Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 122 Summary on 16 September 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Prayer (Śānti Pāṭha)
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः
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 Fitness of the Instrument
We were studying the essence, really, of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, especially of the last chapter called Bhṛguvallī. Now what were we seeing? The Upaniṣad wants to guide the aspirant to be a fit person, to undertake any higher path. Whatever be the field, we have to have sufficient physical health and strength.
Muscles of Iron and Nerves of Steel
That is the reason why Swami Vivekananda had insisted: "muscles of iron and nerves of steel and gigantic wills." He is not simply reiterating poetry. He was telling – without them it is not possible. Weak people, Swamiji used to say, cannot resist temptations. A weak‑bodied person will also be a weak‑minded person. There is a very close, intimate relationship between the body and the mind.
The Example of Mahatma Gandhi
There were people – if we look at Mahatma Gandhi, he may not appear to be a very strong person physically, but he was a very healthy person. He was capable of fasting for several days. And just look at us – even if we try to fast, one day we feel somehow mentally sick, weak.
The Body as Instrument
That is why the very first instrument is the body. That is why śarīram ādyaṃ khalu dharma-sādhanam. Whether you want to achieve anything in this world or lead a moral life or even lead a spiritual life, whatever be the aim – worldly or spiritual – one requires the instruments to be the most fit instruments. This we should never forget.
Even to Enjoy the World
Even to enjoy the world – even if a person has the most desirable things in the world, we can see that only such a person who has the physical strength, mental strength, good qualities – they are required. If you observe closely, it requires close observation to understand these facts – that maybe a person is very rich, but very poor bodily, of course mentally. Such a person cannot enjoy. Enjoyment requires fitting instruments. For accomplishing any object, the instruments which have to be used have to be very fit. That is the very first point.
The Instruments Must Be Revered
But not only should they be fit – they should be revered as sacred. That is very, very important. And that is what we have seen: annaṃ na nindiyāt – one should not blame or criticise food, because even the worst type of food is the best food for – may not be for that person, may not be for any person, but for some other creatures. You give even evil‑smelling food to dogs – they do not mind so long as it is nutritious; it is absolutely fine. A starving person does not look whether it is nutritious or otherwise.
The Point
So what is the point? The point is: the highest teaching is okay, and the teacher who can teach is absolutely the best, very best teacher. The student is also very eager. He is endowed with tremendous faith. Even though I am saying this, we have to take it for granted.
Understanding Requires a Fit Instrument
Even what I call "to be able to understand" – understanding also requires a fit instrument. So for that purpose, so many upāsanas are there. And what is the upāsana? Not only one should have food – one should be fit physically, mentally, morally, aesthetically, intellectually in every possible way. And the greater we are equipped with, the greater would be our ānanda and progress.
The Purpose of the Upāsanas
So we were seeing how the Upaniṣad – here Upaniṣad means Varuṇa – wants to guide the aspirant to be a fit person to undertake a higher path. For that, several upāsanas are prescribed for making our bodies and minds fit for spiritual progress. And we had discussed some of the upāsanas in our last class – but in the seventh section.
Why the Seventh Section?
Why? Because from the second to the sixth, Bhṛgu was taught how to expand his identity – from the body, that is annamaya kośa, up to ānandamaya kośa. Only then the person would become a realised soul. Let us take it for granted. Bhṛgu had realised. And we may be inspired to follow the footsteps of Bhṛgu Maharṣi, because once a person realises – not only Varuṇa was a Maharṣi, Bhṛgu had also become a Maharṣi.
The Dangers of Temporary Vairāgya
So the Upaniṣad wants to tell: do not be carried away emotionally. Many people have śmaśāna‑vairāgya. As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says, there are horrible types of vairāgyas.
Types of Temporary Vairāgya
- Śmaśāna‑vairāgya – when a beloved person dies.
- Prasava‑vairāgya – when a woman undergoes a lot of pain in giving birth to a child.
- Udhyoga‑vairāgya – when a person has lost his job.
