Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 70 Ch2 3-4 on 17 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
Third Kosha - Manomaya Kosha (The Mental Sheath)
Introduction to the Third Kosha
We are studying the second section of the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Brahmananda Valli. In our last class, we have been discussing the second kosha, the second covering. As we discussed earlier, this beautiful portion analyzes how many coverings we are identifying ourselves with falsely due to the influence of māyā or ignorance, and how we are being led by monkeys through life after life.
Out of infinite compassion, the Divine Lord has manifested in the form of the Upanishads, and all Upanishads with one voice teach every aspirant that we are not any of these five coverings but we are pure Ātman. How to reach that understanding? Progress is always in the form of understanding. That is the portion, that is the subject which we are going to discuss in this third kosha, Manomaya kosha.
The Nature of Mind and Thought
Everything is in the mind. As the classical saying goes: Mana eva manuṣyāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ bandha mokṣayoḥ - "Mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for human beings."
"I am existing" is a thought. "I am a knowing person" - even "I am an ignorant person" is also a thought in the mind. "I am happy." "I am unhappy." "I am satisfied." "I am not satisfied." "I am stuck." "I would like to progress." "Thank God, I have progressed a lot."
Everything is a thought. Swamiji had given a beautiful illustration: If you throw a stone into a calm and quiet lake, it produces any number of waves, wavelets, bubbles. So everything is a thought in the ocean of Brahman on which we are all really floating. Nothing happens to Brahman. Nothing is gained. Nothing is lost. And that is the purpose. We are caught in the net of Mahāmāyā.
The Five Layers of Māyā
So how to get rid of this Mahāmāyā? What is this net consisting of? Not one net, but one net with five layers:
- The thickest layer is called Annamaya kosha
- Within that there is a slightly thinner net covering called Prāṇamaya kosha
- Within that, even thinner, called Manomaya kosha
- Within that, Vijñānamaya kosha
- And within that, Ānandamaya kosha
Even this last fifth covering - kosha means covering like a scabbard covers a sword. So the scabbard is not the sword. The soul is not even the Ānandamaya kosha, not to speak of other koshas.
Why do we say so? Because a covering is that which can be taken off at any given time, put on at any given time. It is not the real nature of the person. But just like our dress, especially in winter, we put on a lot of dresses. But as summer starts and as it progresses, we go on taking off, one by one, all the outer dressings. And a time will come when perhaps we throw off every piece of dress because our body cannot tolerate it.
The Process of Spiritual Evolution
Similarly, as we progress, what happens? Two things happen when we progress in life. Even not to speak of spiritual life, progress is always from the lower to the higher. And another name for it is evolution.
But progress always means - let me first give a small illustration: You want to climb from the ground floor to the first floor. And there is a staircase. So you put your foot on the first step, then draw the second foot, and keeping one foot, you lift one foot and put it in the second one.
So what is happening? Two things are happening:
- You are leaving behind the lower steps, one after the other
- You are approaching your destination nearer and still nearer
When you step onto the second floor or first floor, you have completely left behind all the first floor, including its means.
The Definition of Reality (Satyam)
With this illustration, we are now in this annamaya kosha - the ground floor. Let us say it is the ground floor. And we think that is the reality. And there is a definition of reality - satyam.
We have seen that earlier itself in the second chapter of this very Brahmananda Valli: Satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ brahma - "Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, and Infinite."
Our true nature is truth, knowledge or consciousness, and bliss. If we take the first word "truth," a definition is given for this ease of understanding: That which never changes is satyam.
Taking that as a measurement, when we look at what we call this annamaya kosha or this physical body with all its friends and enemies, possessions and dispossessions, everything we think is satyam, reality. But what is the definition of satyam? That which never changes.
Our body is changing. Objects are changing. Even if you buy a new house, after some time you say it is an old house, 50 years old house. And your children will say 100 years old house. Everything is changing. And birth is inevitably accompanied by death. So nothing is satyam.
