Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 35 on 15 January 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMIMUHURUMUHUHUH OM SHANNOMITRASHYAM VARUNAH SHANNO BHAVATVARIYAMAH SHANNAYINDRO BRIHASPATHE SHANNO VISHNURUKRAMAH NAMO BRAMHANE NAMASTEVAYO TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAMHASE TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAMHAVADISHYAMI RITAM VADISHYAMI SATYAM VADISHYAMI TANMAM AVATO TAD VAKTARAM AVATO AVATO MAM AVATO VAKTARAM OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HARI OM OM May Mitra be blissful to us. May Varuna be blissful to us. May Ariyamma be blissful to us. May Indra and Brihaspati be blissful to us. May Vishnu of long strides be blissful to us. Salutations to Brahman. Salutations to you, O Vayu. You indeed are the visible Brahman. You alone I shall call the direct Brahman. I shall call you righteousness. I shall call you truth. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. Om. Peace. Peace. Peace be unto all. In our last class, we started the 10th Anuvaka of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Brahma Gnyana Prakashaka Mantra or Brahma Gnyana Siddhi Artham Japa Mantra. A mantra for daily recitation for all those sadhakas who are keen on God Realization or to become identified with Brahman. The mantra given in this section is meant for daily recitation by the seekers of the self-knowledge. This is the statement given by Shankaracharya. And what does it do? What does a daily recitation do? It is conducive to purity and progress and finally leads to the knowledge of Brahman. This is not a prayer to become fit which we have seen in the earlier third Anuvaka that I want Medha. I want to do Upasana of Omkara, Prana Upasana. That is for becoming a good sadhaka. But having assumed that a person has become a good sadhaka, there would be two problems to be encountered. One problem, many unknown obstacles can come. Second, the grace of God should also descend upon us so that I need not be distracted by anything else. This mantra is a declaration by a great sage called Trishanku and this Trishanku should not be equated with the Trishanku Raja who attained Trishanku Svarga by the power of Tapasya of Vishwamitra which we come in Mahabharata etc. So here the mantras go like this. Aham Vrikshasya Re Riva Keerthi Prishtham Gire Riva Urdhva Pavitro Vajineva Samrutham Asme Dravinagum Savarchasam Sumedha Amrutokshithaha That is the mantra. Another Rishi declares Trishanko Vedha Anuvachanam. This is the declaration by a Rishi called Trishanku and interestingly the second Rishi who is quoting this declaration of Trishanku, he says this is nothing short of Vedha Anuvachanam, Vedha only. Why does he say so? Because who can tell us about what is beyond our five sense organs. Whatever knowledge we want to have through the five sense organs is obtained by Panchapramanas, five sense organs. But whatever is beyond the of the five Indriyas can be only obtained by one Pramana. It goes by various names Veda Pramana, Shabda Pramana or Jnana Pramana. Whoever has realized God and they can only tell to the extent possible. It is not possible to completely express but to the extent possible in a human language and every language has limitations, declaration and therefore another person who has understood it well either by progressing or by realizing God then he will teach his disciples because he is much closer to us. Sometimes we may deceive ourselves. We have understood that is why we have to go humbly to another person even a very intelligent person who can objectify himself one of the meanings of Swadhyaya. He should not take the risk. He should go to a person who is a trained psychologist or psychiatrist and then only he will have greater clarity about his own condition. A Guru always affects like a mirror but in this case it is a very special type of mirror. What is that mirror? Imagine that a Sadhaka and his Guru both are standing in front of a mirror and both the reflections are seen by both of them. So the explanations of the Guru are like that reflections again and what is that that reflects because this Sadhaka's mind is the greatest mirror. It may be pure may not be so pure depends upon how much he can grasp even among if there are 100 disciples of a qualified Guru there will be 100 different ways of understanding but we must have the humility to say this much I think I understand please correct me if I am wrong. That is why we do not see it here but when these conversations are going on dialogues are going on between the Guru and the disciples how many times how many disciples have enquired of a particular statement by the Upanishads or the statements of the Guru and then gets clarified exactly like any student in a college in a university directly asks the professor or lecturer and then tries to clarify that is how we progress from a lower stage to a higher stage but the statements that is the expressions and here also we have to