Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 32 on 25 December 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

In our last class we completed the 8th Anuvaka which is called Pranava or Omkara Upasana and with that one of the best Upasanas is complete Now meditating on Omkara is marvellous If meditation doesn't transform our life If meditation or Japa or Bhajans or Nama Sankirtanas do not gradually slowly but surely do not bring any change in our life both physical as well as mental then I would say there is a dichotomy there is a conflict there is a war I would not dare to say it is a war because war is for the people who are conscious who are with full awareness fighting but mostly we are ruled by the unconscious and therefore this 9th section wants to tell us first there should be the foundation of meditation why should there be meditation? because meditation gives us the knowledge that what is life? what is the goal of life? what is our station in life? where are we just now? and how we should progress in life? in every way there is a widespread misunderstanding especially after reading the lives of great saints and I would say in a way excepting few people like Swami Ram Das the Guru of Shivaji Swami Vivekananda and Shri Ram Krishna and Holy Mother they fall into this smaller category when we study the life of many other saints then we get this world is tuchham that is completely worthless, valueless so even if somebody is kicking us beating us black and blue just do not care depend upon God this is one type of attitude but the other type of attitude is so we should not simply keep quiet and this particular aspect of active spiritual life taking keen interest in both spiritual life and as well as our improvement self-improvement in this world in the other world and the welfare of the society this is the second model and Hinduism lacked it and sister Nivedita understanding Swami Vivekananda gave a beautiful name it is called aggressive Hinduism the word aggressive may look a little bit harsh what it means is that we should not allow anybody to take advantage of us be it at home be it in the office be it in the society we should not allow and same thing applies to spiritual life also you may wonder how come because our what we call blind beliefs mudhachara our superstitions what we call to whom to which we are terrible slaves for example simple example a person wants to completely kneel down and touch the feet of swamis sadhus etc even though the knees are protesting the back is protesting the whole body is protesting that is mere superstition you can put God's photo below and you can put yourself above in case necessary you can even put your feet on Shiva linga like Namadeva's guru had done previously I think you would recollect that story Namadeva was once ridiculed as an immature spiritual person he became offended then God himself advised him go and find a guru to become mature and that's what exactly guru does immaturity is made to mature under the nursing care of the teacher so the divine lord look at this fun the lord himself is telling go and get a guru and the same thing Shri Ram Krishna was advising him that you must soon get a guru after hearing the dream of him anyway Namadeva went to the obscure village and he enquired about this so-called advised guru and then he went in search of him and he is to be found in a small Shiva temple and to his shock Namadeva found his guru placing his two feet on the Shiva linga and Namadeva could not understand and said why are you putting it is sacrilege you put your feet down and the guru smiled and said Baba I am not capable of moving my legs will you hold my legs and Namadeva angrily removed his would-be guru's feet and threw them aside and to his greater shock another Shiva linga had sprung up supporting the guru's legs and he tried this way that way and Shiva linga was supporting then guru smiled and said put my legs where Shiva is not present put my legs where Brahman is not present so you what you call answer calls of nature where mother earth is not present where Shiva is not present where Ramakrishna is not present holy mother is not present you will be puzzled then Namadeva because he touched the feet of the guru and he understood that guru's feet are greater than even God because what God could not do in Pandharapura the guru has done by mere touch that is why we sing Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu etc. anyway what is the point the point is that is okay that is one type of attitude bearing all affliction sorrows and sufferings but the other is we also must do tremendous karma yoga and that is being emphasized in this ninth section so you meditate without meditation on God whether on a image or a photo or a symbol or whatever but if you do not translate all those virtues in your real life if you do not grow if you do not become strong they are completely useless and that is the speciality of two things are emphasized in this ninth anuvaka this is called Swadhiaya Pravachana Prashamsa along with translating both what we understand into social service this social service many western critics they criticize Hinduism lacks social service and this section is a living proof not only Hindu scriptures understand it