Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 43 on 12 March 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMIMUHURUMUHUHUH OM SHANNOMITRASHYAM VARUNAH SHANNO BHAVATVARIYAMAH SHANNAYINDRO BRIHASPATHE SHANNO VISHNURU RUKRAMAHA NAMO BRAHMANE NAMASTE VAYO TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAHMASE TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAHMA VADISHYAMI 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. We are studying the 11th Anuvakar section of the first chapter called Sikshavalli in the Taittiriya Upanishad. In our last class we have been discussing a few very important points how one should live the life. So this 11th section is known as Sishya Anushasanam. It is the instructions, a blueprint for the whole life. And we have been dealing with first mantra. There are four quite big mantras here. Having taught the Vedas, the teacher is instructing the pupil, speak the truth, practice dharma, do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Having brought to the teacher the gift to support him, then enter the householder's life and see that the line of progeny is not cut off. Do not swerve from truth. Do not swerve from dharma. Do not neglect your welfare. Do not neglect your prosperity. Do not neglect a study and a teaching of the Vedas. So two important points we have been discussing. Satyam Pada Dharmamchara. What is Satyam? The word that you are Brahman. Each soul is potentially divine. That is the Satyam. Pada means what? You first believe in it, go on hearing of it and go on telling to others also. But instead of telling directly, you are God, which most people they decline to even to hear about it. They say there are immense possibilities in every human life. That's what Swami Ranganathanji Maharaj used to very often tell. Human possibilities, immense potentialities are there. Who can tell what a person, a baby, a child can become? And therefore, still this is the truth. What is the truth? That there are immense possibilities. Of course, from the Vedic point of view, the final is you are God, the word that. Then Dharmamchara, that is practice, live such a way that you will manifest all your potentialities, life after life. But finally, all potentialities are nothing but the divine glories, glory of God. That is what we saw in the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Whatever glory we see in this world, that is all nothing but Brahman. But if somebody is not that glorious, what about that? Something is existing. Someone is existing. That is the glory of God. And somebody is having intelligence, even the basic intelligence, even a baby's intelligence. That is the glory of Atman. And everybody in this world will be happy, little or more, at some point of time or not. In fact, most of the time we are the most happy people. How do we say that? Because many times I reminded you that every living creature enters into a state of deep sleep. And in Vedantic terminology, deep sleep is called Anandamaya Kosha. What about the non-living? No scientist has ever found out about the non-living. But what they found out is something unbelievable, astonishing. Metals have fatigue. Metals can break down. Give them some rest. Then they will recover. How does that happen? Do they get tired? Yes, definitely they get tired. Over usage, definitely they get tired. It is our common experience. If you use without giving sufficient service, then they also get tired. Do they also go through wakeful dreaming and dreamless sleep? We do not know. But because the mind is not there to manifest these states. But basically something is there. That's why I mentioned the incident in the life of Sai Ramakrishna that he saw one day a stone following him. And then later on he remarked who can indeed draw a line between the living and the non-living. What the scientists call a non-living, that is a Panchabhutas, the earth, the water, the fire and the air and the space. These according to modern scientists is what is called non-living. According to Vedanta, they are not only living but they are Gods. And we are the outcome of that. If we, the products, have got this consciousness, prana, what to speak of this? That's why we say Bhudevi, Jala Devata, Agni Devata, Vayu Devata. Very frequently we get in the Upanishads, Kena Upanishad also, every Upanishad also. And every Upanishad prescribes you contemplate on Agni Devata or Bhudevata etc. In this very Taittiriya Upanishad, we have seen and how a Rishi has imposed Upasana on all the Devatas. So who can tell? Only unintelligent people they say. What is the justification? Because Hindus believe that everything is nothing but Brahman. If everything is Brahman, then what about the non-living? Is it not Brahman? Indeed it is Brahman. But why do we call it? Because like a sleeping person or like a baby, who knows what potentialities are hidden in that baby when he grows up, the baby grows up. But what is he going to show to the world? We do not know. So like that, these so-called non-living, we think they are devoid of consciousness and bliss. But only existence part we accept. But according to Vedanta, where there is existence, where there is Sat, there