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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-29T05:45:57Z

Gayatri:

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? '''The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—'''where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: '''सृष्टिदृष्टिवाद'''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, '''दृष्टि-सृष्टि-वाद''' Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda ('''अजातवाद''') ==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vādaसृष्टिदृष्टिवाद===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vādaदृष्टि-सृष्टि-वाद===
How does a person transit from the first stage'''सृष्टिदृष्टि''' (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to '''दृष्टि-सृष्टि'''Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's '''उत्तिष्ठत''uttiṣṭhata'''''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the '''सृष्टिदृष्टि'''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence ofदृष्टि-सृष्टि Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in '''दृष्टि-सृष्टि''' Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===सुषुप्ति[Suṣupti] and अजातवाद [Ajātavāda]===
Why is it called'''सुषुप्ति ''Suṣupti'''''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''समष्टि''' '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect(व्यष्टि) is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is दृष्टि-सृष्टि वाद Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'')[योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोध | Samadhi Pada || 1.2 ||patanjali yoga sutras].''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called '''समदर्शित्व'''''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharmananda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam न किञ्चित्आवेदिषं''—'''"I did not know anything about this world."['''Vichara sagaram in sanskrit ,dvitiya taranga, passage 97''',purvapaksha in commentary] And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the '''Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I''' think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this'''

'''न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

'''न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥'''

na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ |

na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā paramārthatā || 32 ||

32. ''There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, no seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.''

'''. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas:

* '''''Prajñānam Brahma''''' — Consciousness is Brahman.'''(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)'''
* '''''Ayam Ātmā Brahma''''' — This Ātman is Brahman.'''अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म(Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)'''
* ''T'''at tvam asi''''' — You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, and of course'''''
* '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''''' — I am Brahman '''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in this very first chapter, which we will see later on. '''आत्मैवेदंइदंआसीत्त''' etc । '''अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति''' ,atmaivedamiiadam aseet tadatmanamevavet.aham brahmasmi iti]et'''c''' ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''

'''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Saradānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-28T15:29:17Z

Gayatri: /* The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda */

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: सृष्टिदृष्टिवादSṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, दृष्टि-सृष्टि-वाद Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda ('''अजातवाद''') ==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vādaसृष्टिदृष्टिवाद===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vādaदृष्टि-सृष्टि-वाद===
How does a person transit from the first stage (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's ''uttiṣṭhata''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===सुषुप्ति[Suṣupti] and अजातवाद [Ajātavāda]===
Why is it called'''सुषुप्ति ''Suṣupti'''''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'')[योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोध | Samadhi Pada || 1.2 ||patanjali yoga sutras].''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called '''समदर्शित्व'''''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharma-nanda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam न किञ्चित्आवेदिषं''—'''"I did not know anything about this world."['''Vichara sagaram in sanskrit ,dvitiya taranga, passage 97''',purvapaksha in commentary] And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the '''Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I''' think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this'''

'''न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

'''न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥'''

na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ |

na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā paramārthatā || 32 ||

32. ''There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, no seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.''

'''. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas:

* '''''Prajñānam Brahma''''' — Consciousness is Brahman.'''(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)'''
* '''''Ayam Ātmā Brahma''''' — This Ātman is Brahman.'''अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म(Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)'''
* ''T'''at tvam asi''''' — You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, and of course'''''
* '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''''' — I am Brahman '''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in this very first chapter, which we will see later on. '''आत्मैवेदंइदंआसीत्त''' etc । '''अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति''' ,atmaivedamiiadam aseet tadatmanamevavet.aham brahmasmi iti]et'''c''' ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''

'''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Saradānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-28T15:24:16Z

Gayatri: /* Summary of the Two Stages */

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda===
How does a person transit from the first stage (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's ''uttiṣṭhata''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===सुषुप्ति[Suṣupti] and अजातवाद [Ajātavāda]===
Why is it called'''सुषुप्ति ''Suṣupti'''''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'')[योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोध | Samadhi Pada || 1.2 ||patanjali yoga sutras].''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called '''समदर्शित्व'''''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharma-nanda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam न किञ्चित्आवेदिषं''—'''"I did not know anything about this world."['''Vichara sagaram in sanskrit ,dvitiya taranga, passage 97''',purvapaksha in commentary] And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the '''Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I''' think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this'''

'''न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

'''न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥'''

na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ |

na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā paramārthatā || 32 ||

32. ''There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, no seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.''

'''. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas:

* '''''Prajñānam Brahma''''' — Consciousness is Brahman.'''(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)'''
* '''''Ayam Ātmā Brahma''''' — This Ātman is Brahman.'''अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म(Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)'''
* ''T'''at tvam asi''''' — You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, and of course'''''
* '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''''' — I am Brahman '''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in this very first chapter, which we will see later on. '''आत्मैवेदंइदंआसीत्त''' etc । '''अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति''' ,atmaivedamiiadam aseet tadatmanamevavet.aham brahmasmi iti]et'''c''' ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''

'''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Saradānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-28T15:21:17Z

Gayatri: /* The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example */

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda===
How does a person transit from the first stage (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's ''uttiṣṭhata''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===सुषुप्ति[Suṣupti] and अजातवाद [Ajātavāda]===
Why is it called'''सुषुप्ति ''Suṣupti'''''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'').''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called '''समदर्शित्व'''''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharma-nanda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam न किञ्चित्आवेदिषं''—'''"I did not know anything about this world."['''Vichara sagaram in sanskrit ,dvitiya taranga, passage 97''',purvapaksha in commentary] And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the '''Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I''' think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this'''

'''न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

'''न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥'''

na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ |

na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā paramārthatā || 32 ||

32. ''There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, no seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.''

'''. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas:

* '''''Prajñānam Brahma''''' — Consciousness is Brahman.'''(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)'''
* '''''Ayam Ātmā Brahma''''' — This Ātman is Brahman.'''अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म(Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)'''
* ''T'''at tvam asi''''' — You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, and of course'''''
* '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''''' — I am Brahman '''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in this very first chapter, which we will see later on. '''आत्मैवेदंइदंआसीत्त''' etc । '''अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति''' ,atmaivedamiiadam aseet tadatmanamevavet.aham brahmasmi iti]et'''c''' ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''

'''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Saradānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-28T15:17:31Z

Gayatri: /* The Highest Realization */

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda===
How does a person transit from the first stage (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's ''uttiṣṭhata''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===Suṣupti and Ajātavāda===
Why is it called ''Suṣupti''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'').''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called ''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharma-nanda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam (सुखमहमस्वाप््सम्)'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam न किञ्चित्आवेदिषं''—'''"I did not know anything about this world."['''Vichara sagaram in sanskrit ,dvitiya taranga, passage 97''',purvapaksha in commentary] And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the '''Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I''' think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this'''

'''न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

'''न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥'''

na nirodho na cotpattirna baddho na ca sādhakaḥ |

na mumukṣurna vai mukta ityeṣā paramārthatā || 32 ||

32. ''There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, no seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth.''

