Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 16 on 04 September 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Taittiriya Upanishad which has got 12 sections. The first and 12th section are solely devoted to the peace chant, Shanti Pathas. And as I mentioned earlier, there is a second peace chant which starts from the next chapter called Brahmananda Vali. This is called Siksha Vali. Now in the second section of this first chapter called Siksha Dhyaya, a student is taught, every student is taught how to pronounce each syllable, each letter first and then how to combine them. And this art of combining has been taken advantage to make great contemplations which will come in the third section of this Siksha Dhyaya. So third Anuvaka is an introduction actually to five types of Upasanas. What is the reason? To see the whole universe as a single undivided whole. Or in simple words, to see everything as God or as Brahman. And we have completed it. So I am just going to give the essence so that the continuation will be fruitful. Apart from the peace chant which we saw in the second section, a peace chant Shanno Mitra Shambhur Naha, just now I have chanted and the meaning also is given there. Now again there is a prayer. Prayer in this case specifically may my teacher and me, this is a prayer from the standpoint of the student, may I as well as my teacher both be famous. He is famous, he is not, he is only a student. What does it mean? That he is a very good student. Of all the students, this student is the best student. That should be the Isha name or fame. And how wonderful it would be if we all, whatever, wherever we may be, whatever we may be doing, if you are cooking, let me be a very good cook. If you are a teacher, let me be a very good teacher. If you are a worker in an office, in whatever capacity, let me be the best worker. Let me be the best watchman, etc. So whatever we do, we must pay all attention. That's what Swamiji calls perfect education is nothing but pure concentration. So this is called Isha. Let people recognize me that he is a very good student. Of course, the teacher attracts the students according to the capacity. And then not only merely becoming famous or becoming known as very good people, but now Brahma Varchasam. So let the teacher and the student, let my teacher and let me both obtain Brahma Varchasam. What is Brahma Varchasam? Spiritual splendor. So player, how does spiritual splendor come? How does a person become Einstein? By studying, by thinking, deep thinking and by moving higher and higher into the realms of abstract thinking. That is how, whether it be music, chemistry, physics or any type of activity, we progress. So here in this particular case, why am I studying the Vedas? Of course, there will be livelihood, but that is not. That is only by the way. This livelihood must lead me to the realization of Brahma. And when I really start leading a spiritual life, then there would be a special type of personality developed. That is called Brahma Varchasam. Don't expect terrible light will be all over his body. Actually, it happened in the case of Sri Ramakrishna also, as we know, he had to pray to the Divine Mother. Go Mother, inside. What he used to call Mother is none other than Brahma. So once I become a very good student, that means I am in earnest, I have concentration, I have Guru Bhakti and I also prayed earlier. Let me be endowed with pure intellect and that prayer will also come again that we are going to see later on. So let me be a worthy student. Let me travel, learn how to travel towards God and let me live the life I learned from the scriptures. Then a special type of power comes into the mind. That power has nothing to do. The person may not be able to do any either good work or harmful work, but it is purely something personal. Having prayed second time, now Rishi is telling, now we will tell you that you have learned how to pronounce. Now you can read very well, but while reading, you will come across a process. What is that process? When two vowels come together, they combine and then when two words come together, it becomes a Samasa. So what is the real purpose? The goal is to become a Momokshu. The study is meant only to become a spiritual seeker and a seeker of Brahma. For that, a foundation has to be laid. So the student is taught how to combine letters and words as part of the everyday speech. This is in the third section. After that mastery, then the teacher is taking advantage. How did you, how are you able to combine these letters as well as words? So it is the same technique. Now you use it for some higher purpose. Now what is that higher purpose? How to look at the whole creation as one unified whole and not as infinitely separate objects. What is our experience? I am different. Every part of my body is different. So these differences are called ignorance. And these differences have been, as we discussed in the Chandogya also, divided into three types. What is that? Sajathiya, Vijathiya and Swagatha. Please recollect it. Now this ability to combine is made use of to see the whole universe as one connected holistic whole. It is not really separate. There are differences but there is also an underlying unity. And what is that that combines in our day-to-day normal explanations? It is existence. The living exists. The non-living exists. There is a lot of difference between the living and non-living. But as existence is absolutely, they