is Chit. And where there is Chit, there is Ananda is there. This is the background we have to remember. If that is so, each one of us as intelligent human beings are in a much superior position. Means we can manifest our divinity consciously in a demonstrable way to ourselves. Let others recognize it or not, we do not care. So the goal of life is to know who one is. This is known as dharmam chara. Dharma, what is dharmam? You are divine. So behave like a divine being. At the moment you are not behaving, you are behaving like a, not only like a foolish person, behaving like an evil person. So therefore, dharmam chara represents the way to manifest our potentialities and ultimately to know who one is. But we must find out where we are. So therefore, Shankaracharya interprets it in a beautiful way. Dharmam chara. Chara means practice, live. Or what they say, walk the talk. So dharmam chara represents all the karmas one is supposed to do every ashrama. According to Hinduism, there are four ashramas. So especially for a grihasta, a married person, shrauta, smarta, karmani, sarvani, api, dharmashabdhena, riddhi shyante. What is this dharma? Putting into practice or performing all the activities that are enumerated, commanded upon by the Vedas, by the dharmashastras. Shrauta means Vedas. Smarta means secondary scriptures. And for every ashrama, there are do's and don'ts in Christianity and commandments. In Islam also, there are commandments. You should do this, etc. Therefore, do not criticize the rituals. Rituals are extremely important. And emphasizing the rituals at the same time, do not neglect the values. Because rituals, exclusive devotion to rituals is not the goal of life. They are like steps. They are like the pathways. So we have to, like if it is a long distance, so even train journeys also, we may get down somewhere and take rest and then take up another train or plane, like that multi-stepped journeys taken up, like that. Everybody has got these prescribed duties. And they are consisting mainly, who is telling us? The scriptures are telling us. And more elaborately, the secondary scriptures called smritis, puranas, dharmashastras, they are telling us. Therefore, Shankaracharya says, shrauta smarta karma ani sarvani api. All those prescribed in both the Vedas and also the explanatory scriptures after the Vedas, that is performance of all these things is called dharma. Dharmashabdhena nirdhishanti. Do not criticize. Because these have been promulgated not by Tom, Dick and Harry, but by the Rishis themselves. So rituals are extremely important. And emphasizing the rituals at the same time, do not neglect the values. Because the rituals are supposed to purify us and a purified mind recognizes what we call values. These values in Hinduism are called purusharthas. We all know that dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Moksha is the ultimate value. So values are very important. Values without practice are worse. But rituals without values, they are much better. Because slowly if we are walking the way, blindfolded, then one day we are going to reach the goal. Therefore the Upanishad says that you continuously constantly remind yourself who you are. That is called satyam and dharmamchara. So satyam vada. Vada means speak. But truth speaking as we have understood many times leads to truth seeking. So this is part of the moral life, dharmic life. But what is the thing to be kept in mind? I am not the body-mind. I am atman. I am a child of God and God is my mother in Sri Ramakrishna's words. That is what we need to remember and behave like the child of the Divine Mother. That is called dharmamchara. To keep in mind that I am the child of the Divine Mother is called satyam. And to behave as if I am the Divine Mother's child, therefore I must be divine. That is called dharmamchara, practice of dharma. And so that we need, we should not forget this truth, swadhyayan ma pramadaha. Never neglect swadhyaya every day until where vedas become aveda. Yatra veda aveda bhavanti. After realization then there is no need. Like Sri Ramakrishna, he looked into the book of a sadhu and every page only it is written Rama. Asked for an explanation, the sadhu explained what is the essence of all scriptures. Nothing but O man, God alone is real. Everything else is unreal. If you remember this then you don't need any more books. So then acharyaaya priyam dhanam ahrutya. This is the next commandment. Adesha means commandment. So therefore do not forget you have been supported, you have been educated, your life has been moulded by the acharya. So never neglect your gratefulness and don't forget it is all done freely. The guru never asked even once you owe me something, it is I have worked very hard, my proper wages you have to pay. No, it is a joy for them the truths that they themselves knew and they want to do it. So just like spring season, in the language of the Shankaracharya, it would be very like a spring season. It doesn't say I am bringing good to you but by its very presence, manifestation, every creature becomes relieved of the cold especially in the cold countries and all the life as if springs and spreads in the spring