Rich man can become poor. Poor man can become rich. Famous can become infamous. And a non-entity can suddenly be shot into name and fame. Whatever it is, everything is changing. That is the point.
The Awakening of Spiritual Aspiration
And that which changes brings uncertainty, anxiety, terrible worry that we are accustomed to - like people living in slum areas who do not think much and try to derive whatever happiness they can. And that is because of ajñāna (ignorance).
But a time will come because our innate nature will not allow us to stop. Then like the example in the staircase, we want to progress in life. Everybody wants to progress in life. Biologically, this is called biological evolution, supposedly discovered by Charles Darwin, about which our Vedanta had described so beautifully in the form of creation long back.
But it does not mean straightaway human being is created. So the scientist's view of evolution - so-called inorganic has become organic, one-celled creature and it goes on becoming two-celled, four-celled, eight-celled, multiple-celled until it reaches the highest of the human instrument, human body. Vedanta accepts all this.
Long before this evolutionary theory came, but Vedanta doesn't stop there. Evolution means going back from where we came down. For that, there is a word called "involution." And scientists do not know about this involution. They think that jaḍa padārtha (inorganic matter) has become suddenly organic - a very thoroughly unscientific explanation.
The Turn Inward
Anyway, what I wanted to speak about this: So a time will come when we would like to manifest our divinity. It will not allow us to simply keep quiet. So what we have to do at that time in this restlessness to progress, to evolve, not merely physically but spiritually? Then man turns involved.
As the Upanishad so beautifully says that he turns his search from the external to the internal. So antarmukhinatva (inward-turning nature) will come. Now that is the process being indicated in this pañcakosha vivaraṇa (description of five sheaths).
When this ripeness comes - that is called adhikārī (qualified person) - absolutely fit, then he goes to a teacher or a guide.
Progress from Annamaya to Prāṇamaya Kosha
And the guide tells him: "Now you are totally identified with annamaya kosha. So you think. But really, you are not identified with annamaya kosha. You are actually identified with your own individual annamaya kosha. That too, you are not really identified."
What do I mean? Are we not thinking we are bodies? Not really. If we think we are the body, really, then an awareness comes instantaneously: "I want to keep this body healthy and happy." And I will struggle. Like a sick person who wants to become as healthy as possible as soon as possible. So we feel terribly anxious. And so from deep within, energy comes.
We have to observe the rules and regulations of diet, exercise, and actions - every activity. Man's life is not to be confined only to activity. That too, unlimited activity. So everything falls into a disciplinary action. That is how we know we have become identified.
That is only the first step. What I am talking about is that we consider our body as God - reality. Then reality will not allow us to become unreal. Ill health, unhealthiness, diseases - that is called unreality. Once we know this is the reality, we would not like to become unhealthy. Then we take all the necessary provisions, necessary steps to make this body, keep this body as healthy as possible, to look upon it as sacred.
The Sacredness of the Body
That is called - how do we know that we are seeing this body as reality? Because another name for reality is God. And those who believe in God consider everything connected with God as sacred. So if we consider this body as satyam, reality, then tremendous respect, reverence, which is proved by all the dietary regulations, food, etc., environment, friends, activity, time, space - everything is regulated automatically.
That is how we know this body is sacred. That is what the scriptures advocate: Deho devalayo proktaḥ - "The body is said to be a temple of God." Just as we dare not desanctify any temple, defile any temple, so also we will not defile this body.
Universal Sacred Vision
And as a consequence of this, the next step follows. What is the next step? Not only my body is sacred - the moment I know that my body is a sacred temple, I feel the same thing with regard to every living creature. This is the magical transformation in understanding.
It comes, our reverence increases, then only we know: "My mother is God, my father is God, my teacher is God." And after that expands slowly. That is all indicated in Atithi devo bhava (Guest is God). Then Satyaṃ vada, dharmaṃ cara (Speak truth, practice righteousness), etc., all those instructions will come.
