Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 99 Ch3 Introduction on 08 April 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

Introduction to the Bhriguvallī

We have entered into the third chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad, called the Bhriguvallī. The story is a marvellous story, which we have already discussed. There was a great sage, a ṛṣi called Varuṇa. He was a navidhara brāhmaṇa and he was a married person. We do not know if he had many children, but at least one son was there. This Varuṇa ṛṣi had one son, and his name is Bhṛgu.

This name Bhṛgu we come across in many references. He was one of the very angry ṛṣis. He was also one of the Saptarṣis. And Bhagavān himself — Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān — praises him: mahārṣīṇāṃ bhṛgur aham — "I am Bhṛgu." We do not know, but we can take for granted, because Bhṛgu also had become a navidhara brāhmaṇa later on. So this Bhṛgu Mahāṛṣi — at that time he was only a sādhaka, a seeker.

The Hermitage of a Jīvanmukta: Lessons from Dakṣiṇeśvar

He approached his father. Why did he approach? Not merely because he was his father. He must have heard many teachings many times. It must have been a hermitage. Something important we have to know: as soon as a jīvanmukta is there, many a time a great hermitage will spring up around him.

If we really contemplate upon Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Dakṣiṇeśvar was one of the most sacred hermitages. On one side there was real worship of the Divine Mother, and on the other hand, how many people developed devotion — even those who could not come nearer to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. Examples abound. We have Rāśik. We have a gardener.

The Story of the Gardener at Pañcavaṭī

I narrated the story of that gardener. One midnight, this gardener could not get sleep. His house was very nearby. Somehow he came near to Pañcavaṭī at night — and it must have been late at night. Suddenly he saw a beautiful, bright light emanating from the side of the Pañcavaṭī. He became curious and slowly approached. From a distance he saw Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa sitting on the paved Pañcavaṭī, and a beautiful light — only light — was coming from his body, illumining all the surroundings.

This gardener must have become frightened, because anything extraordinary frightens us. He quietly went back. Next morning, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa voluntarily asked him, "What did you see yesterday night?" And he narrated. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa specifically instructed him — and that instruction was giving dīkṣā. He told him, "Meditate upon that form. You will achieve everything." This shows how many more people had recognised Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

The Story of the Wandering Sādhu

Anyway, just because the context had come, I remembered: one day a wandering sādhu came to Dakṣiṇeśvar after the passing away of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. He met Rāmlāl Dādā. He asked him, "Where is Paramahaṃsa Rāmakṛṣṇa?"

Rāmlāl Dādā became curious. "How did you know about Rāmakṛṣṇa? Why did you come?"

"Because I saw him in North India, and he had granted me so much illumination. He asked me specifically to come here. So I came. Where is he? I want to meet him immediately."

This sādhu did not know that by the time several years had passed, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had passed away. Rāmlāl Dādā had to tell him. "He passed away."

"Oh! I took so much trouble in coming here. He asked me to come." The sādhu became very, very sad. He refused to eat the food offered by Rāmlāl Dādā. You must remember, in those days Dakṣiṇeśvar was providing food for any wandering monk. So many beggars used to come, and I am sure so many neighbouring dogs also used to come to eat that delicious food cooked in abundant quantity — expecting that guests would come. That was Rāṇī Rāśmoṇi's will, by the will of the Divine Mother.

Probably two days passed. One day Rāmlāl Dādā went anxiously to meet the sādhu and found him joyful.

"Why did you say Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is not here? I saw him. He spoke with me for a long time, and he also fed me with the most delicious svargaloka, vaikuṇṭhaloka pāyasaṃ that was offered. You just see that broken pot — that was the pot. Even now there must be something sticking to the sides."

I don't know — if I were there at that time, I would have run to the broken pot and scooped up whatever was sticking to that pot and tasted it to find out how delicious it was.

So — is Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa dead? No. He himself said, "Where did I go? From this room to that room." This room means the physical body is not there, but in the manorajya — the kingdom of the mind — anybody with devotion and longing can see him even today.

Bhṛgu Approaches His Father: The Guru-Śiṣya Relationship

So Varuṇa must have been conducting such a hermitage, and Bhṛgu must have heard so many times the same teaching. But the desire to realise what was being taught by his navidhara brāhmaṇa father will not come until the right time comes. The seeking must come only when the time is right.