have a very fine distinction. What is the distinction? These great Rishis are to take modern example Shri Ram Krishna can never tell about his experiences many times in the gospel we get that how can I express it to you I don't have that capacity you also don't have the capacity because as soon as the experiential part is there one can experience but then the expression of that experience the description of that experience Shri Ram Krishna also gives raises this point and gives beautiful example suppose there is a village it is many many miles away from the ocean and one of the villagers have visited the ocean and has seen it and he comes back then the villagers ask give us a description of the ocean he says ah what what else can he say and this was the fact Swami Vivekananda was trying to convey this is called a frog in the well and once a frog from the sea fell into it and then there was a dialogue and then the Guru from the ocean was trying to explain to the Sishya how big is the ocean but the Sishya doesn't want to accept anything is bigger than his small well so first thing is I do not understand let me try to understand that is greatest sadhana what is the point experience is different expression of the experience is quite different and even that expression of that experience can be understood by different people in different ways but it is very necessary so Vedas are talking about Brahman and certain descriptions are given it is so many descriptions in negative terms can we understand it is difficult to understand because that is not in the ken of our experience but it is very important there is a tremendous power and that is why whatever comes out of the mouth of any realized soul everything that comes out in the form of a spiritual dialogue can become a mantra in fact the whole Vedic mantras are nothing but the expressions of the experiences only take any part of the teachings and go on doing japa for a simple example I am giving one day M asks how can I realize God and then Sriram Krishna gives his five commandments you we all know what are those five commandments so these five commandments have come from the very mouth of Sriram Krishna go on reciting that is why this is called parayana Vishnu Sahasranam parayana etc so gospel parayana parayana Gita parayana like that what does it do apart from understanding there is a tremendous power why because truth has its own power and what comes out from these people is nothing but truth therefore that japa helps us enormously now I'm just giving you a English translation then we will go into some more details I only gave you the simplest translation in my last class but today I will go into some depth I am the more of the tree of the universe my fame rises high like a mountain peak I wrote the supremely pure Brahman I am the unstained pure essence of the self like I am the nectar of immortality that resides in the sun I am the brightest treasure I am the shining wisdom I am immortal and undecaying this was Trishanko's declaration and this is being quoted by the Rishi who takes up this declaration of Trishanko and says thus did Trishanko proclaim after the attainment of the knowledge of the Brahman or Atman or God realization simply so the words here are the explosions as it were a single sentence simple example and I will be quoting all the time many examples as many as possible there is a book called by compiled of the teachings of Swami Vivekananda inspired talks that took place for about three weeks on an island in America called the thousand island we have a branch center there of New York there so every sentence practically is a mantra and there in Swami Vivekananda says something and that is where Swami Vivekananda had composed out of his experience the song of the Sanyasin take one single part of that song of the Sanyasin and then meditate upon it Sanyasin bold say Om Tat Sat Om any part of it I recollect once Sri Ramakrishna sang a song that is that which says everything in this world is only you oh divine mother and then he turns to Swami Turiyananda future time Hari Maharaj and says take any part of this song a single word and you do sadhana and that will take you to the goal because every any virtue any part of the sadhana comes with the whole sadhana like you pull one part of a creeper on a pond the whole creeper comes out with the if anybody has one Daivi Sampath divine quality it doesn't come singly it will come with all the other qualities and vice versa so these are the words why did he utter that is a wrong question because when a person becomes one with Brahman he doesn't exist any longer and even when he seems to be coming back he is called Jeevan Mukta and this Trishanku was one of the Jeevan Muktas actually there was no Trishanku Brahman is operating through that mind and body which we choose to call Trishanku because earlier that body and mind especially the body was called Trishanku that's all it is all divinely inspired that means