Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 76 Ch2 5.2-3 on 29 October 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

Review of Previous Class

So we were studying in our last class the structure of the Vijñānamaya Kosha. I ended the talk, there are marvelous things to be spoken of.

Understanding Madness Through Vedantic Analysis

When we find someone has gone mad, insane, which kosha is working? People say in the modern Western psychological language, "He is mentally gone awry." Mad means mental problem—that is also true. But Vedanta analyzes the structure of the mind in various ways, and we have seen something very, very marvelous.

What should be the structure of the mind? And what is the structure of especially our minds? We have seen that a person who follows the instructions of the Vedas—that should be the ideal structure of the mind. But no, it is not so.

But according to Vedanta, the function of the mind is thinking of pros and cons, not able to decide. Therefore the Manomaya cannot be producing insanity or madness.

The Role of Vijñānamaya Kosha in Madness

What produces then? It is the Vijñānamaya Kosha—intellect. How come? Because when a person decides: "This person is looking at me in a peculiar way. He is thinking of killing me. He is running after me. He is walking towards me. And his laughter—he is mocking me." Everything is misinterpreted.

Earlier there is a doubt: "Is he laughing at me? Or is he laughing at somebody else? Or laughing because he heard a joke or something?" No, this person is convinced: "I am the target." Not only one person is a target. For a madcap, practically everybody is running after me—to kill me, to harm me, to rob me. And this is the structure.

A madcap doubts everything, everybody. That means he lost faith in his own self.

The Structure of the Intellect: Śraddhā

And what is the very structure of the intellect? Śraddhā. What is the head? What is the most important part? That is Śraddhā. Then Ṛtam—he understood correctly what the Vedas teach. Then he tries his level best to put into practice what he believes to be the real injunctions, instructions of the Vedas.

And the instructions, as we know, are consisting of two parts: Vidhi as well as Niṣedha. And he has to keep a witnessing eye, as what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to keep an eye: "Am I really doing what I am supposed to do? Am I playing at doing these things? Or am I serious about it?"

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Vision

And then he had a vision—a sannyāsī with a trident in his hands. He said, "If your mind strays from the truth, from the Divine Mother, I will pierce you with this triśūla." You see, until he became one with the goal, he kept a watchful eye.

The Negative and Positive Aspects

But this fellow also has a watchful eye only—this madcap. But he is thinking, he is cock sure, 100% sure. You see, the way that person is looking at me, so there is some bad motive behind him. I am only describing the negative side of it.

But the positive side: "I will never tell any untruth. I will not deliberately, consciously lead a person, mislead a person into thinking something else." Because this person is not having Śraddhā. Because this person—Śraddhā was possessing this person. This person does not control Śraddhā; Śraddhā controls this person.

Examples of Possession by Śraddhā

Where do I get it? Śraddhā—Aveveśa, Kaṭhopaniṣad. Śraddhā possessed Naciketa. He can't do anything.

Vyākulatā possessed Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. He can't do anything.

Restlessness possessed Narendranāth. He said, "I ran like a mad person. Everything seemed to be absolutely meaningless. And as I was running, I did not notice—sometimes I ran into haystacks. My body was covered with a lot of hay, etc."

And when he reached Dakṣiṇeśwar, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa knew—as if he did not know. He would talk like that: "So why are you so restless? Why can't you finish your studies? Pass the examinations?" He was only testing Narendranāth.

Then a beautiful reply was given by Narendranāth: "If only I can get a medicine to forget whatever I have learnt, because whatever I have learnt is wrong learning. He did not teach me that God realization is the only goal of life."

The Nature of Vijñānamaya Kosha

So what are we talking about? That it is the Vijñānam—it is the intellectual sheath that finally makes a firm decision. There is no wavering. There is no cogitation. It says, either it takes a decision for good or for evil, whatever it is.

Divine Madness

Here we are talking not about ordinary people becoming mad, but great spiritual sādhakas becoming mad after God. Pagal Rādhā became pagal, running after Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also became pagal, running after Rādhā. Theirs is not any ordinary love.

