Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 69 Ch2 2.4-3 on 10 September 2025
Full Transcript(Not Corrected)
Opening Invocation
ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्
पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु
Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum
pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu
ॐ सह नाववतु ।
सह नौ भुनक्तु ।
सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।
तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ हरि ॐ
OM SAHANAVAVATO SAHANAV BHUNAKTO SAHAVIRYAM KARAVAVAHAI TEJASVINAVADHITAMASTUMA VIDVISHAVAHAI OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI HARIHI OM
OM May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.
May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.
May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.
OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL
Introduction to the Taittiriya Upanishad and Pancha Kosha
We are studying the second section of the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Brahmananda Valli. We have completed the second section in our last class. These sections are what we call Pancha Kosha Ivarana. The Upanishad wants to tell us that we are Atman or Brahman, but at this moment, this Atman is completely covered by five layers. Each of us is living at one particular level or shrit. Kosha means shrit, a layer of covering, and that covering is called Maya or Avidya. The first covering is to think that "I am this cover only."
No other covers exist except this one. This complete identity—that "this is me" and "this is the only reality"—is called Kosha. This very knowledge, which is wrong, covers up our real nature. However, one's true nature can never be suppressed forever. If something is not expressed externally, it will be expressed unconsciously again and again. Not just now and then, but every millisecond, we are forced to pray, "Let me not suffer, let me not die, let me not be in ignorance." That prayer itself says, "I am none other than Divine." Prayer is always to become full.
The Nature of Desire and Fulfillment
When we feel we are lacking something, another name for that feeling of lack is desire, or kamana. When we feel full, you can notice this even in day-to-day activities. When I have eaten and my stomach is full, I do not feel any desire to eat anymore. When I am thirsty and I drink a sufficient amount of water, I have no desire to drink any further. This reveals something extraordinary. Why do we feel this? It's because to be full, to be limitless, is our true nature. Any deviation from it brings on desire. So every desire is, "I lack something; I am not unlimited, but I want to become unlimited." That is called desire.
So what are we discussing now? We're discussing when a person is completely identified with what the Upanishad beautifully calls Annamaya Kosha. Now, annamayya means this human body. All our pancha pranas are centered only in this body. Body also means possessions. So, body plus possessions. There is even a negative expression: possessing no enemies, possessing no objects which would lead us to suffering, possessing an environment that will not cause the least bit of unhappiness. Everything is a possession. So, this includes the body, food, drink, and enjoyment through all five sense organs.
The Process of Spiritual Evolution
A person evolves through millions of births in their understanding. Evolution is always in terms of physiology and understanding. First, it's physiology, from the inorganic to the organic, from the lowest manifestation of the organic to the highest. Organic means with life. The human body is the highest evolution in terms of physiology. But we notice that even from millions of years ago, when human beings evolved from whatever other source, the body has not changed. But from now onwards, the change will be in two areas: first, that of Ananda, and second, the expansion of our happiness. Man has the brain, intellect, and capacity to understand, which grows enormously from life to life through various experiences.
We discussed that the highest happiness is called Brahmananda. But until we reach that, there's an unconscious urge or push: "I want to have unlimited joy for an unlimited amount of time." And that is the very second step, which will be Medhananda. The third step will be Kalananda. The fourth step will be Dharmananda. And the last step will be Brahmananda. This is where evolution is taking place. Why is it taking place? Because we just want to be what we are. We are from where we have originated. We are called effects (karya). As we've discussed so many times, an effect cannot be different from its cause (karana). The original cause (mula karana) is Brahman. Brahman is of the nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda or Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam instead of Ananda, to indicate ananta sukha, ananta ananda. Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma—that's our true nature. So, everything wants to go back to where it has come from.
This process of forgetting what one is, is called involution. Remembering what one is, is called evolution. This evolution is taking place all the time. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, the methodology to help people like us is called Pancha Kosha Vevarana. In our last classes, we discussed Annamaya Kosha and Pranamaya Kosha. Just to recollect the important points: How do we progress from the lowest kosha to the highest kosha? This progression, this going forward towards our own true self, is called pravilapanam. First, you identify with the lowest kosha and expand that identification. When we succeed in full expansion, that is called a pram feeling. "I am this body." "I am all the bodies." From individual vasti, annamaya kosha, to universal identification called Virat.