'''. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas:

* '''''Prajñānam Brahma''''' — Consciousness is Brahman.'''(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)'''
* '''''Ayam Ātmā Brahma''''' — This Ātman is Brahman.'''अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म(Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)'''
* ''T'''at tvam asi''''' — You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda, and of course'''''
* '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''''' — I am Brahman '''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in this very first chapter, which we will see later on. '''आत्मैवेदंइदंआसीत्त''' etc । '''अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति''' ,atmaivedamiiadam aseet tadatmanamevavet.aham brahmasmi iti]et'''c''' ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''

'''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Saradānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 42 on 14 June 2026

2026-07-28T14:19:51Z

Gayatri:

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ओं जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुं, पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः.'''

''Oṃ jananīṃ śāradāṃ devīṃ rāmakṛṣṇaṃ jagadguruṃ,'' pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuḥ.

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

==Introduction to the Second Chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad==
In our last class, we started the second chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, which is a dialogue between a great knower of Brahman called '''Ajātaśatru''' and a proud brāhmaṇa called '''Gārgya or Bālāki.''' We know the story. This Gārgya was a sincere person but a bit proud—he was a ''brāhmaṇa'' (proud brāhmaṇa). So he thought he knew everything about the ultimate Brahman, the Supreme Brahman (Parabrahman). So he approached—strangely, not Janaka, but this Ajātaśatru—and voluntarily said, "I will teach you about Brahman." Ajātaśatru was very happy even just to hear these words: "I am going to give you one thousand cows. Rarely anybody comes to me." And then Ajātaśatru asks him, "Teach me." And Gārgya immediately started teaching.

He did not know the Supreme Brahman. He knew only '''Saguṇa Brahma''', also called '''Hiraṇyagarbha'''. Who is Hiraṇyagarbha? The entire creation is called Hiraṇyagarbha or Īśvara, Saguṇa Brahma—where from the living and the non-living, every living creature is manifesting. It is a manifestation of Īśvara. It is not a production of Īśvara like milk is a production of curds, or a pot is the making of a potter, or a baby is given birth by a mother but they remain separate. Unlike that, the clay itself has become a pot. Only in the case of Brahman we have to extend the imagination and say, unlike the making of the pot, Brahman is both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause as well as the instrumental cause. In fact, there is no creation; it is only a manifestation. In fact, according to the highest Advaitic teaching, there is no manifestation of Brahman at all.

If we happen to confront Brahman and ask, "Why did You create this universe?"—instead of "Brahman," we can substitute the word "God." Why did God create this world? Why do we question? We never question if everything is absolutely fine. Only when we find something wrong, especially which is causing me great pain, then only we question. We rarely question even when everyone else is suffering but we are quite satisfied. So, according to Advaita Vedānta, Brahman does not say, "I am going to manifest." This is all an explanation given to ignorant people, people of very small understanding, out of compassion by the scripture, to make us understand. You are absolutely right.
==The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda==
That is why today I am going to very briefly introduce a new concept to you—not, of course, to other Vedāntins. Earlier I have briefly mentioned about three concepts: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda.
===Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda===
What is Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi? First, there is a creation; then only I am able to experience that creation. First creation, followed by our experience. That is called Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi. And according to our understanding, ''dṛṣṭi'' means seeing, hearing, forming an idea about the object, and acting and reacting, wanting or not wanting, happy or unhappy. This in brief is ''sṛṣṭi''—creation. That means an object is present even before I came across it because there is a creation, and we are able to experience it. But this is for people who think in the waking state that this whole world is real. If you ask them, "Why do you come to this conclusion?"—"It is real because I haven't created it; someone else has created it. I am only experiencing and then reacting to it." Therefore, so long as we cherish the idea that this creation is real, that state in which we think that creation is real is called '''Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.'''

This is the first stage from where everybody is acting and reacting. In course of time, because of certain experiences—and these experiences are not pleasant but sometimes very, very painful—we start questioning, "What is this creation?" And we find out, if we are thoughtful people, that everything in this world changes. And if something is changing, it is not reliable. If something is not reliable, our quest for something reliable starts. So we start questioning, "Is there a real creation, or is it something I created?"
===Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda===
How does a person transit from the first stage (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi) to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi? Because of these unpleasant suffering experiences. So long as everything is going on fine, within certain limitations, of course—if there is not too much pain, then we won't react. We think this world is very real. But death is real, old age is real, disease is real, poverty is real, suffering is real. So we cannot sustain this idea, but it persists for a long time. That state is indicated by Swamiji's ''uttiṣṭhata''—"Start thinking, what is this? Is your view that the world is real?" And that world, that creation, also includes "I," "you," everything. Therefore, I thought I am real. If I think the world is real, I am also real. But if I think the world is changing because I am also changing—simultaneously both are changing—and therefore everything is changing, therefore it is unreliable, then we have to start our quest. And what is real? Is there anything that is really real? The person does not get the answer. The answer he gets is that even the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi—my thinking, everybody's thinking that this external world, of which I am a part, is real—so long I have been cherishing that idea; but because of these negative experiences, we start questioning.

Then we remember suddenly: practically everyday, every night, we go to bed and have dream experiences. And then we suddenly one day connect: "Oh, when I wake up, this dream vanishes. I never think, nobody ever thinks a dream is an unchanging reality. It is real only so long as it lasts." But when do I recognise that a dream is a dream? A dream is nothing but my own creation. That is an important word you have to remember: it is ''my'' creation. I have been interpreting my memories in an intense imaginary form, and that—I created my own thoughts in a concrete form. Actually, there is no such corresponding reality, but they are also changing; nothing is true. So when I wake up, when I remember my dream, you remember your dream, then you start thinking, "This is my creation."

So, before I went to the dream state (that second state), there was no dream. Then I collected the raw material—all my thoughts, etcetera—and I created, taking some of these thoughts, this particular dream. Maybe in a second dream I might create an entirely new type of dream. Then I remember both dreams; both do not correspond, both are changing, and both are my own creations. Therefore, '''I am the creator. In a sense, this is the summary essence of Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi.'''

'''''Dṛṣṭi'' means my thought.''' So when I look at any object in the '''''sṛṣṭi'' (so-called creation by God)''', that is the first time—for a brief momentary experience. Thereafterwards, I start building certain opinions: "I like this, I don't like this, it is sweet, not so sweet, the other one is much sweeter." So like that, I go on forming opinions about every single experience that I have from this world, and thereafterwards I go on reacting according to my own preconceived ideas. "This is a good person, this is an evil person, this is a reliable person, this is a dishonest person, this is ''daiva'' and this is ''āsura''"—etc., etc., etc. And in course of time, we are convinced that because of the way I think, even though the other person does not understand, through intuition he understands: "This person is not showing much love towards me, much liking towards me; he does not love me. In fact, he may be thinking of harming me, trying to give me trouble." And he reacts, which absolutely certifies that my intuition is correct about that person, because his behaviour reinforces what I already know about that person.

So in brief, this is called Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. Both Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi and Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi are combined in our worldly life. But what we need to understand is that we are not talking about worldly life; we are talking about spiritual progress.
===Progress through Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi===
So when a person first thinks, "This world is real, my body is real, my mind is real. I have some desires. I know what happiness is and what unhappiness is. So I try to fulfill, act in such a way that I try to avoid suffering as much as possible and obtain enjoyment as much as possible." But then he finds that, in spite of his efforts, certain things he cannot avoid, because it is the nature of the world—including his body and mind—to always change. And he slowly, reluctantly accepts, "I am also changeable; my thoughts are changeable." This is the first step in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.

