Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 77 Ch2 5.3 on 05 November 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 Anandamaya Kosha

We were studying the fifth final kosha, Anandamaya kosha. What did we study so far? This is the final transition: from Annamaya to Pranamaya, from Pranamaya to Manomaya, from Manomaya to Vijnanamaya, from Vijnanamaya finally we have come to this Anandamaya. And still, this fifth is also considered a kosha—Maya—and why that is called a kosha, a limitation, not Brahman.

Even though the word Ānanda is used, it is not called Ānanda; it is called Anandamaya kosha—duality is implied here. So we have completed the Vijnanamaya, and that brought us—brings anyone who contemplates Brahman as Vijnanamaya kosha—then his mind becomes refined, and then only he would be able even to know that there is another kosha which is within, which supports Vijnanamaya kosha, without which Vijnanamaya kosha will not function at all. And yet it is totally inward, subtler, more pervasive, and it is the controller. Without Anandamaya kosha, Vijnanamaya kosha will not work; and without Vijnanamaya kosha, Manomaya kosha will not work.

The Human Form of Anandamaya Kosha

I will give you an illustration also. We have to understand it, and this Anandamaya kosha is also imagined for the purpose of contemplation—upāsanā—having the form of a human being. And this form is followed by the Anandamaya kosha.

Understanding the Three States of Matter

Because prāṇa, like water, doesn't have any shape—any concrete thing has a shape—but as soon as it becomes liquid, it enters into the state of liquid. We all know things can be in a solid state, liquid state, or gaseous state. And if something becomes liquid, it is much more pervasive and much more malleable. And if something becomes really gaseous, it obtains more pervasiveness. Water cannot rise, but gas can rise, and that is what is happening every day of our life. So everything, every object will be in one of these three states.

What about me? What about a human being? Will he become? Yes, yes! If there is terrible fear, he becomes liquid. And if he is overcome by what we call love, attraction, or if a child uses Brahmāstra—what is the Brahmāstra a child uses? He catches hold of the mother's feet and starts crying. That is the biggest Brahmāstra! This fellow is very, very clever; he knows this is what we call what is called a stealthy cry. Then he can extract anything from mother, from father, or love. A baby comes and embraces somebody, and the parents are thinking, not understanding why this fellow all of a sudden is showing so much of love which was not there before. Maybe it is before a birthday, or he wants to extract some money for chocolates. So this is called Brahmāstra.

The Story of Swami Vivekananda's Dog

Even animals also use Brahmāstra. Once Swami Vivekananda got very angry with his dog called Bagha, and he told, "I don't want you around, so get lost!" And somehow Swamiji's dog, it understood, so it started going round and round Swamiji's feet, and it used Brahmāstra. What can this poor Brahman do? He became melted, said, "Alright, be here."

The Structure of Anandamaya Kosha

So for the sake of contemplation, we imagine every kosha—excepting Annamaya kosha. There we don't need to imagine; it is already having a concrete form. We have to imagine in the case of the other four koshas. This is, as I said, for the sake of contemplation.

And what does this form contain? How is it to be described? So sa eva eṣa puruṣa-vidha eva—this Annamaya kosha also, following the Vijñānamaya kosha, should be imagined like the form of a human being. Tasya puruṣa-vidhātām—just like a human form—anvayam puruṣa-vidhaḥ—following the Vijñānamaya kosha form, which follows the Manomaya kosha form, which follows the Pranamaya kosha form, and which of course takes the clue from the Annamaya kosha.

The Components of Anandamaya Kosha

So what does this Annamaya kosha, the subtlest of the, the last of the koshas, contain?

Tasya priyam eva śiraḥ - Priya (joy) is its head
Modaḥ dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ - Moda (delight) is its right wing
Pramoda - Pramoda (greater delight) is its left wing
Ānanda ātmā - Bliss is its trunk
Brahma puccham pratiṣṭhā - Brahman is its tail, its support

So joy is its head, delight is its right wing, greater delight—pramoda—is its left wing, bliss is its trunk, Brahman is its tail, its support.

Understanding Priya, Moda, and Pramoda

There are three limbs: priya, moda, pramoda. To understand this properly, we discussed Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful analogy of a person who came to know for definite there is a treasure.