So he approached him. And this is the story we get. Through this story we have to derive certain truths. What is that? Never try to progress in any path — let alone the spiritual path, but in any field — without taking the guidance of somebody who is ahead of us. Whether it be science, or arts, even cookery, even pickpocketing. Progress and the correct knowledge will come only when we take such guidance.

So the time had come. He must have inherited tremendous qualities — who? We are talking about Bhṛgu, the future Bhṛgu Mahāṛṣi. And he approached his father. The conversation must have been longer, but the Upanishad cuts it to the minimum possible. It simply says: he approached him, and straight away put the question — "Instruct me in the knowledge of Brahman." That is what he said: varuṇaṃ pitaram upasasāra — upasasāra means "approached him."

The Principle of Adhikāritva

We have to derive the principle: simply for Brahman, one doesn't approach — even for any worldly pursuit, if you want to be a musician, certain prerequisite qualities must be present. Only then from that stage can a teacher take us to the higher stage.

So what are we inferring here? Sādhana catuṣṭaya sampannaḥ — he was a fit jijñāsu to be instructed. And the guru is a sadguru. This is called the guru-śiṣya sampradāya.

Slowly, Varuṇa was also very cryptic, very concise. Why? Because he understood the quality. "This much is enough, and this śiṣya — no more a son, but a seeker — will do the rest."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Individual Mode of Instruction

When we study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, we can see how he used to instruct: "This is your path. Start from here." It was completely individual and different in everybody's case. Some people he used to initiate. Some people he used to touch. Some people, just by looking at them, he would uplift. These are not random acts — whatever thought comes in our mind, like children we run hither and thither. That is not the case. Exactly, the Divine Mother will give what food is necessary at that stage of the sādhaka's development.

So here, Varuṇa found a very highly qualified seeker. He simply told two things. The first thing he said was: "These are the means which you will have to use in order to progress in spiritual life." And then he gave a definition of Brahman, which we will talk about sooner.

The Meaning of Tapas

This is the background. But Śaṅkarācārya illuminates one point: what Varuṇa ṛṣi had emphasised is that five times he says, "You try to realise Brahman — that is, try to know who you are through tapas."

We discussed also: usually the word tapas means that which entails some kind of hardship. But in this case, no — it is not hardship. Any hardship is meant only for one thing. Why are people asked to fast on Ekādaśī? So that the burden of eating, the time spent in eating, and the time spent in thinking about food will be eliminated, and the mind is supposed to be diverted or concentrated on God exclusively. So any tapas, any austerity, has only one purpose: to think deeply.

Deep Thinking: Scientific and Spiritual

Thinking deeply has two separate divisions. A scientist also has to think deeply. An AI scientist has to think deeply. These new ideas — creative ideas — we can see we are astounded day by day, hour by hour, how new types of thinking are emerging. A lot of both good and evil is also happening. But knowledge has nothing to do with good or evil; it depends upon how we use it and how we become by using it.

So here also, deep thinking — who you are, who am I — that is the main method. Ramaṇa Bhagavān emphasised this.

The Essence of the Various Yogas

Whereas when it comes to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, bhakti is the path. What is Bhakti Yoga? Simply, to tell at the beginning: "I belong to God. I am a creature of God. I am created by God. My parents — both mother and father — is God only." That relationship — don't forget — I am a child of God, and that is the essence of Bhakti Yoga.

Any amount of repeating the name of God — they are all very good, useful, helpful. But the essence is to have the knowledge: "I have nothing to worry. My mother is looking after me, and she is the Divine Mother. She is my mother. I am her child. It is her duty, and she will look after me whether I know it or not. She will protect me always and takes me into her lap in the end." This is the essence of Bhakti Yoga.

This is the essence of, in fact, every yoga — to know who I am really.

If it is Jñāna Yoga: I belong to Brahman. I came from Brahman, and I am going back to Brahman. One day I will know that I am none other than Brahman.
If it is Rāja Yoga: I am none other than Puruṣa, pure consciousness.
If it is Karma Yoga: I have no duties. The purpose of Karma Yoga is to get out of karma, not to go on doing karma. That is only for the beginners. But the goal is to know that I don't need any karma. Why? Because karma always implies I have some unfulfilled desire. No — I don't have any desires. Why? Because I have everything that I desired, I am desiring, and I am going to desire in future. Everything is me. There is nothing excepting me. That is the goal of Karma Yoga.

