Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 87 Ch2 7.1-3 on 14 January 2026

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 Seventh Section

We are studying the second chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, Brahmānandavallī. We have just completed the sixth section or sixth anuvāka and also entered into the seventh anuvāka.

Now, earlier we have seen that, having heard the teacher, students had some doubts, especially two questions were there. If Brahman is the only cause of this world, then will a knower of Brahman attain Brahman or not? What about an ignorant person? He must also attain. Why? Because the effect, immediately after disintegration, must go back to the cause—that is the universal law. So that brings about the implied question: whether Brahman exists or not.

Further, seven reasons are given both in the sixth as well as the seventh anuvākas or sections. In the sixth anuvāka, we have seen three arguments, and that is continued. That is to say, the remaining four arguments are given in this seventh section.

The Fourth Argument: Brahman as the Uncaused Cause

Briefly, so the fourth argument goes: Brahman is the ultimate cause. Instead of saying that, he said sukṛtam svayam eva kṛtam. The word sukṛtam has two meanings. Sukṛtam means well done—su-kṛtam. Or Śaṅkarācārya gives the meaning sa ayaṃ kṛtam—he created himself.

That is a ridiculous expression. Nobody need or can make oneself. That means there is one eternal, uncaused cause, ever-existent cause, that is called Brahman. So that is the fourth argument.

The Fifth Argument: Brahman as the Source of Bliss

The fifth argument is: we see in this world so much of happiness, pleasure, joy, bliss. But all these are nothing but the smallest bit of expression of Brahman as rasa. Rasa means joy. Brahman is the only source of joy. If there is an effect called happiness, that effect must come from a cause.

For example, I am giving you a very simple example, but marvelous thoughts. Suppose I am, or anybody is, eating a very tasty snack. So he is feeling—I am, since I am eating—what happens when a person eats anything? It becomes one with him. That means, if I am eating a snack, I become one with this snack. That is why "you are what you eat" is a beautiful saying. Not only we become what we eat, but we also acquire the qualities of what we eat.

In a lighter manner, if we go on eating too many sweets, we become sweet. So, if we eat poison, then we give up our life. So, when I eat a snack or any type of food—and that should be applied to every kind of experience that can be through all the five sense organs—there is a moment when we become one with what we experience. And that second, we forget everything and we feel a peculiar type of state known as ānanda or bliss.

The Philosophical Analysis of Experience

So, a wonderful thought this is: Suppose a man is eating a sweet, and the moment he eats this sweet, he becomes this sweet. Now, this sweet is an object. Now, the first thing that happens is the object becomes subject. Then, when we analyze what is this object, it has come from earth, which came from water, etc. Finally, we land in Brahman. And this object, we think, is giving us happiness or pleasure or joy. So, that means who is giving pleasure? Brahman alone, who is the ultimate cause of everything in this universe, every created thing in this universe. It is giving us joy.

Just imagine—just present imagination, that's all. Suppose all clay has a clay flavor and sweet taste, etc. You know what happens? I am not simply making up or imagining. After a long period of earth being parched, because there are no rains, suddenly when the rain descends, especially we can notice it when the earth is pure, a kind of earthy smell, flavor comes out. Because the nature of the earth, the quality of the earth, is a smell—gandhaḥ.

So you see, what happens: since we experience that earth, we become the earth, and the nature of that earth is Brahman. Finally, and that flavor belongs to Brahman, and then we become very happy. So, every object is the descendant of Brahman, and one object is mixing up with other objects. They become as if one. So, when I eat some food, the food becomes me. That's why I become fat. If I don't, I become lean, etc., etc.

The Conclusion of the Fifth Argument

So, how wonderful this analysis is. Ultimately, Brahman alone is the cause of the happiness. This is a wonderful fifth argument that Brahman exists because the nature of Brahman is ānanda. And if I am experiencing ānanda, I must be Brahman. Because non-Brahman cannot experience ānanda. Only by temporarily becoming Brahman, we experience ānanda. This is the fifth argument.

To put it very simply: Brahman is the source. God is the source of all happiness, bliss, joy, pleasure, whatever name you call it. When it is unlimited, it is called ānanda. And when it is limited, it goes by various names such as pleasure, happiness, joy, etc. So that is the fifth argument.