The Psychology of Action

This is a very important part of psychology which I repeated umpteen number of times. We will not be inclined to take any action unless we believe that:

What we are going to obtain is available
It can be obtained
It gives us tremendous benefit—in this case, joy

Everything is for ānanda only! If someone says, "I want lot of money, position, power," it's for ānanda only, finally. If it doesn't give ānanda, these make no meaning at all.

Sri Ramakrishna's Treasure Analogy

So Sri Ramakrishna's analogy: somebody has a faith—we already discussed about this faith. What is this Manomaya consisting of? Vedic knowledge, that was intellectual knowledge, mental knowledge. But when it comes to Jñānamaya kosha, śraddhā eva śiraḥ—śraddhā, 100% faith.

How does 100% faith come? Because you follow tentatively, like following the steps of any scientific experiment, and then surprisingly it proves to give the effect of which we already have read about it, know about it intellectually, and then experimented, hoping that it will prove to be right, and it proves to be right. We take a second experiment, I mean from the scriptures, and that proves to be giving the exact result that has been promised, and that is how, just like muscles, even faith also increases. We start with a belief that turns into a faith that matches into śraddhā—means even the doubt "may be it may not give the result," that doubt will never raise its head. That has been smashed, destroyed long back, and that is called śraddhā.

The Role of Faith

And that śraddhā is the very head, the central part. So if we are not convinced that something is not real or true, even the propensity, the desire "I must acquire it" will not come. So that is why it is called Vijñānamaya kosha. Vijñānamaya kosha means buddhi kosha. Function of the buddhi is absolute determination.

Till the mind level, may be, may not be, because cogitation is there. But once a person reaches, "No, I have decided to do," and how did I decide to do? Because I have this faith—it is real, it is not imaginary, and it is going to give me the greatest benefit. Always we have to keep these two points:

Something must be believed to be real (even if something is unreal, if one believes it is real, he will take action)
Anything that is real will not propel us to do something; it must be beneficial—either duḥkha nivṛtti or sukha prāpti (either we get rid of unhappiness, even to some extent, or obtainment of sukham which we are not having right now)

Even if we are happy, we want to be more happy, and that is the key.

Psychological Analysis

If we analyze, this psychological analysis is a most wonderful analysis. Finally, what does Anandamaya kosha reveal? That everything that we do: we are born because of ānanda, we live because of ānanda, we also die because of ānanda only. In fact, we all do that—albeit unconsciously.

So if someone has become a gṛhastha, a married person, and he believes, "I am the happiest person, and this is my beloved wife, these are my most beloved children, and even if I die, I will have to provide for them, I will have to protect them, and if necessary I would like to give my own life, I will be the first person to offer my life"—mother also will do the same thing—but for what purpose? Because I get ānanda. Ānanda is the very basis.

But this fifth kosha, it is a kosha. That means what? This ānanda comes because it is divided. "I don't have ānanda" is first division. "If I can add to myself these things, there is a likelihood I am sure about it, I will be at least more happy, and let me do it." So this is how pañca koshas work all together for the sake of ānanda.

रसो वै सः । रसं ह्येवायं लब्ध्वाऽऽनन्दी भवति ॥

raso vai saḥ | rasaṃ hyevāyaṃ labdhvā''nandī bhavati

In this very Taittirīya Upaniṣad we have seen earlier: if a person doesn't get, obtain happiness, he would not like even to live. We are born because of ānanda, we are living in the hope of becoming happy and obtaining more happiness, and again we want to become merged in happiness. Even janma, sthiti, and laya—all are based upon this desire for ānanda only.

Sri Ramakrishna's Detailed Examples

First Analogy: The Treasure

So this is the analysis that we are seeing it. So I said, Sri Ramakrishna had given some analogies. First analogy I already discussed about it: a person came to know there is treasure, and he knows where to dig. He digs, and he is anticipating, "There is a treasure here; soon I am going to obtain it." That is called priya.

Then when the iron rod, the digging rod, touches the top of the box which was buried there—that Sri Ramakrishna was a marvelous storyteller—as soon as it touches like that, a sound comes, metallic sound, and this person's heart leaps in greater joy. "Yes, unless there is a metal box, a sound would not come." So that is called moda.

And then he praises the box and opens the lid and beholds the treasure, and then he finds the greatest joy. That is called pramoda.