So at every kosha, we first identify with the individual kosha. Through spiritual practice, we expand ourselves until we become one with the universal. Once we've reached that state, a miracle takes place: we realize that "I am the effect, and there is a cause for me at both levels." When a person understands, "I am not only the individual body, I am also the Virat," then two things take place. "I am not only this body, but this body is an effect, and its cause is Pranamaya Sharira." And on the universal level, "I am not only Virat, I am Sutratma." What is Sutratma? All the pranas combined together. All the minds combined together are called Hiranyagarbha. All the intellects (buddhis) collected together universally are called Mahat. This is a beautiful analysis.
Anna Brahma Upasana: Contemplation of the Physical Body as Brahman
What happens is that one has to practice spiritual disciplines to transcend this vasti and identify oneself with samasthi. This can be achieved only through one way, which is called Brahmopasana. At the first level, we can only do Anna Brahmopasana. This body, first of all, is Brahman. "This is not me; this is God." "This body belongs to God." That is the first progress. "This body is God, belongs to God, is God." That is the second step. "Not only this body alone belongs to God, but all bodies also belong to God." So we see tremendous progress is made.
This person who contemplates Anna Brahmopasana—from annam to Anna Brahmopasana—"this is me," that is called annam. "I am every body," that is called Brahmopasana. Now what happens? First of all, the Upanishad tells us, which we did discuss in the Annamaya Kosha explanation, that this person will never lack food. Now food means annam. Annam doesn't mean that which we eat through the mouth. Annam means all the objects belonging to or enjoyed by all five sense organs: beautiful sights, sounds, fragrances, tastes, and touches. Everything. This person who practices Anna Brahmopasana will obtain all sorts of vishayananda.
But at the same time, he is not bound. Why is he not bound? Because he is no longer identified with aham kevalam dehaha asmi, "I am merely this particular body." This means what? This person intensely feels that if someone is happy, he is more happy than the other person. If somebody is unhappy, he feels the intense pain and suffering of that person. Remember, Swami Vivekananda sympathized, weeping inconsolably when the earthquake had taken place in what we call Turkey. Sri Ramakrishna felt for the whole of humanity. That's why his very descendants, avatara, and Holy Mother prayed for relief. When there were no rains, people were suffering and they came and prayed to her. She prayed, "Thakur, people are suffering so much." And then there was such an outpouring of rain for three days; all the tanks and rivers were full of water. And that time, they harvested at least twice the harvest that they used to get in previous years. So a person feels intense sympathy, intense compassion, and intense prayer.
That is what we need to understand. Why do we need to understand this? Because if somebody says, "I am identifying myself with everybody but doesn't feel for them," then it is the cruelest, the most selfish way of claiming that "I have become Anabrahma." No. A true patriot feels for the entire country, but a true humanist feels for all human beings. A true spiritual person, like Saint Francis of Assisi, feels for all life, whether it be birds, etc.
Interesting examples are there. When Rabia, the greatest Sufi woman saint, stepped outside her cottage, all the birds used to fight with each other, "I want to sit on her shoulder, I want to sit on her shoulder." When brother Saint Francis used to pray, "Sister birds, brother wind, mother earth, let us glorify the name of the Lord." So these examples are not missing in the lives of great saints, whether we know them or not. They feel intensely the sufferings and pray for their relief to God. But whether they will be freed from them depends upon their Prarabdha Karma. That is one of the greatest questions in spite of so many incarnations of God, in spite of so many saints and sages. Even now, innumerable saints are living in this world, and some are realized souls. But did it really reduce the suffering, the evil? This is one of the most troubling questions that pops up into the minds of everybody. Today I am not going to go into that question of why there is evil in this world, in spite of the all-powerful, omnipotent, compassionate, all-knowing kingdom of God. We will perhaps deal with it at some other point.
But we are talking here, when a person succeeds in that contemplation called Anna Brahma Upasana, first of all, he will not lack anything. But it doesn't mean he is longing for them. He will not lack. He will not ask for any enjoyment because everybody's enjoyment is his enjoyment. There is no particular individual enjoyment. "Everybody is eating nice food, I am not eating." No. Everybody's joy becomes his own joy. And just to keep his body and soul together, he will eat, and God will supply. It is said in the Upanishad itself that as soon as a person realizes God, the whole of nature serves him. In the sense that whatever is required, that is supplied. That is assured in the Bhagavad Gita. If someone totally relies upon God, what is needed, God himself will carry on his own shoulders, supplies, and then he preserves it so that his child or his expression will not suffer from anything.