Gopīs were mad. They just discarded everything. They threw away worldly conventions and tried their best to run away to reach Kṛṣṇa as soon as possible. Some gopīs were caught by their relatives, but they could not go. Some of them, before the relatives could react, they ran. Some, like madcap—madness gives tremendous energy. They were mad. Gopīs were mad.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Madness

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa refers to it again and again: "Mad for Kṛṣṇa." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa himself became mad for Kṛṣṇa, for Divine Mother, for everything. And people actually labeled him: "He is madcap."

Of course, from their point of view it is pure madness. From a spiritual point of view, the whole world is mad.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa made a very great pun. He was a very intelligent person. Somebody called him mad to his face. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "Yes. Am I only the only person who is mad? No, the whole world is mad. But I know my madness is far, far superior to everybody's madness. Why? Because I am so happy, whereas every one of other worldly people who are mad—they are not at all happy. They become violent."

The Logic of Madness

Mad people also—peculiar rationality will be there. They can defy the whole world's logic. They can justify whatever they are doing, and it is not possible to convince them sometimes. Why sometimes? Many times.

We commit the mistake when we come to know the other person is arguing in an irrational manner, illogical manner. Then we try: "Don't you see? This is the matter." How can they see? They were convinced you are mad, and whatever you utter is pure madness. Madness means irrational, unacceptable, unreasonable, uncommon sensical, etc.

The Nature and Functions of Vijñānamaya Kosha

So we have seen briefly—I only wanted to add a few things. But just briefly we will go through it.

So what is the nature of this? It is because of this, so we will come to the explanation:

Śarīre pātmanohitvā

Sarvān kāmān samuśnutā iti

Tasyeśayeva śarīrātmā

Yeh pūrvasya

Something marvelous happens here. We will see about it.

Vijñānam and Yajña

So what is it? Vijñānaṃ yajñaṃ tanute. What happens if this person wants to put into practice all the yajñas, yāgas, the worships as commanded by the scriptures? His intellect has developed 100% faith: "This will give me the result." So whatever yajñas you do, it is all because the intellect decides without the least bit of doubt: "This is the only thing that has to be done."

But it is not only the religious or spiritual activities. Even so-called worldly activities: "What shall I eat? What time shall I eat? And what type of food shall I eat?" Then, "How do I structure my whole life?" That is called karmāṇi tanute.

The Source of Joy in Conviction

And then this person, whatever he does, is the best way of discharging every duty because he is convinced. And not only that, when a person is convinced—this is wonderful—he derives tremendous bliss from it. Have you noticed it?

Supposing you understand: "This book is a marvelous book." Your intellect convinces you. It doesn't matter which book it is. It convinces you: "This is a book which is going to give me tremendous joy." Once you are convinced and you start reading the book, you start experiencing so much of joy.

Now try to analyze this and say: "When I am experiencing this joy, is it because the book itself is the instrument to give me that joy, or because my intellect decided?" I hope you are trying to get—or I hope I am able to convey my understanding to you.

The Story of Ravindra

Suppose there is a person and he fell in love with a prostitute, and he is convinced: "This prostitute purely loves me." This is not mere example. So many real-life incidents are there. And towards the end of the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, we get the story of Ravindra who just came quarreling with a prostitute.

He was convinced that he loved her. There was no doubt about it. But he thought—his intellect convinced him—"This lady doesn't love anybody else." So with that fond hope, he ran towards her house. And he was shocked because she was entertaining another client, customer. And he became so angry—a reaction has come—and so he wanted to run away.

But the lady understood: "This is a milky cow. Very good milk can be got from this," because the Ravindra was a man of quite moderate means. So from her view, a lost customer is a loss of business. So she started pulling him towards, maybe telling so many excuses. We have no explanations, or M did not give after hearing at the Paranagar mart. And then his cloth, wearing cloth, was torn in half. In that condition he came.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Grace

But then, you know what? This Ravindra was loved by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. And whosoever is loved by Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, whatever he may be, he is going to be completely taken care of. And once Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa decides to love somebody—and I don't see whom he doesn't love—but the devotee also reacts towards that love and wants to be pulled towards Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. That devotee is sure to be saved. No doubt about it.