Simple Explanation

To put it in simple words: to desire something and with the faith that "I can obtain it," even the very thinking about that object, that is called priya. And when we behold that object and touch the object, that is called moda. When we start enjoying that object, that is called pramoda.

Suppose somebody says, "I know there is a sweet, and it is my favorite sweet; it gives me greatest joy"—that is priya. Then he obtains that; it is in his hands; he has not yet started eating—and that is called moda. And he puts it into his mouth—that is called pramoda.

Understanding the Limitation (Kosha)

This is how priya, moda, pramoda—these are the three important limbs of this Anandamaya. And yet we should not forget kosha. Why? Because before, the object is not there, and afterwards also the object will not be there. In the case of this example of the sweet: sweet was not there, it has to be obtained, it was obtained and it is put into the mouth, sweet disappears, and then after a few hours again a person longs for it. So that which comes and goes, that is called kosha—limited happiness means finite happiness. Finite happiness means that which was not there, is there, and will not be there. That is called finite happiness.

The Two Additional Components

But these are the three things—priya, moda, pramoda—only these three parts belong to the Anandamaya kosha. But two more are there: Ānanda ātmā—where from is this person deriving? From ātman! That is why it is called ātmānanda. Ātmānanda is eternal, ātmānanda is pure existence, and this ātmānanda and brahmānanda are the same.

That is why it is said brahma puccham pratiṣṭhā. Ānanda ātmā—here the word ātmā, that means that which is the source, this very storehouse, the very support of everything. And that, when we are obtaining a little bit of it, that is why it is called—it is the central part of the human body, like our backbone. If our back is broken, we are broken. Not only we, whether it is a dog or a cow or any animal, you break the back, and it becomes invalid.

But finally, it is not my ānanda, your ānanda—it is infinite ānanda, everybody's ānanda. That is why it is called brahma puccham pratiṣṭhā. This ātmānanda is an expression of brahmānanda, indicating ātman and Brahman are one and the same; they are not two. Ātmānanda is not a kosha; brahmānanda of course is not a kosha. This is how we will have to understand.

Technical Terms for the Three States

And certain words are given here. So for priya, what is that? Iṣṭa darśana sukham, or even iṣṭa cintajam sukham. What is the head? Even thinking about what we love, that is called iṣṭa cintajam. Cintā, that means thought; that which is born of thought. Iṣṭa means that which is most loved, beloved, liked. That is compared to priya.

Then what is moda? Moda is iṣṭa darśana sukham—when we behold some object, some person, or some place, whatever it be. That only condition: we should love it. And we don't love that which doesn't give sukha. Nobody loves anything that will not give happiness. That is why it is called iṣṭa darśana sukham. This sukham that is born of beholding—it is no more a thought.

That is what Sri Ramakrishna says: when this man beholds the box, he is 100% convinced that "I obtained it; all that requires is open the lid and start enjoying it." So you open the tin and start popping it into your head—mouth—and then what is the next higher happiness?

Pramoda, what is pramoda called? Iṣṭa anubhava sukham. Anubhava means direct experience. Even if your most beloved sweet is one billimeter away from your tongue, you won't understand how it tastes like, and therefore iṣṭa anubhava—anubhava means what? Sukham.

The Nature of Happiness

And now we have to go little bit deep and say that this is the highest degree of happiness. Earlier, many times I mentioned, what is sukham? Forgetfulness of subject and object, forgetfulness of what we call time, forgetfulness that there is anybody else other than us. That is called happiness.

And in all the three things, a person is thinking of some beloved object. So long as, if it is beloved, he can't think of anything else. To the degree of the love, one forgets time, space, causation in all the three states—priya, moda, and pramoda. This forgetfulness of the second—that is why what is ānanda? That forgetfulness of the second is called ānanda.

So in all the three times, the subject-object dvaita, division, separation, is forgotten, but temporarily. Only when we become obtained or become one with Brahman, it is permanent; everything else temporary.

Why Suṣupti is Called Anandamaya Kosha

That is why even suṣupti is called Anandamaya kosha. Why? Because there is no subject-object division. There is no mind, there is no, of course, awareness of the body, and therefore there is no awareness of time, space, and object. And therefore subject-object is not there, which means only subject is there, object is not there. That means there is an experience there.