Then he realises, suddenly one day, he becomes a bit more wise, and then he says, "If I can develop a particular framework through which I can see the world, then I can make my mind much more calmer and joyous, in spite of what exists as unchangeable fact." So in the midst of, for example, evil people, "Okay, let them do what they like, but I will not be a puppet in their hands. I will not react according to their expectation. I will keep the frame of my mind in a particular way so that I try to prevent what is harmful that is contemplated by others, or I think they are trying to do it, or actually do it. But then I myself will look upon them as the result of my own ''karmaphala''." He becomes more calm. And whenever any event of joy occurs, let him enjoy it to the full, not comparing, "Last time this sweet was much better; this time it is rotten." No—last time was last time, this time is this time.

So when a spiritual aspirant attains what is called insight, then he understands: whatever be the world externally, I can keep my mind to a great extent very peaceful by my changed outlook. This is what psychologists call CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). CBT does not change anything outside; it is not absolutely true. As my behaviour changes, there will be some changes in many people correspondingly—that is very true. So people also react to my action or to my reaction. So if I can go on very calm, joyful, helpful, unselfish, with a positive outlook on life, especially belief in God, then I understand, irrespective of what the world is, I can feel I am living in a higher world. This is, in a sense, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. This is a great progress in spiritual life.

Then in course of time, that also is not possible because how long am I going to go on dealing with this mind in this way? I want to go beyond the mind. So many commentators (bhāṣyakāras) have compared Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda to the waking state—that is for whom the external world is the only reality. For those who are more advanced, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is comparable to the dream. Since I am the owner of the dream, I am the creator of this external world—that is my own thoughts, my outlook (''dṛṣṭi'') is going to change everything in the outside world so far as I am concerned, because it is an individual experience only. How Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to look upon the world, how many priests used to look upon the world, is totally different. I will give some examples also later on.

But even ''svapna'' (dream) is changing, and there also some unhappy experiences will be there. No dream will be always very sweet—only dreaming of ''svargaloka'' (higher worlds)—no. So how can I want to be always happy? '''Therefore, taking our three states of experience one after the other: waking first, corresponding to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda; Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda corresponding to the dream state; and Ajātavāda, which corresponds to deep sleep (dreamless sleep, ''Suṣupti Avasthā'').'''
===Suṣupti and Ajātavāda===
Why is it called ''Suṣupti''? Because not even an iota, a trace of body and mind, intrudes there to create any sort of problems. When we forget our body-mind, which is the whole of the external world—so to say—so long as I have one eye, one-fifth of the world is real in the way of forms. So long as I can hear, another one-fifth of the world is present in the form of sound. If anybody is bereft of these five sense organs, the whole external world disappears, but the mind remains. But in ''Suṣupti'', even that mind also disappears. Therefore, when a person says, "I am not aware of anything," we have to understand it correctly: I am not aware of the mind and the body, but I am aware of a particular state where there is no second so long as it lasts, and it is the most peaceful. I am the only one. Since I am the only one, happiness and unhappiness, fear and fearlessness—''sukha-duḥkha, bhaya-abhaya, śītoṣṇa''—they do not affect me at all. When I am free from these dualities, I am my own self. I remain as my own self.

Even though this is not the highest state, it is the nearest to the higher state. That is why the '''cosmic aspect of everybody's ''suṣupti'' is called Īśvara,''' and the '''individual aspect is called very beautifully ''ājña'' or ''prajña''.''' But we should not misunderstand: "I did not know" does not mean "I was unconscious." No, I was very conscious that I am alone; there is no body-mind. The absence of the body-mind I note down. I don't even say—I cannot even say—that the world is absent, because there is no world at all. I am not aware of the world at all. I am not aware of the body and mind. I am aware of only one unbroken ''cidābhāsa''—pure consciousness: "I am, I am." The problem is this also changes, even though it lasts longer. But so long as we are there, so '''''sukham aham asvāpsam'''''. Even if a tiger, one hundred tigers surrounded me and played with me, throwing me like a volleyball from one side to the other—so long as I am in that deep sleep state, I am blissful.

In this connection, I remember the life of '''Ramana Maharshi'''. Bhagavān used to say that his sleep was very, very deep, and when he was awake, nobody could wrestle with him, beat him, or become a stronger player than him. He was the best player in everything because he concentrated on his mind. Some of the boys were very resentful, but they knew they could not beat him. Even if they came to fight, he was going to throw them out. He was very strong. But then they soon found out a secret: when this boy called Ramana goes to deep sleep, it is a very peculiar deep sleep—such a deep, deep sleep that they used to carry him, punch him, and do all sorts of things. And he, Ramana Bhagavān, used to narrate: "I did not know a single thing"—that means he was not feeling. And when I used to wake up—because the boys used to bring me back and put me exactly where I was sleeping—happily I would get up and say, "I went to bed on this bed and I woke up on this bed; nothing had ever taken place." Now, sometimes I have these doubts: what about all the punchings he received? Fortunately, Ramana Maharshi does not remember anything because nobody could really give such a punch that it would hurt even after he woke up. That was a very peculiar experience.

Some fortunate people like Swami Vivekananda used to sleep with two types of divine visions for some time. As soon as he laid himself on bed, Narendra used to see a small ''jyoti'' (light) growing brighter and brighter, and his personality used to merge in it, and he did not know what happened after that. Second, he used to feel, "I am a wandering monk all the time, totally dependent upon God." But he used to feel, "I am the king of this world. I can do whatever I like. I can get whatever I want. I can attain whatever I set my mind upon. But next second, I rely only upon God." And with that second vision, he used to fall asleep for a long time. Narendranath thought everybody used to sleep in the same way. Only when Rāmakṛṣṇa questioned him, he came to know that that is not the truth. So these are peculiar experiences of great people (''mahāpuruṣas'').

Therefore, what we are talking here is that when a person makes progress, he soon realises that even though it is my own outlook on the world, that alone is reality for me because I am acting and reacting according to my opinions—whether they are right or wrong, we are not talking. Therefore, who formed these opinions? Myself. And if I have formed these opinions, I also have the capacity to form them in the way I like, in the way I can experience unbroken happiness, unbroken bliss—meaning only sweet dreams, happy dreams, beautiful dreams. That is a great progress in spiritual life. That is what I think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say: when a person's ''kuṇḍalinī'' reaches the Anāhata chakra, thereafter progresses until he reaches the Ājñā chakra, higher and higher experiences will be there. There are also different stages, but we are not going to talk about them.
===Summary of the Two Stages===
'''So the second one is Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda''', where the importance is my action and reaction, my opinion about the world. In the first one (Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi), the world is primary. '''In the second, I can change my opinion, and if I can change it to a very positive, happy opinion, then I can experience—irrespective of conditions outside and in my body and mind—only positive experiences.''' This is a great progress in spiritual life. This is called thinking the whole world is a dream. Until that time, any amount of lectures, hearing the lectures, or reading books is not going to help us. We have to identify, and that is a state of experience. Until we experience, we are still in the Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi stage only, not the Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi stage. But slowly we realise about this.