So that drama you can read in the appendix to the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—is the only one.

Another Devotee's Story

There was another devotee who was addicted to this public woman. And some years after Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's passing away, that person also, because of this māyā, he ran to a prostitute's house. And probably it was upstairs or something. As he climbed the stairs in front of her door, what did he see? He saw Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa looking at him piteously. And seeing Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa there, this man fled away.

We don't know the what is called posthumous story. Did he conquer lust? Did he become converted? Or was it a temporary shameful reaction of shame? We don't know anything about it. But that shows even after receiving the grace of God, one can fall down.

The Fate of Householder Devotees

And that is the real story. Most of the people—and they were all householders, not one single sannyāsī was there on 1st January 1886—almost all of them have fallen down. How do we know? Because they quarreled with the disciples.

And his very nephew of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Ram Lal Dada—later on he might have reformed, I am not sure about it—but very piteous type of story. He defied his own uncle even after being blessed about Holy Mother. Those details you can see in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

So I don't know, towards the end when he became old whether he had become converted—we don't know. But the direct disciples, because of his relationship with Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, became very reverential. But whether any real change has come, I do not know.

Receiving God's Grace

Anyway, so God is ready to bestow His grace. Are we ready to receive it? What does it mean to receive it? "I run towards Him and He touches me, and then temporarily I have some experience"—that is not real reception.

Real reception is: Has any transformation taken place? Have I crossed my old state and moved forward towards God? Did my character change? Did I become less attached to the world and more attracted to God? All these things we have to analyze and find out.

Vijñāna as Brahma

So intellect endowed with Śraddhā—that is being described here.

So Brahma here means He is called Jyeṣṭha. Jyeṣṭha means whoever was earlier. Jyeṣṭha Bhrātā—Pitṛ Sama. So our eldest brother—first he came, after that we came. So that eldest, elder, we say, before we arrived, they were already there.

So before this creation started, who was there? Hiraṇyagarbha was there. Hiraṇyagarbha only had become both the minds, or Sūkṣma Śarīra, as well as the Sthūla Śarīra—the entire universe.

The Supreme Importance of Vijñāna

So everybody worships Vijñānam because through intellect endowed with Śraddhā inevitably leads a person towards more ānanda. After all, what we want is ānanda only. Even if God grants us that "You live a long time," we don't want to live it any longer, not even a second, if we lose all hope of being happy, being joyful.

So everybody should know Vijñānam—intellect—is the most important instrument, and it should be equated with Brahma. That means what? Surrender. Let us surrender: "O Lord, I do not know what is good, what is evil."

That's why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had prayed: "Mother, here is Your good, here is Your evil. Here is Your dharma, here is Your adharma. Here is Your happiness, here is Your unhappiness. Grant me shelter at Your lotus feet. You take care of me."

And that is the true meaning of Vijñānaṃ brahma cet veda.

The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gītā

And Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa also affirms, confirms it in the Gītā. Says: "Upon whomsoever I want to bestow My grace, because I am pleased with their sincerity, what do I do? Buddhi-yogaṃ dadāmi yaṃ—I grant them right understanding." And once right understanding comes, everything will be right only.

Therefore, Vijñānam should be contemplated as Brahma himself, God Himself—in short, you surrender yourself.

The Essence of Gāyatrī Mantra

And this is the essence of Gāyatrī Mantra. What is that Gāyatrī Mantra? What comes earlier? First, intellectual understanding: "I must surrender to God." That is the meaning of the first eight letters, first pāda of Gāyatrī Mantra.

And then I am convinced: "I cannot get this right understanding unless I surrender myself at the feet of the Divine Lord." So then only I try. Once I am convinced, "I have no option but to try to surrender. I cannot rest without surrendering myself."

And once I surrender myself, I become convinced: "I have offered everything to Him or to the Divine Mother. And then She will guide me. She will take care of me."

The Mother's Joy

The mother is waiting: "When is my child going back? Come running into my arms! I have prepared everything for his enjoyment. I want him to enjoy everything. He is totally immersed himself in play."