very well and when they're not speaking about social service it means the person had crossed that level of social service which is very much necessary to progress in spiritual life pure spiritual truths what christianity calls the contemplative life active life and contemplative life but in this section it is one has to study the scriptures one has to study one's own self objectively and one has to practice social service also and social service according to our scriptures is divided into five types of service and this service is called Yajna so Pancha Maha Yajna and we know about that but in case just to we have to remind ourselves again and again that is why in this particular ninth section of the Sikshavalli first chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad the word Swadhiaya Pravachana is repeated 13 times not once but 13 times and one Rishi he said of all the virtues a Swadhiaya and Pravachana is most important and this section is a most marvelous section and that's why i decided to spend some time with it even though most of the ideas i have been repeating so many times you also have heard so many times but it is still worth remembering so Swadhiaya Prashamsa what is it we must first practice Karma Yoga that is why even though the Vedas are divided crystal clearly into two parts first part is preparation second part is experimentation the preparatory part is called Karma Karma Kanda we can say Karma Yoga and the second part is experimentation and growth which is called Gnana Kanda and again i have to remind you Gnanam is another word synonymous word with Bhakti with realization with spiritual progress not the exclusive meaning given by the practitioners of what is called Gnanam Arga Gnanam and Gnanam Argam these are two separate issues Gnanam Argam is a particular way of progressing towards God and even those people blindly without realizing they go on talking about Gnanam but the whole day they are immersed only in rituals from early morning till evening only the pravachanam starts in the evening meaning that the first part of our life should be spent only in perfecting our instruments both body and mind the purpose of Karma Yoga or Karma Kanda is to develop certain qualities like purity of the heart that is Chitta Shuddhi and Ekagrata concentration of the mind Vaishalyata expanding our identity with progressively larger and larger holes and finally becoming fit people to understand what is called Shramana Manana Nidhidhyasana and particularly in terms of Bhakti Yoga we don't use the word Shramana Manana Nidhidhyasana but what we call is Mantra Deeksha is called Shramana thereafter deep prayer meditation and that is called Manana and complete surrender to God is called Sharanagati and that is called Nidhidhyasana Nidhidhyasana is another word for complete self-surrender maybe we put it in different Aham Brahmasmi doesn't matter or Aham Brahmasmeans I am God but a Bhakta would say I belong to you everything belongs to you only different words are used but meaning is the absolutely same and nobody can progress whether in secular much less in spiritual field without karma but karma even animals do any living creature does karma otherwise life is impossible living is not possible but the moment we wake up a little and then want to achieve progress towards our goal then the word Yoga comes so Karma Yoga is the very first step and there are three types of karmas our scriptures have divided all karmas into three types so the first the worst the lowest type of karmas are called Para Apakara Karmani every action that is inimical that is destructive that causes pain loss suffering to other people and that is the lowest type of thing even animals do not do it if we study them properly animals do kill without any second thought but they do it only what is necessary they kill what is necessary they eat what is necessary and when they are completely full they can walk along with their prey in different ways and the prey also knows it then there is another type of karmas about ourselves we are not we are doing karmas indifferently and not paying attention mechanically whether we eat food whether we are doing Japa Dhyana whether we are studying the scriptures listening to talks most of the time the mind becomes very very restless indifferent and that is called an indifferent type of activity but the third and the highest type and about all these karmas the 17th and 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita gives a crystal clear idea but about Kartha about Karma about Gnanam about Gneyam and about food Ahara practically every aspect how much enthusiasm we have to bring in to our activity and what type of attitude we should have towards the results so beautifully described practically I think no religion divides or gives such what is called vastly explanatory notes on every aspect of life both secular and spiritual our purpose is that we want to progress in spiritual life which automatically includes physical life also so all the Karma Yogas are again divided into Pancha Maha Yagna just to remind you so we all start like today's scientist he doesn't start from a blank from a zero he starts he stands on the foundation that is already laid by previous scientists and he masters all that