In my last class I have explained how '''Swami Saradānandaji''' had described this so fantastically well. You will do well if you can go through that, because there are more details there than what I have outlined. I only gave you the summary of how a sādhaka can reach the highest realization through both the paths of ''iti iti'' and ''neti neti''. But it is not a choice—"I will choose neti neti from the very beginning without going through iti iti." '''I have to transform the world through this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda, and this transformation is called controlling the mind (''cittavṛtti-nirodha'').''' This transformation is called s'''ubduing demonic qualities and developing divine qualities''', so beautifully enumerated in the '''sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā.'''

But the progress has not been complete, s'''o we have to go still further, and that is called Ajātavāda.'''
===Eka-Jīva Vāda and Ajātavāda===
By the way, even this Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also indicates to us another fantastic idea, about which Swami Vivekananda only remarks very simply, very rarely. '''It is called Eka-Jīva Vāda, in contrast to Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda.''' What is the difference? In Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda theory, my opinion about the world is real. There are infinite numbers of beings; everyone is separate from everyone else. If somebody is going and experiencing, that is only that individual's experience; others are not affected by it. That is called Aneka-Jīva Vāda—as many creatures, so many ''jīvas''. In contrast, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda means that if I become unconscious, the whole world becomes unconscious—all those Aneka-Jīvas, infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', various classes of ''jīvas'' having varying qualities. Some are gods, some are semi-demigods, some are ''rākṣasas''.

As I mentioned, there are '''four types of people'''. The l'''owest class want to kill everybody''', rob everybody, and try to be happy. The '''third class say, "Live and let live.''' We don't believe in God, but we believe that if I let you live, you will also let me live. I scratch your back, you scratch my back." This is the outlook of the third class. But when the same ''jīva'' progresses further, h'''e enters into the second class, where he believes in God and in the scriptures.''' But even though he says he believes in the scriptures and God, he wants only something from God—'''he does not want God''', '''he wants certain things from God, i'''ncluding not only enjoyment on this earth but higher happiness in the higher worlds. That is what he wants to have. So these are much better; '''they are more moral, and they do not try to harm'''. They also understand they must acquire '''virtue (''puṇyam'')''' in order to attain higher happiness both in this world and after death in higher worlds. So they have faith in God, faith in the scriptures, faith in the prescriptions of the scriptures, faith in the '''''Karma-kāṇḍa''''' of the Vedas, and they perform—'''because the best of faith is its practice.''' If anybody says, "I have faith," but does not practice, that is merely worthless, useless belief—not faith at all.

So this is how the second-class people have faith: "I want higher happiness." Their minds have not yet evolved further, so they think they will be quite happy if they can get even the highest happiness in this dualistic world, which is termed as '''Brahmaloka.''' So they perform ''agnihotra'', ''pūjā'', worship, chanting of mantras, and visiting places of pilgrimage, etcetera. And they get the result. Once they get the result, their faith in the scriptures becomes enormously reinforced, and when it becomes reinforced, an inner eye opens up and says: "The same scripture which is telling me to perform the rituals as prescribed in the ''Karmakāṇḍa'' (the action portion of the first part of the Vedas) '''is also talking about the eternal, unbroken, highest happiness called ''Brahmananda''''' that can be attained. Why should I go on working like a donkey '''if once I realise Brahman, then I can be happy for eternity—highest happiness, unbroken happiness, infinite happiness for infinite time?" They belong to the first-class people.'''

This is what I said about the four types of people. Now, this person who is firmly convinced, trying to control his mind and '''purify his ''dṛṣṭi'',''' so that he can '''view the ''sṛṣṭi'' in a much higher light—this is called morality. T'''his is called ''s'''amadarśitva'''''—seeing the whole world as equal to one's own self—and this corresponds to the ''Dharma-nanda'', the fourth stage of ''ānanda'', and that is only one step lower to ''Brahmananda''. Then the person, by the law of evolution, slowly understands: "Any amount of effort will not do." So he approaches a competent teacher, and he also tries to become a competent student. The teacher understands: "If there is a small defect, I will try to help them remove that defect"—'''as Prajāpati had done to both Indra and Virocana.''' But Virocana could not be reformed. Does not Prajāpati know it? He knows it, but "let him experience." But he will also be an Indra-like sometime in the future, because suffering will bring, like no other thing, to the feet of God. So that person had to wait for some time, but he would be evolving—no doubt about it. But Indra slowly was being purged of his impurities.
===The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example===
In the same way, we are talking about Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda. So '''Virocana was a follower of Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi Vāda:''' "Make everything proper, rest properly, eat properly, enjoy properly, and that is all; nothing else is there." These are called Cārvākas or materialists. But Indra at first thought like that, so he must have gone through this stage. Because the Chāndogya Upaniṣad in the eighth chapter does not tell us, but my interpretation would be: Indra returned home, enjoyed bodily happiness, found his quest was not fulfilled. Then he came back again, and further purification was necessary—another thirty-two years, like that three times. '''Then he was told the second: "The whole world is like a dream." That corresponds roughly to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda.''' But '''even that Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda is not complete;''' there also changes will be there. Therefore again Indra came back, and another thirty-two years. Then he thought '''Prajāpati taught him the third highest stage—that is called Eka-Jīva Vāda''': '''in ''Suṣupti'', I am alone'''. When I remove my mind, the entire world disappears. I am the only one who is present. I am the only ''jīva''. Why do I call myself as a ''jīva''? '''Because I have not become really enlightened and not realised my true nature; therefore, I am still a ''jīva''.''' But fortunately, from infinite numbers of ''jīvas'', I progressed to one ''jīva'' in Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda stage.

So this person wants to experience and move further. Then he analyses his deep sleep state, which corresponds to '''Ajātavāda.''' So long as we are in deep sleep state, no world exists. I am only conscious of my own pure self without a second. Therefore, when there is no second, there are no dualities like happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss. All these will totally disappear in deep sleep state, and there is unbroken bliss so long as it lasts. And I am conscious of it—that is why, without being conscious, I cannot say, "I was very happy." So '''''sukham aham asvāpsam'''''—"I slept very happily throughout the deep sleep state." '''''Na kiñcid avediṣam''—'''"I did not know anything about this world." And this utterance comes only after the world comes into view upon waking up. But this analysis makes this sādhaka understand: probably like this deep sleep state, I was never born; the world never existed; maybe I am mistaking it. So there is no creation, there is no ''jīva'', there is no ''baddha'' (bound soul), there is no effort for liberation, and there is nobody who becomes liberated. In the second chapter of the Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, I think '''verse number thirty-two, we get this. So this is called Ajātavāda.'''

'''Gauḍapāda,''' by the way, is a proponent of Ajātavāda. But in order to confirm—because the deep sleep breaks and he wakes up—by the time he surrenders, he takes the shelter at the feet of an enlightened soul, and then he understands slowly. ''Mahāvākya'': "There is no world, there is no ''sṛṣṭi'', there is no ''dṛṣṭi'', there is no Eka-Jīva." What remains is Ajātavāda. ''Vāda'' means opinion, but that opinion has to be transformed into a realization. So slowly, through ''viveka'' (discrimination), ''vairāgya'' (dispassion), ''ṣaṭ-sampatti'' (the six-fold wealth), and ''mumukṣutva'' (intense desire for liberation)—all the required qualifications to become a fit recipient—he receives the great mantra called ''Mahāvākya''. Either of the Mahāvākyas: '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma'', ''Ayamātmā Brahma'', ''Tat tvam asi'' (famous), ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' (no'''t so famous in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; we have seen that one in the very first chapter, fourth section). So then he realises one day, and then he realises: creation is not real.
===The Highest Realization===
Creation—if I put on black spectacles, then Brahman appears as black. If I remove the black spectacles, Brahman appears as He is. So if I put on the spectacles of ''nāma-rūpa'' (name and form), I see the same Brahman with name and form; minus the spectacles of name and form, I see Brahman as He is. So if I am able to see the world but as Brahman, that is called the '''state of a living free soul (''jīvanmukta'').'''