So, what is the first thing that happens? That this body becomes sacred. Next, every body becomes sacred. This is called Vyaṣṭi samāṣṭi aikyam - the unity between individual and universal.
That is to say, every real spiritual aspirant starts identifying not some vague idea of God, but everybody. He looks upon everybody exactly as he knows what he is or what he thinks he is.
Transition to Prāṇamaya Kosha
And then, suddenly he glimpses - only then the door opens. "Now, I thought this body is sacred. But this body is ruled over, is sustained, it originates from, it is sustained by, and ultimately it goes back into its real cause." And that is what the Upanishad is talking about, which we have discussed, called Prāṇamaya Kosha.
Then the identity - that deho devalayo, that deha is Brahman - shifts from this Annamaya Kosha to Prāṇamaya Kosha.
Then, as soon as we start identifying with Prāṇamaya Kosha, then clearly we understand, the understanding dawns upon us that the Annamaya Kosha is not us, but it is a kosha, it is a covering, like an external dress. We don't need to make any effort - automatically, effortlessly, even if there are no clothes, we do not feel bad about it, because we know.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa we know - he is called a Paramahaṃsa, and even if they do not have any clothes, anybody will not feel [uncomfortable], just as a baby becomes even more lovely, even though there are no clothes, because instinctively we feel - I know all of you understand what I am talking about - as soon as you look at a baby, and then take the baby, even how tender that body is, you don't feel like hurting even a little bit, just as we treat every softest of the flowers, we feel instinctively very careful not to hurt any part of the body of the baby.
The Sacred Use of Body and Prāṇa
So like that, as soon as we identify ourselves with the Prāṇamaya Kosha, Annamaya Kosha becomes just as a dress, but it doesn't mean that we can do whatever we like with this Annamaya Kosha. Merely we know it is something which is helpful to keep the prāṇa, just as prāṇa is necessary to sustain the body, body is necessary to keep the prāṇa. A temple is necessary to keep the God there, God is necessary to make any building into a temple, but temple is also equally necessary.
That's why great people, spiritual people, do not mislead, misuse this human body. Time becomes very precious, mind becomes even more precious, spending life becomes very, very sacred and precious, so that automatically it comes.
But the point is, this Annamaya Kosha doesn't affect - that is the meaning of it becoming a dress. Dress is necessary, but we don't feel our identity, and we use it as a covering for the body. Exactly in a similar manner, we use this Annamaya Kosha to help us maintain this Prāṇamaya Kosha.
The Structure of Prāṇamaya Kosha
And then we have seen Mukhya Prāṇa - why is it called Prāṇamaya Kosha? The second kosha is called Prāṇamaya Kosha, why is it called so? Because it is full of prāṇa only: the head is prāṇa, right hand is prāṇa, left hand is prāṇa, legs are prāṇa, and the whole middle part - from down, downwards from the throat or neck, until where the legs begin, that is called the middle part - so that is what makes the whole body stable, so that becomes most important.
These five parts are mentioned, both as a body of a bird, and here, body of our own human body. So this Prāṇamaya Kosha - what is the head? Prāṇa is the head, that is why Prāṇo vai śiraḥ, etc., etc., and then we see that immediately Apāna Vāyu, Vyāna Vāyu, Udāna Vāyu, Samāna Vāyu - the whole Prāṇamaya Kosha is only full of prāṇa, and because it functions in five different ways, and does five different activities to keep this Annamaya Kosha intact, and also Manomaya Kosha, and also Vijñānamaya Kosha, and also Ānandamaya Kosha.
So Prāṇamaya Kosha is described as full of prāṇa, and that is necessary. Every kosha is necessary for every other kosha, but the higher we identify with the higher kosha, the lower koshas do not affect us.
Prāṇa as Brahman
That is the understanding. When we identify ourselves with the Prāṇamaya Kosha, birth and death of the body do not pose any problem for us, just as we are not affected by throwing away [old clothes], or when the cloth's dress becomes holy, we do not mind. We are in fact eager to do it, because we know we are not that dress.