has been discovered since let us say 5000 years back in any department of life and then he thinks about it he should think about it and find out how to progress still further so those people who are the propagators of knowledge which conduces to every being's welfare they are called Rishis so we are indebted to them and if we are learning from our parents they are learning from their parents etc this is called Guru Sishya Parampara so we should be very grateful we should never forget what we have acquired or even with regard to the property our grandfathers and our fathers everybody worked very hard if I am quite rich then I have to be extraordinarily grateful to them because every parent wants to endow his or her children with as much as possible and this we see especially among the Hindu parents so this gratitude and we are indebted another thing also we have to understand suppose somebody helped you tremendously and you should be very grateful that goes without saying but along with that gratitude what that what help we received must also be transmitted transferred to somebody else when our turn comes and then only the society really becomes much better so first is we are indebted to Rishis then even though it is not an obvious fact that life is going on well and the seasons are well established and each season nature behaves in a particular way and in that context we have to be very grateful Hinduism crystal clearly points out there is somebody invisible extraordinarily benevolent and always looking for our welfare raining granting waters or rains properly in the right quantities at the right time and making the crops and fertilize and abundant food material is given so we have to be very grateful this is called Deva Yagna we have to be grateful because what we are receiving we have to acknowledge it gratefully otherwise we are ungrateful people this is called Deva Yagna then of course my body my mind same thing applies to everybody is the result of generations of our ancestors and maybe we have not seen some ancestor who is two or three generations gap great-grandfather etc but they worked very hard they produced children they made sure that the children are given as much as they could give and what I am now is not only to my parents but their parents their parents etc so I have to be extraordinarily grateful to them my body is because of what my parents are especially my mother so we must never forget that is what is called Petru Yagna and just a side note we perform Tarpana etc Pindadana etc Shraddha Karma etc and this is to be done there is another purpose also not only to show our gratefulness but it also publishes what we call a tremendous fact which is not obvious our scriptures never tell our ancestors are dead non-existent they are alive they only went to put on another dress means another body and they are very much alive and if they lived a good life they will go to higher lokas so this is to instill that faith death is not the end of life but it is a continuation of life and every time we do some prayers from Tarpana etc to our ancestors it is to instill that faith a time will come when I die but death is only giving up this particular body and not to discontinuation of life and this is so beautifully put in the Bhagavad Gita by Bhagavan Himself so avyakta adheni bhutani vyaktam adhyani bharata avyakta nidhana niyava tatra kaapadi devana birth is the unseen becomes seen death is the seen goes back from where it has come into the unmanifest so from unmanifest to manifestation is called birth manifestation back to unmanifestation from where it came that is called death and in between we are able to see but life is continuous and until we reach God there is no putting a stop to this so this is where we have to be very grateful for our whole life to our ancestors then our Rishis also recognize it because this knowledge of Panchamahayajna directly comes from the Rishis only and our Rishis also recognize it no man no creature alone can stand there must be animals there must be plants not only that there must be what we call the non-living nowadays scientists are recognizing without what we call the mountains and then the forests especially these two if we are polluting them we are only like people spitting into the sky and then that falls only upon ourselves that is what we are doing this is what they call the global climate change is all due to our what is called thoughtless actions even now we are continuing deforestation etc etc so we have to be grateful to every other human being from morning till evening whether I'm drinking a cup of tea or eating a piece of cake or doing any office work there are many many people involved without whose help it is not possible so not only we have to be content with what we are receiving through our hard work but we have to be grateful to all those unseen helps that we receive and that is called Nr or Nara Yagna and also the last one comes Bhuta Yagna we are grateful not only to human beings everything non-human living or non-living and that is called Bhuta Yagna and in this particular ninth section four Yagnas are mentioned not in particularly in that order but in a separate type of order but four Yagnas are involved and so we have to be very grateful but