Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 85 Ch2 6.3 on 31 December 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्

पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु

Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum

pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu

ॐ सह नाववतु ।

सह नौ भुनक्तु ।

सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ हरि ॐ

OM SAHANAVAVATO SAHANAV BHUNAKTO SAHAVIRYAM KARAVAVAHAI TEJASVINAVADHITAMASTUMA VIDVISHAVAHAI OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTIHI HARIHI OM

OM May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge.

May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.

May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other.

OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL

Introduction to the Sixth Section

We are studying the sixth section of the second chapter called Brahmānandavallī of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. The sixth section tells us that the originator and creator of this entire universe is none other than God, otherwise called Brahman.

Brahman's Desire to Create

The section goes like this: that Brahman desired—so kāmayata bahusyām prajāyeyeti—"May I be born, may I become many." He desired.

Sata potapyata—whenever we desire something, we have to do something about it. I am hungry, I need food. So either I have to prepare food (for that I have to procure all the necessary ingredients), or I can go where food is sold and purchase it. But we have to do something. Then we have to eat. Will the work come to an end because of this desire? Even after eating, we ourselves have to digest. And if we have eaten things not suitable for us, then we have to go to the doctor and pay the punishment in the form of money, diet, time, etc.

So whenever anybody wants to obtain something or desire something, he has to do a lot of austerities. But Brahmā also wants to do creation. But what did he do? Sata po atapyata—he performed austerities.

The Nature of Brahman's Austerity

Here we should not say Brahman did not do, did not act. We should say he desired—his very desire became what he desired. How does it happen? Just like when we have a dream, then we desire (or we desired the dream), and we became the dream, and we became every single object—living, non-living, visible, invisible, that which has support, that which is not having support. So all these things we have become. That is what the Upaniṣad and the teacher wants to convey to his students.

So Brahman desired. Naturally the question that comes is: Why did Brahman create? That is a very important question. But before that, we have to understand: tapaḥ means just the thought of Brahman becomes creation. But it is also said that Brahman had done this one so many times—not one time, but an infinite number of times. So as if he had prepared a mould, and then poured himself. The mould also was himself, what he poured also himself. Later on we will come to know. We have discussed actually that he entered into it. Briefly we will discuss these things.

Why Did Brahman Create?

What did we talk about this in our past classes? Brahman does and cannot have desires. Desires can be only to people who do not have anything—that is, finite beings. It means there are so many things which they do not have, cannot have. But Brahman, being infinite—satyaṃ jñānam anantaṃ—why do people want to desire? Because they are not happy. I am hungry, I am not happy. Therefore I need to eat food, then I will become happy. But Brahman is ānanda svarūpa. So he cannot really desire.

Two Perspectives on Creation

From the Advaitic Viewpoint:

Then why did Brahman create? It is said in the scriptures—last class I have discussed a very important point—from the viewpoint of Brahman, if you happen to meet Brahman and question him, "Why did you create?" you can never of course counter Brahman. Because, you know, because there is nothing other than Brahman. In infinity, one part of the infinity contacting the other part of infinity doesn't arise at all.

But just assuming, imagining you meet God: "Why did you create?" He would be surprised: "Did I create?" Because he doesn't know what he does. That is from the Advaita point of view.

From the Dualistic Viewpoint:

From our point of view, from the viewpoint of dualistic schools of philosophy, the answer is that God created the worlds for the welfare of the jīvas. And jīvas have to progress in spiritual life, and they think they are bound, and they desire liberation for the sake of liberation. So this world is a wonderful place where they can fulfill their desires and gradually attain dispassion, and then desire only God, desire only to know "Who am I?" It is for this purpose God created.

And the second purpose is: different jīvas have created different results of past karmas. According to what they did, some will be given birth for the sake of suffering, some will be given opportunity to enjoy. But the purpose of both is to make them develop dispassion, discrimination, and then finally turn their attention towards God. That is the real purpose.

The Process of Creation

So Brahman desired to create this world for the sake of our spiritual progress, our evolution. And then what did he do? He thought, "How can I create?" So he had a ready-made mould, just like goldsmiths, blacksmiths. And in fact, AI creates only the mould. Every code is nothing but a mould. If you create this macro, then it will perform this function. Every time you want to repeat that function, you just invoke that particular macro. This is a beautiful analogy to understand why Brahman created this world.