season. That is why it is called spring and therefore we have to be grateful, we have to help that institution called Guru Kula so that others also can benefit. Just as we received benefit, others should receive benefit and for the ashrama to run they require various things and that is called akshina. Now we also have to be intelligent. In those days suppose you say I am giving you a blank cheque, in those days cheques were not there. So what should be given? Money is of completely no use if you give some cows or some lands or if you give plenty of food material or cloth which are immediate necessities. Whenever Ramakrishna mission does relief work, what does it do? First of all it goes on buying. We collect money and we buy. What do we buy? Cloths, saris, bags, cooking utensils, whatever is necessary to run the day-to-day life and that is what in those days the markets also there definitely there were but if somebody takes some cart loads of rice or wheat etc and then give to them. Remember the devotees from near about Jairambati, in those days Jairambati was one of the smallest villages what they call Palligram. Even market was not there. So whenever devotees visit holy mother they used to carry sometimes on their own heads vegetables, fruits grown in their own fields or bought from nearby shops because they know lot of devotees will be coming and mother requires this not for herself alone but for all her children and that is why whenever devotees come to the visit Ramakrishna ashrams anywhere most of them do not come empty-handed. So if they cannot bring things and nowadays there is no need they contribute money and through money we can buy things or even we are fortunate we can order online etc. This is the meaning Priyam Dhanam Akhrutya. So Acharyaya Priyam. Priyam means what? Does the Acharya have any specific, oh this disciple brought me a beautiful necklace so my wife will be very happy. So this student is my dear student because I like this. No, no, no. What everybody wants is only love. Anybody in this world the first thing we desire let somebody love me even more than how I love them. That is why mother is loved, father is loved and then come other people perhaps I don't know but because we want to be loved. Why? Because that which nourishes life is called love and God is of the very nature of love and this English word love is a very miserable word. Really speaking love means what? Ananda. Whatever brings us ananda that is why you say I love this food, I love this smell, I love this music, everything love, love. What does it mean? That these things give me so much of happiness. I love this person. Why? That this person gives me so much of happiness for every baby, mother and then father in that order are the greatest loving, lovable objects because a mother we know we do not need description, mother, father etc. or elder brother or elder sister how they help us. So an Acharya he is not discriminating people by what they bring but sometimes his Acharyas are also inferior human beings. That is why if somebody brings better gifts they love them more like in the case of the if you remember Radha Madhusodhana. Ramakrishna was telling Madhusodhana gave him on the annual gift day a very small pot of curds and in the first time the teacher saw he was very unhappy, he shouted take away your miserable small pot. I have got plenty of curds but reluctantly he poured it into a bigger pot and the pot never becomes empty. That is the story but you have to add your imagination. Supposing so by mistake a small what is called spray while he was pouring that entered into his mouth he will be shocked what a curd I have never tasted this kind of curds in my whole life. What a flavor, what a sweetness is even better than mishti doi. So like that he will be wondering where from this child got this particular type of yogurt curds and then he will be inquiring also. But you see most of the Acharyas who used to run Gurukula they are like our grandfathers, grandmothers. They used to look up these are after all small children and how they used to treat these children. What does it mean that Acharya a Priyam Dhanam that Acharya also appreciates if anybody lovingly bring any gift lovingly then Acharya becomes very pleased. Dhanam means not only money it could be animals like cows etc anything that is useful in those days to run the Gurukulas very efficiently. So after that is called Samavartana. The pupil, the students return and then the Guru is instructing Prajatantum Ma Vyavatsetsi do not cut off this what is called continuing the lineage. Most of the people as we discussed earlier so they are they are not above bodily desires, lust and the desire to have a wife, to have a husband, to have children so to be so that they can call this is my family. I love them. They love me and they protect me. I protect them. So I look after them. They also in our old age they look after me. This is a very natural instinct in every human being and for some time this is the natural instinct of every animal even birds how much they work hard to see that their family especially the chicks are fed. Sometimes the parents especially the mother also dies in