So these are the stages. '''This highest Ajātavāda is the highest.''' Now, which one is correct? That is a wrong question. Depending upon at what stage of development we are: if we think Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, then the Karma Siddhānta will work out. If you want to lessen the suffering, follow the teachings of the scriptures and try to remove selfishness and immorality, and try to treat others with sympathy and unselfishness, and then your life will be as happy as possible. But rebirth cannot be avoided, and the opposite of happiness also cannot be avoided. But the same thing applies to Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda also. Even in dreams, we have both happy and unhappy experiences. So when we wake up, we understand by analysing the dream: maybe the world is like this only.

This is the sum and substance of '''Swami Sharadānandaji's''' explanation of how a man attains to the highest through the path of ''iti iti''. So through the path of ''iti iti'', slowly he progresses, and then he enters into Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi Vāda. '''He creates his own dream of ''Iṣṭadevatā'' (chosen deity) and attributes several qualities'''—each quality is a spiritual quality, and every spiritual quality when it is acquired makes us one step higher than what we have before, or one step subtler, higher, more pervading. So that is how '''then he comes to analyse the deep sleep state: Eka-Jīva'''—"I am the only one; I create the entire world. So I am the creator." So when we analyse that, we say: so long as we see that '''in deep sleep, there is no world at all, there is no one ''jīva'', there are no many ''jīvas'''''—they all belong to the higher stage of dream state. Then what ''vāda'' remains? '''Ajātavāda—pure Ajātavāda. So''' there is no creation at all.

At first it is a theory, but later on it becomes an experience by the grace of the Guru, which is really the grace of God, which is really the grace of the scriptures. Guru, scriptures, and grace—they are not separate. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant: ''Bhāgavata'' (scripture), ''bhakta'' (true devotee—the Guru), ''Bhagavān'' (God)—they become one. That is how we have to understand. Only when a person realises can he say, "I am the bhakta." A real bhakta means a realised soul.

So this analysis of the deep sleep state (''Suṣupti'') brings us to the intellectual understanding that there is no world, and therefore it is called Ajātavāda—"there was no creation." But that intellectual conviction has to be transformed into actual realization. When one takes shelter at the feet of the Sadguru, slowly he will progress, and one day, like the Guru, he can say, "'''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi."''' The Guru will be rejoiced: "A big burden has gone from me; I don't need to worry about this person."
==Conclusion==
So we have to keep in mind these th'''ree beautiful opinions (''vādas''—faiths, actually):'''

1. The world is real—this is meant for believers in the reality of the external world '''(Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi).'''

2. The world is my own construct—this is for believers after analysing the dream state '''(Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi).'''

3. I am the one who creates the whole dream world; therefore, I am the only ''jīva'' '''(Eka-Jīva).'''

But when the same person progresses further and tries to analyse the deep sleep state, '''then he understands that there is no creation at all, and when it is transformed into realization, he understands Brahman, and Brahman alone is the only reality.'''

== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 31 on 09 May 2026

2026-07-27T15:00:19Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Goal of Life and the Nature of Brahman ==
As we saw, a great discussion was going on: what is the goal of life? Some seekers understood that realisation of Brahman alone is the goal of life. And what does one gain? They also understood the gains — ''sarvam idaṃ bhavati'''सर्वं इदं भवति''''' , so ''sarva bhāva panna '''सर्व भाव पन्ना'''''. A person who realises Brahman becomes ''sarvam'''सर्वं''''' , becomes ''pūrṇam'''पूर्णं''''''''.'''

Then, how to attain it? We have seen also that this whole creation is a play of Brahman, so that he wants to entertain himself. It is like playing a solitaire game, where one tries to deceive oneself, and then catch oneself, and then go on laughing: "I caught myself!" So it is what is called ''līlā'''लीला'''''<nowiki/>'''.'''
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== Summary of the Tenth Mantra: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' ==
In our last class, we completed one of the most important mantras — the tenth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. What is the essence of this tenth mantra? This tenth mantra unfolds and establishes that there is only one reality, that is called Brahman — call it God, call it Allāh, by whatever blessed name you desire to call.

And what are we? The ''jīva'''जीव''''', the individual soul, is essentially identical to that Brahman, because if Brahman is everything, if Brahman is the cause, then this entire universe is the effect. And the effect can never be different from the cause.

Then what is it we are experiencing now? This is called ''saṃsāra'''संसार'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' ''Saṃsāra'''संसार''''' means seeing everything as different. I am born — that is different. I am surviving — that is different. One day I will have to disappear from this world — that is also a change. This entire birth, growth, sustenance, old age, disease, and death — this is called ''ṣaḍvikāra'''षडविकार''''', the sixfold changes. Everyone has to go through them. ''Saṃsarati'' '''संसरति''' means continuous change.

And Brahman is one — eternal, unchanging, one without a second. So how can we equate this world with Brahman? But this thinking — really, Brahman has not created, has not become, has not become ''jīva'''जीव''''' , is not thinking as the ''jīva'''जीव''''' — and all these thoughts are only from our mind's point of view, from the ''avidyā'' '''अविद्या'''point of view. All questions — "Who am I? Why am I here? How did I happen to come here? Why did Brahman create? He could have created a better world" — all these questions are products of ignorance.

So long as we are ignorant, so long as we do not know that we are Brahman, these questions will not cease. So long as a person is experiencing a snake, his fear will never vanish.
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== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker ==
But at some point of time, a person gets tired. First — and this is a very great psychological point — first, all of us get so much of pleasure from various things. In fact, we try to minimise all unhappiness and all suffering, and maximise all our happiness. This seems to be the goal of life for a very, very long time.

And then comes the awakening: that it is impossible to achieve this objective. Therefore there must be another way, where I can be without any fear of death, ignorance, and suffering. And for that purpose, the search is now withdrawn from the external to the internal. Such persons are called spiritual seekers.

Then that person, with the help of the Guru who interprets the scripture, slowly destroys the ''avidyā'''अविद्या'''''. Now, what Advaita wants to convey to us is that ''vidyā'''विद्या''''', or true ''brahmavidyā'''ब्रह्मविद्य'''''<nowiki/>''',''' or ''ātmavidyā'' '''आत्मविद्य'''— knowledge of one's own self — is never lost, can never be lost. But it is covered up. So every spiritual practice is only to remove this covering.

So destruction of ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''', or destruction of the ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' (superimposition), is called spiritual practice. And as soon as we succeed in removing this ignorance — ignorance of who we really are, not what we think we are [ ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''',]— the moment we remove the wrong notion totally, ''vidyā'' stands revealed. We do not need to acquire ''vidyā'''विद्या''',''; it is already there.