So as determined by the past karmas of all sentient beings, sṛṣṭi is meant only mainly for the sentient beings, living beings. But even the non-living is also Brahman, but they are also evolving. Inorganic becomes organic—that's what we have to understand in parenthesis. So the nature of the new creation is determined by the desires and actions of all of us jīvas.

Brahman Enters His Creation

And then what did he do? Tat sṛṣṭvā tad eva anuprāviśat—having created, he entered. This is called praveśa śruti. What does it mean? It means for those jīvas who would like to evolve further, so he has to be available for contemplation, for meditation, for worship. So he entered into the cave of one's own innermost heart, so that: "My children, I am always available. Anytime you turn your attention, your face towards me, I am available." So that is the meaning of entering.

He entered into the creation and he enlivens everything. He is running like a puppeteer, running everything. But finally, so that we can turn our attention towards him, we have to withdraw our attention from the externality to inside our heart. That is the real meaning of anupraveśa śruti.

So he has entered means he is available. Up to this we saw in our last class.

How Brahman Became the Creation

Then how did he become this creation? He did not create—he became, like clay becomes various pots. Any object made up of clay is a manifestation of clay. It is not that clay is sitting separately and creating something. So Brahman was the material cause, Brahman was the intelligent cause, Brahman was the instrumental cause. Everything is Brahman.

Now we will continue: Tad anupraviśya—having entered, that means having manifested. And how he wants to manifest: first he will manifest as Saguṇa Brahma. Brahma appears to be Saguṇa Brahma, otherwise also called Īśvara. So when we count the entire external world, the entire subtle world, the entire causal world, the name is Saguṇa Brahma. Another name is Īśvara. Another name is Śakti.

That is why every day we sing: Sṛṣṭi sthiti vināśānāṃ śakti bhūte sanātane, guṇāśraye guṇamaye nara nināmostute.

Brahman assumed, as if, various names and forms, including ignorance, where he wants to play a solitary game with himself, which we called it līlā in earlier classes.

The Manifestations of Brahman

How did he become? In how many forms was he manifesting? And that is being described here.

Tat anupraviśya—having desired to manifest himself, what did he become?

First Pair: Sat and Asat (Manifest and Unmanifest)

Satyaś ca tyatyaś ca abhavat

Niruptaṃś ca aniruptaṃś ca

Nilāyanāṃś ca anilāyanāṃś ca

Vijñānāṃś ca avijñānāṃś ca

Satyaṃś ca anṛtaṃś ca

Satyam abhavat

Having created all this, he entered into it. Having entered into it, he became both the manifest and the unmanifest, the defined and the undefined, the supported and the unsupported, the intelligent or the conscious and the non-conscious, and three types of forms of reality. We will discuss these things.

So first: sat ca, tyat ca, abhavat—sat and tyat, two words are used. What does it become?

Sat means that which has a form, whatever we are able to experience. Form doesn't mean only what the eyes see, what the skin touches, what the nose smells, what the tongue tastes, what the ears hear. All these are called: sound form, taste form, touch form, smell form. Form means what? That which is experienceable by each of these sense organs. That is called a form. Because if it is not experienceable, it cannot be called a form—it has to be called as formless.

So form means what? Experienceable object. That is how we have to understand.

So he became both what is called visible and invisible, manifest and unmanifest, form and formless. That is what it becomes.

Unmanifest doesn't mean non-existent. Unmanifest means it is not there. Most of the things that we experience are like that only.

Simple Example

You are walking in the street, imagine like that, and you meet a person, and then you become introduced. So as soon as you are able to see the person, and somehow you meet and you introduce yourself to him or to her, and vice versa.

So until you saw that person, was that person existent or non-existent? He was existent, but he was invisible, unmanifest.

We have been discussing in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad Pañcāgni Vidyā. This baby suddenly is born. We can even see the baby even when the baby is in the womb in a tiny form. Nowadays instruments are there. So suddenly wherefrom has this baby come? So we are able to see or photograph only when we are able to experience that baby through our eyes, ears, etc. Touching and other things of course will come later on after the birth of the baby.

But either we are seeing through the form of photography or X-ray, whatever you call it—that is also seeing. Like we enjoy seeing on the cinema screen or on the mobile phone or laptop computer, things that are happening, hear things. These two things clearly so far we are able to understand.

But who can say science cannot develop in future? Already they are producing smell. So if somebody is showing you a fragrant rose somewhere, they have already incorporated all the chemicals which produce that particular fragrance into your computer. And as soon as the electronic communication takes place and your machine understands, and it combines these chemicals and it produces—you can actually smell.