The Sixth Argument: Brahman as the Life Principle

The sixth argument is that we are all alive. And when we are alive, we are also conscious. Being alive and being conscious are one and the same. So if we are alive, who is sustaining us? Who is making us alive? Because every millisecond for us to be alive, we have to borrow from Brahman. Food, otherwise called earth; water, otherwise called jala-devatā; fire, otherwise called heat; vāyu-devatā, oxygen; then ultimately life means movement.

Small or big, even plants—do they move? Yes, they move. Their roots spread. That is their movement. So, cara, acara, everything is nothing but ultimately traced to Brahman. And how are we able to live? We are born. Etovā imāni bhūtāni jāyante—it is going to come in the Bhṛguvallī. But it is briefly described here.

Brahman alone is the source of all life—prāṇa. Ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyāt, edeśa ākāśa ānando na bhagavati—that is going to, we are going to have it. This is the sixth argument. Brahman is the enlivening principle of prāṇa.

The Seventh Argument: Brahman as the Source of Fear and Fearlessness

Brahman as Fearlessness

Seventh argument: Brahman is the source of both fear and fearlessness. If I know I am Brahman, then I become fearless. Because all fear comes from the second. And Brahman is one without a second—ekam eva advitīyam. And if I know I am Brahman, I am one without a second. Since there is no second, the question of getting something or remaining something which I don't have, that doesn't arise. And therefore I become fearless.

But if I separate myself from Brahman, then that becomes cause of fear. I am different from God. I am different from others. I am different from the whole world. Everything is different from everything else. This is called dualism. Everything is separate from everything else. And this is the lowest type of philosophical thinking.

But when we climb a little bit higher, then everything is—both there is unity and there is also non-unity or diversity. That is called viśiṣṭādvaita. But the highest truth is: other than Brahman, nothing is there. Every pot is not an object existing separately from clay. Remove the clay from the pot; the pot loses its existence.

The Nature of Existence and Fear

Here, ingeniously, the ṛṣi is teaching us that when a person knows, "I am Brahman," what does he know? I am sat. I am existence. I am satyam. Sat, satyam, both are equal. Then cit and jñānam, both are equal. Ānanda and anantam—unbroken bliss is called anantam. This is the equation between satyam, jñānam, anantam and sat, cit, and ānanda.

Here I am taking only the first point: sat. Sat means existence. So Brahman is the only pure existence. And if I know I am Brahman, I know I am pure existence. Pure existence means it is eternal, one without a second. It is not produced; therefore it is not destroyable.

But if I think I am separate from Brahman or God, then I become non-existent. Because whatever is separate from existence, different from existence, that is called non-existence. So this is how ingeniously the ṛṣi is trying to tell that as soon as a person feels that he is separate from Brahman, he feels fear.

If a person knows "I am Brahman" and my existence is infinite, therefore I will never lose anything—and losing is called fear. So fear of losing doesn't arise and nobody will think about it.

Why are we closing our doors and windows when we go to bed at night? Because we are afraid there are people who will come and steal from us. But there are some places where everything is open because there is nothing for anybody to steal and nobody is going to even think of stealing. Therefore, fearlessness will be. Since there is only one being, the question of somebody coming and stealing, somebody coming and giving me something, doesn't arise. That is what he wants to say.

Brahman is both the cause of fear and fearlessness. This is the last seventh argument.

Summary of Arguments in the Seventh Section

And these four reasons we find in this—so Brahman, his last seventh argument, is the cause of both fear and fearlessness. In this seventh anuvāka at the end, Brahman is depicted as fearlessness. But in the eighth anuvāka, which is called Ānandamīmāṃsā, Brahman is depicted as the cause of fear. Bhīṣāsmāt vātaḥ pavate, bhīṣodeti sūryaḥ, etc.

So everything in this world, all the adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās, presiding deities, are functioning day and night, not unlike us.

Digression: The Nature of Work and Rest

Actually, we also are functioning day and night, albeit unknowingly. What do I mean? Do you work 24 hours a day? Yes. But you are going to sleep? Yes. That is also part of the work because the other parts of the machinery called body and mind cannot function without giving some rest for them. Otherwise, their strength will be completely broken, snapped. So even sleeping is part of that function only. Not only part of the function of action, part of the function of experience also.

We cannot go on eating permanently all the time. We cannot go on doing anything all the time. So we want to experience the same caitanya, consciousness, one way through the waking experience, another way through the dream experience, another way through the deep sleep experience.