the most important point is how do we know what is life how do we know what are the Vedas how do we know whether we can trust them how do we know what to do what not to do in life this knowledge we can obtain not from what we study from physics chemistry but what we call Veda Veda means with means to know Veda means that knowledge which is not available for the five sense organs and without that knowledge which is beyond the ken of all the five sense organs life would be as Ramakrishna puts it any number of zeros are completely worthless if there is no one and that one is equated with God and God means that type of life in fact God means my real self that should be take the first priority spiritual life includes all types of improvement so spiritual life must take priority and this is the background and then in this section having enumerated 12 times first part and then the Upanishad in the last three sentences it as if it is imagining that supposing after enumerating all these virtues or what is called necessary duties incumbent upon each one of the intelligent human beings what would be if you are asked what would be the priority which particular virtue will be the priority and three Rishis as if we have to imagine or asked and then one says Satyam one Rishi called and then another Rishi called or another name for him is he said austerity then there is another person and then he says these are the most important virtues and last class I have mentioned means study of the scriptures is one meaning study one's own self objectively how much have I really understood and do I am I paying attention and especially we have to take the help of our Rishis and Munis etc and then how much our life is being transformed by what Swami Vekaranda calls practical Vedanta so that is all the foundation of scriptural knowledge along with Pravachana what we received we must pass on and what we receive not only scriptural knowledge if we receive we must pass them on and if we receive knowledge then spread it on if we receive any particular type of skill do not hold copyright over it of course if that is your livelihood you will do it but not to the extent that if you know what is Sanjeevani how to bring how to cure even the most virulent long-standing disease but don't hold on because you get benefit but then don't keep it only for yourself because just as you received it from others you should pass it on also to other people sadly that is why so much marvelous parts of the Vedas have been lost to us because of this extreme selfishness of copywriting trying to pass it on to one's children maybe the children pass away before they have the opportunity to pass it on to their disciples so keep up this what is called Guru Sishya Sampradaya Guru Sishya doesn't even mean only a spiritual teacher no it can be computer guru and it could be culinary guru and it could be guru in any field of life even pickpocket doesn't matter so pass it on this knowledge Swadhyaya means study and understanding and transforming one's life and Pravachana means whatever you understood which helped you pass it on to other people help other people like a mountaineer guide here is shortcut here are some obstacles and I will take you to the top as much as possible so these Panchamaha Yajnas very very important that's why I have given you this introduction and then we must also along with Panchamaha Yajna another part of Karma Yoga is the obtainment of Sadguna Sampatti what Bhagavan Krishna says in the 16th chapter even to understand what should be avoided what should not be done this is called Nishedha and what should be done that is called Vidhi both commandments do this and do not do this so there are commandments in every religion practically there are commandments are there and scripture contains these commandments so not doing is a great quality what is forbidden and assiduously trying to obtain what is necessary never giving it up that is also part of this Karma Yoga only this is called that is why in Chandogya Upanishad so those Gunas which are enumerated in the that should be there that is what is emphasized here in this particular section so we have to say first of all the body is given mind is given who has given God why did he give because our body our body is a temple and our heart is the sanctum sanctorum where Bhagawan resides so this is the background with which I will give you further introduction and then only it will be very easy to understand the actual meanings of the ninth sections mantras so and it comes at the end of practically every sentence in this which of course we will be reading Swadhyaya means study of the scriptures so first of all you know Hindus ask especially in the upper caste especially in the Brahmins they must go to a Guru live along with the Guru and living along with the Guru with the Guru for 12 years or so we have seen Shweta Ketu had lived 12 years there and some people live 8 years whatever it is so observing Brahmacharya Ashrama and then they will learn what do they learn what Swami Vivekananda enumerated each soul is potentially divine and the goal is to manifest that divinity and the way to manifest that divinity and whatever else we do is not meaningful really speaking in four sentences Swami Vivekananda has