There also this temporary dispassion will come out – like that – then monkey vairāgya, mārkata‑vairāgya – all this Rāmakṛṣṇa described beautifully. But they will not last long.
The Marks of Spiritual Progress
So one of the important things we have to understand is: as a man progresses in spiritual life, his worldly life undergoes a tremendous change. His selfishness goes down, and his joy increases, and his capacity to share what he has with others.
The Example of Cāṇḍramaṇī Devī
It is said when Cāṇḍramaṇī Devī was pregnant with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, she became the mother of the whole universe – which is beautifully depicted in the Caṇḍī: yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu mātṛ-rūpeṇa saṃsthitā. So the same thing we can see – that she used to enquire the neighbouring houses whether anybody remained uneaten because of the lack of food.
Her Compassion
Even though she herself was not at all rich – somehow sufficient, as they say, body and mind to put together – she used to go and inquire, because she could not tolerate – of course she cannot go to the whole world, nobody can do that – but at least known people. If she found anybody "food is not there," and how could she find? Because we cannot imagine how poor the people in those days, especially in remote small villages, were.
The Family of Śudhīra
Somehow even Śudhīra's family – he was given less than one bighā, a tiny bit of land by his friend, and that used to yield sufficient rice, etc., vegetables, etc., for the maintenance of the family. So she used to sacrifice her own part. That is why so many gods and goddesses used to visit her, because such a great soul is growing up.
Swami Śaradānandaji's Description
Swami Śaradānandaji describes it so poignantly – that while she was with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, her mātṛ‑prema, mātṛ‑bhāva – motherliness – had increased so much. Even when gods appeared – one day a small guard on his van had appeared and he saw he was sweating, and the remedy for sweating is to eat what in Bengal they call pāntā‑bhāta – food cooked the previous night, soaked in water, and it is said it is very cooling to the whole body. She offered it, and the god laughed and disappeared.
The Corresponding Change
So as a person grows spiritually, there is a tremendous corresponding change to be observed – automatically – because his experiences would not permit him to be both tied to this world as well as flying to the upper world. That is not at all possible. But in order to have higher experience, first of all he must practise, and what is achieved with great effort is obtained – it becomes very natural when some higher experience confirms and then strengthens that feeling of unselfishness – that is, "I am one with everybody" – this is called sympathy, empathy, whatever name you want to call it.
Annaṃ Na Nindiyāt
So certain things are there: annaṃ na nindiyāt. What does it mean? Not only what we eat, but what others eat also – never criticise. What is a dog eating? What is a bird eating? What is an insect eating? What is a dung beetle eating? Never. Food is food.
Why Should It Not Be Criticised?
And why should it not be criticised? Because, as I mentioned umpteen number of times, food means the Divine Mother Annapūrṇā; waters means the Divine Mother Gaṅgā; fire means Agni Devatā, Sūrya Devatā, Candra Devatā; and Vāyu means Vāyu Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā. And because they are the presiding deities, they are helping us. That is what we need to understand. So never criticise food.
Everything Is Annam
But if we go a little bit – dig a little bit – it is said: my body, your body, any creature's body is nothing but annam. In fact, even a rock is nothing but annam only. If minerals can be annam – gold, iron, etc., several minerals are there – without them a person can never be healthy. If that is true, how do we distinguish and say "this is stone, I cannot eat it"? In fact, in small quantities, that stone alone is transformed into food, etc.
Aham Annam
So one should not criticise any food, and we have to understand – because very soon we have seen in our past classes: aham annam, aham annam, aham annam – "I am the food, I am the food, I am the food." Who is – what is the stone? That is also Brahman. So everything is undergoing a transformation. That is what we need to understand.
Look Up, Not Down
So one should never look down. Then how not to look down? Look up. "This is Brahman. Annam is Brahman. Tad vratam." This is indispensable spiritual practice.
Annam and Prāṇa
And then every particular food is connected with prāṇa. What is annam? That which is capable of being transformed into energy. Prāṇa means energy. That is called annam. So it is also said: "I am both the eater and the eaten."