The goal of any yoga is to just know who I am and be that. That is the goal. So here, tapas is used. This is called jñānamaya tapaḥ.

The Principle of Vichāra: Know Where You Are

When it is said in the Purāṇas that Brahmā wanted to create this universe — what did he do? He reflected: "What did I do in my previous kalpa?" Suppose you want to cook some tasty dish. How do you know it is tasty? Because once you cooked it and everybody appreciated it, and now they want it once more. So what do you do? You recollect: "This is how I cooked." There is a first time for everything. And if we go on doing it many times, that becomes automatic — a habit. That which is done automatically, without much involvement of thinking or wasting time, is called a habit.

So we simply remember how we did it. And that is the purpose of vicāra. Vicāra means: go on analysing — who am I?

The Pañcakośas: The Ladder of Self-Inquiry

And we have seen this analysis: "First I thought I was only the body. Now I realise that the cause of this body is food. And food is not only the cause of me — food is the cause of every creature in this world. And therefore the same cause is there. The same cause is the mother of the entire universe, which is called Virāṭ Brahma."

Gradually — remember — this is only an intellectual conviction at first. But first, the conviction itself has to be very strong. That is called śraddhā. And then, when we go on doing spiritual practice — that is called living a moral life, practising truthfulness.

Which the father of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — we don't know his ancestors, they must have done the same. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said: "I wanted to follow the footsteps of my father, who was extraordinarily devoted to God in the form of Rāma, in the form of Mother Śrī Sthala Devī, etc. So I would follow his footsteps." At one stage, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa declared: "I never thought my life is going to change this way. I thought I will also get married and follow the same lifestyle that my father led, because he is my ideal." But something had happened — he was born for that purpose. That is a different issue altogether.

Varuṇa's Instruction: Two Definitions of Brahman

So what this guru Varuṇa is telling — he first says two things. What is it?

First, this is your goal. That is called brahma-lakṣaṇa — the definition of Brahman. And there are two definitions of Brahman.

One is called Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa. Taṭastha means that which is there right in front of us — visible, manifest. And that which is the cause of this visible, manifest universe. The cause is always invisible, unmanifest. So this whole universe is the visible definition of Brahman. That is why he says — and then Bhṛgu goes and does tapasyam, meaning deep thinking.

As I said, deep thinking has two modes. One is an intellectual mode. Another is a transformative mode — by meditating upon great people. "I want to become great." That is the transformative mode. I want to discover some truth, but it has nothing to do with my life — I eat, I drink, I live like anybody else, only because I used my intellect. This is a very important and interesting point.

Cultivation of Body and Mind: A Digression

If I cultivate my body, my body will become strong, healthy, nimble, and so many other benefits will be there. But how this body is used — that is a wonderful thing.

I am just recollecting: out of curiosity, I used to see programmes about the toughest prisons in many Western countries. The toughest prison in America — it is worth watching, if you have the time and inclination. Each one of these prisoners has committed unimaginable crimes. But what is interesting is that there are so many qualities there which I wish I had developed. First of all, they are extraordinarily strong. Even in that environment, they are trying to do a lot of exercise — which is unthinkable for people like us — and they are cultivating their muscles to the extent that is possible. Secondly, they are also fearless. Even to hurt others requires tremendous courage. These people are fearless. They fight with each other, kill each other, injure each other — very common things. Gangs will be there.

But what I am trying to tell you is: these qualities of courage, of strength of will — "I want to excel in this profession, and I require to cultivate fearlessness, tremendous courage, tremendous strength of the body" — if we have those qualities, definitely we will succeed in so many things. Cultivation of the intellect can also fall under this. A person may become a great scientist or great musician, but it may not have anything to do with that person's actual life. That is the important point.

Whereas there are so many musicians who are also saints: Mīrā Bāī was one of the greatest musicians, and she was a poetess — marvellous poetry emanated from her. Tulasī Dāsa, Sūr Dāsa, Tyāgarāja, Purandaradāsa — how many? In Bengal, if you come, we get Rāmprasād, Premik, and so many others, Kamālakānta — like that. So how we are using this instrument — that is important.