Just like the removal of darkness manifests the light automatically — not that after removing the darkness, like somebody sitting outside, we have vacated a seat, there is a vacant chair and you can come inside. No, not like that. Removal of ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' or ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''' alone is spiritual practice. And then we realise: we were never bound. What we were wholeheartedly seeking, we already have, as it were — we are that.

Just, we have to remove the covering. For that, a ''mahāvākya'' tremendously helps. And the essential point in this tenth mantra is '''''ahaṃ brahmāsmi ({{lang|sa|अहं ब्रह्मास्मि}})([[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] 1.4.10 of the [[Yajur Veda]]).''''' And then — '''''ātmany eva upāsīta''''' एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत [ बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५][B'''rihad Up 1.4.15]'''— one should therefore strive to realise this Brahman alone.
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== Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section ==
Now we are going to proceed. This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras. We covered more or less ten mantras, and some mantras I have already described — especially, I think, in the eighth mantra, how this creation has started. Now again, from the eleventh to the seventeenth, this fourth section gives us This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras we have covered Ten mantras and now we will cover another seven mantras.This fourth section gives us two important ideas.

So creation has been described earlier. But to maintain this creation and to see that life goes on merrily without any problem, then we have to create those people who tell us how to run, how to live life, and how not to do certain actions which will only stop our further evolution — or even take us back to the previous state. How to stop that? And then slowly, how to progress?
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== The Origin of the Four Varṇas (''Cāturvarṇyam''''')चातुर्वर्ण्यं''' ==
So Brahman has created four types of castes. This is the origin of the caste system in Hinduism. God himself has created it, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa affirms it.<center>चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥
</center><center>''cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥtasya kartāram api māṁviddhy akartāram avyayam''bhagavad gita ch-!V verse 13
</center>So I have only created.So what is the purpose? Maintenance.

But the peculiarity of this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — what do we mean by ''cāturvarṇyam'''चातुर्वर्ण्यं''''' , the four castes? The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates and says that because '''''sṛṣṭi''''' also contains gods and goddesses, the entire creation can be divided into three: ''ādhyātmikaअध्यात्मिक'', ''ādhibhautika(आधिभौतिक)'', and ''ādhidaivika(आधिदैविक)''.

Each one of us, as individuals, is called ''ādhyātmika'''अध्यात्मिक'''''. Then the entire external world, which everyone of us is experiencing and formulating certain ''saṃskāras'' through our experiences, is called ''ādhibhautika'''(आधिभौतिक)'''''. But to have an overall management — how to make a person behave properly, do this, do not do this, the do's and don'ts — certain powers are created. They are called ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''. ('''अधिष्ठातृ देवता)''' And also, how to live life: for that purpose, four castes were created.

Now what the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad wants to add is that it is not only at our level, but even at the level of the gods, four ''varṇas'' are there. So there is a ''d'''eva-brāhmaṇa'''''<nowiki/>''', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', and ''deva-śūdra''.'''
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== The Three ''Guṇas'' and Their Combinations ==
Now, what are these castes? Castes are nothing but divided on the basis of ''guṇas''. As we know, ''guṇas'' are three. So certain combinations — and this is a very important point — no ''guṇa'' by itself can be effective. It is only the combination of every ''guṇa'' that counts.

How many combinations are possible? First: '''''sattvaguṇa''''' dominates, ''r'''ajoguṇa''''' supports, '''''tamoguṇa''''' helps — that is called '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' Second: ''rajoguṇa'' dominates, ''sattvaguṇa'' helps, ''tamoguṇa'' also helps — that is called '''''kṣatriya'',''' or the rulers and warriors. What Plato or Socrates used to call the second category.

The ''first category, according to '''Socrates''', is called philosophers'' — those who set the goal of life crystal clearly. But to maintain this order, ''kṣatriyas'' are necessary, with tremendous power. They are the kings, they are the warriors, they are the leaders of men. They fall under the second category and are dominated by ''rajoguṇa''. They have to be extremely alert and intolerant of any evil that is being perpetuated.

People were advised according to their '''castes what special activities''' they would have to do. So for example, for the '''''brāhmaṇa''''' — study of the Vedas, leading an ideal life — that is the speciality of ''brāhmaṇas''. For '''''kṣatriyas''''' — protecting the weak, subduing the strong and evil, and seeing that society runs smoothly. That oiling process of this machine called society — they are called ''kṣatriyas'', or the warrior class.

And people are advised: you have to worship God, you have certain duties in life. For that purpose''', ''pañcamahāyajñasपञ्च महा यज्ञ्य''''', special worships, special ''upāsanās'', have been given. And to see that they are done properly, many things are needed, many items are needed. So one has to get that supply. The persons who see that everybody requires food and materials — and at one place something grows, another place something else grows — these '''third castes are called the business people, ''vaiśyas''.'''

Their business is such that they have international connections. If some excess product is there, they remove it, take it where it is needed and not available. And what is available there — say, for example, certain exotic things are not available in western countries, only India can give, especially spices. That is why everybody wanted to come and conquer India, so that they could have free access. India was also known as a treasure house of gold, silver, and many other precious minerals and metals.

So that is why everybody's sight was drawn there. That is why Muslims had come, that's why English, Dutch, Portuguese, French people — everybody had come. Finally, only the Muslims and the English people dominated and looted. And that we should not blame them, because we welcomed them and we helped them to loot everything, because of our non-cooperation. Even now it is going on.

So the third class — what is called ''rajo''-dominated, greatly helped by ''rajas'' and ''tamas'' in equal proportions — they are called '''''vaiśyas'''''. But there are different types of activities: harvesting, cultivating, cleaning, storing, bringing things. '''Workers are needed''' — they are called '''''śūdras''.'''

And it is not that a particular caste of people have been created. No. A'''ccording to their ''guṇa'', where ''tamoguṇa'' is more — t'''he person needs to be told, "You have to do this," etc. They cannot think for themselves; somebody has to continuously direct them: "Do this, don't do this, do this after that." Such people are called ''śūdras''.

And in every society, in every age, we get these people. Not that it is only from the beginning so. For that purpose, from Brahman, having created this universe with all the '''''pañcabhūtasपञ्च भूताः''''', he then created '''''deva-varṇas'' — ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', ''deva-śūdra''.'''
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== Intelligence in Nature: An Illustrative Digression ==
And this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, from the eleventh mantra onwards — from the eleventh section onwards — is trying to elaborate one after the other that with the help of everyone doing their duties properly, everybody will be progressing. So ''śūdras'' will develop higher consciousness, then they become more ''rajo''-dominated, and then later on they will be dominated by ''sattvaguṇa''. That is how this is a slow evolution from a low state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness — that is what this section wants to tell.

Just as Brahman created the '''''deva-varṇas''''' — the four castes of the ''devas'', the gods and goddesses — we have to understand that exactly in a similar manner, all human beings were also created. So ''deva-brāhmaṇas'' degenerated into '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇas''''', ''deva-kṣatriyas'' into '''''manuṣya-kṣatriyas''''', ''deva-vaiśyas'' into '''''manuṣya-vaiśyas''''', and ''deva-śūdras'' into '''''manuṣya-śūdras''.'''