The Transformation of Food
This continuous change of the eater into the eaten and the eaten into the eater – I illustrated many times. We should never forget. That is why I am repeating umpteen number of times and will do so. When we eat rice, rice becomes us. So now it acquires a special type of life. It was having life in the form of a rice plant. Now, as soon as we separate it from the grain, from the husk – because with the husk it becomes a seed, it is full of life – but when it is cooked, what does it become? It becomes food for all of us. And when we eat that food, it becomes us. So it has life – it lost life and it came back to life in a transformed way. That is how we have to understand.
The Seventh Section – Annam Brahma
This is the essence of the seventh section. Then that is what Bhṛgu was taught – annaṃ brahmeti vyajānāt – that is condensed, summarised here in this form: annaṃ na nindiyāt, tad vratam; prāṇo 'nnam, śarīram annādam, etc. – which we have seen. This is only a recollection.
Annam Na Paricakṣīta
Annaṃ na paricakṣīta, tad vratam. Food should not be thrown or wasted away, for it is Brahman. Food should never be wasted. But if there is excess food, you put it out. Even food is not suitable for us to consume, then just put it out. There will be crows, there will be birds, there will be insects. Nothing in this world is complete waste. Everything is suitable for something else.
The Spiritual Importance
So food should never be criticised. Food should never be wasted. And this is very important from a spiritual point of view. Eat only what you can digest; eat only what is sāttvika food.
Swami Brahmananda's Three Rules
When Swami Brahmanandaji was asked once what are the rules with regard to food to be taken by spiritual aspirants, he said three rules are there:
- Food should be nutritious, and one should be able to digest it. Food may be nutritious, but some people may not be able to digest it – so it should be nutritious, and at the same time it should be capable of being transformed into energy. Otherwise, it will further weaken the body.
- The third, most important: it should not create a worldly feeling in the mind. Every food has a subtle influence on the body. That is why some people go on eating some intoxicating things like betel nuts – what we call pāna, etc. Especially Vārāṇasī, Kāśī, is famous for this pāna. Vārāṇasī pāna costs minimum fifty rupees for one pāna. So it creates a kind of intoxication. And when a person is intoxicated – not spiritually but worldly – his passions will become uncontrolled and overpower the person.
- So Brahmanandaji's third rule is that it should not create an adverse reaction. And if we observe carefully, some individuals are especially affected by certain types of food, so they should avoid that kind of food. Other people may not be affected. It may be for them, but not for the person. We should see. We must think back and say which types of foods made me happy, healthy, and think good thoughts, and which did the opposite. Without this kind of discrimination, we court what is called destruction – our self‑destruction.
Annam Bahu Kurvīta
Then the ninth section had said: annaṃ bahu kurvīta. Here my interpretation is: annam does not mean only food. So it could be money, it could be clothes, it could be books, it could be anything which could come to use for some people.
Distribute What You Have
If you have got more books, distribute them. If you are a student and you passed a lower class and stepped into the higher class, and all the textbooks – do not throw away. Give it to students, some poor students who have just come up to the last class I was in. Like that, go on distributing it. It not only gives us puṇyam or merit, virtue, but it also slowly makes us what we call unselfish. That is how we grow.
Increase and Distribute
Annaṃ bahu kurvīta. Anything that is good for the society, increase it – but if you do not need it, distribute it. Tad vratam. And then every one of these vows is called a vow before God. Vrata means vow. All these upāsanas – I will not give up, because it is for pleasing the Divine Lord, Divine Mother.
The Presiding Deities
And every upāsana is connected with what we call presiding deities. In this case, in the ninth section: pṛthivī vai annam – the Earth – and then Ākāśa – from Earth to Ākāśa – everything is connected. So food should be multiplied. Knowledge must be multiplied but distributed.
The Five Elements
So all the sections discuss what is the internal relationship between food, water, fire, air, and space. In other words, between all the five elements of which this entire creation, both gross and subtle, are made up of.
The Tenth Section – Life in Society
Now we will be discussing the last section, the tenth section. And in the tenth section, it deals with how one should live in society.