But at this stage, second stage, prāṇa becomes very important. So my prāṇa is the very foundation for the entire life cycle to continue. So what is the meaning of "prāṇa becomes reality, prāṇa becomes satyam, prāṇa becomes brahman"? That means "I am prāṇa devatā, I am brahman, prāṇa is brahman" - that feeling must come.
And once that feeling comes, that identity - unshakeable, unforgettable, inseparable identity with the Prāṇamaya Kosha comes - something magical takes place. What is that? My prāṇa is sacred, because it is God. If it is God, I have to treat this Prāṇamaya Kosha as brahman. That is called brahmopāsanā (worship of Brahman).
My prāṇa becomes very sacred. And as soon as that understanding takes possession of us, immediately you know what happens? Everybody's prāṇa, every prāṇī becomes equally sacred.
Universal Prāṇic Vision
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says so many times: "I see an insect crawling, I see brahman himself crawling in the form of that insect" - not one insect. You take all the uncountable trillions or zillions and zillions of every prāṇa, whether it is - even if you take one single species and then you will see how many zillions are there, countless are there, whether it is birds or insects or butterflies like that, grasshopper like that, not to speak of animals - who can count? And that is only on this earth. Who knows how many such earths are there? We do not know.
So this is what happens, just like what happened when we considered our body as sacred temple of God. So instantaneously, whenever we look at any body, it becomes a temple of God. Similarly, when we identify with the prāṇamaya kosha, just as we consider our prāṇamaya kosha as God himself, brahman himself, reality itself, satyam, then we take all the care to keep this prāṇa in healthy condition, just like the body.
The Powers of Prāṇic Identification
That means what? That our thoughts influence our prāṇas and then we want to be keeping it very sacred and that frees us and gives us tremendous amount of prāṇa. Thus, we have respect with the other prāṇīs. When this identity is achieved, some miracles also can happen.
What are the miracles? Then we see that if somebody is suffering, it is due to less flow of prāṇa and the moment we look at them, touch them, they can be also imbued with our prāṇa. That is called pranic healing. This is only a small part of what happens, what powers this person who identifies with prāṇamaya kosha can obtain and his words become so enthusiastic.
That is what we call - Swami Turiyananda calls: "Whenever anybody heard Swami Vivekananda speaking, even a dead body jumps up and says, 'Let me listen.' It is so life-giving. But he turned to the listener's audience and said, 'But when you people open your mouth, I feel like being dead because there is no life, there is no truth.'"
But here is the reality - satyam. That is what we have seen in the prāṇamaya kosha.
The Scripture on Prāṇa Worship
So, what happens? That is being discussed. Actually, this should have been the appendix for the second section, that is prāṇamaya kosha section. But it starts with the third section. I think there is a purpose for that. So, every time we are reminded, these are not empty teachings that you get a tremendous result.
We will read it and discuss the meaning briefly:
Prāṇaṃ devāḥ anuprananti manuṣyāḥ paśavaśca ye
Prāṇo hi bhūtānāṃ āyuḥ tasmāt sarvāyuṣam ucyate
Sarvam evāyur yanti ye prāṇaṃ brahmopāsate
Prāṇo hi bhūtānāṃ āyuḥ tasmāt sarvāyuṣam ucyate
Remember, we have entered into the description of the manomaya kosha.
The gods - here gods means our sense organs - they are able to function because they breathe in prāṇa. They breathe after the prāṇa, so also men and cattle and every creature. For the prāṇa is the life of every creature. Therefore, it is called the life of all - sarvāyuṣam.
Those who contemplate the prāṇa as brahman obtain a full life. For the prāṇa is the life of all creatures. Therefore, it is called the life of all.