Now, though it is not necessary — this is a point we can add here — does this division apply only to human beings or to non-human beings also? Yes. Take one simple example: the story of the honey bee. There is a queen, there are warriors to protect the hive, there are workers who will be going and gathering — it is such a marvellous story. How much intelligence is needed!

Just to give one small example: there are some ant colonies that were being flooded, and they had to find a safer nest. we call it an Ant hill.What do these ants do? They have to cross sometimes huge expanses of water. And individually, if they do it, it is not going to help. So they join hands and legs and form a huge, like a boat or a huge mat. The entire rest of the colony gathers onto that mat, as it were, and they float. And these front ants slowly guide it to a place where the danger of water is not there.

That's why if anybody scientifically examines either a beehive or an anthill, you will see how much intelligence is there. When you look at some birds — there are some birds who create such beautiful nests, and they are fully aware, fully conscious that snakes are there to hunt them. So there are particular species of birds I have seen in a video: they create a nest with various doors, and the real room where they store the eggs will be practically like Lucknow's maze, the ''Bhūlbhulāiyā''. The snake will poke into several nests and not find anything. Finally, disappointed, most snakes leave.

Why am I citing this example? To show how much intelligence is really working there, albeit unconsciously. Many squirrels gather nuts when winter is coming — they have to survive in their burrows, to tide them over during that cold season when they cannot come out. What do the bears do? They hibernate. How much intelligence!

This is only to place before you how much intelligence these creatures have. So Brahman manifested himself as the world, then created various animals, then created human beings. Then a world order has to be established. For that, '''''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''''' were created. And that is from where the '''''karma-siddhānta''''' has come — these gods are watching us. According to our ''karma'', if we worship them, they reward us; if we neglect and misbehave, they keep count and will try to correct us. It is not a punishment — it is a correction.
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== The ''Varṇas'' as a Framework for Evolution ==
So this is how ''deva-varṇas'' and ''brahman-varṇas'' are created. And then, what is the purpose of all this? Right from the lowest caste, we have to strive — through the devout performance of our respective duties — to evolve. That is how a ''śūdra'' becomes a ''vaiśya'', meaning the terrible ''tamoguṇa'' now becomes mixed up with more of ''rajoguṇa'', and then he enters into more ''sāttvikaguṇa'' and becomes a ''kṣatriya''. This is a state of progress.

We have to understand: it is not a privilege to oppress and suppress and selfishly hoard everything for one's own self. And whenever we neglect this, the ''karmaphala'' will come with a big blow. Study history — this is what happens. And this history has been repeated in our ''Purāṇas'' in the form of the continuous warfare between the ''suras'' and ''asuras'', gods and demons.

What is this fight? The fight is: whenever somebody neglects and doesn't live a proper life appropriate to their station in life, then ''karmaphala'' will come in the form of suffering. Here, a demon is nothing but a creator of — or an excuse for creating — suffering. Suffering awakens these people. Then they think deeply: "We have neglected the commandments of God." That's why in the Bible it is called the Ten Commandments, and we have got ''dharmaśāstras'' — nothing but ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'', the do's and don'ts.

Then we slowly acquire faith, and we experiment and get some results. Our faith deepens. That is how we progress.

The whole thing is meant — involution is meant — so that we can evolve. If I have to summarise the entire creation: '''first,''' it is nothing but '''involution''', coming down to the inorganic. Thereafter, '''evolution''' starts with the sprouting of '''''prāṇa''''' in the one-celled body — call it amoeba, by whatever name — and slowly multiplying and evolving physically, brain-wise, then mentally, then spiritually, finally reaching the destination, that is, reaching home from where we have come. This is the idea.
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== A Note on Methodology: How to Read a Text ==
Now I will give you a gist and summary of these mantras from the eleventh to the seventeenth. Six mantras seven mantras are there for us to deal with. Once we understand the gist of this — which I have already given as the summary of the summaries — I am going into a little more detail. And then we will go through the proper mantras; it will be a breeze to understand them.

This is how we have to read any book. This is the technique by which one can grasp the most in the least amount of time, and grasp more intelligently and retain it for a longer time. First of all, you read the foreword. The author, if he is a good author, crystal clearly outlines: "This is the subject about which I am going to talk, and on this subject, especially I am going to emphasise these particular points of view." And then he elaborates them, giving examples, etc.

So it may be a 300-page book or a 400-page book. At the end of every chapter — every paragraph has a connection with the next paragraph, if it is intelligent writing. Every chapter has a connection to the next chapter. And at the end of every chapter: "These are the special points we have discussed so far in this chapter," and then: "This is the connection between the previous chapter and the next chapter." This is what Śaṅkarācārya calls '''''sambandhabhāṣya''''' — the relationship between the previous mantra and the next mantra, previous chapter and next chapter, previous section and next section. If we can follow this methodology, it will be marvellous.
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== Before Creation: Brahman Alone ==
So what happened before creation? Who was there? Brahman alone existed — '''''ekaṃ sat, advitīyam'', ''sadeva saumya idam agra āsītसदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम्‌॥छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌षष्ठोऽध्यायःद्वितीयः खण्डःVerse १'''''. In the '''Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen, in the sixth chapter verse 21''', that only Brahman alone existed. That is what the Brihadāraṇyaka also repeats.

So then Brahman wanted to create. Now, so many people question: why did Brahman have to create? Could he not have kept quiet? Then we need not have all these classes, this ''saṃsāra'', this — "create a problem, then show a solution." No. This is called '''''līlā'''''. And you cannot complain, because: who is the creator? Brahman. Who is the creation? Brahman. Who has degenerated or involved? Brahman. Who is evolving? Brahman. That is the fun of it — he does it for fun, and he knows it with full consciousness.

So this is what we have to understand. Before creation, Brahman alone existed. And to ensure the proper functioning of this created universe, Brahman created the powerful castes — so ''kṣatriyas'', and earlier he said ''agni'' — ''agni'' means ''brāhmaṇa'' — so Indra, Varuṇa, etc. While the ''kṣatriya'' power, the warrior class, represents power, its source is none other than Brahman.

And that is why in the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the king has to sit below a ''brāhmaṇa'' who is performing the ''agni''. So a ''kṣatriya'' has to honour his own source.

To understand it in common sense language: why is the person doing this y''agna'' or ''yāga'', etc.? Because he learns from the ''brāhmaṇa'' that the goal of life is to manifest your potential divinity. And you are a ''kṣatriya'', and the duty of the ''kṣatriya'' is to protect, and also to evolve one's own self. So if you can do some y''agna'' or ''yāgas'', that is not the only duty. Your main duty is to see that society functions as it is supposed to function. But since you are also a human being with individual desires to fulfil, you can do some y''agna'', ''yāgas'', etc.

And only powerful, wealthy ''kṣatriyas'' can do some of these. And that is — at the very beginning of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — we said that what is called A''śvamedha'', as ''virāṭ'', a king can do, with all the elaborations and all four ''varṇas'' necessary. But if somebody doesn't have that capacity, you just sit and do mental ''upāsanā'' — it will give you exactly the same result as if you are the king and you are doing it meticulously from the beginning to the end. That is why that ''virāṭ upāsanā'' and its continuation was there. First it is the ''aśva'', then it is the ''agni'', then it is the ''prāṇa'' — we have seen that one already.