The Role of the Body in Spiritual Life

If a person wants to become moral, he has to cultivate a moral life. But before we cultivate, we have to develop whether the body is able to sustain. There was a curious incident in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. A man started visiting him, and one day Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa lightly passed a remark: "This man is never going to realise God. His body is very weak." This man became offended at the remark. He went back and did not probably visit Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. He joined a gymnasium and went on exercising until he overcame that weakness which Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had pointed out. And then he came. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "Yes, definitely you can realise God if you struggle — in this very life."

Yes, anybody can say, "I can also say that you are going to realise God in future lives." That is not a remarkable statement, because everybody ultimately — after one billion births or one trillion births — is going to evolve and realise who he or she is. That is a different issue. But what is said is: first of all, I must know what is my goal. Second, I must know what is the pathway, the sādhanā mārga. And that exact sādhanā mārga is what we were discussing in the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa.

These Brāhmo devotees used to think they were not ordinary Hindus, not ordinary devotees. "Devotees are of a weak type. We don't worship superstitious images of gods." Even in the very first chapter, M. was cherishing this kind of notion: "Those who worship God with form belong to a lower category." No — Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa corrected: through any path one can realise Brahman — through image worship, through formless worship — and if somebody goes further, one can rise beyond both form as well as formlessness. Yato mat, tato path — as many opinions, as many paths. Here also we use the word "opinion." "This is my opinion" — no, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is not referring to that casual thinking. He is referring to a strong belief which moulds the very character of the person. That is called the opinion.

Varuṇa's Summary: The Three Key Instructions

So this is how Varuṇa was approached by Bhṛgu. And Varuṇa said two things you have to know. First, he gave a definition of Brahman. As I said, there are two definitions with which we are already familiar.

One is called Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa — certain characteristics which we are already witnessing in front of our eyes. "I see you. I see everybody. I see the whole universe in front of me. I know, even if I don't see, I can guess how big the universe is. But I notice: all this universe has come out from something." Here also, the text says something else.

This is called Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa — a proof of cause by seeing the effect. Whenever we see a golden ornament, we have to infer that the unnoticed cause of that ornament is gold. Similarly when we see a pot — it is made up of clay. When we see a beautifully singing person, an Ustād — he must have practised for several janmas, not only several years in this life. Several janmas. And then he is endowed — Bhagavān endows according to our efforts. So that invisible cause is Brahma — Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa.

And incidentally, when Vyāsa started writing the Brahma Sūtras, the very second Brahma Sūtra contains this Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa from this Taittiriya Upanishad. He condensed it: janmādy asya yataḥ — "From which cause" — that is what we have to understand here.

Then: okay, this is my goal. But what is my particular path? For that, Varuṇa says, "You have certain instruments. What are the six instruments? First of all, your mind, your five sense organs — or, in short, your pañcakośas." So you will have to use these to now find out where you are. Think: where are you?

This is what Etesh Mahārāj used to tell so beautifully: "If you want to progress, first find out where you are. Then only what would be the next step is possible." Many people do not know. They think they are very highly evolved because they do hours of japam, they study, they do satsaṅga. But I have observed it many times — then they break down at the slightest depression or difficulty. "Oh, I have been worshipping God. I repeated so many times His name. Why is God treating me like dust, like filth?" This is born of wrong thinking, wrong understanding. Where am I? That is the first stage.

The Six Instruments

So what did God equip me with? You have a body, you have a mind. The body has got five jñānendriyaṃs (sense organs of knowledge), five karmendriyaṃs (sense organs of action), and the mind is given — these eleven indriyas are represented by only the number six, which we will deal with. But what is meant is: body and mind are the only instruments. We have seen that — that is why the body-mind is called Brahmapurī. Not only the body: the mind also is called Brahmapurī.

The Preciousness of the Human Birth

Then what am I supposed to do? First of all, purify these instruments. Like a carpenter who goes on sharpening his instruments — whether it is a saw or a chisel — so that they can be used well. Even a common barber goes on sharpening his razor before he actually goes to shave somebody else. Otherwise there will be injuries all over the face of the person.