The Result of Prāṇa Worship
So, this is the brief meaning. What it means is, those who know that "I am," we are prāṇa brahma. Our prāṇa is satyam. At this stage of our progress, my progress, I know my prāṇamaya kosha is none other than brahman. Brahman itself is manifesting in the form of my prāṇa. It is very sacred because prāṇamaya kosha encloses a shrine, sanctum sanctorum of brahman. So, it has to be looked upon as sacred. It has to be used to worship that divine. Every activity this prāṇa brahma upāsaka does is a worship actually.
Such a person, what does he get? So, if he can succeed in thinking that my prāṇamaya kosha is brahman, so everybody's prāṇa is also brahman. Such a person is called prāṇa brahma upāsaka. Then, what is the result of that? That person will live a full life and his whole life his prāṇas will be at the highest functioning level. That means he will be much more, indescribably more happy, more healthy, and he can be a great leader. He can enthuse other people with his own enthusiasm, inspiration.
Only a person - such a person you have to understand is imbued with this tremendous manifestation of prāṇa. That is what it is.
Commentary on Prāṇa Worship Results
So, what happens? So, now Upanishad says that if anyone worships prāṇa as brahman, that person attains the full span of life - sarvāyuṣam. That means there is nothing untoward will happen. Misfortune will not happen. But what we need to understand, as we discussed it earlier, that according to prārabdha karma, he may live one day, he may live 10 years or 100 years, but so long as he lives, he will be full of prāṇa, full of life, full of joy. So, that is what we need to understand.
And Śaṅkarācārya's commentary here is a beautiful law about contemplation. What is contemplation? Yad guṇakam brahmopāste sa tad guṇabhāg bhavati - "In whichever way we contemplate God, then we develop that particular ideal."
If somebody says, "God is the greatest fame," he becomes such a contemplative, becomes famous. "God is full of wealth" - this upāsaka becomes full of wealth. "God is full of knowledge" - this upāsaka becomes full of knowledge. "God is the most compassionate being" - this person becomes most compassionate.
Very simple psychology. Whatever thoughts we cherish all the time, we become that. We are what we think with life - what thoughts we think. Not passing weak thoughts, stray thoughts, restless thoughts. But what catches hold of really, what we really truly believe - śraddhā - we become that.
A student becomes best student. A doctor becomes best doctor. A teacher becomes best teacher. A cook becomes best cook. And if we have to go by Swami Vivekananda's words, a fisherman becomes a better, best fisherman. A student becomes best student. A cook becomes the best, very best cook, because his very prāṇa enters into that food.
And you may not believe it, when a mother cooks for her child, may not be very tasty, but it will fill the baby with the greatest prāṇa. Why? Because mother's thoughts enter into the food. So this is the general rule. With whatever quality we endow Brahman and contemplate Him, we become that.
Introduction to Manomaya Kosha
Now, having given the phala (result), the Upanishad continues:
Sa vā eṣa puruṣa vidho eva
Asya puruṣa vidhātaḥ anv ayaṃ puruṣa vidhaḥ
This sheath of the prāṇa - remember, this is in the manomaya kosha, these mantras. This prāṇamaya kosha, sheath of the prāṇa - sorry, prāṇamaya kosha, sheath of the prāṇa, is the embodied soul of the former. Former means what? Annamaya kosha. So prāṇamaya kosha is the ātmā of the annamaya kosha.
Similarly, Upanishad now wants to say there is another real soul which is the very soul of prāṇamaya kosha, that which is the cause of the prāṇamaya kosha, that which originates the prāṇamaya kosha, that which sustains the prāṇa and into which the prāṇa, in the end, merges. That is what Upanishad wants to say.
Clearly, different from this sheath, from this prāṇamaya kosha, which consists of the essence of the prāṇa, but within it, deep inside, subtler is another self which consists of the manomaya kosha and by this the former is filled. This manomaya kosha fills the prāṇamaya kosha.
This too, that means the manomaya kosha too, has the shape of a man, like the human shape of the prāṇamaya kosha. This is the human shape of the latter.
Why Human Shape for Koshas?