So when the child comes, what joy will be there in the mother's heart! And if an ordinary mother can get so much of joy, what to speak of the Divine Mother who can give, who is the embodiment of infinite joy!

The Practice of Upāsana

And if somebody succeeds in this contemplation called upāsana—that my intellect is completely ruled over by Brahman, Hiraṇyamaya—because who is this Hiraṇyagarbha? He is the embodiment of all wisdom, pure knowledge. He knows what is right, when it is right, how it is right, how much it is right. He knows, He will guide.

Yoga and Watchfulness

Then what happens? One should not deviate from that conviction. One should not deviate—that means one should have that Yoga Ātmā. We have seen earlier: Yoga means what? Keep an eye: "Am I only talking, or am I really doing it? Am I getting transformed?" And we can understand whether we are progressing or not.

If we are progressing, we become purer people. We become more people with more right knowledge. And the inevitable result will be: our life will be one of bliss, continuous unbroken bliss, whatever may be the body, whatever may be the external circumstances.

The Example of Yudhiṣṭhira

That is why when Yudhiṣṭhira entered into hell, not only he became endowed with happiness, he filled the whole Naraka. People were suffering terribly, and the moment Yudhiṣṭhira entered, there were cries: "What is this? What is this? How is it we are so relieved?"

Just like a person walking for hours together in unbearably hot sun, and he reaches a place which is air-conditioned, where cool drinks are awaiting. The moment he sits there and takes up the cool drink, how does he feel?

So that is the experience of not only Yudhiṣṭhira, but because of his very presence, even the people suffering so long: "What a relief! What a relief! Blessed be the person who brought about this change!" Such is the glory of righteous people.

Freedom from Sin

If a person is watchful and never deviates—that means never entertains, cherishes the feeling: "I achieved everything by my own effort"—no, it is all everything is the Divine Mother. What happens? His attachment to the body completely departs. That means that body becomes pure. It will never commit, not even think remotely, even for a millisecond of any thoughts of sin—only the good, the benefit, the welfare of the entire world.

So he will be completely free from all pāpas. And as soon as that happens, what happens? Sarvān kāmān samaśnutā iti—every desire will be fulfilled.

Fulfillment of Desires

What? "I want to eat sweet"—immediately sweets are present. "I want to bathe in cooling water"—immediately he finds himself in a perfumed cooling pool.

No, what it means is that just he feels one with the ānanda. Therefore no desires. Desire means limitation. Sarvān kāmān samaśnutā—where? Not only in this world, but even after his passing away, he attains higher worlds. And he will only experience bliss. So bliss—nothing else is there.

Vijñānamaya Kosha as Limited

But is this the end of the story? No. Even this Vijñānamaya kosha is a kosha. Kosha means limitedness, limited means—simply, kosha means that which depends upon somebody else, which is not a master of itself. It is a master of Annamaya, Prāṇamaya, and Manomaya, but not of Ānandamaya. Ānandamaya is the master of Vijñānamaya.

So that which is limited—and everything that is limited is dependent upon something unlimited or something subtler than itself. That is the essence of kosha. Kosha means limit.

The Hierarchy of Limitation

But as we have seen, the outermost kosha is most limited. Prāṇamaya kosha is less limited. Manomaya, even less limited. Vijñānamaya, even still less. But still, it is limited only.

And then, this—how does he know? When a person contemplates this Vijñānamaya kosha as the highest kosha—that is what is called Brahma. Brahma means that is the highest reality. Vijñānamaya kosha is the highest reality.

Discovery of Ānandamaya Kosha

When a person contemplates, then he reaches the topmost of this mountain called Vijñānamaya kosha. And to his delight or shock, he finds there is another subtler, more pervading, and filled with more bliss—some other kosha is there. And this Vijñānamaya kosha is filled with that Ānandamaya kosha.

And that Ānandamaya kosha is the controller of Vijñānamaya kosha. And Vijñānamaya kosha, in its turn, is the controller of Manomaya. And Manomaya is the controller of Prāṇamaya. Prāṇamaya is the controller of the Annamaya, etc.