Think over it. It is a marvelous subject. We want to experience ourselves, sport ourselves in different ways. And that is called līlā. Like a child playing, he gets tired of one toy, he takes up another toy, and then when he gets tired of it, he takes up a third toy. So he wants some break. And that break is called waking, dream, dreamless sleep. And three marvelous ways of experiencing the creation. All the three ways we want to enjoy it.

But that bliss will come when we understand: I am Brahman, I am only experiencing all the three states, I am unchanging. With that knowledge, everything becomes most enjoyable—unbroken bliss from one state of bliss to the other state of bliss, to the other state of bliss. Sometimes I want to remain as myself also. These are called the four states: jāgrat, svapna, suṣupti, turīya-avasthā. Marvelous thing.

The Mantras

So with this background—what is this background? Four more arguments, or rather I would say three and a half arguments for the existence of Brahman. The other half—Brahman is the cause of fear—will come in the first half of the next section, which is called Ānandamīmāṃsā, eighth section.

First, let me read out the mantra:

Asad vā idam agra āsīt, tato vai sat ajāyata, tad ātmānam svayam akuruta, tasmāt tat sukṛtam ucyate iti

This is the first part.

Yad vai tat sukṛtam raso vai saḥ, rasaṃ hy evāyaṃ labdhvā ānandī bhavati.

This is the second argument, or this is called the fifth argument.

Ko hy evānyāt kaḥ prāṇyāt, yad eṣa ākāśa ānando na syāt, eṣa hy evānandayāti.

Yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin adṛśye anātmye anirukte anilayane abhayaṃ pratiṣṭhām vindate.

So this is the sixth argument.

Atha sa abhayaṃ gato bhavati. Yadā hy evaiṣa etasmin udaraṃ antaraṃ kurute, atha tasya bhayaṃ bhavati. Tat tv eva bhayaṃ viduṣo amanvānasya.

This is the seventh argument or half of the seventh argument which is bhaya-rahita (fearlessness). But tat tv eva—that very Brahman. Amanvānasya—for those who do not know "I am Brahman" and are separate from Brahman, such a person is called an ignorant person. So he is called avidvān. So bhayam—tadapi eṣa śloko bhavati.

So with regard to that, there is this proof from the Ṛg Veda, because this Taittirīya Upaniṣad belongs to Yajur Veda. So it is quoting from a mantra from the Ṛg Veda that how the same Brahman becomes cause of fear. So that is going to be described later on.

But the person becomes completely fearless. Brahman alone, God alone, is the source of fearlessness. That is described in this seventh section.

Translation of the Seventh Section

So first I will read the pure translation of this seventh section. Then we will go to the analysis.

In the beginning—beginning means before creation—all this manifest universe was non-existent. Earlier I said we discussed in our last one: non-existence means not pure non-existence, but non-manifestation. It was in a state of unmanifested state, which was in the unmanifested state. This universe which we are experiencing, which is called the manifested universe, before creation, that means before becoming manifest, it was in an unmanifested state. And from that unmanifested state was born what exists, that means whatever we experience in this whole world.

So that Brahman was described as non-existent. Non-existence means what? Unmanifested, not pure non-existence, but for transactional purpose, we cannot see, we cannot hear, we cannot taste, we cannot smell, we cannot touch. That is called unmanifested state.

So, created itself by itself. That means, we go on analyzing: Where from has the pot come? From the clay. Where from has the clay come? From waters. It came from fire. It came from air. It came from space. It came from Brahman. And Brahman came from where? That is being said here. It created itself, means what? It knows "I am Brahman. I am the ultimate cause. Causeless cause." That means I am eternal. Eternal means non-created.

That's why this world is called temporary. Temporary means what? It is changing all the time. And that which is changeless, you cannot call—at one point of time, it was not there, then it was born, then it—whatever is born, is destined to die. So it is in a way of saying, it is a verbal expression, that's all, that it created itself by itself. That means it knew "I am." Therefore, it is called self-made—sukṛtam, and Śaṅkara interprets it as svayaṃ kṛtam.

So that which is self-made is of the nature of flavor, rasa, essence. For truly, on obtaining the flavor, one becomes blissful.