that process and it is extraordinary story. So the march of the penguins is a beautiful film had come. You will see instinctively not consciously these people do. We also have got nature that is the divine mother has implanted this desire. I want this drama, this leela to go on and therefore she will make everybody free and that is what Sairam Krishna used to tell. The grandma is playing blind man's bluff with her children, grandchildren and she doesn't want at the very early stage any grandchild to touch her because she wants the game to continue for whose sake he also enjoys and others also will enjoy because children love. They don't want until they are tired they want to play the game. Until they are hungry they want to continue because that is their life. That is the greatest duty of growing up children. So to eat and to play hard to get become very hungry and then eat wholeheartedly and sleep rest and again get up and play that at one stage of life it is marvelous but don't continue it even when a person grows up I want to only entertainment etc. etc. So our Vedas have divided all the life every life into four stages whether first of all they divided people according to their samskaras called what is called the fourth caste oh we should not say even today this caste system is a wrong system. Vishudra is one who is lazy by nature doesn't have innovative mind but he should but he's ready to obey if some intelligent person directs him do this and do that and do that so many people have to be directed for such people also there is not only varna dharma ashrama dharma and then more intelligent than that are called these Vaishyas. They know how to make money etc. but they also fulfill a condition of life they barter so they buy things when excessive production is there and they take it to places where there is not that much but where they are needed and from the other place whatever is in excess that was called barter system now it is called money system whatever it is interestingly is eBay or Amazon this is what is happening nowadays I'm just bringing the reference because we have to think a little bit deeply and clearly so there is somebody he has a house he doesn't want to he wants probably a bigger house or he wants to move away then previously has to search for the clientele but now he can tell to the Amazon or to eBay I have a house it is here this proportion and this is you bid and there are some people who want who are capable of affording only such things okay we will buy it so this is how a barter system some people need it some people don't get want to get rid of them and it is a good thing without wasting things so I have a old tablet I want to sell it off it is of no use to me but there is a student and for him it suits exactly so let him buy it a cheap rate instead of wasting things throwing them out is exchange benefits everybody marvelous idea so life is divided into according to their development of intelligence consciousness it goes on like that so first learn about life that's called brahmachari ashrama learn about scriptures because all our knowledge is both visible and invisible visible things probably our parents and other people they can teach us but there are many invisible things that only the scriptures tell us for example the karma siddhanta you behave evilly evil result will come that is you will suffer but you behave nobly then you will enjoy life we see every day of our life this is happening so therefore there is a saying there I don't know it is called there is a book and it is called dakshashmruti especially this applies to a brahman's pramana vija says anashrami natishtheta kshanam ekamapi vijaha ashramena vinatishthan prayaschatiya tehi saha that is to say a pramana should never be without one of the ashramas either he should be as a brahmachari learning or he should be a vanaprasthi or a sanyasi mostly a grihastha but neither belonging to like a dog in the manger is neither belongs to brahmachari ashrama and he has gone out he has grown up like a bull and he doesn't want to marry but he goes on looking at every passing woman such a situation is very dangerous that is why it is clearly said that you must belong to one of the ashramas as we know brahmachari ashrama grihastha ashrama vanaprastha ashrama or sanyasa ashrama why is this so much imposed upon hindus why because the dharma shastra tells one should not be outside the fold of the or ashrama why why because an important reason is there and that reason we know if somebody doesn't belong to an ashrama what should he do what should such a person do with his life what are his duties what is he supposed to do what he is not supposed to do pithi and nishedha because our dharma shastras crystal clearly tell us that if you belong to brahmachari ashrama students life these are the do's and don'ts if you are a grihastha these are the do's and don'ts if you are a vanaprasthi do's and don'ts for example clearly it is said to a vanaprasthi you should not sleep too much you should not eat too much if you have to beg for food only that much of food which is necessary to keep your life healthy and happy just because somebody even offers a huge quantity