become unified. So how beautifully the Rishis have condensed the entire whole into five classes. What are they? Panchasu, Adhikaranesu. The five great combinations. Adhikarana means actually a support to contemplate further. What are they? Adhilokam, Adhijyothisham, Adhividyam, Adhiprajam, Adhyatma. So what are they? The worlds and the lights and the knowledge and all the living creatures and our own body. What is the relationship between our body, other people's bodies? What is our relationship between our mind, other people's mind? So we see the sun, the moon, etc. We see various types of knowledges. But here you combine all the light as one light. All the worlds, whether it is our earthly world or remember we are talking about the teachings of the scriptures, Vedas, Upanishads. Therefore, they believed in according to our karma, there are higher and higher worlds. In fact, we can say that there are 14 worlds. But all the 14 worlds are again subdivided into three worlds. Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka and Subarloka. But I would like to say that earthly world, hell and heaven. So what is the connection? It is not that they are three separate. Just like a person, he goes to America or Australia and then again comes back. There is a relationship between India and the other parts of the world, between this continent and other parts of the continent. So also everything is taken as one unified world and it is also very logical. How? Because where is earthly world? In our mind. Where is heaven? In our mind. Where is hell? In our mind. So it is the mind, according to our habits, perceives the same object which is none other than God as either hell or this world. This world means pure suffering represents hell. A combination of happiness and unhappiness represents this world. And uncontaminated with suffering, only happiness, temporary though, is associated with higher worlds. So these are all creations or manifestations of our thoughts. I told you earlier in one of the classes, either this or Chandogya, the whole world is nothing but made up of thoughts, ideas, nothing else. And then what is the light? Light is by which we guide. We want to sleep, we don't want, we don't require light. We want to study, we require light. Not only external light but internal light. We require to have knowledge of things that this is a snake, this is a beautiful mango fruit or this is an evil person, a tiger. We require light. So that is called the function of the light is to give us knowledge. But this knowledge again has got what is called different layers. Some can be hardly learned, some can be a little more learned, some can be very deeply learned, some are experts in worldly knowledge, some are experts in spiritual knowledge. So we require the light in order to acquire knowledge. And then what are we supposed to do? We want to live, we want to procreate. That is very natural phenomena. But it is not only our children, everybody's children. For example, if I have got two brothers and two sisters, then they are married and then they are children. Are they related to me or not? From the viewpoint of my mother and father, they are all his children, their children. But from my viewpoint, we are all born to the same womb. At least a lessened relationship is established. But when they get married and then the children come, the distance becomes very clear and more distance comes. And after some time, we don't know whether we are related to somebody or not. The scientists now they are telling that practically three-fifths of the western world is the offspring of Genghis Khan. His genes are to be found everywhere. Of course, our Rishis never admit that. Every Hindu at least wants to claim that I am not born of Genghis Khan, but I am born of great Rishis like Vishwamitra, Gautama, Atre, Bharadwaja, etc. That's a good thought. So, what should our knowledge lead to? It should lead to this perceiving of the connection, unity, oneness and what is the most singularly fit instrument through which we can achieve this. Adhyatma, that means our body. That's why there is a beautiful saying, so with this Shariram, so the whole Dharma or Karma or Adhyatmikata, everything is so through this body only and body houses the mind. So, development of this body, even mind is called subtle body only. So, we are in this, with this body, we are in this world and there is light, God only manifesting as all this and then there is infinite amount of knowledge, then we come across, then how do we combine all these things together and that is the topic of how to combine, just like a student combines vowels and words. So, these five are called Mahasamhita, the great combinations. What do they do? They bring the whole, our vision of the entire creation as one unified whole, unity in diversity and these contemplations with these hints have to be done and every Karma, every action, every meditation yields their own result. There are twofold result is said here and why twofold results? Because two types of students are there, those who have got, who are desirous of worldly enjoyment called Sakamas and those who had enough of this in their earlier lives but now want to redirect their attention to this Nishkama, that is Nishkama doesn't mean no desire, Nishkama means I have one desire, not desires but desire, only one desire. What is that desire? I want to be one with God, that is the only desire. So, if a person wants some worldly