Is it temporary or permanent? How long can you be in deep sleep? Whether it is after five hours or ten hours, one has to come out. Because that is called kāraṇa śarīra. Kāraṇa means the seed of waking state and dream state are already there. So we discussed these things.

Second Example: Siddhi

Now very briefly, I will mention the second example of Ramakrishna is called siddhi. Here this is not yoga siddhi. There is a word used—there is a kind of paste made up of some intoxicating materials. If anybody prepares it, then, like let us say a drug or a drink, intoxicating drink—so some people, they want to eat that one. In North India it is very common.

There is a kind of herb; it grows wild. And if it is just in the form of the leaf, so it will be very mild. Then one can put it in dāl, etc., cook it like any other vegetable and eat it. Even this what we call in Bengali opium seed—posto—that is also very intoxicating, only not too much, not like opium. Poppy seed, ultimately in a particular manner when it is prepared, we call it opium. But this will have some effect. In some countries, even these poppy seeds, if someone is carrying, they are liable to be arrested and put in jail.

But what I am trying to tell you is that there are people who are addicted to this siddhi. And Śiva is supposed to be bhāṅg ke vibhor Bholanāth. So Śiva had very nice big dose of this bhāṅg, and his dancing which is death to all the three worlds. So that is a kind of leaf is there. So many types of varieties of what is called this type of things are there, all prepared from plants, etc. So there is a way of preparation.

Application of the Example

So somebody is addicted to it. Sri Ramakrishna saw it, and he is telling: the very thought of the siddhi, "I am going to be intoxicated"—you can probably imagine a cigarette or a chūraṭ, etc., in a mild way of speaking. So like that, here is a person who wants to have it, and it becomes addictive. That is why, like heroin, once somebody forcibly injects it, that person becomes a bond slave, very difficult to get out of it.

Probably the very thought of heroin will make him forget the whole world. Then he has to obtain it by hook or crook. Somehow he obtained it, and then the very sight, "It is in my hands now"—that is equivalent to moda. And then he injects or imbibes, whatever it is—that is called pramoda.

So these are the Anandamaya kosha's three parts. And with these three parts only, the Anandamaya becomes kosha. But the last two, unlike the other koshas' descriptions, which is Ānanda ātmā, the central part, that which supports the whole personality, that is called ātmā—the feeling "I am existent." That is called ātmānanda.

And this ātmānanda—your ātmānanda, my ātmānanda, everybody's ātmānanda—is supported only by one ānanda. That is called Brahmānanda. This is the ultimate revelation that is what we have to understand. Brahma puccham pratiṣṭhā—bliss is the self, and the foundation for this bliss of the self is Brahma puccham pratiṣṭhā—means support.

Understanding Support (Pratiṣṭhā)

What does support mean? If Brahman doesn't support—that is, brahmānanda is not there as a support or as a supplier—whether it is:

Annamaya kosha ānanda
Pranamaya kosha ānanda
Manomaya kosha ānanda
Vijñānamaya kosha ānanda
Anandamaya kosha ānanda

...will not exist.

As I described earlier:

Annamaya kosha is supported by Pranamaya kosha ānanda
Pranamaya kosha is supported by Manomaya kosha ānanda
Manomaya kosha is supported by Vijñānamaya kosha ānanda
And Vijñānamaya kosha is supported by Anandamaya kosha ānanda
Anandamaya kosha ānanda is supported by Brahman

That is called pratiṣṭhā—support. What is support? It is a foundation. Without foundation, there can be no building. In fact, without foundation, you cannot even stand. If the earth is not there to support you, you will not be there at all. And it should be steady—that is a condition.

Ānanda versus Anandamaya: The Critical Difference

So now we will discuss very briefly: what is the difference? "You are making big deal of ānanda is the ātmā, Brahman is the puccham, priya, moda, and pramoda are part of the koshas, limitations. Kosha means limitation. What is the big deal of difference?"

So here is the difference:

Ananda versus Anandamaya

Anandamaya is limited, whereas ānanda is infinite. So Anandamaya is the sheath of experienced pleasure, an object of the mind. It is a thought. You think of something beloved—that is a thought. And you obtain it—"I have obtained it"—is another thought. And you put it and try to experience it through any of the five sense organs. You can touch it, you can smell it, you can hear it, or you can taste it, or you can experience through all the five sense organs, whatever it is, it is all touch only, actually. When the object touches all the five sense organs in different ways, then only that result will come. Ānanda will come.