Why prāṇamaya kosha has a human shape? That is because it is thinking for the sake of contemplation. Actually, prāṇamaya kosha has no form. Just like water doesn't have any form, any taste, etc., prāṇamaya kosha doesn't have any form. But for the sake of thinking, contemplation, it is endowed with, for the sake of purely contemplation, like the human body.
And the human body is contemplated because of what? Not because there is another kosha which is outer layer of the annamaya kosha. No. It starts with annamaya kosha and we are all very familiar for janma janmāntara (life after life), many lives, about our own human body and every body that we took.
If somebody was born as a cow, so long as he is in that, he thinks he knows and he identifies with that cow body. Just like that. This is for contemplation. So prāṇamaya kosha borrows the imagery of the human body and manomaya kosha also, for the sake of contemplation, is imagined just like puruṣa vidhā eva - shape of the latter. That means prāṇamaya kosha which is nothing but like our annamaya kosha body, like our physical body.
Let us say, manomaya kosha also is imagined, for the sake of contemplation, as what? As only like a human body.
The Five Limbs of Manomaya Kosha
If it has got human body, like prāṇamaya kosha, annamaya kosha, the five limbs are mentioned here. What are those limbs?
So the Yajurveda is its head, the Ṛgveda is its right wing, the Sāmaveda is its left wing, the teaching - ādeśa. Ādeśa means commandment. Commandment means what? "I have taught you, put it into practice." A government passes certain rules. These are called motorway rules or the traffic light rules. Ādeśa - it is not a request. So here it is called teaching and it is as good as commandments. It is its trunk and the hymns of Atharvāṇa Veda - Āṅgirasā - are its style, are its support.
And interior and subtler than the prāṇamaya kosha is this manomaya kosha, the sheath of the mind. And this manomaya kosha fills the entire prāṇamaya kosha. This manomaya kosha also is a human form, just like a human form. And about this also there is a Ṛg mantra. Every kosha ends - so there is a Ṛg mantra which supports this teaching in this Yajurveda mantra.
The Nature of Mind
Now what are we talking about? What is the mind? As we all know, mind is only thoughts - vṛttis, happiness, unhappiness, good and evil. Even "this is cold, this is not cold." Any person who is anesthetized, he will not remember anything. So the mind is nothing but thoughts. Thoughts are nothing but manifestations of various types of knowledge.
Knowledge is of two types: secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge. And Yajurveda has two parts, as we all know. The first part of Yajurveda is called Karma Kāṇḍa. The second part of Yajurveda is called Jñāna Kāṇḍa. And we have to start our journey with Karma Kāṇḍa and slowly progress so that we become fit to enter into the knowledge portion. And slowly, that is how evolution or progress towards reality is achieved.
So what is the mind? Full of vṛtti. Vṛtti means thought. What is a thought? Nothing but pieces of knowledge - jñānam. And what type of knowledge? Both secular and spiritual. And what are Vedas? It is nothing but pure knowledge. Both about spirituality and also secular world.
The Role of Knowledge in Life
So listen carefully. Because, as I said, Karma Kāṇḍa is meant for what? Nowadays people are using AI - Artificial Intelligence. For what? For knowledge only. And then with that they want to earn their money. After earning money, they want to possess a house. And then they want to procure various things of enjoyable things. That is one side. And they wish to avoid all unhappiness through various activities.
So, what is it? "I want to be happy. I don't want to be unhappy. I want to live. I don't want to die. I want knowledge. I don't want to be ignorant. I want to be happy. I don't want to be unhappy."
Until we realize God, we are swinging like a Brahma Cakra going up and down. Sometimes happy, sometimes unhappy. Our constant effort is how to reduce the suffering, unhappiness and progress towards greater and greater happiness. And here the Vedas come in. And today we will discuss briefly about it.
The Mental Body Description
We are talking about Manomaya Kosha. Imagine the mind like a human body. And just like a human body, there is a head, there is a right hand, there is a left hand, there is a trunk. Trunk means from below the head until where the legs start - until that place. That is called trunk. And then two legs are there.