So, a person, as a result of doing this Anna Brahma Upasana, attains oneness with the Samasthi, with the whole cosmos. He will be the happiest person so far as external things are concerned. But we have to understand it doesn't mean he will not catch a cold. It doesn't mean he will not fall sick with a fever. It doesn't mean he will not meet with accidents. It doesn't mean that. These are all natural things. But so far as his feeling is concerned, he feels absolutely one. So we have to remember, the result of this Anna Brahma Upasana is twofold: one, he will not lack for anything, as the Divine Mother will supply; and second, that he feels his oneness with the entire external world. That is called Anna Brahma, which means oneness with the whole physical creation.
Pranamaya Kosha: Contemplation of the Life Force as Brahman
Then we moved into the Pranamaya Kosha. We also discussed there. Individually, the Mukhya Prana is what keeps up the body, which is the cause of the origin, maintenance, and then dissolution of the Annamaya Kosha, or the sheath of food. But if somebody understands that this is not my Prana, but it is the Mukhya Prana who is functioning in this body, who originates this body, who maintains this body—so whatever life energy is flowing, that is his. "I have nothing to do with it." So if somebody does contemplation of Prana, one's own Prana, as Brahma—Prana Brahma Upasana—what is the result?
One result, this Upanishad, in this second Anuvaka, which is called Pranamaya Kosha, clearly tells that he will not encounter any Apamrutyu, any accidental death, etc. He has a full span of life, about which we discussed. The full span of life of a mosquito is just a few days. The full span of a banyan tree is maybe a thousand years, two thousand years. There are redwood trees in California which are more than two thousand years old. There are olive trees in Italy that have been there long before Jesus Christ's birth. They have witnessed the birth, growth, death, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ; they are still alive. So whatever life is allotted, that person will live. It may be one year, five years. By the way, whatever will be the lifespan, that is a hundred years. That's why when elderly people bless us, they say, "Live the full span of your life." Shatha means a hundred. A hundred should not mean the number one hundred; it means Poorna Ayush, the full span of life. And that full could be a few seconds, a few days, a few months, a few years—anything. And it differs also. But what is the result? No accident will happen. But that's not the meaning. Nobody can take away his life until the allotted time comes. More important, his pranas will be functioning fully.
And then in the second Upasana, Prana Brahma Upasana, first he will be identifying, as he was doing with this external body, "I am this individual prana." Then he would be, like any one of us, trying to rescue himself, trying to preserve his own life, trying not to have any accidents or someone else beating or killing him, etc. But as he wakes up and practices Prana Brahma Upasana, again like the Anna Brahma Upasaka, two things happen. First of all, detachment from the feeling, "I am the Prana Mayakosha," which becomes less and less and less as he progresses further. Second, he will feel that this individual prana is only a part of the universal prana called Sutratma. Just as the Anna Brahma Upasaka, a contemplator of the Anna Brahma, identifies himself with the Virat, the universal body, so this Prana Brahma Upasaka gradually, first becomes detached—"this is my own particular prana maya sharira"—but this is only a small, infinitesimal part of this cosmic prana maya sharira, which is called Sutratma. Gradually, as he becomes more and more identified with Sutratma, he becomes less and less identified with his individual soul. And then a day will come when he will feel, "I am the Sutratma."
This is how we have to understand. The same understanding applies with regard to Mano Mayakosha, Vijnana Mayakosha, and finally Ananda Mayakosha. I mean, I will not repeat it again. So this detachment from the vasti, individuality, and individual identity and gradually identifying with more and more is how spiritual progress is made.
So, this person, as a result of contemplating Prana Brahma—that is, every living creature's prana is functioning in every living body, as living, and it belongs to that Sutratma and Sutratma only is the parent and sustainer. Sutratma, again, when this prana departs, it goes and merges back into Sutratma—that is, the effect always merges back into the cause. Even to say "merges back" is only for the facility of expression. Like a golden ornament, when the ornament's name and form are destroyed—that is called destruction—it becomes gold. To say that it becomes gold is as if it was not gold, but now, after the destruction of the name and form, it somehow miraculously becomes gold. No, it was gold. It had forgotten, "I am gold." It was identifying with Nama Rupa, exactly what we do. And when the Nama Rupa is destroyed, it understands, "I am nothing but gold." Similarly, this prana is coming out of cosmic prana called Sutratma, where it is maintained, supplied continuously every millisecond, and finally, like the body, it becomes useless and then it goes back into its origin, again to be supplied with fresh prana into a new body. That is the process until we become Brahma.