Deep Analysis: The Nature of Creation and Joy

That means what: if I see a source of joy, ānanda, and that must have—because a source of joy always comes from an object. Even my body is an object. My mind is an object. And this object is called creation. So, this creation itself has come from the creator. Creator manifesting as the creation.

So, what is the nature of that creator? Creator is none other than Brahman.

In this connection, we also have to recollect there are two opinions. One is really created, transformed. That is called pariṇāma-vāda. And our Advaita Vedānta says it only appears. It doesn't really become, like the famous example: when we see a snake, in our fear we think that is a snake, but actually, the snake is not there. It is only we, through our certain conditions—ignorance, semi-darkness, similarity—we think that it is a snake. But upon bringing the light, everything disappears. We find only the rope. This is called vivarta-vāda.

Vivarta means apparently it is a different object. Seemingly, it is a different object. So, pariṇāma-vāda: clearly, there is a change. Vivarta-vāda: it appears to be a change. And that change is not the rope; it is our idea about that object. Although it was nothing but pure rope only.

The Manifestation of Brahman

So, Brahman, so it is called svayaṃ kṛtam, and it is in the state of unmanifestation, non-manifestation. Then it wanted to become manifest for itself, not for me, for you. I and you do not exist. It is only Brahman. Just like in our dream, there are no neighbors, there is no other country. So, time, space, causation, everything is nothing but me.

Just like that, because of our ignorance, we think that Brahman had a desire. Creation is a false idea. Why? Because if you accept God is all bliss, why does he want to create? This is a very subtle, at the same time biggest question that should arise if it is not already arising.

Why should anybody do something? Whenever we look at ourselves, when we find ourselves we are doing something, that doing something must have a motivation, desire, kriyā. That kriyā must have a desire behind, and that desire must have a knowledge behind it. What is that knowledge? I do not have that object. I want that object. Without that, I am feeling unhappy. Therefore, let me try to obtain that object.

Whether a child is playing with dolls, a young man is playing with young woman, or a business tycoon is playing with a stock market—everybody feels I am not complete now, I am not infinite, I am lacking something, and without that I cannot be happy.

So, even time sits heavily on our head. That is called boredom, and boredom is the greatest problem now. Call it loneliness. What is loneliness? I am there, but my company becomes unbearable to myself. That means I have become so bad. Usually, one loves oneself. But in this case, we hate ourselves. I don't want my own company. So, I do something to forget myself. And that is called work.

Whether it is to earn money, whether it is to entertain ourselves, work is a distraction, work is a poison, work is alcohol. So, this is the truth.

The Question of Divine Creation

So, this whole universe is made. Where is the need for him to make? Actually, there is no need. Actually, there is no creation. But we do not know that. So, just as we know what we know about ourselves, we attribute the same idea to God also. I am unable to sit alone. So, I go on trying to forget time-space causation.

Say I am watching a movie and there also some movies bore us. So, I choose a movie which is very entertaining. And then, what is the purpose? Entertainment means what? "That was a very good movie." That means what? I could forget myself and I could think of myself as somebody else.

For example, a great cinema, very well done. There is a hero, most naturally, doesn't appear to be unnatural. He is doing heroic, very plausible, heroic activities, and I forget myself, identify myself with that hero, and that is desirable by me. So, at least I cannot do anything, not even one billionth part of it in my day-to-day life. But I am the most handsome man identifying with that hero, or some people, according to their nature, identifying with the villain.

Because if I have evil nature, I don't like my being such a small, idiotic, evil person. I want to be the biggest, best, evil person in the world. So, everybody tries to identify vicariously and temporarily forget one's own so-called defects, lackings, etc.

So, that is why God doesn't lack. He is ānanda-svarūpa and we are not ānanda-svarūpas. That is why we are always running around to forget ourselves and work. Even a useless type of work is a means to forget myself.

The Madcap and Useless Work

There was a madcap. He was living very near to a liquor factory and these people used to throw so many bottles because the liquor had been spoiled. This fellow would take a stick, go to the backyard, and go on breaking the bottles one after the other. And after some time, he gets tired. He goes on cursing himself: "Oh, what a hard work I am made to do. I cannot do any further." But he doesn't leave breaking them till sunset—from morning till sunset. He goes on doing that one. Now and then exclaiming, "Oh, I am made a slave." Nobody asked him to do that. That's why he is called a madcap.

Purposeless, useless, absolutely time-wasting activity. And most of us are doing that only. Psychologists have pointed out to us: Most people are engaged in acquiring things, not having any time to enjoy them.