on occasions like somebody's marriage or somebody's shraddha ceremony etc huge amount of food then out of greed he should never accept it because somebody is ready to give doesn't mean one has to accept it unrestrictedly no so there are so many rules regulations of course sanyasi has got the stringent rules and regulations now we understand the reason one should not be in a neutral state where he doesn't belong to any one of the ashramas that is why this dakshasmruti so there was a great rishi called daksha we don't know who he was he said no no brahmana especially brahmana should not remain unidentified with a particular ashrama and the way there are so many people are there you can see they are single people they don't they are not grahasthas married people neither they belong to vanaprastha or sanyasa nor brahmana any of the ashramas but that is the situation now what do you think these people will do there is every chance they can create terrible what is called misnomer what is called mischief and that is not desirable that is why either you become a brahmachari or a sanyasi or get married both are accepted but not the in-between state so without any designation of one's duty once one's what is called karmas cannot be identified and every ashrama has its own dharmas to follow but the general course of ladder is first brahmachari ashrama then for most of the people grahastha ashrama because without some experience without responsibility grahastha ashrama affords the opportunity to love unconditionally the children born into the families we are normally selfish people but we are forced by nature to love our children to sacrifice our time our energy our worldly possessions for the welfare of the children and this is laying the foundation to the future where every spiritually advanced soul looks upon the whole whole world actually in the form of brahman without expecting anything he will do karma that is called real nishkama karma so grahastha ashrama is the greatest ashrama and so so many this duties are laid upon them and one of the greatest duties is called pancha that is going to come here soon afterwards and then after some time karma yoga if they practice that is how the mind becomes very pure and slowly we will go forward but to run the grahastha ashrama comfortably or to perform tremendous yajnas yagas etc money is also necessary and that is why money is the most important point in a grahastha ashrama's life his earnings support pramachari ashrama panaprastha ashrama sanyasa ashrama etc without wealth and in the olden days what is called godhanam that is so as many lands are there so many animals like cows etc are there and that was more than sufficient for them to not only to live happily but to perform and i have to tell you something very important even today suppose a person is a owner of a half a million acres of land and is running a cow farm or a horse farm or a goat farm or a chicken farm where millions and millions are slaughtered even if it is we turn a blind eye towards that my point is how much can he eat he has to eat how much can he eat only as much as he can digest beyond that it is completely useless not only useless it is harmful to accumulate things also and therefore even today we depend upon food which is obtained from the fields and many people are non-vegetarians so they require animals for them to enjoy so the scriptures accept even this one also so that slowly it is not that they are imposing you have to eat non-vegetarian but since anyway you will not listen to me even if i forbid you go on eating but before eating you offer it to god and that act is called karma yoga and slowly the mind will be purified and slowly the person would progress in life all these ideas are involved in this so do not cut off that is get married and live a sadh grihasta life a proper grihasta life as we have taught you how to live satyamoda dharmamchara swadhyayanma pramadaha and then we also get especially remember these days the greatest tragedy especially in wealthy countries is to live or leave the parents old parents in an old age home while this fellow goes on enjoying everywhere only occasionally maybe he's paying for the money if parents do not have maybe he visits as much as possible but is it the same thing what is their life there who cares for anybody they're just treated like cattle and if money is more they are provided with more facilities but the greatest facility is who is going to express their love to them are the nurses going to express we love all the inmates here is only the children who can do it and that is why that is love your mother even more great greater than what you love god himself let your mother be god means love and serve they don't want anything from you they're not expecting from you but that loving glance loving presence loving words that is great enough this these are the what is called duties imposed on the householders so therefore the one more point also we cleared earlier that as soon as a student returns home he is not capable of giving because if his parents are rich even in those days there was this difference between rich and poor people and then he tells our