So they say even touch or taste also probably they will produce. No wonder about it. Brahman had already produced all these things.

So sat means visible, manifest, experienceable. And tyat means not non-existence, but that which is subtle. So another word for non-manifestation is subtle. So that is called tyat. Sat means experienceable. Tyat means that which is not yet experienceable, but it is very subtle.

Second Pair: Nirukta and Anirukta (Defined and Undefined)

Then what is the second? Whatever we are able to experience—for example, you see a pot, and immediately you will say it has a name. Nirukta means a name, a definition, so that we can convey it for other people. Niruktaṃ ca, aniruktaṃ ca—two things.

Nirukta means that which is gross world we are experiencing. The experienced world is called gross world. And that which is experienced through the body and through the sense organs, that is called the gross world. But when we experience through the mind, it is called subtle world. And when it is experienced but without names and forms, that is called causal world.

So only two: experienced (that means visible, experienceable) and that which is in a subtle state, called non-manifestation. So manifested and non-manifested.

So everything that is manifested, in order to transact, we will have to give it a name. And this nirukta means definition. If somebody asks you, "What is a mango tree?" then you will have to give a definition. It is a huge tree. It grows in tropical climate, and it yields beautiful fruits, and then it is very desirable by most of the people. And one has got śravaṇa jñāna. And then if you have photographs or even videos, they are the same. Then you can show: "This is how a mango tree looks, and mango fruit looks like that."

But only when it is brought to you physically, you can touch it, you can smell it, you can taste it—then you know 100%. This is called mango.

So that which can be defined is called niruktam. Ukta means to be described. Aniruktam means non-describable—not non-existent, but unmanifest. Everything that is unmanifest at some point of time, that is called subtle, or it can be called causal also.

So to experience them, we also need proper instruments called the mind, called the causal world. But in suṣupti, that is what we experience.

So nirukta means visible, experienceable, gross world. Anirukta means sūkṣma prapañca, subtle world, which can be experienced not by the gross body and senses, but subtle body and subtle senses.

So aniruktam means that which, like—you know, the niruktam is that which can be defined, like jāti, guṇa, kriyā, sambandha, rūḍhi, etc. But aniruktam means that which remains unmanifest, and that subtle world is called aniruktam because it cannot be clearly defined as we can define a clearly experienceable, visible, or experienceable object.

That is why the most wonderful thing in our life is: we think something, we speak something, and we act in a different way. And most of the time, the tragedy of this situation is: most of the time we do not know what is our mind thinking, what is our unconscious thinking. And we have been specially trained to behave hypocritically.

For example, we meet somebody whom we hate, if not dislike. But we put on a bright, sweet smile. "Oh, it is so nice, so lovely to meet you. Looking forward to meet you." For the sake of etiquette, there are even presidents, prime ministers are not immune to this. There are so many presidents—they want to be honored highly, given Nobel Prize, even though everybody knows. And they want to name anything new in their name. You can probably guess what I am talking about.

Third Pair: Nilāyana and Anilāyana (Supporter and Supported)

So first thing that we have seen: sat and tyat. The second: niruktam, aniruktam. Because if something is experienceable, it can be described—that is called niruktam. And the opposite is aniruktam.

Nilāyanaṃ ca, anilāyanaṃ ca—nilāyana means that which gives shelter. Anilāyana means that which receives shelter. What is visible to the eye and also which is the basis for what is not visible.

Beautiful Example

Again, you see a person who is visible. And what do you see? You will see a physical personality, and you presume in your mind: "So I know some people who look like this, and their character is like this. So this person's character also must be like that." Pure guess. We don't know.

How many people mistook Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa for a madman, for a gardener? Only somebody had written about Swami Vivekananda: nobody can ignore Swami Vivekananda. His personality is so overwhelming. Everybody's attention is forcibly drawn, as it were, to Swami Vivekananda.

But as far as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is concerned, he is almost invisible only. If he stands within even two, three people, probably you will be drawn to somebody else, not to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

So nilāyana means that which gives shelter. Anilāyana means that which receives shelter. What does it mean? I don't know your mind, but I see your body, and your body gives shelter. Shelter to what? To your mind. So anilāyana means your mind—both your subtle as well as causal bodies.

And those bodies cannot be—they will be searching. That is why what is called some ghosts, spirits, they don't have body. And that is why they suffer so much. Because there are subtle desires. They are also like any one of us. Maybe more desires than what we have. But they have done something very wrong. That is why it takes time for them to have a physical body.