enjoyment, he will get. What does he get? Sandhiyate Prajaya Pashubhihi Brahmavarcha Sena Annaadi Adhyena Suvarghiyena Lokena. So, he will be given, if he is living the life according to the instructions of the teacher which we will see a blueprint in the 11th Anuvaka, 11th section. So, he will have wonderful family life, that means he will be in a country where relatively speaking there will be peace, there will be prosperity and a person can lead a higher enjoyable type of life. He will be endowed with whatever is necessary for higher happiness and of course we require animals and if we lead Vedic type of life that is called Brahmavarcha will come, spiritual splendor will come, Anna, so food etc. and that is in this world but after our death we will be attaining to higher lokas because leading this kind of life will earn us tremendous amount of merit. But if somebody is Nishkami, Nishkami means as I just now as we said a person who had gone through all these experiences, a spiritual aspirant doesn't fall from the sky, he had already gone through them like this Sakami. Once upon a time he was a Sakami with full of desires but first he lived like a wild animal, then he learned his lesson, then he had developed faith in the scriptures, do's and don'ts and lived exactly as his teacher had taught him how to live a meaningful life, a fulfilled life. Then such a person understands what I am seeking, I will not get through this world, there must be some other way, then he becomes a Nishkami. The only goal of life, a goal of life is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature external and internal. For that purpose if this person leads four things happen. First of all the mind becomes pure, that means he is able to understand things very clearly. Second, he is able to penetrate deeper and deeper because he becomes a very rational person and then second benefit is this is possible, the first Chitta Shuddhi is possible only when there is concentration. As he goes on living, his power of concentration goes on increasing and that is why Swami Vivekananda said if I have to make what is the meaning of education, I will put it in one single word that is called concentration. Teach a student, every boy or girl how to concentrate and concentration requires tremendous amount of control not only over the mind but over the entire body, entire life. This is called Chitta Ekadrata and as he goes on understanding his mind becomes expanded that means he sees less differentiation and more of unity as we discussed earlier and then what is the fourth result that comes that a deep desire for spiritual progress, a deep love for God and then he wants only realization of God. He may travel the path of Bhakti or Jnana or Karma Yoga or Raja Yoga but his one unwavering goal is to get out of these divisions or finiteness. He wants to become infinite. This is the essence of the third Anuvaka or the third section. This is the result of following first, following how to read the Vedas properly, how to communicate properly, taking advantage of that technique now directed towards a higher life first through the Kriyastharshama, married life, householder's life and gradually as he experiences more and more happiness by following the scriptures, his mind will acquire the ability as I just now as we discussed that this world cannot give what I am seeking. World has got only one meaning and it is meant for me to like a pole hold. So I take the help of a pole not because I love the pole but I use it as an instrument to cross over that bridge and then go to the other side. So the whole of the scriptures is like a pole only and then the devotion will increase. That is why Swamiji used to say you either through work or worship or psychology or intellect by one or more or by combining any of them and be free. So that is the essence of the third Anuvaka. But then after learning how to focus our mind on these Vasanas, a little more details are to be given and that detail comes in this Chaturtha Anuvaka or fourth section. So here first the second type of prayer comes there is Chandasam Rishabhu Ishwaroopaha Chandobhyot Adhyamrutat Sambabhuva. The student who has followed so far all the teachings of this Taittiri Upanishad, he understands perfectly clearly accepting complete surrender to the divine only either you call mother divine mother or father in heaven by whatever it is only through his grace only through God's grace is it possible for me to become immortal. So he is very cleverly he is trying to pray to the divine lord but just as when we want to pray by going to the shrine room either there is an image of God or a Pratika, some symbol, some either a cross or a crescent moon or a Saligrama or a Shiva Linga whatever it is these are called supports for our prayer. We are not praying to the image, we are not praying to Saligrama or Shiva Linga. This is what I said earlier Upasana means ascribing highest qualities on an inferior object superimposing on a lower object and our mind also can be taken as an Alambana or a supporting object in order to be able to think of the higher just as we take help of a ladder or staircase to reach the roof etc. So even if you want to get into the plane then you will have to take the help of a ladder of course nowadays there are at airports you can walk in but that is the facility is given to they have already there is a lift is there and that is way to understand but in India you will understand how you