squeezed the meaning of the entire Vedas I would say these first three sentences of Swami Vivekananda and the fourth one that is this is the whole of religion temples books doctrines all these are secondary details I can say boldly it belongs to the fourth Vyavruti called Mahaha anyway it is just a way of comparison so if study is done properly by a Brahmachari and that must come because proper interpretation of scriptures is extraordinarily necessary look at some religions I don't want to explicitly name them some of the most scoundrelish people on earth they dominate the religion and then misinterpret the scripture their own scripture and then even if God doesn't approve they don't care so they will brainwash and then people become aggressive without actually transforming thinking that they alone are the greatest practitioner of their scriptural teaching so Dharma Shastra has to be studied has to be understood and that understanding comes only through the life of the Guru that's why Guru Kulabasa is most important therefore when he says Swadhyayam means one has to first study especially the Vedas first part of the Dharma Shastra then we understand what is life what is our true nature and how what should be done and how should we translate it into day-to-day action etc so then in this very section there are two particular words are used Ritam and Sathyam so what is Ritam in the earlier days of our Vedic propagation these two words our Rishis have discovered one of the greatest spiritual principles that is called Ritam what is the Ritam the nature of the world that is why it is called Yatha Shastra Gnanam exactly understanding whatever Vedas Upanishads Bhagavad Gita or Prasthanatraya or the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna or Abhanga Saptakaram or whatever Ramana Maharshi's self-knowledge whatever it is understand their teachings without distortion that is the meaning of Ritam and then Sathyam Sathyam means put into practice and it starts with Sathya means truth so first seek how to be truthful in life so first step is what shall I speak how shall I speak that is called speaking the truth but before that that quest for truth will not come unless we become good people that is why the word Sat first it is goodness holiness second it is truth speaking people and then third is truth seeking so goodness truth speaking truth seeking and that leads us to real Sat which is one of the definitions of Sat Chit Brahman called Sat Chit Ananda so Sathyam Sathyam means putting into practice the knowledge that we gain then Tapaha life is never one smooth advancement there will be it is like traveling in mountains you go up you go down sometimes we are happy unhappy sometimes we enjoy sometimes we suffer this is inevitable until we reach that infinity so Tapas means penance and restraints so what does it mean it means whatever is in our control let us try to control it and for that Shama Dama are also mentioned here but whatever is not possible prepare yourself not to become befuddled or not to become despairing not to become depressed but acquiring that mental equanimity let happiness come let unhappiness come I will not allow my mind to go up or down and that is called real Tapasya but for that certain amount of austerity is mentioned there are different types of austerities and they are called Krishram Chandrayanam Charity Dhamaha Shamaha all these are all part of Tapasya in fact unconsciously we do it in the family life itself or in a monastery everybody will not be the same so some people do give us trouble even if we do not mean it or sometimes they also don't mean it but we have to put up with them if you go on thinking I did not do anything but why is the other person doing it most often very unconsciously people do it sometimes consciously they do it and they are called demons so that is called Asuri Sampath but unconsciously in this life Prakruti itself will do it life and death Sukha and Dukha cold and heat these are inevitable so there must be that forbearance and that is what holy mother says Shri Ram Krishna particularly makes a pun of it so there are there is a word called the three letters are there Sa Sha and Sha Shri Ram Krishna why is the same word Bengali it is pronounced practically in the same way and therefore why is it three times the importance of forbear forbear forbear so that's the whole life is a Yagna and that is what Bhagawan says convert and some of the Yagnas were beautifully explained in the Bhagavad Gita but what is called so 26 Yagnas were prescribed for a householder every state of stage of life is only a prescription actually so when I come to that we will expand a little more further then you see when we are living suddenly what is called guests come that is suddenly they may come in the pre past life there is no email or way of communicating so they have to be received they have to be relieved of their hunger thirst and tiredness everything just as we do in Pooja that is and then ultimately Naivedya exactly the same thing so you welcome them with sweet words offer some cold drinks which is called in the ages gone by it is called now it is called either tea or coffee or what is called some cold drinks have to be given and then they have to be looked after then