So whatever is physical—for example, another example: you see beautiful mango fruit, and that gives shelter to all that flavor, all the sweetness, all the golden pulp that is seen generally in mango fruits. So that is how we have to understand.

Another example is gas. We cannot see gas. Even if you open the cylinder, gas escapes, but you can't see. Only by hearing the hissing sound, you understand gas is going out. So many things—you can also produce gas. So gas is invisible to the eye, but the cylinder gives shelter to that gas. So you can say: cylinder is mūrtam (with form), gas is amūrtam (without form).

So this gross body is called āyatanam.

So far we have seen these three pairs. Now, what are those three pairs? Sat and tyat (with form, without form, manifest and unmanifest). Niruktam, aniruktam (that which is definable, that which is there but indefinable). Nilāyanam (that which gives shelter), anilāyanam (that which receives the shelter). Or you can also say mūrta and amūrta. All Brahman has become sat and tyat, mūrta and amūrta. So niruktam, aniruktam, nilāyanam, anilāyanam.

Fourth Pair: Vijñāna and Avijñāna (Conscious and Non-Conscious)

Now, what else did he become? When we open our eyes and look at this creation, we see two things. There are a few things which have got life, caitanya, consciousness. So we see huge mountains, and even according to our knowledge, all the mighty rivers, oceans—Atlantic, Pacific, Bay of Bengal, etc., etc. So we are seeing that they don't have consciousness according to modern scientists.

But our ancient scientists, ṛṣis, they always tell there is caitanya. Because where there is existence, there will be—where there is existence means sat. Where there is sat, there will be cit. There must be cit, there must be ānanda.

But like a person who is in a coma, he is only manifesting the first characteristic, which is existence. But he is completely unconscious. That is why we call him unconscious: sleeping unconscious, coma unconscious, etc.

And a person who is unconscious cannot say, "I am happy" or "I am unhappy." Only a conscious being can say, "I am happy" and "I am unhappy."

So vijñānaṃ and avijñānam. Look at both these pairs. You first give a word and add one "a," one letter, before the same word. It acquires the opposite meaning: nilāyanam, anilāyanam; niruktam, aniruktam; sat, asat.

In Vedānta, asat doesn't mean non-existence. In devotional lexicon, this word: nāstitā asat. Asat means unholy. A person is there, but he better not be there because of his evil type of life he is leading. But it doesn't mean he is non-existent. A non-existent person can never do either good or evil. We have to understand it.

So vijñānaṃ ca, avijñānaṃ ca. So the whole world, sṛṣṭi, creation, that we experience can be divided into: there are some creatures who are living. There are many things—we call them things. If they are creatures, we can divide, further divide them as male or female. But that which is without consciousness, jaḍam, we cannot call it either male or female. So it is called "it." We cannot call "he" or "she."

Three Types of Reality (Satyam)

Having said these things, now the Upaniṣad is describing three types of truths that we experience in our life. These three types of truths are respectively vyāvahārika satyam, prātibhāsika satyam, and pāramārthika satyam. Perhaps you recollect the meanings of it.

Vyāvahārika Satyam (Transactional Reality)

What we experience in our waking state is called vyāvahārika satyam or transactional reality. Why do we call it transactional reality, not absolute reality? Because whatever changes, that is called transactional reality.

Yes, your transaction is very true. You go to some place, you buy some object, and then you put on some new dress. All these are temporarily true. It is changing all the time. Whatever you are changing, what you put on, what you acquired, that is also changing. So changing, but for the sake of transactions, we take it for granted and we feel more of reality in it. That is called vyāvahārika satyam.

Prātibhāsika Satyam (Reflected Reality)

Then there is what is called prātibhāsika satyam. Prātibhāsaka means mirrored truth, reflected truth. That is why we say when you look at a mirror standing in front of it, you see your own image reflected there. That reflection—you cannot transact with it. Even when you transact with it, in fact, we are transacting with it.

So your hair needs oil, and your face—you want to do something. You want to dress in a particular way. You stand in front of the mirror. Since you cannot see yourself, but in the mirror you can see, you put on whatever you like: lipstick, or clean your brush, brush your hair, arrange it in a particular way. So mirror is very useful. But the moment you move away, that disappears.

Whereas in the vyāvahārika, transactional world, you move away from one mirror to the other mirror. What do I mean? These physical mirrors give your reflection, but every living thing in this world gives what is called prātibhāsika satyam. That is the third, lowest type of reality. It is only reflected reality, not even transactional reality.