have to walk sometimes half a mile in sweltering heat or cold or even raining but these are the steps we have to take so prayer to God some support is necessary and the best support the best representation of God is called Omkara and why is Omkara because it represents all that was in the past in the present in the future that means it is everything Sarvam Omkara Eva that which was in the past present and future and we have discussed this in the Mandukya Karika quite elaborately and in some other Upanishads also but here we will just mention that that this Omkara is the very essence of all the Upanishads all the Vedas everything and how this Omkara came to be the essence I told you the story that somebody went to Brahma Brahma means all the Vedas combined or in all the Vedas and in those days there were three Vedas so he took one one Veda and then squeezed the essence the essence of Rig Veda is then again he squeezed the essence of these three these are called Vyakhrutis Vyakhruti means that which has been uttered by Brahma Deva remember Brahma means actually Veda Veda means knowledge and then again he squeezed and what are the resultants and these three combined together as Samhita as we saw earlier Akara combined with Omkara becomes Om then thereafterwards Makara Om like that so that Omkara is the essence of all the scriptures what is what are all the scriptures it is the words of God so what is the Omkara the staircase the steps through which we can reach Parabrahman etc so first I will give you the simple meaning and is called is Vishwaroopa why is Vishwaroopa Vishwaroopa means of universal manifestation Omkara is everywhere how very briefly I tell you because I have already spoken about it many many times so every sound that comes out of so we have got our body has got lungs lungs will be filled with air whenever we want to communicate something this air is thrown up and that has to pass through the sound box and this sound box is divided into three parts the beginning part the middle part and the end part the beginning part is represented ah that is why you hear the crying or the trying to talk of any baby he can't say a he can't say he only ah ah like that that is why the first word that he talks very easily it comes Amma or Appa starting with Akara but as he grows up slowly he learns other words then he progresses into Okara then Makara like a sponge he sucks in all the letters etc then goes to a teacher then learns how to combine how to read words from alphabet he progresses to read words words into sentences sentences into chapters or chapters into books etc this is how we have all grown up there is no other way nobody falls from the sky completely learned like that so this is why the very essence of this Chandasa means that is the Vedas and what is the greatest teaching of the Vedas essence of the Vedas is called Omkara and is called Vishwaroopa Vishwaroopa means with whatever object we want to express we have to express through this sound box so the whole dictionary contains nothing but words and all these words have to be pronounced only through the sound box and all the words in the dictionary what do they represent only different objects universal objects so there are objects and they have been given names and the names have to be uttered and that utterance comes through the sound box and the sound box is divided into these three parts A, U and MA and therefore this Omkara by uttering Omkara as if he is uttering the names which are hidden within it every single object that was that is and that is going to be and this is why it is called Vishwaroopa the whole universe is nothing but objects and every object is nothing but a thought every thought to distinguish one thought from the second thought we created names all the names have to be uttered communicated just imagine a what is called a deaf person is there he doesn't know he will have great difficulty every time he has to go and then catch hold of an object and then say this is what i want or this is what i don't want but if it is a name immediately wherever you are so i want to go to america where is america where am i but i express my desire may be fulfilled may not be that's not the point point is expression of my ideas that is important and then i also mentioned this we discussed in our last class chendobhyo somebody they dived deep into the vedas and then they churned them that is called sherasagara mathana in other ways they discovered what did they discover what does omkara say omkara is a representation of the what is called highest reality supreme reality called brahman and who is this brahman i am the brahman ultimately what is called the guru teaches and through sadhana i experience aham brahmasmi not only aham brahmasmi sarvam kalvidam brahma this is called amrita this is the only way to become really really immortal and the way for that is this omkara without omkara nobody is going to really realize god and that is why from omkara only all the mantras whether they are tantric mantras puranic mantras every mantra came only from there and if a christian says no no we have nothing to do with hinduism or vedanta our jesus why is how do you spell the word jesus j e s u that was the mantra it is it was called jesu mantra so in the what is called the pilgrim the way of the pilgrim and the pilgrim continues that is the mantra we see jesu mantra so j e s u they are the alphabet so j e s u you have to pronounce them it is also