The Pull Toward Ānandamaya

Then naturally, this person becomes terribly restless: "I must become one with this Ānandamaya kosha. That is my next goal." So he comes out, and then he starts contemplating.

So this person was very happy, comparatively happy. But then he understands that this is not the end of the affair. So if he has got some desires, he will be filled with ānanda. But if he says, "I don't want any of my desires to be fulfilled. I want to move nearer to Brahman, nearer to God. God realization is the only goal of my life"—then what happens? He becomes strongly pulled like a huge magnet.

As an iron filing starts moving nearer a magnetic hill—as Rāmakṛṣṇa describes—it becomes helpless. It is inevitably drawn to that magnetic hill.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Parable of Four Friends

So this person, now, as soon as he perceives there is another kosha which is interior, which is subtler, and which is more pervasive and filled with more ānanda, immediately he jumps, as it were.

Rāmakṛṣṇa describes this state: Once four friends were traveling, and then they came across an enclosed space. And from within, the sounds were coming of joy, of indescribable ānanda—happiness, bliss, joy. And they became curious because they can't see anything.

So one of them procured a ladder: "I will tell you what is going to happen, what is happening inside." He climbed, and he could not—the moment he saw, he forgot everybody, everything, and jumped within. So one after the other, three friends have jumped.

But then the fourth one, he became very eager. He reached the top and he glimpsed. But he felt pity for those people who are suffering so much, surrounding everybody who is suffering so much. Because Annamaya is suffering, Prāṇamaya is suffering, Manomaya is suffering, Vijñānamaya is suffering, including Ānandamaya is also suffering.

But then: "Let me inform the other people. There is a place—if only they can enter into it, their life will be filled with bliss." So even though he himself felt like jumping like the other three, but he could not, because he was specially born for dharma-sthāpana.

Dharma-sthāpana means ānanda-sthāpana, sacchidānanda-sthāpana—that is called dharma-sthāpana. Dharma means our real nature, inert nature. Each soul is potentially divine—that is what we have to understand.

Progression to Ānandamaya Kosha

So having practiced Vijñānamaya upāsana, and the mind is becoming more and more refined. With Prāṇamaya it became more refined. With Manomaya, with identification with Manomaya, it became even more refined. And with identification with the Vijñānamaya, it became even more refined.

And the more the mind becomes refined, pure, the more Cit will be reflected. But it is all reflected ānanda only, not real ānanda. Until he becomes one with Brahman, it is only reflected ānanda.

The Readiness for the Next Step

So now, since this person has reached the very peak of this Vijñānamaya kosha, now the Upaniṣad says, "My child, now you are ready."

When Satyakāma Jābāla was ready, the fire taught him something. And he must have practiced—we have seen earlier when we are studying—not that next day the higher state is taught. No, so he must have contemplated, he must have become one with it, then he was ready for the next step. Next step was shown, then he was ready for the next step, he was shown.

By the time before he reached his gurukula, so he became completely a knower of Brahman, which was only confirmed by his human guru. Similar the story of Upakosala also.

The Guru's Declaration

So here they are coming:

Tasmād vā etasmād vijñānamaya

The Upaniṣad, that means the guru—the guru is nothing but representation of the Upaniṣad—he says: "My child, you have reached here, but this is not the end."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa tells a most beautiful story—it is not a story, it is a parable.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Parable of Meeting the King

An ordinary person wanted to see the king, which he never got to see earlier. So some person who knew the king and who is capable of taking others, so he arranged. So he took him to the royal palace.

And at each door there were guards. And every guard was so splendidly attired that this person thought: "This must be the king."

"No, no, I am not the king. I am only the guard."

So he was conducted inside. The more inner chambers he was coming to, the more splendor grew. And then finally, he started: "Not this, not this, not this, not this."

And finally he entered, and then he did not ask. He did not ask because he knew instinctively: "No other person can be compared." When we come into the presence of Brahman, we don't need to ask: "Is there any proof that you are Brahman?" Instinctively we know.

How do we know? Because we become—as soon as the iron filing comes to the magnetic hill, it becomes one with the magnetic hill. That is the pull, the power of the magnetic hill.