God only is uttering so in the previous nine sections which we completed there were special karmas for example in the 9th Anuvaka Ratancha Swadhyaya Pravachanecha Satyancha Swadhyaya Pravachanecha like that twelve instructions are given so Pancha Maha Yagnas were also included even though the fifth Maha Yagna called Bhuta Yagna is not explicitly described there but it is involved there so that should result in Chitta Shuddhi that means a person becomes pure for such a person a Mahavakya should be there and this Anuvaka 10th Anuvaka this is the Trishank Vedana Vachanam is a Mahavakya what is Mahavakya I have become Brahman you can also become Brahman anyone also can become Brahman and when a person becomes Brahman he becomes the mover of this universe that means he is the root cause from where Srishti Stithi Laya will come and any glory that comes he all really belongs to only Bhagwan and who can be purer Nitya Shuddha Buddha Shuddha means pure because purity means what when there is no second thing to contaminate a thing that is called purity and Bhagwan is Ekam Ekameva Advitiyam there is no Vitiya we have seen in the sixth chapter at the very beginning the very first mantra Ekameva Advitiyam so everything whatever great things we see it is nothing but that glory of the Brahman only and he is the most pure not only that he is called the immortal that is why the Bhagavatam churning of the milk ocean what for for Amrita if we take in a worldly sense Amrita is that which confers a long life a healthy life a joyful life but taken seriously it means a Dhanvantari is the Guru and the Amrita is nothing but Paramagnanam Shuddha Gnanam what is that Gnanam Mahavakya what is that Mahavakya Aham Brahmasmi so interestingly that this should be a prayer for all of us and then we also have to be prepared for Japa so Shri Ram Krishna also prayed to the divine mother only for Bhakti and oh did he not pray for Gnanam is only a foolish mind it is unintelligent mind which can ask such silly questions if anybody says I want Bhakti Gnanam is another name for Bhakti there is no other no difference at all so Atma Gnanartham Japaha since this is completely out of context Shankaracharya very intelligently says that this is a mantra for those who want Mukti Moksha or Atma Gnanam they should recite it every day so Atma Gnanartham Japaha but in the third Anuvaka we get Gnana Yogyata Siddhirtam Japaha which mantra is that but this one is for Gnana Prapti not Gnana Yogyata Prapti since it is the out expression of the great realized soul called Trishanko it is called Trishankor Veda Anuvachanam so what is it telling first of all is telling whatever glory we see in this world we there is no such thing called worldly glory apart from spiritual glory even if somebody wants to become glorious in this world he will have to do lot of tapasya and he must have knowledge glory will not come without knowledge a foolish fellow will also have the glory I am the most foolish fellow in the world the west in in many ways we can imitate the west so the most beautiful person he will get one prize and somebody had created another prize the ugliest person in the whole world but that is also a glory because he stands out of all the ugly people head and shoulders above so I have attained that Gnanam what is that Gnanam I am Brahman that is why it is said like this in Maha Narayana Upanishad this comes in the next chapter called Anandavalli Brahmanandavalli and along with that Gnanam means what Chaitanya pure consciousness so whatever knowledge we have the modification of consciousness is called Gnanam so aham brahmasmi so that is the first one then I am the Jagat Karana that is why Trishankor Veda Anuvachanam aham vrikshasya treriva this word vriksha means a tree very very often both in Puranas and also in the Bhagavad Gita 15th chapter we get to that is the very first shloka tells so and in Katha Upanishad also we say so where from this world has come this world is an effect and who is the ever effect the moment we say effect we must say what is the cause so if this Jagat universe is an effect there must be Karanam and who is that Karanam I the Chaitanya Swaroopa Satyam Gnanam Anantam that means Sat Chit and Ananda what does it mean I lend Sat existence I lend Chit Gnanam and I lend Ananda to every through every object so there is a beautiful verse in the Paramantra in the Kaivalya Upanishad Tat Brahma Advayam Asmi Aham so I am that Brahman from whom the world arises like a dream in whom the world exists like a dream and unto whom the world resolves like a dream see when we have a dream who creates who is the creator of the dream dream is an effect what is the Karanam of this Vekar is the Karanam of the dream state and as long as the Vekar lends Sat Chit Ananda to the dream world it remains and the moment he withdraws that means the dreamer now merges back into the Vekar then the whole dream world is gone Srishti Stithi Laya depends upon the lender that is