Love God and Love Your Neighbour
Jesus Christ's famous teaching: one should first love God with all one's heart and soul. And then the next is: one should love one's neighbour. And somebody asked: "Who is one's neighbour?" Whoever is in need – that is one's neighbour – irrespective of – especially in India, castes – how much we tortured human beings and deliberately kept them down. And that is why we paid a very high price in the form of being enslaved by any nation which decides to kick us out – even by the smallest nations. The English people, of course – long before that the French people, etc. They had come and enslaved.
Why Did This Happen?
Why? Because we are famous for quarrelling with each other and to side with enemies – not understanding – stupidity cannot go further than this – that once the enemy takes our help and enslaves my neighbour, next I will be the victim. And that is why it is happening even today. No two companies agree, no two people cooperate with each other. Non‑cooperation is our very lifeblood.
Relevance for Spiritual Practitioners
So this section is especially relevant for aspiring spiritual practitioners. In any given society, every member of the society is dependent upon each other. We should not think that the problems that were described here existed only many centuries back. No – even today, in our last class I told how these mega companies are squeezing every billion cent, billion penny out of people like us, not doing much. For us, their only goal is how much they can squeeze their own customers. I already spoke about it.
Sada-ācāra Pradarśanam
So these upāsanas that are going to come – this is called Sada-ācāra Pradarśanam. Without developing this sense of morality – morality means what? Practice of unselfishness – Brahmānanda anubhava, that the experience of realising God will never come actually. If you substitute the word God with everybody, with this entire world creation, you cannot get any happiness unless you treat the whole universe as one with you. Then it is not possible. So Sada-ācāra.
Observing the Guru's Life
That is why one of the most important functions of staying near a Guru is not to just listen to his teachings, but to observe how he is living.
The First Instruction – Do Not Send Anyone Away Hungry
So for that purpose, the very first instruction is: na kañcana vasatau pratyācakṣīta, tad vratam – "No one should be sent away without giving food and shelter." So I will come back to this, but what is meant is: arādhyāsmāt annam iti ācakṣate – how a person shares what he has got with other people, at what age in one's life, with what attitude, with what type of words the help is given – and in the form of karmaphala, the result of actions, they will come back to us.
Luck Is Our Own Virtue
That is why for some people, things just flow in, and we will be wondering. We simply say, without understanding, "that person is a lucky person." Luck is nothing but our own virtue coming back to us in this world. Please keep in mind my often uttered word: according to the theory of karma, nobody can give us either happiness or unhappiness. But if we have earned more of what we call puṇyam, other people, other objects become instruments in giving us more happiness. They just rush in at the right time.
The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad
That is – in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, it is said: at the right time the devatās will receive us – yehi yehi – "You are welcome, you are welcome. You have done many, many virtuous actions in your life, and we are eager to conduct you to those states where you are going to reap the resultant actions or the results of what you deserved so much because of what you have done."
Never Blame Anybody
So we have to understand: whatever is happening in our life, good or evil, happy or unhappy, it is all the result of our own past actions. Never blame anybody. Doṣ karo nyo goma, āmiṣa bakhata śolile, ḍube mori śyāma.
The Results of Sharing
So a few examples are given here. If somebody had received the person early in his life – that means the person had obtained this knowledge that whatever I do, I get the result. So I have to earn my own happiness. And nobody wants to earn unhappiness. So whatever is there, share with others happily, looking upon them as God.
Śiva-jñāne Jīva-Śiva
This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was repeating: Śiva-jñāne jīva-śiva – you are not giving anything to Śiva; Śiva does not need – but He is manifesting Himself in the form of a needy person, giving us an opportunity to please Him. Not that He does not have, but He wants to help us acquire merit.
With Great Respect
So at what age we start sharing what we have – and it should be done with the greatest respect, with the sweetest words, with all the love that is possible. So that will come back to us.