What do I mean? What is fashion? Fashion means I must dress this way. So if I don't dress that way, what happens to me? Other people will not consider you fashionable, contemporary. You are living 2000 years BC, not AC. So I take the cue. "So let other people not think bad of me." That is called prātibhāsika satyam. And "I want to impress them. I am a loving person. I am a sweet person. I am an unselfish person," etc., etc. "I want that reflection of me, even though I don't want to sacrifice anything." That is called prātibhāsika satyam.

Dream is a perfect example of prātibhāsika satyam. Our waking state—what satyam is it? Vyāvahārika satyam.

Pāramārthika Satyam (Absolute Reality)

But both these satyams—just as our reflective truth, prātibhāsika satyam, depends (you have to physically stand in front of a reflective medium; if you don't, it will not give that reflection)—similarly, that reflection is dependent upon your vyāvahārika, transactional reality, transactional truth.

But just like in the same way, just as your reflection depends upon you, your transaction also depends upon another satyam. And that satyam is called pāramārthika satyam, the real reality, satyam.

And how does it happen? So every existing thing here can be divided—especially the living creature—can be divided into two parts. One part is pāramārthika satyam, then it is vyāvahārika satyam, then it is prātibhāsika satyam.

How do we understand? When I am dreaming, I am in that truth called prātibhāsika satyam. Because it is my own imaginary power. I have created myself.

Vyāvahārika satyam—I know I have not created anything, including myself. This is what most people think. But that theory has been exploded. If you have understood what is called Pañcāgni Vidyā, you yourself have created yourself, your body, your mind, your happiness, your unhappiness, everything. That is a marvelous truth.

But everything, living and non-living, carries pāramārthika satyam along with vyāvahārika satyam also.

How? How come? Because I exist, you exist. So I am born. Therefore, I become visible. Niruktam—I am given some particular name. Nilāyanam—I have been given shelter. I have been looked after until I myself become a shelter to somebody else—my children or other dependent people, etc.

But you say, what happens whether I am a baby or I am an old person? The continuing, unchanging part of it is "I am." What comes after "I am"—baby, young man, middle-aged, old age—these are all that which is changing.

Not only that: if this body dies, I don't die. The same existence continues, just like a person discarding a used up, useless dress until he obtains a new dress according to his capacity, a new birth, another beginning of another life. It is nothing but a small break in the continuation of this life.

So I exist. I can never become non-existence. Nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ. In the Bhagavad Gītā, second chapter, we get (I think sixteenth śloka) that existence can never become non-existence. And non-existence doesn't exist at all. Never.

That is—the existence is common. A rock is existing. A living creature is existing. Not only a living creature is existing, it also exists even after the body's death. It acquires another body until we get liberation.

So that is called pāramārthika satyam. And until we obtain that knowledge, discard what comes after "I am," and just become identified with simple "I am"—aham asmi. Another name for that is aham brahmāsmi. There is nothing else other than that.

Summary of the Three Realities

So from the perspective of the waking world, the dream is false. The waking world appears to be true, but as I discussed, it is not true. But even in this transactional truth, there are that which is changing and that which is unchanging. And that which is unchanging is that aspect called existence and jñānam, pure jñānam and pure ānandam. That is called Brahman. That is called pāramārthika satyam.

So that is what Upaniṣad wants to tell us now. Etat idaṃ kiñca—whatever is here, that means the entire creation, tat satyam iti ācakṣate—so that is called satyam.

So that true satyam—jñānam anantam, another word for Brahman—became all this. All this means what? Etat idaṃ kiñca—whatever is there. Īśāvāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat.

Therefore, jñānīs, the wise people, call that Brahman as satyam.

So three types of satyams we have seen: prātibhāsika (that which the reality of which is very temporary), and a little more long-lasting is called vyāvahārika satyam, and that which lasts for eternity, that is called pāramārthika satyam.

And thou art that—tat tvam asi. That is what the second chapter begins with: Brahmavit āpnoti param. The knower of Brahman identifies himself, gradually evolving from the lowest step called prātibhāsika satyam to the next higher truth (much nearer, more lasting, nevertheless changing) called vyāvahārika satyam, called waking world also—dream world to waking world. And then we also have this pāramārthika satyam.

Practical Application in Our Lives

So how do we apply this one and understand better? I want to give you an illustration in today's talk.

All of us are a combination of these three. And most of us do live most of the time only in one particular level of truth, the lowest level of truth, which is called prātibhāsika—that is imaginary truth.