what in Bhrigu Valli in more elaboration we get it as I mentioned many times how to know Brahman so he says from whom entire all the Bhutas have come and because of whom the entire world is sustained and goes on and unto whom it merges and that is taken as a basis for the Brahma Sutra Janma Dhyasya Yathaha Yato Vaha Imani Bhutani Jayante so it starts like that so that is what is said without me and what does me mean three things I am the Sat I am the Chit and I am the if anybody is happy that happiness is borrowed from the Ananda nature of Brahman anybody has got knowledge good or bad now here also we have to be very careful there is nothing called bad knowledge we in our day-to-day speech we go on talking good knowledge bad knowledge no knowledge is neither good nor bad but depending upon how one uses that knowledge it is called it is a bad usage of Manam good usage of Manam and no usage of Manam the Tamoguni uses only that third type here the Gnanam but he doesn't use it so the result also will be in accordance so he says I am the Jagat Srishti Stithilaya Karanam Yato Vaha Imani Bhutani Jayante Ena Bhutani Ivanti Yath Prayant Abhisham Vishanti Thi Tad Vijitmyasasva Tad Brahmeti Sada Potapyata Tapas Tattva this is how the very Priguvalli's first mantra goes on beautifully we will that also comes actually Panchakosha Vivarana in the next chapter also which is elaborated in the Priguvalli or the third chapter of this very Upanishad so this is what he means Aham Rikshasya Airiva I am the inspirer I am the Moolakarana and I am the foundation I am the supporter and I lend my existence my knowledge consciousness because without consciousness if anybody is unconscious there is no world only when a person is conscious that is a world naturally the question comes what happens when a person is in deep sleep is he conscious he is conscious fully conscious of the Sushupti state but what is the nature of the Sushupti state there is no world there is no second and therefore there is a very special type of experience completely different from the waker and dreamer experience and therefore we always ask the question from the waker or dreamers point of view but I was not aware like I am aware of a tree or a mountain or a house of another person because there is nobody else accepting my pure consciousness but I am aware fully aware of my consciousness but it is termed as unconsciousness because I am unable to it is not that I do not have the experience it is that I am unable to express it and why am I unable to express it so they say because of the Shabda Pravaruthi expression means description description means it can be done only through five characteristics first of all it is called Rudhi if somebody doesn't know in case what is that most brilliant object at daytime it is the experience of everybody this is called Rudhi Rudhi means everyone's experience so that is the sun how many suns are there only one therefore that is the sun then Jati what species you see a plant oh I don't know about this plant but what are you asking I want to know about this plant oh so you know that is a plant how did you know because this is a species I know about other plants other trees other creepers therefore this is like one of them so that is the description Jati then Kriya Guna that is a blue lily this is a red flower there is a big mountain so this is called Guna he is a great singer and he is the worst cook in the whole world so these are called Gunas so description of a Guna to make others understand about some object or person then Kriya I want I'm searching oh whom are you searching what does he do oh he's a driver or he's a cook his action is driving or cooking and therefore this is called Kriya and then another one is there is called Sambandha relationship so I'm searching for my uncle he's lost so you announce your nephew so and so is searching for you wherever you are come to the office so these are the Rudi, Jati, Guna, Kriya, Sambandha and Brahman doesn't fall under any of these things similarly Sushupti also doesn't fall so you can't say you can experience it but you can't say even like a sun we experience the sun like that we all experience Rudi it doesn't fall there are not two different types of Sushuptis small Sushupti, big Sushupti, light Sushupti, heavy Sushupti, no such thing Sushupti means Sushupti only then it doesn't have any Guna red Sushupti, blue Sushupti, sweet Sushupti, sweet dream can be there not sweet Sushupti bitter Sushupti there is nothing such thing then does it drive does it do any action Sushupti where you don't do any action that is called Sushupti and of course there is no relationship this is Sushupti is my big uncle my waking state is my smaller uncle no such thing so since we cannot express what is it the only advice is when you go into Sushupti you will know what it is and that's what Shri Ramakrishna is telling in the form of a conversation between a small girl and her eldest sister who got