Introduction to Ānandamaya Kosha

So the Upaniṣad is declaring that this is not the final, but you are coming, you are very near. You are only another one step—after that only comes the roof.

So: Interior, subtler, more pervasive than this which you already know. Anyaḥ, different from it. Antaraḥ, which is inside, which has filled, because of which Vijñānamaya kosha is functioning. And what is the name of this last kosha? Ānandamaya Antaraḥ.

So now that last śrīt—and that is also a śrīt. And why it is a śrīt, we are going to talk about it.

The Shape of Ānandamaya Kosha

So this person, he has to come to this Ānandamaya Ātmā. And this Ānandamaya kosha, being the innermost content, fills the Vijñānamaya container, and thus borrows its human shape from Vijñānamaya.

Remember: Vijñānamaya borrowed its human shape from Manomaya. Manomaya borrowed it from Prāṇamaya. Prāṇamaya borrowed it from Annamaya. Annamaya borrowed it from—Annamaya did not borrow, need not borrow. It has got a concrete human shape.

The other—why? For contemplation, ease of contemplation. We need certain idea: "How to worship Brahman?" Brahman has no name, no form. Therefore no name, no quality. And therefore we have to be instructed: "Oh, this is how you will meditate." It could be Kālī. It could be Rāma, etc., etc.

Description of Ānandamaya Kosha

Now Upaniṣad describes its five limbs, because it also is a kosha. It also is described as having a form. What type of form? Puruṣavidha—just like a human body.

So what are the limbs? But even though it is Puruṣavidha, it is not a head, it is not the hands, it is not the middle part, it is not the legs. But it consists of something most wonderful—Ānandamaya Kosha, not Ānandam. That we will come later on.

The Scriptural Description

So here goes the description of this Puruṣavidha:

Tasmād vā etasmād vijñānamayāt—therefore, something other than this Vijñānamaya Kosha.

Anyaḥ—different, but it is not standing outside.

Antaraḥ—it is within the Vijñānamaya. This Vijñānamaya depends upon it. If that Ānandamaya were not to be there, Vijñānamaya will not function at all.

So that is called Ānandamaya Ātmā. Ātmā here means, remember, "My identity." "I am the Ānandamaya Kosha"—like naturally, without effort, "I am the Annamaya Kosha." And with effort I become Prāṇamaya Kosha, even more effort Manomaya Kosha, even more effort Vijñānamaya Kosha—effort should be there, sa vyeṣa.

Sa vyeṣa puruṣavidhaiva—sa, this Ānandamaya Kosha. Vā eṣa puruṣavidhaiva—its form also is just like a human being, Puruṣavidha.

But how? Tasya puruṣavidhatām—this is meant for the contemplation of one who wants to become identified with this Ānandamaya Kosha. Contemplate him thinking of him only for contemplation. Imagine like a human being.

Anvayaṃ puruṣavidha—anvayam means follow the footsteps which you have already followed in the case of Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya. Apply the same thing. Anvayam means following the earlier model, Puruṣavidha like.

The Five Limbs of Ānandamaya Kosha

And what is the description of the five limbs?

Tasya priyam eva śiraḥ

Modaḥ dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ

Pramoda uttaraḥ pakṣaḥ

Ānanda ātmā

Brahma pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā

Tena eṣa pūrṇaḥ

So: Tasmād vā etasmād vijñānamayāt—very different from this Vijñānamaya, which consists of the essence of the intellect. But interior to it, within it, is another self which consists of bliss, which is made up of bliss, whose very essence is that of bliss.

By this means, by this Ānandamaya Kosha—a former, that means the Vijñānamaya Kosha—is filled. Vijñānamaya Kosha is the outer vessel, and what is contained in the Vijñānamaya is this Ānandamaya.

Sa vā eṣa puruṣavidhaiva—this Ānandamaya Kosha too has the shape of a man.

Tasya puruṣavidhatām anvayaṃ puruṣavidhaḥ—like the human shape of the former, that means Manomaya Kosha or Vijñānamaya Kosha, which is following the Manomaya Kosha model, which is following the Prāṇamaya Kosha model, and which is following the Annamaya Kosha model. And Annamaya Kosha is not following any model, because that is its identity.