Brahman's Nature vs. Our Nature

But Brahman is not like that. So, why did Brahman create? Was he getting bored with himself? The clear answer is: all these questions, as well as the answers, right answers to these questions, are our problem. Because we compare ourselves and then whatever knowledge we have about ourselves, we apply to others, especially God. If I am cruel, God is the cruelest. If I am rich, he is super rich. If I am strong, he is super strong.

That is why Swami Vivekananda made a beautiful statement that what knowledge we have about ourselves, we can only think of God in a magnified way. So, he gave very about God and he gave a very telling example: If you ask a cow, say this, "What is your concept of God?" "He is the biggest cow in the world with the most powerful horns. Nobody can stand him." If you ask a pig, "He is the biggest pig in the world." A mosquito: "He is the biggest mosquito in the world, whom no human being or any animal can even dare to approach to kill."

So, our concept of ourselves—we are limited. So, we have got so many unfulfilled desires. So, we try to create, manufacture, and so the same question is asked about Brahman. That is the essence of it.

The Source of Happiness and Unhappiness

So, if we are experiencing happiness in our life, that he is the source. And vice versa, if we are experiencing unhappiness, that is also—who is the source? You have to understand: God alone is the source. But how can God be an embodiment of unhappiness? We will discuss about it in our future classes.

So, the existence of Brahman—existence of my existence proves Brahman's existence. My knowledge proves God's knowledge. My pleasure proves God's bliss. Only thing is mine is limited, his is unlimited. That is why it is called universal form.

So, when once we have that clarity of understanding: Brahman is satyam jñānam anantam, sat-cit-ānanda. So, Brahman verily exists because it alone bestows bliss. This is a proof.

If I am existing, Brahman must exist because he is another name for pure existence. If I have some knowledge, infinite knowledge, cit, that is what describes Brahman. So, my small knowledge is derived only from that infinite knowledge. From that infinite existence, my small existence is derived.

There is no "small" here. It is manifested existence or unmanifested existence. Unable to understand this, we say, "My existence is coming to an end." Of course, some people believe I am going to be reborn, but quite a number of people believe this is the end of my existence. It is not understood by anybody.

And so, if I am happy, then Brahman's happiness is infinite, unbroken. That goes by the name ānanda or bliss.

The Nature of Fearlessness

So, this seventh section is telling us that when a man finds fearless support in that which is invisible, incorporeal, indefinable, and supportless, he has then obtained fearlessness.

So, all these—what is called adṛśye, anātmye, anilayane—all these qualities belong to the unmanifest. Only when I understand what is manifest is an infinitesimal manifestation of the unmanifest. So, this infinite small manifestation is coming—it is only manifestation. It is not real birth. It is only manifestation, is visible here, experienceable by us, is nothing but that infinite existence. My small knowledge is a small manifestation of that infinite knowledge. My happiness is nothing but a smallest, infinitesimal manifestation of that infinite bliss called ānanda.

And then, when a person understands this, when a man finds fearless support, that means fearless means I become fearless when I know that nothing can make me non-existent. That which is invisible, incorporeal, indefinable, and supportless, he has then obtained fearlessness.

The Meaning of Invisible

So, here also this invisible means what? Not obtainable for the five sense organs. As we discussed many times in our earlier talks, we have seen how the śabda-pravṛtti—jāti, guṇa, kriyā, sambandha, etc.—Brahman is not available for that. All these are applicable only to finite objects. To separate one finite object from other finite objects, when something is infinite, the question of jāti, guṇa, kriyā, sambandha, etc., they do not apply at all.

When a man realizes "I am Brahman," he becomes fearless. That is what is said here. Fearless support in that which is invisible, incorporeal, indefinable, and supportless, he has then obtained fearlessness.

The Cause of Fear

If a man makes the slightest differentiation in it, that is to say, if Brahman is thought of as non-existent, non-conscious, non-blissful, there is fear for him. That Brahman becomes the cause of fear for the knower of differentiation, who does not reflect, who doesn't understand, who is ignorant.

On the above, there is also the following mantra. With regard to this last statement, that one who makes the slightest difference—udaram—udaram means very small. Antaram means difference. "I am different from Brahman." That means, "I am not Brahman." That means, "I am non-existent or subject to non-existence." Then he becomes fearful. That is why we all fear death. We all fear loss of things.