Manushancha and our duties towards other people these are all mentioned and we come to the actual mantras we'll be doing it so we have been and when we are growing up we are taking everything from our parents from other people from our teachers but when we grow up in our turn we also have to extend the same thing to other people and in the olden times especially from the society's point of view it is our duty to get married every religion emphasizes it and we have to lead an ideal householder's life and it is our duty even Sairam Krishna says that that at least one or two children we have to see that one or two children are born then a wife wants to become a mother and we have to oblige her and look after her also so three words are used Praja and Prajathi and Prajanana all these fall under Pitru Yagna only so Praja Prajaha Prajathi these three fall under Pitru Yagna Swadhyaya Pravachana falls under Rishu Yagna and then doing what is called Tarpana etc falls under Pitru Yagna and Manushancha helping other people in whatever way we can that is called Nri Yagna or Nara Yagna only as I mentioned the fifth one called Bhuta Yagna is not properly mentioned so but this Tapas we are talking about Tapas so Tapas means this this is the greatest instrument for progress in any field of life a student must do Tapasya what they call in English language Varandi midnight oil and in specially in the Bhrigu Valli we get it Tapasa Brahma Vijay Gnasasva Tapo Brahmeti and then only Bhrigu goes Satapo Tapyata Satapas Tattva Annam Brahmeti Vijana Pranam Brahmeti etc he makes progress so this is the background with which we will have to go through it so just now I have talked about what is called Pancha Maha Yagna which is part of the Karma Yoga Karma Yoga expanded is called Pancha Maha Yagna and as I mentioned Bhuta Yagna is not mentioned but this Bhuta Yagna anyway you you go to any temple and then there is Gopuja and then Gajapuja an elephant is also worshipped and in some places dogs are also worshipped have you heard about it in Varanasi there is a temple called Kalabhairava and Kalabhairava is in the form of a dog that's why they have a black dog Ala means black and I have seen that dog and probably two dogs anyway they go there inside and they receive special offerings from Kalabhairava it is to emphasize that Bhagawan is also manifesting as the animals without animals it is impossible to live in this world and if we try to live without animals for example vast field of agricultures done through what is called tractors and huge machinery nowadays it is only destroying it is not natural living but because of certain societal conditions so that has become a mechanical life life has become mechanic therefore whoever lives a mechanical life will become a machine and then he eats mechanically and he loves mechanically and he suffers mechanically and he dies also mechanically probably a drone might kill him also a machine kills him also but that is not true life at all as understood in the Vedic times but in this section Swadhyaya Pravachana as I said is repeated 12 times in the first portion and there was a Rishi he says forget about all things everything follows if we follow this particular Swadhyaya Pravachana this is the background and still I have to further expand it but in this class I would just like to repeat this Moola Mantra Swadhyaya Pravachana this is the first part then three Rishis they are expressing their individual views of all the virtues With this, the ninth section, the original mantras are given. Just I want to add before we close this one. So, Ritamcha, Swadhyaya Pravachana, that falls under Rishi Yagna. And then, Ritam, Satyam, Tapah, Damah, Shamah, that falls. How to practice in day to day life, that also falls under Rishi Yagna only. Then, Agnayascha, Agnihotrancha, this falls under what we call a Grihastha Shama life. And then, Athidayascha, this falls under, and Manushancha, that falls under what is called Nara Yagna, Ri Yagna. Then Praja, Prajanascha, Prajatischa, falls under Pitru Yagna. So, Rishi Yagna, Pitru Yagna, and then Deva Yagna, and then Gri Yagna, these four are given there. Then, as I mentioned, three Rishis emphasizing one particular virtue to the exclusion. They are not saying the other is not necessary. You practice this, others follow automatically. Truthfulness, and that is what Sairam Krishna also has said. Anybody in this Kali Yuga practices truthfulness, he is sure to realize God. Satyamiti, Satyavacha, Rathitara, he himself had practiced it. Satyavacha means one who spoke always truth, never an untruth came from his mouth. And then there was another one called Paurushishti, and he was Tapo Nityaha, always he is practicing tremendous austerity. And in his view, Tapah, Tapahiti, the greatest virtue is Tapasya. If you do Tapasya, everything else follows. That was his view, because that was what he was practicing. Swadhyaya pravachanaya vaithi naako maudhagalya. There was another Rishi called Maudhagalya, another name for him is Naka. And you study the scriptures, and you propagate the scriptures, which follow under Rishi Yagna. And this is the greatest Tapasya, Tadhi Tapah, Tadhi Tapah. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padapatmetayo Saritva Pramami Muhurmuhum.