Experienced versus Non-Experiential

So what is this Anandamaya? The experienced pleasure. What do we mean by experienced? Before you experience, it is not available for experience. That which begins at some point of time, continues perhaps for a short time—and hence ānanda always doesn't last for more than a millisecond. That's why it is called kṣaṇikamātra. There is nothing called continuing pleasure. Every continuing pleasure: you eat one sweet, and for a flash of a moment you have ānanda, and next time you have to put another bite, and that also will come to an end.

So Anandamaya is the sheath of experienced pleasure. Experienced pleasure—if you analyze, there is an experiencer, there is an experienced object, and the union of the subject and object, then only this ānanda will come out.

The original brahmānanda is non-experiential. You don't experience it because it is not a second object; it is you. So you don't say, "I experience myself." You can say, "I experience my body." You can say, "I experience my mind." You can say, "I experience my happy or unhappy thought." But you cannot say, "I experience myself."

This is a very subtle point which you need to hear and to think and to make your own understanding.

Non-Fluctuating Nature

So this brahmānanda is non-experiential. It is non-fluctuating—that means it is not limited by time. It doesn't start at a particular point of time, and it doesn't end at a particular point of time. It is ever-present nature of the self, like light. So if we say sunlight, then the sun and the sunlight can never be separated. Sun means light; light means sun. Even when you say lamp-light, a lamp is only a small sun you have to understand.

Why Anandamaya Kosha is Not Brahman

The Example of Suṣupti

Simple example: suṣupti, the third state of our experience, is called suṣupti, and that is also called Anandamaya kosha. Because there is no object, you yourself are the subject, you yourself are the object. But suṣupti also, there is a point of time when you start forgetting, there is a point of time when you start becoming aware of either waking state or dream state. That's why it is called kāraṇa. Kāraṇa means cause. A cause is time-bound always.

So that is one example: just like our suṣupti, which is called Anandamaya kosha comes to an end, begins at a time, point of time, and comes to an end. And that which comes, begins at point of time and ends in a point of time—that is what is called limited by time, space, and object.

Five Reasons Why Anandamaya Kosha is Not Brahman

First: It is Full of Bliss (Mayat)

So first of all, what is this? This Anandamaya kosha, it consists of bliss. That's why it is said the pratyaya called mayat. Maya means full of, saturated with—just like a sponge is saturated with water, but sponge also can be without water. So Anandamaya also, we don't experience Anandamaya only when we enter into Anandamaya. Then ānanda saturates that kosha. When you are in Anandamaya kosha: headache, stomach ache, romantic ache—so many aches are there. So it is all the koshas are called maya, full of. Anandamaya kosha is greater bliss, more bliss—not infinite bliss, not that which is beyond time.

Second: It is a Sheath (Kosha)

Secondly, it also says it is a sheath. That's why it is called Anandamaya kosha. Kosha means what? That which keeps something inside it, like the—like a scabbard keeping a sword.

Third: It Has Parts

Thirdly, so this Anandamaya kosha is consisting of parts. It has a head, it has a right hand, a left hand, a right wing, left wing, etc., and then a back, etc.

Fourth: It Has Attributes

Fourthly, so Brahman is described as attributeless—nirviśeṣa—but this is described, this Anandamaya kosha is described as having the ānanda; that is also an attribute. So if there is no ānanda, Anandamaya kosha cannot be called Anandamaya kosha. If there is no water, water bottle cannot be called a water bottle. If there is no oil in the lamp, it cannot be called a lamp. It may look like a lamp, but it is a useless object.

Fifth: It is Supported by Brahman

So lastly, it is said this is Brahman is the support—that means Anandamaya kosha is a supported. So the Brahman is not supported by anybody. So what is it supported by? Brahman is supported by Brahman only. Anandamaya kosha is supported by Brahman. Therefore, Anandamaya kosha is an effect like any other sheath.