The Upanishad's Imaginative Description
And very imaginatively, the Upaniṣad is telling us: so when the time comes, next birth perhaps, at an early age – that means we will be born – śrīmatāṃ śucīnāṃ śrīmatāṃ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate – because accepting a practising spiritual aspirant, nobody will do these things, because only such a person will have faith in the scriptures. And do not forget, this is also part of the scripture – this Bhṛguvallī.
Born in a Fortunate Family
Then from early birth onwards, maybe he is born in a very fortunate family, rich family. Śrīmat means what? Lakṣmī is shining, bestowing her grace in that family, on that family from the very beginning. That is why in Bengali there is a beautiful word, olakṣī – that is, absence of Lakṣmī. That means the house will be devoid of any enthusiasm, happiness – only always thinking negatively.
Give with Respect
So, give with respect, considering them as God who has come. That is why the Bali Cakravartī story I mentioned – he gave everything. His tanu, mana, dhana – whatever we call it – three bodies. Three steps represent three bodies. "Take my gross body." How do we interpret it that way? Because we measure the distance because of our eyes and our legs – for that the gross body is needed. So this gross body I offer to Lord Viṣṇu.
Offering the Three Bodies
Then the second: "I have a mind" – that mind, entire mind, is offered to God. That is the second step. Causal body: "I offer my head." Head means what? All the saṃskāras will be manifested through the mind, but through the physical brain – that is the gross body, subtle body, causal body. All the three bodies are offered to God. What remains? Jīvātman will not remain as jīvātman. That individuality is defined by the three bodies, and as soon as the three bodies are offered to God, then what remains is pure consciousness, Paramātman. This is the real meaning of bali or offering. Any offering should be like that.
Nobody Can Give Us Happiness
So there is a beautiful expression: for our own happiness we should share, because what we share – that will become what we call – our future depends upon what we are. This is such a great truth. Nobody can give us happiness. Nobody also can give us unhappiness. It is only – that means what? It is only we who give happiness – it is to ourselves – and it is only we to give unhappiness to our own selves. That is, in a sense, the theory of karma.
Gifts and Talents
Then not only food or possessions. Possession does not mean only what we possess in the form of money, lands, houses, etc. Every gift that we have.
The Gift of Speech
Some people are extraordinarily great speakers. I have heard – you must have heard – there are some speakers whose voice simply mesmerises people. So when we hear, we feel like "I want to hear more about it." So that gift – how did it come about? Because the person earned it. It did not come because of the parents. Parents have given – of course, some contribution might be there, because I have observed: if some child has got musical talents with a beautiful voice to sing, etc., that means the body has come from the parents. But there were cases where the parents were neither singers nor musicians nor scientists, etc. But the children became extraordinarily great singers. So how do they become? Because they have practised it from previous births. For that purpose, whatever we contemplate, whatever quality we contemplate upon, attributing it to the manifestation of God, then that attribute will become ours.
Kṣemāyeti Vāci
For that, for example, kṣemāyeti vāci. So some people – speech – they have the power to convince opposing parties, bring about peace. Buddha's life – there are so many stories of how he was able to reconcile people. This is by the very word – that is, voice. How much effective this voice is – whether it is speaking or singing – that is something extraordinary.
Think Deeply
Yeah, I am only giving a hint and you should try to understand it. You have to think deeply. And everything that I speak, you will have to make it your own.
The Power of Speech
So kṣemāyeti vāci – if somebody has got that extraordinary power of speaking – not only it means the voice, but it also means the capacity to express the right word. The whole of Śikṣāvallī is only dealing with this. And even if you remember, you will see how each syllable has to be pronounced, and where that particular syllable is located in the mouth of all of us. And if we can cultivate it – that is, learn how to pronounce properly, especially while learning a foreign language, etc. – everything depends upon it.
Sweet Speech
So kṣemāyeti vāci – kṣema means all‑around welfare is possible. That is why it is said: when a sweet‑speaking person goes anywhere, he will be received with sweetness, with love, with joy. And that is absolutely true.