The Five Limbs Explained

And what is it?

Tasya, this Ānandamaya Kosha—sya, priyam eva śiraḥ—what is it said?

Priya—the head.

Modaḥ dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ—what is the right-sided wing or right hand? It is called Modaḥ. First Priya, then Modaḥ.

Then what is the left wing or left hand? Pramodaḥ.

And what is that middle part which really is keeping up the whole body intact? What supports the legs is the middle part. If the middle part collapses, if somebody's back is broken—what can you have? An athlete's legs—what is he going to do? Nothing is going to happen.

That which supports the whole body is called the middle part. And herein, the middle part is called Ānanda.

Ānanda Brahma pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā—and what is the Ānanda made up of? Brahma.

So it has got the legs or the tail of a bird—imagery of a bird or imagery of the human being—Brahma.

Distinguishing Kosha from Brahman

So Brahma—here Brahma means Brahman, Parabrahman.

So Priya, Modaḥ, Pramodaḥ—these three are part of the kosha, Ānandamaya Kosha. Once we transcend these three—Priya, Modaḥ, and Pramodaḥ—we come to that which is called Ānanda. And that Ānanda is not part of the Ānandamaya Kosha, but it is not even Ānandamaya, but it is Ānanda, which is Brahman.

So Ānanda ātmā, Brahma pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā—have to be separated. And they are the descriptions of the Supreme Brahman. Until that, it is the description of the kosha.

The Nature of Kosha

As I said, kosha means a sheath, a covering. A covering is always different from the covered, that which is covered.

So this person—we are covered with this dress. So we are not the dress, but we are covered by the dress. A sword is safely kept within the scabbard. You don't take a scabbard and go on fighting with people. It is only the sword. But to keep that sword from being rusted, from being injured, etc., and also so that it will not injure—if you go on wearing a sharp knife on your body, it can injure at any moment.

So one day I was sleeping, suddenly there was a sharp prick. I woke up with a startling, and then I found out there was a pin lying there. I opened some cover, some letter which was covered with that, and I forgot to remove it. So it will be like that.

Translation and Interpretation

But so this is being translated: "These three consists of Ānandamaya kosha's nature." But who is—who is making this Ānandamaya kosha filled with ānanda? Bliss is its trunk. Brahman is its tail—tail means support.

So Ānanda and Brahma to be separated. In this Ānandamaya kosha is completely different. So the limbs of the Ānandamaya are not parts of a body, but different grades of experiential pleasure.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Analogy of the Treasure

Today's class I will repeat what I told you. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa gives a beautiful analogy—in fact, two analogies.

The First Analogy

First analogy is: A person heard that some treasure was hidden in a box in a particular place. And he came to know about it, and he had no doubt about it. Tasya śraddhā eva śiraḥ—it is the information, knowledge came from a very reliable source which cannot be doubted.

So he went there with some implements. He started digging. And then he knows: "I am going to get—he knows—I am going to possess this treasure." That is called his first thing: Priyam—it is very dear. Because if we do not consider something as priyam, as dear, we will not put forth any effort.

So he started digging, and the iron rod, as it were, it suddenly made a metallic sound. And then that became Pramodaḥ. So Modaḥ—Priya became Modaḥ—means now he is convinced: "Now I have reached that box in which the treasure is there."

So he digs further, and he takes out the box. Until now it is only Modaḥ. And then he opens the box, and it is filled with invaluable treasures. And now he takes it in his hands. So now that is called Pramodaḥ: "This treasure is mine. Nobody can take it away."

Such would be the condition of a person who worships Brahman with the help of this Ānandamaya Kosha. He becomes the owner of indescribable, immeasurable bliss.

Still a Kosha

But still it is a kosha, because this—wherefrom it is being filled? Like mother filling the plate of the child until the child's stomach is full. So it is the Ānanda, Brahmānanda, that fills.

Conclusion

So this is the brief description. And why Ānandamaya kosha is also called a kosha, a limitation, not Brahman—these subjects we will discuss in our next class.

Closing Prayer