in Kāśī he bestows his special grace.
We will discuss these points in our next class.
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!