The Benefits of Prana Brahma Upasana
So now, what happens? This person lives a full span of life, and as I said, a full span of life doesn't mean 100 years. It could be whatever is allotted, especially as Hindus believe, as long as this Purva Janma Karma Phala, the resultant of the past life, is one. But more importantly, this person is full of prana all the time, as if this contemplation has removed all the obstructions in the connection between himself and the Sutratma.
Just imagine, suppose there is a big tank and there are pipes, and each pipe is subdivided into several other pipes, etc., and finally it reaches my home, and there also the same water is flowing in the form of pipes. In the kitchen, there is a pipe; in the bathroom, there is a pipe; in other rooms, there are pipes. But supposing one of the pipes is blocked, then water will not flow. Now we call a plumber. What does he do? He removes the blockage. Then the water starts flowing. In the same way, for whatever reason—maybe disease, maybe asthma, maybe whatever it is—this flow of prana may become very less or somewhat less. And ultimately, what happens? When a Upasaka contemplates on Prana Brahma, all the blockages are removed, and prana flows in full force. That person never lacks. So what happens? He is fully healthy. His body and mind are bubbling with joy, with energy. Prana means energy. And if such a person, even to some extent, is able to remove the blockage—that means he is able to connect with the original storehouse of prana, which is called Sutra Atma—such a person will be bubbling with prana. And then there are some people in this world, they are called pranic healers, and they are blessed with this excessive amount of prana. So in their presence, anybody who approaches them also becomes endowed with this prana shakti.
And do we know that? Do we experience it? Yes. You enter into the presence of a person who is full of joy, and joy or happiness is another expression of prana. Enthusiasm is another expression of prana. The power to inspire is another expression of prana. The ability to think deeply is also another expression of prana. The ability to concentrate is also an expression of prana. Just infinite varieties are there, expressions are there.
I just want to clarify this one. How does this excessive prana help me in obtaining more concentration? Supposing a person sits here; his mind is full of this, he wants to think about God, for example, but not necessarily; he wants to master a physics book or a chemistry book, whatever it is, it doesn't matter; a student wants to do that. So what happens now, this person sits, but his friend's phone calls, or maybe he loves football, and then those thoughts come and try to distract him, and he feels despair, "Oh, I am not able to concentrate." But then this person, if he happens to be an upasaka, what does he do? He prays, "Oh prana, you become full of energy when I am thinking about my subject, whatever it be, and you block that energy to the other thoughts. Let them be weak." Naturally, a strong thought overcomes a weak thought. And such a person is always full of health, full of joy, full of enthusiasm, and energy. In his very presence, people used to feel tremendously energetic, and I can tell you, you must have experienced it. In the presence of a joyous person, you are influenced; you become automatically joyous. So you can multiply your examples. If you are enthused, not by yourself, but by somebody else, if that is the cause, there must be some reason for that. That is very important for us to understand. This is the effect.
So, not only that, it is said, if a prana brahma upasaka can revive a dead body into a live body, there are some stories that Swami Vivekananda revived the dead son of Girish Chandra Ghosh. Many saints are experts at doing that. Of course, they do it not only out of compassion, but it should be the will of God. If it is the will of God, yes, they do it. So they have that power. We should never ever doubt about these powers.
So, every contemplation, whether it is anna brahma, prana brahma, mano brahma, vijnana brahma, or ananda brahma, increases that particular capacity, but it makes our life more and more full. It brings us nearer and nearer to our true nature, and automatically or even unintentionally, it can also influence the whole world for its own good. That is how only an inspired person can inspire other people. A happy person can give happiness. Even if a person who is unhappy goes on telling, "Be happy, be happy, be happy," the other person will never be happy because his words will not help in any way. If a person has knowledge, he can give. If a person has energy, he can give to the other. If a person has strength, he can give strength to the other person. If a person has money, he can give money to the others. So, whatever one has, that alone one can give, and this is the final proof.
In the presence of Sri Ramakrishna, people are attracted. Why are they attracted? They become more peaceful. They become more joyous. Their faith in God increases by the very power of the presence of such a great personality, at least temporarily. So, that is how we have to understand what is the result of Prana Brahma Pasana. A person will be endowed, as I gave the example, he establishes a direct link with the Sutratma, or universal manifestation of Prana Brahma. And so, that is the effect that comes.