Movement Between Koshas

And just as we are moving from one sheath to the other sheath, how are we moving? When you are hungry, then you see—when you are tired and when you are hungry, what are you remembering? "I don't have food." When you are tired, "I don't have energy." At that time you are in Anandamaya kosha. And your mind is racing here and there, or it has become dull. Say, "My mind is not working." If mind doesn't work, do you think buddhi will work?

And buddhi not able to decide: "That also looks okay, this also looks okay. Whom shall I marry? This girl or that girl, and the other girl looks even better." Like that, this indecision go on making us suffer like anything. And that is what happens when you attend a rich buffet dinner. Every item looks so tempting, and you are not able to decide—there are South Indian dishes, North Indian dishes, and Western dishes, Mexican dishes, Japanese dishes. My God, the mental torture! If only I had been like Kumbhakarṇa or Vṛkāsena—you wish you were one of them at that time. No, unfortunately you are, especially in old age. That is why dṛṣṭi bhoga—only you have to learn how to be satisfied by just looking upon them, or at best touching half a spoonful.

Sri Ramakrishna's Example of Dependency

So all because of all these reasons, it is dependent. Sri Ramakrishna gives a brilliant example. He says there was a village, there was a big zamīndār, that landlord, and some poor man had taken him to court. And everybody knows this poor man has no capacity to take the landlord to the court, but they guessed that some other bigger landlord is indirectly supporting this fellow, and he doesn't want to be known. And so the zamīndār, the landlord, also understands that "This man cannot be put down. I have to work hard. I don't know whether I am going to win or not." So that is dependency. This poor man is dependent directly or indirectly on somebody else.

Anandamaya Kosha's Multiple Dependencies

And this Anandamaya kosha is also totally dependent. What is it dependent upon? Brahman, for getting ānanda. Not only that—you should be surprised—it is not only dependent on brahmānanda. Brahman is ready to give anything that we want. But you see, it is dependent upon Vijñānamaya kosha: "I want to be happy, and how can I be happy? Obtain some sweets."

So which is sweet? Vijñānamaya kosha goes hard—hard work. "That particular sweet in that particular shop is very good." And then Vijñānamaya kosha, it tells to the mind—it is dependent upon the Manomaya kosha—so "Find out." And then this fellow says, "Traffic jam, and it takes time." So "How quickly can I get?" So it is furiously thinking in various ways how to fulfill the wishes of its master, which is called Vijñānamaya kosha.

And then the mind calls finally and says to the prāṇa, "Hurry up and be full of energy. And if necessary, run to that place." And the Pranamaya kosha commands the poor legs: "Even if you are aching, our master wants to eat, so you go there, run, and obtain those things and come back in the shortest possible time."

So Anandamaya kosha simply wants to be happy, but it is dependent first of all upon all the other koshas, and it is also of course dependent upon Brahman. Because without brahmānanda, no object in this world is going to give any ānanda.

Brahman as the Ultimate Support

So śrita—bliss describes Brahman in its aspect of the support. Pure Brahman alone can support. That is why it is called pratiṣṭhā. And what is pratiṣṭhā? That is support.

But then brahmānanda, we have to understand, is identity with whatever be the pleasure. And this happiness is divided into several parts:

If it is very momentary, it is called pleasure
If it is spontaneous, it is called joy
If it is long time lasting in spite of ups and downs, that is called happiness

All these are dependent. But if it is not dependent upon anything, then only it is called ānanda—not Anandamaya kosha, but ānanda.

So Brahman alone is the support for existence. Brahman alone is the support in the form of pure knowledge. Brahman alone is the support in the form of pure ānanda—for sat, for cit, for ānanda is Brahman. In devotees' language, God alone is the support for the whole world.

The Teaching of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad

And this is described so marvelously in this Taittirīya Upaniṣad: if someone doesn't get happiness, he would not—ko hyanyāt kaḥ prāṇyāt—who would like to live, who would like to breathe? If somebody is not happy, he would not like to breathe. But then he lives in the hope that "Now I am not happy, but in future I will be happy." It is that hope of being happy that sustains life.

So "If I study, I will get good job. If I get a good job, then I will get a good family. If I get a good family, I will be a happier person, and I will have expansion of my own self in the form of my children," etc. So limitation is expanded. That is, when it is severely limited, it is called pleasure, and when it is a bit more expanded, that is called ānanda. This is the difference between sukha and ānanda.