So I see somebody, and I form an opinion about that person. I don't know what that person is, but whatever opinion I cherish within myself about that particular person—my action, my reaction, my desire, my non-desire, my happiness, my unhappiness—everything depends upon what I think of that person. What a marvelous thing that is. You have to understand that one.

The Problem of Self-Delusion

So we are completely unconscious of most of the people, including so-called swamis, so-called devotees who have received initiation, who have been leading so-called spiritual life for so many years—completely unconscious, self-deluded. "We are great devotees. We only dedicated our life to thinking of God. Early morning onwards, we go on chanting God's name. We do worship. We do so many things. We do this, we do that. We visit temples, we visit holy places, and we read, study scriptures, everything that they do."

But they don't know how to objectify themselves and say how selfish, how cruel. In fact, it is the religion or the leaders of religion who have been influencing their followers—oceans of blood had flown. Even today it is flowing. Religious intolerance.

If only they understand what is real spirituality, then they cannot be evil people. They cannot be selfish people. And this unconscious selfishness is called worldliness.

What a person does externally doesn't mean anything. What a person does inside, that is everything.

The Case of Enlightened Beings

And something curious also we have to understand. Suppose there is an enlightened person and he is transacting in this world, transactional world, like Janaka Mahārāja. He can be very cruel. He can punish people. He can torture them. He can exterminate them. But he remains completely conscious. "I am doing it so that others can sleep in peace."

A thief, a murderer, a robber—what to speak of a person who throws a bomb and kills thousands and thousands of people, as it has happened. And what is the tragedy of it? The people who cause this hatred expressed as wars—the ordinary people are just like you and me. They don't know anything. Sometimes they may be influenced and have some kind of thoughts, negative thoughts about other people, other countries, other cultures, other languages, other religions.

But they don't—accepting, thinking—they are completely immersed in their own worldly objects. "How can I be happy?" But it is the leaders who do that. But these leaders, they create wars. And when that war is created, there is no discrimination. Who is killed, who is injured, who is disabled, disliked, etc.

How much of this in the name of justice! Everybody justifies. They have their own peculiar, what is called rationalizations. In psychology, this is called rationalization.

But how do we cope with that? That is also Divine Mother's will only. That is true from the highest standpoint. But from the transactional viewpoint, we have to do our level best to mould our character. That's what Swami Vivekananda says: the main business of education is character formation, not to give some useless type of intellectual information.

The Path of Spiritual Evolution

So that is what Brahman is within us. Most of the people live at the lowest level. Then there are some people who become aware of what they are doing, and there is going to be a conflict, a rubbing. One part of their mind wants to do something worldly and rubbish. Another part counters it and says, "No, that is not right. It is not right even from a worldly point of view, and not to speak of scriptural point of view or God's point of view or saints' point of view."

So they are living in transactional reality. So they try to balance how to live, at the same time how to not do too much of injury. And they are much more progressive people.

Then come the people who believe in the scriptures, the pāramārthika satyam, and struggle very much. They are shunned by the world, and they will be the would-be saints.

The Purpose of the Sixth Section

So what is the purpose of this sixth section? To help us. Let us start our spiritual life from the vyāvahārika point of view, not become victims of this prātibhāsika satyam. And then only there is some hope.

And this is what is called a tremendous effort to become sādhana catuṣṭaya sampanna—a fit person to approach the scripture, to approach the teacher and understand what he said. And having faith in the second part, remove all doubts, and then transform our character.

These three: hearing the truth with faith, reflecting until the last vestige of doubts are cleared away, and superhuman struggle to transform our life into a real sādhaka, adhikārī, sādhana catuṣṭaya sampannaḥ.

So this is how evolution has started: from inorganic to organic, from organic to human beings, from human beings living in the reflective truth, progressing to transactional truth, and finally turning our face away from the world and turn our attention to spiritual truth, pāramārthika satyam, which is represented by Brahman.

Conclusion

So uttiṣṭhata, jāgrata, prāpya varān nibodhata. This is the essence of this sixth section of the second chapter called Brahmānandavallī of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad.

From next class onwards, we will be taking up the next section, which is called the seventh section, abhaya pratiṣṭhā. How is a man going to become completely fearless? Only by becoming one with Brahman, by removing all duality—alone can a person become free from desire. Desire produces fear, etc., which we will discuss in our next class.

Closing Prayer

ॐ जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म्

पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामि मुहुरुमु

Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deviṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum

pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu

May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna!