Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 97 Ch3.1-2 on 25 March 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Opening Prayer (Śānti Pāṭha)
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
Bhṛgu Vallī: The Third Chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad
Introduction to the Three Chapters of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad
Today we are entering into the third and last chapter of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. In the Taittirīya, every chapter is called a Vallī, and it is named after how it starts.
The first chapter, as we can recall, starts with Śikṣāṃ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ. Therefore, it was called Śikṣāvallī. The second chapter, Ānandavallī — also called Brahmavallī or Brahmanandavallī — starts with Brahmavid āpnoti param. It starts with the word Brahma, and therefore it is called Brahmavallī or Brahmanandavallī. The third chapter starts with the words Bhṛgur vai Vāruṇiḥ, and because of that it is called Bhṛguvallī.
The Role of Each Chapter
This third chapter is a most beautiful chapter. The first chapter, Śikṣāvallī, lays the foundation — how to learn the Vedas, how to understand them, and how to use them to develop concentration of the mind. As I have said, one of the results of Upāsanā is to develop concentration — to become one with the subject we wish to understand. What is concentration? It is to become one with the object of our inquiry. The only way to obtain complete knowledge is to become one with that object.
For example, if I want to know completely about a tree, I must become one with the tree. If I want to know completely about yourself, I must identify myself with you — body and mind. Then only will I come to know about you. This is what God does. He identifies Himself with every single thing, both the living as well as the non-living. That is why He is called Sarvajña — He knows everything, because He is identified with everything, because He is everything.
The Essence of the Second Chapter: Brahmanandavallī
The most important part of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad is the second chapter, Brahmanandavallī. Therein, first of all, the goal is assured to all of us. The goal has been so clearly expressed: What do I get by knowing that I am Brahman? What do I not get? I will get everything, because Brahman, by definition, means everything. If I know I am Brahman, then I know I am everything, and everybody's happiness will be only mine.
Then, what is the definition of Brahman? Where is this Brahman available? Ujjvala-hṛdaya-kandara — as the hymn Khaṇḍana-bhava-bandhana so beautifully tells us, Brahman is Rāmakṛṣṇa. When we are doing the pūjā of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, we have to meditate upon His nature. This has been put so beautifully by Svāmī Abhedānandajī in the form of three ślokas that we have selected. The word Rāmakṛṣṇa can be substituted with Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Jesus, Buddha, Allāh, Īśvara, Śiva, Kālī, Durgā — any blessed idea about God.
Brahman Dwells Within
So where is that Brahman? He is within this — within each one. Bhagavān is shining, He is running all the show, sitting deep within the cave of our hearts. That is why every human body is to be treated with the greatest respect. It is called Brahma-purī — just as a puri filled with sweets is where sweets are available, just as a bookshop is where books are available, so this body must be treated with the greatest respect.
What does it mean? It does not mean taking some garlands and sandal paste and decorating one's own self, as we do in offering to God. No. It means using this very body and mind and making them a real temple. Do we not do that? Actually, we do treat this body as a temple — but the only thing is, we throw out God and establish ourselves. "I am the greatest God." That should be completely removed. If we can become fit instruments — the body for the service of God, the mind for the service of God — then we can obtain that Brahman within.
The Fruit of Brahman-Knowledge
This Brahman is there within each one of us. What do we get when we obtain it? We come to know: "I am Brahman." I am not going to some other object — I myself am Brahman. What do I gain? Along with that Brahman-knowledge, we swim in the ocean of bliss — not as objective enjoyment, but as revelling in one's own Self.
After all, what is it we want? We do not want death. The body has death. The mind has death. But Brahman has no death. What do we have? Ignorance. Brahman is just the opposite — like light. Therefore, Brahman is Cit-svarūpa. I am that Cit-svarūpa. Note the distinction between citta and cit. Citta means one faculty of the mind — that of memory and remembrance. Cit means pure consciousness. I am that pure consciousness. And third — I am Ānanda-svarūpa. So I am not frightened of death. I am not frightened of ignorance. Ajñāna cannot bind me. And Ānanda cannot be limited — I am the very nature of Ānanda.
The Pañcakośas
How to attain that? In the second chapter, which we completed in our last class, we saw all five kośas — beginning with Annamaya Kośa and ending with Ānandamaya Kośa — described beautifully. That is the path of transcendence. Then I realise: even going beyond the Ānandamaya Kośa, I am not a kośa at all — I am Ānanda itself. That is the essence and the most important teaching of the Brahmanandavallī.
The Third Chapter: Bhṛguvallī — Its Purpose and Structure
In this third chapter, a beautiful example is given. As if after hearing the Brahmanandavallī, a person has been taught and inspired, he now approaches a guru. In the first and second chapters, we do not get the names of the guru. But in this third chapter, we get a concrete example.
Vedānta and Hinduism emphasise the fact that — especially with regard to the knowledge of Ātman or Brahman — one should never dare to obtain it independently of a guru and of scripture. There is no difference between the guru and the scripture. The guru is one who has total faith in the scripture, who does sādhanā, who may have realised Brahman or advanced in spiritual life, and who understands things much better than beginners.
The Guru-Śiṣya Relationship
There is a beautiful saying of a Ṣūfī teacher: you don't need a highly realised or even a highly advanced soul as your guru. A person who has progressed one step ahead of you can teach you about that one step. And when you also progress one step forward, God will come in the form of either that guru or some other guru and will teach you the next step, and so on. Yathā śiṣyaḥ tathā guruḥ — as the student is, so is the guru.
So in this third Vallī, we are going to see a real guru and a real earnest sādhaka. The name of that earnest sādhaka was Bhṛgu, and he was the son of Varuṇa. Varuṇa was a jīvanmukta mahāpuruṣa. It is not a relationship of father and son — it is a relationship of teacher and taught. A realised soul trying to guide a completely earnest student, just as Naciketā goes to Yamadharmarāja.
Householders and Sannyāsins: Breaking the Distinction
Varuṇa was a brahmajñānī and a householder. Anybody can realise God. One of the greatest contributions of the Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa avatāra is to eliminate the distinction between a married person and a sannyāsī. Previously, many paṇḍits propagated that a householder, however great, is like an earthworm, while a sannyāsī, however imperfect, is like the sun. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa commanded us to remove that distinction — between man and woman, between householder and sannyāsī, with no caste system, no religious differences, no linguistic differences.
Svāmī Vivekānanda understood this terrible distinction we make between the sacred and the secular. Sister Nivedita, in her penetrating introduction to the Complete Works of Svāmī Vivekānanda, says that henceforward the distinction between the secular and the sacred will be permanently deleted — because to hold, to trust, and to maintain is as sacred as the greatest worship of God with the highest devotion. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had come to teach. Are you earnest? Do you have Śraddhā? Do you desire to attain God and progress?
The Core Teaching of Bhṛguvallī
So in this third Vallī, we get an illustration of what has been taught — how to ascend, how to give up a lower kośa and slowly transcend to the higher kośa. Sādhanā is emphasised here, with a particular orientation. But then there is something deeper. What is sādhanā?
Is it eating less food, fasting? Is it wandering from one place of pilgrimage to another? Is it trying to do śīrṣāsana and doing japa and dhyāna? Is it taking a vow never to sit but to remain always standing?
Svāmī Brahmānandajī relates a beautiful incident. He had seen a person who, for twelve years, had remained always standing — as a result, his legs had become elephantine. He had lost the capacity to sit. But what did he gain? Svāmī Brahmānandajī said: most people do these things to gain specific powers — siddhis. But siddhis only increase egotism. The purpose of spiritual sādhanā is to reduce egotism and to remain as the pure ego, which is Brahman.
What Is Added to "I" Is Saṃsāra
Anything added to that "I" — that is what is called mithyā, jagat, saṃsāra, māyā, avidyā. "I" alone — no problem. "I am a man," "I am a woman," "I am a parent," "I am a husband," "I am a wife," "I have a job," "I am rich," "I am poor" — whatever is added after the "I," that is called saṃsāra. So the purpose of sādhanā is to get rid of that which comes after: the -ism, the -tva, whatever we call it.
Important Points of the Bhṛguvallī
1. The Story of Bhṛgu and Varuṇa
The third Vallī illustrates through the concrete story of a person who transited, one after another, through the kośas. How did he do it? Through tapas. And what is this tapas in this context? The tapas here is vicāra — not standing on one leg, not eating very little. Those things can be helpful but they are not primary. The primary thing is the capacity to analyse truth with the sharpest intellect. Vicāra means the power of deep thinking.
Every time Bhṛgu comes and asks, "Teach me about how to attain Brahman — how to know I am Brahman," Varuṇa gives directions only the first time. The second, third, fourth, and fifth times, he gives no directions. Through tapas alone, you must try to know that you are Brahman. There is no other way.
And thus, Bhṛgu, five times, came to realise: "I am not even the Ānandamaya Kośa — I am Ānanda itself."
2. God Realisation as the Only Goal
The first essence of this Bhṛguvallī is realisation of Brahman — not merely learning about Brahman, not merely learning about sādhanās. Actual realisation must come. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had practised tapasyā or sādhanā twice. The first time, he practised without the help of any teacher or scripture — through simple, earnest prayer to the Divine Mother: "O Mother, I am a fool. I am ignorant. I don't know. I have nobody to guide me. You be my guide. I choose You." And Mother accepted him and guided him.
Later, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa remarked: "I had attained nirvikalpa samādhi long, long before all the gurus ever came." Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity — gradually giving up our identities with everything — mano buddhyahaṃkāra cittāni nāhaṃ — and realise Śivo'ham, Śivo'ham. That is the goal of life.
3. The Four Yogas and the Four Commandments
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa indicates — as we have discussed so many times — that there are four important yogas:
First commandment — Bhakti Yoga: Always cultivate holy company — satsaṅga. By cultivating holy company, we become holy gradually. If we go on watching undesirable things, we produce undesirable thoughts. Company could be of books, of people, of work — that which aids and helps and pushes us forward towards God. That alone is called satsaṅga. Through satsaṅga we become sat-puruṣas — holy, truthful, truth-seeking people.
Second commandment — Rāja Yoga: Now and then, go into solitude. Nirjanā is a very special word — jana means people or any object in this world; nirjanā means away from all that. No person in this world — whether father, mother, family members, or even the guru — can ultimately help one. Only God can help. Go into solitude and think: "I have nobody. No person can eat for me, digest for me, sleep for me, worry for me, die for me, live for me, enjoy for me, or suffer for me." Only God can do it. Can God sleep for me? Absolutely. Can God do sādhanā for me? Absolutely.
There is a beautiful incident: an attendant of the Holy Mother was forced by other sannyāsins to observe Śivarātri — a day of fasting. He was very fond of eating. By about 9:30 at night, Holy Mother had one look at him and said: "My son, your face looks like a flower that has faded three days back." He told her truthfully. Holy Mother laughed and said: "So Candru, you don't need to worry. Go and eat. I will fast for you." And she assured him: "You will get the full result of upāsanā."
Third commandment — Jñāna Yoga: Always discriminate between what is changing and what is changeless, between what is real and what is unreal, between what is permanent and what is temporary.
Fourth commandment — Karma Yoga: When M asked Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, "Sir, how should we live in this world?" Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa replied: "Live like a maidservant in the house of a rich man. She knows — 'I am only a servant here. I don't belong to this house. I have my own house.'" One can be unattached only on one condition: that I must be attached to something that is truly my own, which can never be taken away from me. Manacālo nija niketane, allite nammane, illi bandhenu summane.
Combine all four commandments — Bhakti, Rāja, Jñāna, Karma — and they can help us reach the one goal: realisation of Brahman.
The Instruments of Sādhanā: Body and Mind
Varuṇa teaches first of all: your very body and your very mind are the only instruments available. No other instruments exist. You will have to direct all of these towards God. With the help of body and mind, you will have to perform tapasyā — the ability to think deeply and focus upon only God and nothing else. That is called vicāra.
For this purpose, an appropriately healthy body is needed. A healthy body sustains a healthy mind. And the mind also must be extraordinarily healthy — cultivated so that concentration, devotion, one-pointed faith, and what Śaṅkarācārya calls sādhana catuṣṭaya sampatti — the fourfold qualification — are developed slowly but surely.
The definition of Brahman given by Varuṇa is: that from whom this whole creation has come out; because of whose support and sustenance we are able to maintain our bodies and minds; and into whom, in the end, we return — back to the source from where we have come. That is Brahman. Tapasvā brahma vijijñāsasva — through deep thinking, seek to know Brahman.
Removing Āsurī Sampad and Cultivating Daivī Sampad
To help us progress in spiritual life, we have to first remove what is called āsurī sampad — demonic qualities — and obtain daivī sampad — spiritual qualities. And these qualities do not come individually — they come in groups only.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had promised Dhani that the first food after his sacred thread ceremony he would take only from her. When the family opposed this, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said: "I gave my word. I am not going to deviate from truth. I will keep up my word, or I don't want this ceremony at all." And they had to yield.
To observe truthfulness, he required courage. To have courage, he required intense faith in the scripture. To have faith in the scripture, he required tremendous faith in God. Because all scriptures are emanations from God alone — apauruṣeya, divine, not human-made. God is knowledge. Knowledge is God.
Thus, whether a person wants to develop a divine quality or a demonic one, many other qualities must be cultivated alongside. These are called sahakārī sādhanās — supportive qualities. Every guṇa supports every other guṇa, like a cooperative endeavour.
Qualities of the Siddha
As we earnestly move forward, we first develop a few qualities. Those qualities help us move further forward. When we move forward, more qualities become possible for us to make our own. And "to make our own" means a quality should be identified with one's own self — not like the greenness or fragrance of a flower, which fades when the flower fades — but as our very nature.
A great person is called a sādhu — his very nature is good. He cannot be otherwise. For such a person, it is not a quality — it is his svarūpa. First he has to acquire it. But soon he realises: "This is me. I am good. I am unselfish. I am of the nature of happiness. I am able to serve everybody. I do not expect anything from anybody."
The four qualities of a siddha discussed in our last class: always happy, completely unselfish, dedicating their life to help anybody, and ready to sacrifice their life even for the smallest purpose. This becomes the very natural nature of the sādhaka — the siddha. For others, they have to make it their own. But these qualities are really our true nature — we have only moved away from them. Let us make them our own again. And once we do, we realise: we are nothing but Brahman.
Special Upāsanās in the Bhṛguvallī
In this third chapter, there are certain special upāsanās as well. One such upāsanā is that of annam — food. Annam has two meanings we have seen in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad itself: annam means food; but pṛthvī, the earth, is also called annam. We are food for each other. Our body is nothing but food. Every effect must return to its cause — and that cause is Brahman.
The commandment is: food should be revered. Guests, when they come, must be honoured. One should never criticise food or find fault with it. Once brahmarpaṇam is done, one should never criticise food — even if it is poison.
Is this literally true? Absolutely. The Rāṇā had sent poison to Mīrābāī and did not hide the fact, saying: "I wish you to drink it. It is my commandment." And Mīrābāī obeyed — not out of submission, but out of joy. Because she thought: "This body is what keeps me away from my beloved Kṛṣṇa. Once this poison removes the distance between me and Kṛṣṇa, I will always be with Him alone." She was swimming in an ocean of bliss: "Perhaps this poison is going to liberate me. Even if poison is offered to Kṛṣṇa, it becomes amṛta."
Whatever is given to God becomes amṛta — that is why we call it prasāda. Whatever I have and whatever I receive — "This is prasāda of God." That is santośa.
Structure of the Chapter and Coming Classes
This third chapter has ten anuvakas — ten sections. Anuvāka means a section. There are beautiful and special upāsanās given: how to meditate on the sky and space (ākāśa), how to meditate on lightning, on the stars, on the sun, on the moon, and so forth. In the olden days, the ṛṣis and munis meditated upon these — just as we today meditate upon Gaṇeśa, Kārttikeya, and others. For them, these forces of nature were their Gaṇeśas and Kārttikeyas.
We will talk about this in our next class and begin the third Vallī in detail.
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!