So you have been given body and mind. What type of body and mind? It is not an ordinary body and mind. It is a human body and mind. That is why Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya in his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi says so beautifully: it is only by God's grace that these three are available — the human body, the company of holy people, and the longing to realise God or to know who I am really. It is only by great puṇya accumulated in many a life that it is possible. So it is only possible by the grace of God. And the grace of God is always there — but we must obtain that grace of God. For that, we have to become fit recipients. And that is also a great sādhana.

Summary of Varuṇa's Instruction

So this is what Varuṇa instructed. First, he said: "You have been given a body and a mind." Second, he said: "You will have to use these instruments to reach the very ultimate cause. And that ultimate cause is called Brahman."

But Brahman has got two definitions — the ultimate definition and the proximate definition. This proximate definition is called Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa: "From whom has this whole universe come?" He didn't say "universe" — he said "all these living beings." Why specifically living beings? Because a living being is highly conscious. Even a mosquito is conscious: "I am a small creature. There is danger of my death. I have to be extremely cautious. I want to live. I want to be happy. I want to propagate." So asato mā, tamaso mā, mṛtyormā — that unconscious prayer emanates unconsciously most of the time.

The Universal Desire for Ānanda

So when a person says, "Grant me wealth, grant me health, grant me name and fame, grant me power and position," he is thinking: what is the cause, what is the reason — does he want all these things? No. What a person is really telling — albeit unconsciously — is: "I want to be happy."

"I think if I live a long life I will be a happy person." Then: "If I get money, power, position, honour, name and fame, then I will be happy." If I have beautiful companions, beautiful children whom I hope will be faithful to me, who will serve me when I am helpless — all this is meant only for my happiness.

And this is a subject we are going to get in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad — in the fourth section, specifically the mantra at 1.4.8 — that the dearest to everybody, the most beloved unconditionally, is called Ātman. Everything else is separate.

The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad puts it in a peculiar way: "If anybody loves other than Ātman" — here Ātman means the one self, not the body and mind, but the true self, that which never changes — that one self, my only self, it is dearer than a son, dearer than everything else in this world. Not only dearer — it is the most near. And we will talk about it when it comes.

Every Desire is a Search for Ānanda

So whenever any person says, "I have so many desires," the object of every desire is not the object — it is the ānanda, the happiness, that one wants to squeeze out of that object. If that object perchance doesn't give that happiness, we are going to throw it out, just like after squeezing all the juice from a sugar cane, how we throw it out. Similarly, every object is discarded — including this body, which is the root cause of all our happiness in this world.

Why do you think people have to die, whether we are willing or not? It is to get a better instrument. Because this instrument has become useless — like a worn-out piece of dress, as the Bhagavad Gītā graphically describes.

So this Ātman wants to know itself. Therefore it discards this instrument which has served some purpose in the past but is no longer capable of serving me and giving me — or making me — what I am. "It is useless. Now I will have to take another instrument through which I hope to get to myself, become myself, be myself, and remain myself." That is the most wonderful thing.

Bhṛgu's Qualification: Many Lives of Seeking

So that knowledge, that deep thinking, must involve first of all a definite idea: what is it I am really seeking? All these things must have been done by Bhṛgu already. He knows. How did he come to that point? Because he must have gone through many lives experimenting — with marrying, divorcing, acquiring name and fame, power and position, possessions. He must have gone through it all, and then he must have thought about it.

"I have gone through so many lives — svapna jāgari — like a dream. How many millions of births have passed away, but I did not get what I am seeking." And then he becomes, one day, awakened: "I am searching in the wrong place." So he comes to the right place.

And the right place is: first the conviction — what I am seeking is not outside me, what I am seeking is within me. That deep conviction. But how to ferret out what is within me? For that, there have been people who successfully did that. I must approach. I must humble myself.

The Role of the Guru

Humility means to get rid of all wrong notions that I have been cherishing in my mind all this time, and surrender myself to the right instruction. A guru is nothing but scripture. A guru has no independent opinion or teaching — it is the teaching of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā, Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — who has practised it and who has realised the truth, and then knows he can authenticate these scriptures. Any of these scriptures — it doesn't matter whether it is the words of Gurū Nānak, or Kabīr Dās, or Mīrā Bāī, or Purandaradāsa, or Tyāgarāja — it doesn't really matter, because all jackals howl the same way. The words that come out of the mouth of a Brahmajñānī are nothing but Veda. Veda means real knowledge, truth.