married living with her husband what type of pleasure you derive from your husband how can she describe the only way you grow up you get married means you progress in spiritual life you become one with Brahman get married to Brahman and then you will understand what is called Brahmananda no other way so I am the inspirer I am the cause only cause I am the material cause I am the intelligent cause I am the instrumental cause of this samsara vriksha and I also lend my existence I also lend my knowledge or consciousness I also lend my ananda in this world these are the three things you can't talk about something which about which you have to use there is a tree you cannot describe something which is not impossible and to know that you must have the knowledge or you must be aware conscious about it and it produces some kind of happiness out of it so I am the very root of the universal tree and that is what we get in Bhagavad Gita the meaning is ditto and then same thing Bhagavan Krishna because Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all the Upanishads so this is the meaning of I am the cause and the sustainer support of this so I lend not only satta and ananda to this this is what Trishankuru she says that means I am Brahman so we have to meditate upon this and for that we have to pray this is also Trishankuru's vachana also it is also pray then we have seen the whole thing is nothing but my glory my glory is all over this world what is that glory the very existence of the world is my glory and whatever you we find in this that is what in the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita whatever glory you see it is all my glory only and that is indicated here nobody can be as glorious as Brahman in fact there is nobody everything is the glory of Brahman everybody is Brahman every object is Brahman but we have to pray what do we have to pray I don't want any glory I want you Sri Ram Krishna's most marvelous prayer we have to remember this is a just like this Trishanku vachana is for japam Sri Ram Krishna's prayer is also for japam only this is how it goes I think at least some of you remember that one but all of us should remember why did Sri Ram Krishna several times mention this prayer of his to the divine mother in slightly different words because that should become a mantra for us for japam so I prayed to the divine mother oh mother here take thy dharma take thy adharma and give me pure love for thee here take thy virtue take thy voice and give me pure love for thee take thy knowledge take thy ignorance and give me pure love for thee and then Sri Ram Krishna remarks after saying this you see I did not ask even for knowledge or public recognition so when one Sri Ram Krishna is explaining when one renounces both dharma and adharma there remains only pure love of God love that is stainless motiveless and that one feels only for the sake of love therefore this prayer is also like Trishanku's vedana vachana a mantra for our japa so we have to keep it in mind whenever we study any Upanishadic statement immediately reflect after praying to Sri Ram Krishna is there anything parallel to this in the life and the teachings of Sri Ram Krishna so this is the meaning of as high as the peak of mountain what does it mean this entire universe is my glory not only that I am the purest of the pure this is part of the Trishanku's mantra what does it mean I am the purest of the pure everything in this world even if you keep it locked up so either it becomes rusty or it becomes old but brahman is beyond time and beyond space and beyond causation there is no second always impurity is when two things come together once what is purity losing one's own nature even one billion one trillionth of its nature that is called impurity so when two things come together both of them mix both of them gain something from the other and that is called impurity and if we take some example like you mix so in water you put some salt then water has become impure salt also has become impure by coming into contact because the saltish nature is not visible anymore this is what history means what I am the purest of the pure not only that what can purify anybody I am one who purifies anything and everything because only a pure thing can purify everything for example fire it can purify anything because nobody not no object can make the fire impure Sriram Krishna always used to advise his devotees you sip a drop of Ganges water especially after transacting with any worldly person also take every day a grain of Lord Jagannatha's prasada immediately it purifies remember three things Sriram Krishna used to say as brahman one is the dust of Vrindavan another is the water of the Ganges another is Jagannath Mahaprabhu's prasada so Ganges Sriram Krishna used what what was he calling it Ganga Brahmavari Brahman in the form of the river or water so Brahman in the form of the dust of Vrindavan Brahman in the form of the food offered to Lord Jagannath