So, head plus two hands - three, plus the trunk - four, plus the legs - five. Five parts. That completes the wholeness of the body - complete body description.
So here it says:
- Yaju means Yajurveda is the head
- Ṛgveda is the right hand
- Sāmaveda is the left hand
- Ādeśa means commandments in these Vedas - that is called the trunk
All these Vedas - they not only tell you what is the goal, they also show the way and says you have to walk towards your goal. And that is called ādeśa. "Do this, do not do this." All these scriptures contain what? Vidhi and niṣedha - do this, do not do this. Nothing else.
You understand what Vedas are. Have faith in them and follow their instructions. And that instructions will make your - it will support your head, your hands, your leg, your whole life. This is how we have to contemplate the body called mental body - mānasika śarīra.
The Four Vedas
And then we have talked about Yajurveda. As we know there are four Vedas: Yajurveda, Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda and of course Atharvaveda. This Atharvaveda was the discovery of two ṛṣis. One is called Atharvāṇa. Another is called Āṅgirasāḥ. And both of them combined together had discovered many marvelous things. And that is why they are called puccham (tail).
Puccham means what? The legs which support. The legs which help us to move from one place to the other place. It can be forward, it can be backward, etc. This is the description of the mental body.
The Universal Human Aspiration
Now very briefly in today's talk I want to tell - every human being, any human being you take, what is it the person wants?
Asato mā sad gamaya
Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
Mṛtyor māmṛtaṃ gamaya
"I want to live happily with full knowledge as long as possible. I want to live but I don't want to live without any joy. Therefore I want to live with as much happiness as possible."
And how can I live with the maximum happiness available to me? For that - do's and don'ts. Don't eat poison. Eat healthy food. And food doesn't mean only for the physical body. Food is meant for prāṇa. Actually food is converted into prāṇa. And more important, food is very necessary for the mind. Mental food is most important food because what we feed gives strength and this strength helps the buddhi - Vijñānamaya kosha - to come to the right decision.
The Process of Decision Making
If you send somebody to get some information, either you send that person out or he sits in front of a console and goes on taking advantage of this AI intelligence. What is the purpose he wants? What is the best way to do something? Whether it is medical field, calculation field, book field, any field, economic field - wants to gain something. That knowledge he wants to gain with the help of this AI. That is all its purpose.
But AI doesn't give us, truly doesn't give us unless we seek for it that - "Ok, you can get all these things but can it make you happy?" To become happy, a different set of rules, regulations within the Vedas are necessary. Generally we all neglect it.
So, obtainment of this knowledge is the goal. Then the mind gets the right information and it presents this information to its master which is called Vijñānamaya kosha which is interior to this Manomaya kosha. And then the Vijñānamaya kosha weighs this and that and comes to a decision and gives the commandment: "This is my commandment, put it into practice."
That is how every second whatever we do, it is the buddhi which is involved in making us do. Otherwise if we are swinging - "what to do, what not to do," "to do or not to do," "to be or not to be" in the words of Shakespeare - we will be nowhere, we will be going round and round.
The Purpose of the Vedas
So this is the - in short - that Vedas tell us what is the goal of life and how to progress. First to progress, get happiness through secular activities. What type of secular activities? Like rituals etc., which will give whatever we want, make our Annamaya kosha, Prāṇamaya kosha, Manomaya kosha very happy.
And when we have reached a ripening state, better understanding, then the very Veda [says]: "Now you have passed the lower classes, now you can enter into the university." And that is called Jñāna Kāṇḍa.
The Ultimate Purpose
This is how this Taittiriya Upanishad, Brahmananda Valli - remember all this Pañcakosha Vivaraṇa is for the purpose, for the sake of taking us to Brahman so that as Brahman we can become Ānandamaya and we can be blissful as our very nature, not going to obtain bliss but to become bliss itself.
Beautiful thoughts are there - we will talk about them in our next class.
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!