included in the omkara only up till now we have seen that one it also indicates what is the goal of learning that's what jiram krishna said i don't want this kind of secular learning which will only give me might give me worldly happiness i want to gain that highest knowledge now having prayed for the so let that omkara bestow its grace upon me then only i can become immortal for that we continue that brahman here represented by the is he is also called indra remember here indra means here as represented by omkara so that omkara here indra is not devendra auranic indra is not any other indra he is brahman himself so ma indra that omkara indra means the king the emperor of all gods being the leader of all gods that is every god is just a spark of the divine reality supreme reality called brahman so that supreme brahman herein represented in the form of omkara here also i want to draw your attention to something very important what do you mean by brahman or what do you mean by god you are sitting and you don't hear all these supposing you don't know anything about upanishads i am a simple person i want to think about god now what are you thinking there is some being called god how are you thinking your consciousness otherwise intellect in ordinary words your consciousness you are imagining there is a reality there is something which is endowed with the tremendous power and it is it has created and it is helping in the maintenance and ultimately every created object will go back into that this is the special subject matter that will come in the third chapter of this taitiriya called bhriguvali my point here is when we are thinking about omkara you write omkara o m r in devanagari some kind of you know you write you know how to write but the moment we see it the moment you see any representation of god you are not that representation is only a step ladder but you are actually your consciousness is assuming this is a great psychological factor what is it if you are thinking of a mango fruit your consciousness has assumed the form of the mango fruit if you are thinking about yourself your consciousness has assumed the form of you if you are thinking about brahman your consciousness however inadequate it is you are only thinking of that supreme consciousness of course with the help of some descriptions from the scriptures is god he is the creator is the maintainer and he is the dissoluter and he is all-powerful he is all-knowing all these are nothing but your consciousness assuming in the form of ideas so here in we have to understand that whenever i am referring to this brahman automatically my consciousness is trying to presume how i can be all-powerful i hope you are getting the point because if i am describing supposing a great man supposing sairam krishna i have to become sairam krishna my consciousness has to assume the form of sairam krishna when i am thinking of sairam krishna my consciousness should assume the what is called imaginary knowledge of sairam krishna as if i know everything even though i am saying i am thinking about sairam krishna but whatever i am thinking about sairam krishna i am assuming so whether you think it is a table or a tree or a mountain or a river or indra or saraswati or brahma or shiva or brahman we have to first become that and then only we are able to presume i hope you get the point but we are most of the time confined only to this body i am the body or i am a doctor or i am a lawyer etc etc we have to transcend that and say for a change why not we think about that highest reality so therefore there's a prayer grant me means what endow me with that is what is it i can understand a great man only when i become a great man if i want to know about god i must become god and so i must have that intelligence how to become god therefore what he is telling may you give me brahman knowledge brahman intelligence endow me because if he doesn't endow me by myself i will never be able to rise a strong person can lift and carry a weaker person so god alone is a strong person and then okay you want that medha you want that intelligence this is the essence of all education may he endow me with that knowledge to understand what who am i what is life how to live this life and how i can be successful in leading a life what is success to know who i am really so all this this is the real knowledge what we say i'm a human being is incomplete knowledge it is not a useless knowledge but it is very much incomplete knowledge what does this knowledge do this very knowledge i am a human being separates me from everything else so once bhagavan gives me that intelligence that is why in the geeta also said those who think of me unceasingly what do i do i bestow my grace buddhi yoga i grant them that the that medha by which they can understand that there is no difference between you and me between god and the creature so what happens when bhagavan bestows amrutasya deva dharanaha bhuyasam they were here addressing oh lord amrutasya dharanaha bhuyasam may i be fit fit for what bhuyasam means may i become may i become fit for what amrutasya to know to obtain that knowledge that i am really immortal i am sat chit ananda svarupa but i want i'm endowed with let us assume through this prayer god is gracious he had given me that buddhi but buddhi will not do that buddhi has to manifest in the form of intellect and that is why amrutasya hey deva oh lord amrutasya dharanaha bhuyasam may i first understand it