Pravilapanam and the Transition to Manomaya Kosha
But, as we said, when a person is moving from one kosha to the other, how should it be done? Automatically, if a person is moving forward, five things take place. And that is called Pravilapanam. That is, giving up the gross and merging into the subtle. I have outlined this process in my last class. What happens? Everything is limited. Whatever is limited is called Karya, effect. Every effect is a limitation of the cause. This is called Anatmatva Nishchaya. So every Rishit is only non-Atman. Non-Atman means not the cause, but the effect. And every effect is called Karya, or it is called effect. Every effect manifests in the form of name, form, and utility. And every effect is Mithya. Mithya means it has to depend. It doesn't have an independent existence.
Just to make the point clear, our body is called Annam. This is the effect of Annam coming from our parents, ultimately Anna Brahma, but in the midway, through our immediate parents. And it is nourished by Annam. Because they are nourished by Annam. And the moment we are born, we have to be nourished until death only by that Annam. And we again go back into that Annam. That means what? We depend. Our very existence as the body depends upon that Annam, the cause. And that is called dependence. And whatever is dependent, that is called Mithya. And the last step is Mithyapa Pravilapanam. How does it happen automatically? As we go on contemplating, that which is the Karyam slowly approaches, giving up its gross identity into its subtle cause. A cause is always subtle. A cause is always more unlimited. That means it is more and more and more. These are the steps just to remember.
So the Prana Brahma Upasaka, through this Upasana, it may take many lives, we don't know, but he finally says that "this body is functioning thanks to Sutratma." "This body is eating food, and that is an offering for the Sutratma." "This body is digesting, and that is because of the Sutratma, etc."
aham vaisvanarobhotva praninam deham ashritah pranapanasamayuktah pacamyannam chaturvidham iti vitiyo anuvakaha
Now we enter into the third Anuvaka.
pranam deva anuprananti manushyaha pashavas chai pranohi bhutanam aayoh tasmat sarvayusham uchyate sarvamevata ayuryanti e pranam brahmopasate pranohi bhutanam aayoh tasmat sarvayusham uchyata iti
The translation is, "The Gods—here Gods means they are called Devas. Deva means shining ones. Shining means endowed with knowledge. The eyes are endowed with the power of seeing. Ears are endowed with the power of hearing. But then all these sense organs, whether it is sense organs of knowledge or sense organs of action or the mind, they are all made to be energetic only because of the prana." That's what he said. "All our sense organs breathe after the prana." That means they absorb the prana and then only they are able to function. "So also do men and cattle. Therefore, the prana is the life of creatures." It is a redundancy actually. So when there is prana, we say the person is alive. There is no prana, he is dead. "So for the prana, the prana is the life of creatures. Therefore it is called Sarvayusham, means the life. Those who worship the prana as Brahman obtain a full life. For the prana is the life of creatures. Therefore it is called the life of all." The word Deva means that which is shiny, that which is luminous. So here it means all the sense organs.
As we discussed just now, the result of Prana Brahma Upasana is that he will live without any accidents, etc., until his or her due life's span is complete. And here, Shankaracharya beautifully remarks what is the nature of Upasana or contemplation:
yad gunakam brahma upasate sa tad gunavan bhavate guna bhagaha bhavate
That is to say, if we contemplate on God as life, we become full of life. If we contemplate on God as money, for example, Lakshmi Devi, we obtain money. If we contemplate on Brahman as Shanti, we obtain Shanti. If we contemplate on Brahman as Ananda, we become Ananda Swaroopa. That is, in whichever attitude, purpose, and way we conceive and contemplate Brahman, that would be the result. This is the general rule.
This we discussed. This is the third anuvaka we have entered now.
tasye shayeva sharira atma yah purvasya tasmadvaya tasmad pranamaya anyu antara atma manomaya tena isha purna sava isha purusha vidha eva tasya purusha vidhatam anvayam purusha vidhaha
"This sheet of the Prana is the embodied soul of the former, the sheet of the food." Clearly different from this sheet which consists of the essence of the Prana, but within it is another self which is consisting of the mind, and it is called Manomaya Kosha. "By this, the former," the former means pranamaya kosha, "is filled." "This too has the shape of a man." "Like the human shape of the former is the human shape of the latter." This point we discussed. For the sake of contemplation, pranamaya kosha is imagined as a human body or even as a bird. Paksaha means wing, but it is for the facility and easiness of contemplation, but don't think Brahman is like that. So this physical body that we know, there is a head, a right hand, a left hand, a backbone (middle part), and a lower part consisting of the legs. The same thing we have to imagine for pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, and anandamaya. In Pranamaya, we have seen prana, apana, vyana, mudana, samana. But here for the Manomaya, exactly as we have seen in the Pranamaya Kosha, second chapter, as if the Manomaya Kosha is imagined like a human body. tasya purushavidha eva, tasya purushavidhatam, anvayam purushavidaha. Anvayam means "ditto, ditto, ditto." So as we have imagined in the pranamaya kosha, let us also imagine in the manomaya kosha.