On the Nature of Arguments for Brahman's Existence

So that is how this beautiful expression, the four remaining arguments. And one point we have to note down here: There are some people who feel God's existence can be proved by arguments. But what else? It gives for the people who think they require arguments, these seven arguments, for the establishment of the existence of Brahman.

But really speaking, through arguments, nobody has ever come to know God. There is only faith in the scriptures. There is no other way. Because every argument becomes absolutely useless in dangerous situations. Only when a person feels he is fearless, sits on an easy chair and starts thinking philosophically, then he finds out these arguments.

Every religion gives it. In Christianity, four arguments are given, which we have referred to earlier. So here it is a little more elaborate. Seven arguments are given.

Brahman in Unmanifested Form

So prior to the manifestation of names and forms, he is in the invisible form. So non-existence—that is the unmanifested Brahman as distinguished from the universe of manifested names and forms. Before the creation, the universe was Brahman itself, here spoken of as non-existent. But literally, don't take that word "non-existence." Take the word "non-manifestation." Then all problems will be solved.

Deeper Examination of the Mantra

Now we will go a bit deep into this particular mantra: Tad ātmānaṃ svayam akuruta, tasmāt tat sukṛtam ucyate iti.

This mantra culminates in the statement, Tad ātmānaṃ svayam akuruta, tasmāt tat sukṛtam ucyate iti. That Brahman itself made itself. Therefore it is called sukṛtam. So this reveals the unique nature of Brahman's creative act.

Brahman as the Causeless Cause

First point is, we already discussed it, but we have to mention it many times to make that point go deep into our heart: Brahman is the causeless cause. The question of his creating himself—because it leads to infinite regress if you proceed further. "Okay, he made himself. So before he made himself, who made him himself? He made himself. Was he existing or not?" So if he was existing, how did he exist? Who created him? So his father created him. His creator created him. Go on asking. There would be no answer.

So he knew "I am Brahman." And then from our standpoint, why has this creation come? The whole problem is about creation, not about Brahman. So why did he, how did this creation come? Where from has it come? From Brahman. And who created it? Brahman only. So why did he create?

Because just as we create things, because we are not happy with our present state of existence, so we ask the same question: was he unhappy for some time? Was he getting bored in his own presence? And for eternity, he cannot escape that one. No. These are all questions from an ignorant person's point of view and the answers are also from the ignorant person's point of view only. It makes no difference.

The Vedantic Teaching Method

Then why should we go on asking these questions? Study the Upaniṣads. That portion will come later on. So we have already seen: first accept creation, then afterwards apavāda. That is, negate the whole lot. But that negation teaching comes only when we have developed deep devotion, deep faith in the very existence of God.

Even this statement, "deep devotion I have"—if somebody feels "I have deep devotion to God," then first of all, he must be convinced about the existence of God, not only mere existence of God. He must be the most loving person, he must be the most giving person. So whatever I want, he is capable of giving.

Actually, we all pray to God only to fulfill our small desires, but unconsciously, indirectly, we cannot pray to God in whom we don't believe he is capable of giving. Only when we believe he is capable of giving, but we have to appeal to him and then only he will give—only that faith makes a person really pray. So, how wonderful this understanding is.

The Final Understanding

So, if I am existing, God must exist because my existence is part of God's existence, etc. So, tat sukṛtam ucyate—that is, he was existence for eternity and that is the meaning of tat sukṛtam ucyate. And as I said, svayaṃ kuruta—he made himself simply saying, he knows "I am." Moses, he went to the Mount Sinai, and there is a burning bush, burning, not burning, appearing to be burning, but nothing happens. Even one smallest tender leaf is not made to become cinders because it is light. Then Moses, it is said, asks, "Who are you?" And then the reply seems to have come, "I am that I am." Aham. That is even to say Brahman, that is only from our viewpoint, etc.

So, this whole universe has come from him. And what is that statement meant for? If a pot is made out of clay, it has every quality, the very nature of the clay, and it cannot have anything other than the nature of clay. That is the first point. There is no object called a pot. It is only the clay with the different names and forms. Vācārambhaṇaṃ vikāro nāmadheyam—we have studied in the sixth chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad at the very beginning.

So, this is the one reason Brahman exists. This is the fourth reason. We will talk about it 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!