The Analogy of the Eyes and Mirror

So somebody has given a beautiful example: that brahmānanda or Brahman or ātman is compared to our original eyes. I have eyes, and my eyes can see everything. How to see my eyes? What is the way to see my eyes? There is only one way: you bring a mirror, and then you see. Then your own eyes, reflected eyes can be seen. Original eyes cannot be seen.

So that is analyzed beautifully:

Characteristics of Original Eyes

The original eyes are the imperceptible seer which never undergoes any change
The reflected eyes in the mirror are a perceptible object like any other object
The original eyes are always present, whether there is a reflection, whether there is no reflection—original eyes are always there
Original eyes have no grades of clarity

Characteristics of Reflected Eyes

The reflection, reflected eyes can be clear, can be distorted, can be dull, depending upon the quality and the dust that settles down on the mirror

The Proof of Original Eyes

So the very experience of the reflected eyes is the proof of the existence of the original unseen eyes. Because even if a blind man stands in front of a pure mirror, he can never see neither the original eyes nor the reflected eyes. So our eyes are the very proof of the experience of the original eyes. No other proof is needed. Whether there is reflection, no reflection, my eye proves itself by seeing everything else.

Application to Worldly Happiness

Similarly, every fleeting worldly happiness called koṣānanda:

Annamaya koṣānanda
Pranamaya koṣānanda
Manomaya koṣānanda
Vijñānamaya koṣānanda
Of course, Anandamaya koṣānanda

they are all reflections.

And this analogy of the mirror is:

Annamaya koṣānanda is like looking into our own ānanda in the most dullest, dust-covered mirror
Pranamaya koṣānanda—much more clear
Manomaya koṣānanda—even more clear
Vijñānamaya koṣānanda—even more clear
Anandamaya koṣānanda is the clearest

But these are all comparative, fleeting, what is called mirror effects. But you close your eyes.

The Upaniṣadic Teaching

Āvṛtta cakṣuḥ amṛtatvam icchan—Upaniṣad describes beautifully. God created the whole world and our sense organs so that they can only see outside. But after long experience, then we want to turn them inside, seek inside, for what purpose? Amṛtatvam icchan—that is, desiring liberation or immortality.

Conclusion of the Fifth Anuvāka

So this anuvāka, fifth anuvāka, called Anandamaya koṣānanda description, concludes by stating that a final mantra will follow to reinforce this supreme teaching. These sections describe the five sheaths which constitute every embodied creature, and we know they are:

Annamaya
Pranamaya
Manomaya
Vijñānamaya
Anandamaya

So each inner one supports the outer one. For example:

Pranamaya supports the Annamaya
Manomaya supports the Pranamaya
Etc.

Completion of Pañcakoṣa Viveka

And with this, the Pañcakoṣa Viveka is over. Anandamaya kosha chapter is also over.

Till now, this Taittirīya Upaniṣad, especially the second chapter called Brahmānandavallī, is guiding all of us how to identify with the outermost kosha called Annamaya kosha and make it sacred, get purified, see it as a manifestation of Brahman—not me. And then our eyes will open to the next subtler kosha. Then we identify with the subtler kosha. Then the outer kosha becomes mithyā or non-ātman or anātman.

That is how slowly we go deeper and deeper, subtler and subtler, more and more pervasive, until we reach Anandamaya. By that time, the mind becomes extraordinarily clear.

The Final Transformation

And then the analogy: like a moth which sees brilliant fire wants to immolate itself by jumping into it. So the jīvātmā cannot wait. It wants to become merged. Such is the attraction, like the magnetic hill, completely pulling the ship with all that iron things made up of iron and want to make it one with.

If anybody reaches this Anandamaya kosha, his discrimination, his intellect becomes so pure, as if seeing the brilliant light. As Sri Ramakrishna says, only a thin layer of glass is the obstruction. But like the moth, the jīvātmā breaks open that obstructing thin glass and becomes completely merged in the Paramātmā, as it is described. Jīvātmā becomes one with the Sahasrāra—Paramātmā residing in the Sahasrāra Cakra.

Transition to Next Section

With this, we have completed the Pañca Koṣa Vivavaraṇa. It is a sādhana; it is not merely intellectual knowledge.

Now certain questions might come. This we will see in the sixth section from next class onwards.

Closing Prayer