Now this Manomaya Kosha is interior to the Pranamaya Kosha, just like Pranamaya Kosha is interior to Annamaya Kosha. That is what we have to understand. So what is this form like, this imaginary form? It's an imaginary form for the sake of contemplation. Just like a human body, there is a head, a right hand or right wing, a left hand or left wing, a trunk or middle part, and a tail of a bird or legs on which we stand, etc. And what is this Manomaya Kosha consisting of? All the Vedas. We see here: Yajur Veda, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, and then Atharvana Veda, etc. So, the Yajur Veda is its head, Rig Veda is its right wing, Sama Veda is its left wing, the teaching or adhesa or commandment is its trunk, and the hymns of Atharva and Angirasa are its tail or its support. Interior and subtler than the pranamaya kosha is this manomaya kosha, which is called the sheath of the mind. And this manomaya kosha fills the entire pranamaya kosha. This manomaya kosha also has a human form just like the annamaya kosha, an imaginary human form.
The last point in today's class we have to understand is when a person contemplates Brahman as Annam—Annam Brahma Upasana—he becomes completely detached. His identity with the individual body is completely cut off. He becomes identified with the Virat. At that point, his insight opens. Then he says, "I am an effect, there is a cause. Now I must become identified with the cause." So then through the teaching of the Veda, through the mouth of the Guru, he contemplates prana brahma upasana. What happens? As soon as he succeeds, two things happen. For him, earlier the body is the Brahman. Brahman means reality. Now because he is identified with prana, then the body becomes like a sheath, like a covering, anatma. And prana becomes the atma. Similarly, when he reaches Sutratma level, then he sees, "I, the Sutratma, am the effect, and there is a cause for me," and that is called Hiranyagarbha. It is called Manomaya Brahma.
So as soon as he steps into the Manomaya Kosha, then Manomaya Kosha becomes Brahman. What do I mean? Manomaya Kosha becomes the reality. "I am the mind." But the Annamaya Kosha becomes anatma. Similarly, Pranamaya Kosha becomes anatma. So Manomaya becomes atma. Pranamaya Kosha means anatma, mithya, karya, namaroopatva, and through contemplation, Pravilapanam, that means he cuts off his feeling that "I am the Pranamaya Kosha" and becomes identified with the Manomaya Kosha.
Just to tell what is going to come in the future, next class, mind means thoughts. All the thoughts, either they are secular thoughts or spiritual thoughts. Now Vedas, Veda means knowledge. Knowledge means thoughts. Vedas consist of every type of knowledge, both secular and spiritual. The specialty of the Vedas is that they want to give us the right knowledge, either in the secular world or in the spiritual world. So it tells us, "These types of thoughts are not good. They will make you worse and worse. They will not lead to your either health or happiness or long living." So every thought that arises in the mind is an expression of knowledge. Vedas are nothing but knowledge. So that is why it is said, if we can understand this and have faith in the Vedas and take the guidance of the Vedas and lead our life according to the instructions of the Vedas, our secular life also becomes happy. Our spiritual life also becomes happy. Then we feel fulfilled. That is the purpose.
So what is the essence? Mind is nothing but thoughts. Thoughts are nothing but knowledge. Vedas are nothing but the real knowledge. So if we can accept, identify ourselves with the Vedas, learn what the Vedas are, understand what they are teaching, and try to follow them as much as possible, slowly we also evolve further, and our body becomes healthy and happy. Prana becomes healthy and plenty. Mind becomes full of right understanding, and we thus progress. So gradually to progress towards our real nature is the purpose of this Pancha Kosha Bevarana.
In our next class, we will talk about Manomaya Kosha, which many people find difficult. "What is this Yajur Veda, Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Atharvana Veda, etc.?" But once we start thinking in the right way, it gives us a much better understanding and great joy.
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.
Closing Prayer
ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्
पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु
Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum
pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu
May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!