prasada is not something which God looks at which reveals its true nature prasada means equivalent to Brahman that is what we have to understand not only that Vajini Iva so Vajini means like the sun sunlight like the light of the sun which is eternal just as the sunlight is there as long as the sun is there that means there is what we call an avinabhava sambandha insufferable relationship sun and sunlight is it correct not really correct why because conventionally we say that is the sun and this is sunlight sun and the sun's light there is a musician and his music both are completely different when a musician is asleep he is no more a musician is like any even a dog a mosquito a donkey there is no difference at all so fire and its burning power even though we use the sixth case possessive case that is it is the fire of the life the burning power of the fire there is no such thing burning power fire and burning power are absolutely one and the same because we feel the effect and recognize this is fire we see the light and then so the sun then is absent oh i know he's only there for a few hours so after sunset we don't see the sun well you go to sushupti at that time then perhaps you will understand it you will see the sun sun is never absent but we don't have the capacity to see if you climb enough in space then you will see the sun 24 hours a day and it is going round and round is it really going round and round or are you going round and round the sun it is there all the time of course it is going round earth also is going round you are also going round i am also going round so surya sya nitya prakashana vat that is the meaning of vajini what does light mean light means always knowledge light is always equated to knowledge that's why at vesper service what do we do we go on what is called showing light first you will light the lamp and afterwards we go on showing without knowledge there cannot be any worship then dravinam means wealth i am the greatest wealth gnanam is the greatest wealth so why is it called greatest wealth because a person who has got knowledge of brahman he will what does he obtain so he will be deathless immortal and he will be experiencing brahmananda what else what other wealth every wealth is meant only for ananda or for existence for knowledge and for ananda and brahman is an embodiment of this one then sa varchasam varchas means brilliancy brilliant light i am the most brilliant light atma gnanam is the most brilliant because it illuminates everything it removes the darkness of ignorance so a person who realizes god that is he will obtain that wealth which is brilliant that means he enjoys brahma gnanam brahmanandam and he is eternal immortal i am the all-illuminating brahman and so sarvajnam also this is what he says then amrutaha akshita towards amruta means immortal that means there is no birth there is no sadhvikara there is no death akshitaha that is i am free from change marana mrityu death what is death is one of the six changes with without birth there is no death etc so i am marana rahitaha asmi kshata means decay kshita i am decaying akshita opposite of it i never decay because decaying comes in time and i am beyond time and therefore i am akshita kshaya rahitaha so apakshaya rahitaha so not only that amrutenava ukshitaha siktaha asmi as if the jamun is put in the sugar syrup and it absorbs as if i am completely immersed in amruta it means i am always in brahman brahman is always in me so this is the essence of this nth anuvaka and in this up till now we have seen two japa mantras one comes in the third that is i may please make me fit for brahma jnanam that is called let me be an adhikari purusha jnana yogyata praptihi and that is also meant for japam and if we go on repeating then that becomes how a desire grows go on meditating upon a desire and desire grows roots and branches and then it becomes strong the purpose of japam is to make strong whatever we wish to have doing japam of god is the desire for god grows strong takes root and becomes unuprootable and the second one is this one in this particular sikshavalli aham rakshasya re riva this is i want to attain to brahman i want to become not the effect of brahman but the very cause of this samsara vriksha brahman himself with this 10th anuvaka is over and next comes in greatest convocation address in the 11th anuvaka exhortation to the student after completing several several years of guru kolavasa is going home most of them will become householders but the purpose is only to attain pramagnanam so life as we know is divided into four parts this is the grihastha ashrama is the second part until we complete perfectly everything we cannot go to the next stage higher class which is called vanaprastha so sushya anushasana how to lead a life a perfect blueprint for the entire life which we will discuss in our next class onwards may the ramakrishna holy mother and swami vikaranda bless us all with bhakti jay ramakrishna