Prāṇāpānayoḥ
Then yogakṣemāya iti prāṇāpānayoḥ – in‑breath and out‑breath. And these make a person's body and mind strong. That is why it is called prāṇāyāma. And what happens? Such a person acquires what he requires and is capable of protecting them. So the upāsana of prāṇa‑apāna bestows upon this practitioner everything that is desired by that person. And do not forget: prāṇa‑apāna belongs to God. Is God coming into me in the form of Vāyu Devatā? We have to understand.
Karmaiti Hastayoḥ
Karmaiti hastayoḥ – "I am able to grasp." How do we understand? If somebody has got paralysis and then the hands may not work, then the person recognises. When our teeth become loose, start falling off, then we understand the value of the teeth. Karmaiti hastayoḥ. Remember the story of the Brāhmaṇa who killed. So every part of our body is presided over. Means what? Gods are manifesting as a human body – many, many, many gods.
Gatiriti Pādayoḥ
And then we are able to walk, and we do not even think about it – especially earlier days. How much people had to walk, and they never felt it is something very hard, troublesome, etc. Gatiriti pādayoḥ. Viṣṇu is supposed to be the presiding deity of this movement of walking.
Vimuktiriti Pāyu
Vimuktiriti pāyu – and vimukti means whatever is undesirable in our body – not only in the body, outside the body – whatever irritates us, stands as an obstruction in our spiritual life. If we can get rid of it, that is called pāyu. That is one function of the prāṇa. This is pāyu – and that helps us to expel whatever is unhealthy sitting there and causing tremendous discomfort in the form of either vomiting or in the form of motion, etc. It is all God's grace. And these are some of the things.
The Organ of Generation
One thing that should have been included in the divine upāsanas – but there it should have been added here – that is, the greatest pleasure a person gets through the organ of generation. Then that should have been included here. So people, especially the spiritual aspirants, do not want to talk anything related with sex, etc. But the point is: our Upaniṣads are not shy of speaking about them. He says God has provided you, because this is an indication of the union between jīvātman and Paramātman. And that we forget – we are only thinking a very narrow idea of how two bodies come together. Even when two bodies come together, how much of joy is expressed! That is something very worth taking note of. So all these are bestowed, and there is a deity presiding. Without that deity's grace, one will not be able to procreate. Procreation is a divine mandate. We have to understand it. So these are all belonging to the upāsana, especially related with our body.
Upāsanas Related to Gods and Goddesses
And then we have got those related with the gods and goddesses.
Vidyuti – Lightning
What is it? When there is rain – remember, it is the grace of Varuṇadevatā – balam iti vidyuti. When we see lightning, how much of strength is stored there! And that should be considered – that vidyut, God, is called – or God should be contemplated upon – as lightning. And do we understand how this lightning is distributing its energy? I do not think even scientists are capable. Still they are wondering: if we can harness the hidden power of even one streak of lightning, so much electricity can be produced. Nobody perhaps is even thinking about it. I do not know. But we have to understand that these are all mysterious bestowings of gods and goddesses upon this earth – not only for human beings, but for every living creature. So vidyuti – lightning – balam. And God is coming to us in the form of strength.
Yaśa – Fame
And if a person has got many possessions – in the olden days, the cattle and animals – that is called wealth. So that is why we have seen Yājñavalkya wants to teach to Janaka – or he has already also gone to another king. And then the king said: "I will give you one thousand cows, cattle." And yaśa – that is, a person can become famous, well known, and everybody reveres that person. It is all the grace of God.
Wealth in Many Forms
But normally what happens – when a person is very rich, or because he is capable of doing something great. So if some person is a wealthy person – wealth does not mean only money; wealth means maybe great singer, great player, great actor, actress, writer, poet, speaker, cook – anything. It is all because of that the person becomes well known in the society. And that is also by the yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu yaśo-rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, kīrti-rūpeṇa saṃsthitā. We have to understand: the Divine Mother is manifesting because the person contemplated. That is the key.