acharya has looked after me very well for so many years in fact in those days yearly dakshina was there guru dakshina every year on a particular say guru poornima day or some holy day like that the parents will go and then they present either money or cloths or food materials or give like janaka maharaja used to give every time agnival kya visited 1000 cows etc etc that was there so immediately after returning some students are fortunate to have rich parents so naturally that was a custom he need not even ask immediately the parents send something to compensate a little bit to the acharya but every student is not rich there are so many like satyakam jabala are like this son of the widow in this story of dada madhusudana he will not have so don't think every poor widow's son is having a madhusudana i mean madhusudana is always there but how many children have got that faith and how many of these children are looked down like outcasts by some of the ignorant acharyas even today we have to we should not imagine every acharya was like saram krishna and holy mother and they were treating everybody no no there were also there learned people but not so loving but this system is there they have to be sustained that is why the teacher should not expect unduly this person is a king he should give me he's a miser he's not giving this is what we experience in this ashrama people come they stay in our ashrama guest house and then 10 people come and then stay for five days or 10 days and give a pittance we are so happy you looked after us like holy mother to look after and here is our grateful pranami and what we spent for them and what they give us there is no justice at all in that but god is great there will be somebody comes and then he stays perhaps two days and then while going he will compensate for all these people and this is how ashramas are run but don't think always ashramas are run like that in the earlier days until 15 to 20 years ago ramakrishna mission practically every ashrama was running deficit what we spend and the donations etc that we get there is so much of difference is there so we have to borrow or some such a system is there it is only now people are waking up because the government of india made a rule every what is called business if it is prospering well one-tenth of what they get profit must one-tenth or one-fifth i don't know exactly that has to be contributed for social welfare and then most of them they mistrust others so they know if they donate to ramakrishna mission they will get a lot we utilize it properly so that is that is how ashramas are running of course we cannot demand but we require help and therefore we pray to thakur and especially holy mother mother we want to run these things please bestow your grace and mother also is gracious but it takes time for these centers to grow not that from the very beginning that god was providing abundantly and people suffered there was a time when swami bhuteshan ji maharaj used to tell us in his reminiscences while teaching the upanishads at belur mat there was a time if some swami or a brahmachari fails to go to the breakfast five minutes late his portion of the food is already eaten up by somebody else because there was only limited food if all of them go it is distributed equally so um public institutions who are doing charitable works should be supported of course we should be careful enough to understand that every institution is free and doing great job there are also many people who cheat in the name of these institutions of course god has given us that intelligence only we have to use that intelligence this is these are the beautiful what is called instructions how to live a good life and we have to apply them in the modern age also how is colleges schools etc how many people are getting benefit etc at the same time taking care what is called how the funds are not misutilized and just i'm telling the practical facts a rich countries like america and european countries etc they contribute a lot so especially international monetary fund etc billions and billions of rupees and it is found in most countries those who are in power they what is called steel all this money in some places nothing goes to the people for whom it is meant and in some people a small percentage of it goes including the red cross funds also this is the saddest thing and people go on buying with this donated money and even the western countries are incapable of doing anything about it so corrupt and it is this corruption is there everywhere in the whole part of the world and especially in this kali yoga i'm only just mentioning because if any one of our devotees want to help they must be intelligent enough which institution what help they need and also to open their eyes and find out whether the institution is genuinely doing what it is supposed to do even if the institution is doing 50 percent are spending that money properly we have to thank our lucky stars so these are these are the ideas involved in acharya priyam dhanam ahrutya then you start doing about which we will talk in our next class may ramakrishna holy mother and swami vikaranda bless us all with bhakti jai ramakrishna