that means may i listen carefully with reverence from my teacher the teacher will give me the right knowledge but i must have the capacity to understand it that is called dharanashakti earlier i also mentioned if you can recollect what does this prayer for medha means five powers what is the first power dharanashakti what is the second power then i should be able to keep it what is the third power i should be able to remember it at the right time what is the fourth power i should be able to use it at the right time at the right place in the right way what is the fifth power i must have that motivation that attitude not for selfish purposes but may i do so that it may bestow good to me as well as to other people so all these powers i have explained earlier you have to recollect and that is what that divine lord may he endow me with that medha so that i will be able to understand every veda teaches only amruta that is the essence of what we call the that even though it is in the form of what is called a mere story the inner meaning is that who is who is the dhanvantari dhanvantari the guru guru comes because only guru is one who has realized that truth he who has that brahma jnanam and he brings that brahma jnanam to the fit student only when the student he uses entire power there are evil thoughts or evil samskaras also good samskaras evil samskaras are called asuri sampath and good samskaras are called devi sampath but we should we should not be divided personalities we should be unified personality and for that purpose we have to combine and every power small or big the when they are combined then only we will succeed in this odious task of realizing brahman so we have to this very life our life is called we have to churn it that means think deeply about it through this is and then through prayer slowly slowly we progress what is progress gradually understanding better and better that the whole world is nothing but an emanation manifestation of brahman of none other else vishwam vishnu vishnu is only manifesting as this but mere mind will not do i must have also the body let my body be absolutely healthy not only healthy there are so many people healthy people but not strong people there are people i mentioned earlier as young children their youth but such marvelous talent of singing but their bodies are like reeds so they can't sustain it for long so to sustain it for long we require tremendous amount of power for that a lot of exercise should be done so that is why why did swami vekananda advocate what do we want muscles of iron and nerves of steel gigantic wills the very first thing is only muscles of iron and many people misunderstood swami vekananda even now they are misunderstanding so eat meat my boy eat meat is he advocating meat eating no he is advocating that eat meat in those days that was the main thing that gives us proteins strength etc why are the westerners so strong even today it makes all the difference because of the habits of food they are tall strong and they can withstand any amount of difficulties look at indian bodies look at the western bodies especially in the what is called when there are world sports etc you will see the difference between them and then so let my body way which are shanam means absolutely healthy and then once the body is healthy then may i go to a teacher after going to teacher may i learn how to live and then what does he say karna beyond vishwam god has endowed me with very good ears but his ears are covered up with what we call madhu and kaitava they have to be cleansed of these things then i will learn and then i have to learn what is called how to speak properly may my tongue become extremely sweet it doesn't mean you speak useless sweet words or keep sweets in your mouth it means whatever is truthful whatever is righteous whatever is helpful whatever is not hurtful whatever is absolutely contributes to the good of the person let my tongue utter only those words and then you are like the scabbard like a scabbard protecting the sword brahmana means of brahmans that is onkara upasana leads us the just as you want a sword where do you run you go to the scabbard because you know you have kept the sword there you don't run to your cupboard and other places and then you know that inside this sword is there so also if we want god we have to go to brahma jnanam brahma jnanam is obtainable only with the people who are brahmavids so onkara is protecting as it were that means it is the doorway to the realization of brahman and then medhaya pehitaha but why am i not able to see it because my medha pehitaha is completely covered shankaracharya it gives in the meaning what does it mean it means worldly knowledge it means selfish knowledge it means perfect identity i am the body i am not i am the mind nothing more than this so that is why i am not able to understand that you are available you are so near but i am unable to even to think about you then shrutam may gopaya oh lord oh omkar deva please protect whatever i heard may i never forget it may i always remember it may i always meditate upon it may i always talk about it gopaya means rakshatu so please protect whatever things i have heard from my gurudeva and then the up to this the first mantra goes that is it is a pure prayer for wonderful things and there are many details are there we will talk about it in our next class may Ramakrishna holy mother and swami vekananda bless us all with bhakte. Jai Ramakrishna