The Adhikārī Puruṣa: Readiness for the Final Teaching

So Varuṇa instructed — saw all these things. We have to imagine, after hearing this story, that this must have happened. Not that "my son has come to me and is asking, I will teach him." So even Einstein would not be able to convey the theory of relativity to his three-year-old son or daughter, until they grow up and understand. Until the previous qualification is attained, only then can the next step be understood, at least intellectually.

So this must have happened: Varuṇa was the adhikārī puruṣa, a sādhaka. He approached a realised Brahmajñānī who happened to be his own father, who happened to be running a hermitage. Previously, Bhṛgu must have heard all these teachings in the classes. But the desire for realisation never arose in him. But the time had come — and he approached in a special way.

Now it is not that Bhṛgu is hearing about Brahman for the first time. He must have really, really heard these things many times, thought about them many times. But he was ready now.

Like Indra — after doing tapasya three times, each time for thirty-two years — then only he became fit to hear the final, ultimate truth. Then only he approached. And even then, Prajāpati had to tell him, "You do another five years of tapasya." So 96 plus 5 — 101 years. That means: how many lifetimes have passed? God alone knows.

Final Summary of Varuṇa's Three Instructions

So like that, Bhṛgu must have been ready. And what he already knew, Varuṇa summarised into three categories.

First, he said: "You must realise that you have been given the instruments for the final realisation of self-knowledge. And that is your body and mind." That he described as annam, cakṣu, śrotram, manaḥ, vāk, etc.

Second, he said: "You must be very clear about your goal." The proximate goal is called saguṇa Brahma. No one can neglect saguṇa Brahma and directly realise nirguṇa Brahma. That is why first, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa attained saguṇa brahmatva — he became one with Mother Kālī, who represents the saguṇa brahmatva — and then only Mother showed her other aspect, which is called nirguṇa brahmatva.

Whether he did it intuitively or whether he did it in a natural way, by whatever way, he had to go through the bhakti mārga, self-surrender. "Surrender the self" — two meanings are there. Surrender the self means: this limited "I," the limited idea of what I am — "I am the body, I am the mind" — has to be given up through the process of neti neti. But it can be given up also in the process: "My body is not my body — it is your body. My mind is not my mind — it is your mind." In both ways, it is to give up.

The duality has to be transcended by destroying it. Then only advaita will come. So long as there is dvaita, advaita and dvaita cannot live together. That highest peak of this dvaita is called Brahmaloka — it is also called saguṇa Brahma. That is actually the better word.

The Two Principles of Cause and Effect

And then Bhṛgu was asked about Taṭastha Lakṣaṇa: "The whole universe is nothing but a manifestation of Brahma." Here we have to remind ourselves of a beautiful principle: the cause and effect will be the same — whatever qualities the cause contains are manifested visibly in the effect.

So if we see a pot — whatever the weight of the pot, whatever the quality of the pot — everything is the characteristic of clay only. Excepting clay, there is no other pot, no other separate object called "pot."

So if we can know from where we have come — not only where I have come from, but from where the whole universe has come, the whole consciousness has come — that is called saguṇa Brahma.

And whatever the effect is — first point we have to understand: there is no difference in the character of the cause and effect. Second point: every effect must resolve back into the cause. That is a very important principle.

So we have to go back. And in an individual way we go back to our cause — that is called the deep sleep state. Then we are called Prājña. We are completely ignorant of the body and mind. We are only aware: "I am consciousness, without body and mind" — but individual, reflected consciousness.

The Third Instruction: Neti Neti — Ongoing Self-Analysis

That is the second thing. The third thing Varuṇa said: "Now, how should I use my body and mind? Your progress in spiritual life is that you will have to go on analysing yourself — 'This is not me. This is me.'" And that is the speciality of this — Bhriguvallī — which we will talk about in our next class.

These are the hints that we have taken. Once we understand these hints, then it is very easy for us to move forward.

Closing Prayer