Contemplation Determines the Result
If a person contemplates the Divine Mother in the form of Mother, he gets more of the motherliness. If he contemplates as Vidyā, then he gets all knowledge. If he contemplates as Yaśas, or name and fame, he will get name and fame. But everything is coming from God. That is the important point. We have to please God. This is one of the greatest Vedic faiths. And then God will manifest in that person.
God Manifests, Not Gives
Forget about "God gives that thing." No – that is a crude idea. God Himself comes in that form and manifests. That is why he said that Bhagavān comes in the form of digestive power. Outside, He manifests in the form of the sun, moon; on earth, He manifests in the form of fire; and within each one of our bodies, in the form of digestive fire called Vaiśvānara Agni. So this is a great idea we have to keep in mind. God is not some – like a person sitting and giving what He possesses. No – God Himself enters into the very body and mind of the individual, whoever is contemplating, doing these upāsanas, contemplations.
The Sun Is the Glory of Brahman
And the sun is the glory of the Brahman, the moon, all the nakṣatras, etc. So not only my body, but the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of Brahman – just to connect it. Ātman first descended, manifested itself in the form of the five elements, and the whole universe that we enjoy, both inside and outside, are nothing but the culmination and combination of these five elements – which is the external universe and the internal universe.
The Fifth Mantra – Pratīṣṭhā, Mahaḥ, Manaḥ
And further we will have to discuss some things. So in this fifth mantra it is said: pratiṣṭhā iti upāsīta, pratiṣṭhāvān bhavati; mahā iti upāsīta, mahān bhavati; mana iti upāsīta, mānavān bhavati.
The Law
What is the law? One becomes what one contemplates.
Pratiṣṭhā – Firmness
Contemplate Brahman as pratiṣṭhā. Pratiṣṭhā means firmness. So a person becomes firm, because God manifests in him in the form of firmness. That means he will never be anxious. Suppose a person is very anxious – "My job remains or not?" That person does not have pratiṣṭhā. But if he contemplates – "But what if I lose this job? God will provide me some other job. He will look after me." That tremendous feeling that God is supporting me all the time.
The Example of Prahlāda
Like Prahlāda amidst unimaginable tortures – he relied on Nārāyaṇa as his own mother and father, and everything came to him. God saved him, and then God put everybody else to shame.
Freedom from Anxiety
So pratiṣṭhā – what happens? He not only he himself becomes free from anxiety – no thoughts about past and future, no regret of the past and no expectation of the future. Just like a baby – no thoughts about the past and the future. He is completely free from all these thoughts. He does not even think "Should I think or not?" It becomes most natural. How long? As long as the mother is nearby. The moment the mother is absent, the baby senses "My mother is not here." Immediately, the baby feels very anxious about it.
The Bengali Bhajan
Somebody had written a beautiful bhajan in Bengali: Mājabu – "I want to go to mother." Until the baby is united with the mother, he will never be free from anxiety. But so long as the mother is there, he will never think about anything else. Joyfully, he will be playing, and time just passes for a baby.
Mahaḥ – The Greatest
So contemplate Brahman as pratiṣṭhā, and contemplate Brahman as what? Mahaḥ – the greatest. And the contemplator becomes the greatest – mahān bhavati.
Manaḥ – Intelligence
Let the contemplator meditate upon Brahman as He is the intelligence. Manaḥ here means intelligence, and that means knowledge. And this person becomes an encyclopedia of knowledge. This is the result of contemplation.
Respecting Everybody
And you respect everybody – Brahman – because seeing Brahman is respecting Brahman. If you do not see something worthy, we will not respect anything that we do not see great. So seeing that greatness, even in an insect, even in a centipede – contemplate upon it. How does this small creature know which foot it has to put forward first? It never thinks, otherwise it can never move. Mānavān bhavati – such a contemplator becomes part of Brahman in the form of respect. You give respect to anybody, look upon them as great, as a manifestation of God – and everybody will look upon – because this is the law of karma: as we give, so we receive. He becomes – he will be treated as the greatest person. Mānavān bhavati.
Conclusion
So with this, the highest contemplations are over. We will talk about them – some more points are there. We will do that in our next class.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः
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!