You will always have to keep the essential points in mind, otherwise my talk will be what is called dissected, non-related topics.
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== Mantra 11: The Creation of ''Brāhmaṇas'' and ''Kṣatriyas'' ==
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== Transliteration ====
brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||

'''So the essence of the eleventh mantra is: Brahman created what is called ''brāhmaṇas'' and ''kṣatriyas''.'''
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== Mantra 12: The Creation of ''Vaiśyas'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥-'''-बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||

'''Then the twelfth mantra: power alone, strength alone, was not enough. Because for the sake of wealth and social nourishment, many things are necessary — suppliers of many things. And therefore ''deva-vaiśyas'' were created. That is described in mantra 12. So like ''vasus'', ''rudras'' — these ''vaiśyas'' were created.'''
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== Mantra 13: The Creation of ''Śūdras'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||

But creation of ''brāhmaṇas'', creation of ''kṣatriyas'', creation of ''vaiśyas'' alone will not do. There is so much physical, menial labour one has to do. When a person has vast lands for cultivation, the cultivators — only ''śūdras'' can do it. And then harvesting, and then storing, and then protecting them — so many things one has to do. For that purpose, the ''śūdras'' have to be created.

'''Mantra 13: for service and support, the ''śūdra-varṇa'''''. Here also, ''deva-śūdra'' — you have to remember — '''''pūṣan''''', that is ''pṛthvī'', was created. Here the earth is called ''pūṣā'', because it is she who is cultivable, who yields, sustains, supports, and nourishes all of us.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||

'''Then the fourteenth mantra tells us''' something extraordinary. Here are the ''kṣatriyas'', here are the ''brāhmaṇas'', here are the ''vaiśyas'', here are the ''śūdras''. And there are also infinite variations possible. Suppose some ''kṣatriya'' has got tremendous power, or some ''brāhmaṇa'' has tremendous knowledge. Then he can become very arrogant — that possibility is there, because ''avidyā'' is ruling. Similarly, a powerful king, like a powerful politician, can do whatever he likes. If somebody praises him, he will bestow the highest power and all his goodies and goodwill. And if he doesn't like somebody, however worthy that somebody may be, he will demote and destroy them. This is the way — just look at the newspaper, that is what you will see everywhere going on.

So to protect against this, Brahman created something marvellous — it is called ''dharma''. So a ''brāhmaṇa'' has ''brāhmaṇa-dharma'', a ''kṣatriya'' has ''kṣatriya-dharma'', a ''vaiśya'' has ''vaiśya-dharma'', a ''śūdra'' has ''śūdra-dharma''. What does it mean? It means these people, according to their own caste — and they were created and classified as belonging to that caste because a particular quality is dominating in them, assisted of course by the other two qualities.

Just as in a ''brāhmaṇa'', ''sattva'' is the dominant quality, ''rajas'' is the helpful quality, and ''tamas'' is another one. Here ''rajas'' is more powerful and more helpful — that's why he retains. So it is not according to birth; caste is according to quality.

So that is what we need to do. And now a very interesting analogy can be given. There are so many AI companies — like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google of course, Meta, and so many others coming. And China is producing marvellous AI, which India cannot even look up to. Not because we lack intelligence, but we lack that ''puruṣakāra'', that energy. Full of jealousy, intolerance — we cannot tolerate our own. Our greatest ''adharma'' is to pull down the other person as much as possible. "I may not get anything, but I will not tolerate another person getting even a little better than what I have." This is the main cause. If this cause is not addressed, however much money the government may spend, we are not going to improve at all — whatever party comes into power. What type of persons are there using that power — that is most important.

So Brahman has created ''dharma''. And very interestingly, ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are equated. ''Satya'' is understanding what the proper action is to be done and the proper way to do it. And ''dharma'' is putting it into absolute practice. That is why you cannot separate ''satya'' and ''dharma''. We will come to that.

So in this fourteenth mantra, Brahman, after creating the four divine castes, now created ''dharma'', so that ''dharma'' keeps them under control. If anybody transgresses the ''dharma'', then ''dharma'' itself becomes ''Yama'' — ''Yama Dharmarāja''. That is why Yama is called ''Yama Dharmarāja''. ''Yama Dharmarāja'' will give appropriate ''karma'' for all.

This is ''dharma'' — ''dharma'' is the power behind power. The controlling power of any power is called ''dharma''. Where ''dharma'' exists, even a weak person can overcome a strong one. That is why we say ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are one'''सत्यमेव जयते satyameva jayate[Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6]'''. In the ultimate instance, it is only ''dharma'' and ''satya'' which become victorious — temporarily maybe something may not be there. That is the essence of the fourteenth mantra.
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== Mantra 15: The Purpose of All Action — ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== Transliteration ====
tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||

'''The fifteenth mantra: t'''his social order exists among both gods and men. So if a person performs many holy works without realising his own self, those works are only temporary. Only when a person knows who he is — obtains, through the obtainment of self-knowledge, ''ātmajñāna'' — then these works become complete and help him achieve the goal of life, which is to know ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.

So mantra 15 is reminding us: the whole purpose of creation is to catch hold of ''dharma'' and ''satya''. That is why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣadसत्यं वद। धर्मं चर।satyam vada dharmam chara''' — the rest is elaboration.

The social order exists among both gods and men, as I said earlier. For example: '''Agni is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''''', Indra is the ''deva-kṣatriya'', the ''vasus'' etc. are the ''deva-vaiśyas'', and ''pṛthvī'' is called the ''deva-śūdra'', etc.

'''In this fifteenth mantra''', it says we have to evolve slowly. What is evolution? Absolutely behaving as we are supposed to behave. And this we get from ''dharmaśāstras'': if you are a ''śūdra'', this is your ''dharma''; you should not do your ''adharma''. And if you follow — <center>यत: प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
'''स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानव: ॥ ४६ ॥'''
</center><center>''yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁyena sarvam idaṁ tatam'''sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcyasiddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ''' ---- '''BG18.46'''''</center>so if a person discharges his duty as a worship of God,that is the essence of ''Karma Yoga''. Then slowly he progresses. And ultimately, by the grace of God, he will become a ''vaiśya'', he will become a ''kṣatriya'' — that is called improvement, progress in the state of consciousness. Ultimately a person will become a ''brāhmaṇa'', that is, a seeker of Brahman. And then he will practise,'''महावाक्य श्रवण मनन निधिध्यासन''' [Mahavakya sravana manana , nidhidhyasana]and then he becomes a realised soul. That is the most wonderful thing.

'''What is the fifteenth mantra saying'''? Let me first quote how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully puts it: any number of zeros without a one in the front are completely zeros — valueless. But put one, and as you go on adding zero after zero, the value increases: 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, etc. This is what the mantra is telling — that if every activity is not directed towards reaching our own true nature, or Brahman, or ''ātmajñāna'', all these works will only give temporary effects.

The mantra is not telling that they will not give effect — they will. But again and again and again, we fall from that high state, and again we have to do it, until we learn the lesson. That all these works will give permanent result only when we offer them as worship of God.
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== Mantra 16: The ''Jīvanmukta'' — The Liberated Soul ==
अथो अयं वा आत्मा सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः स यज्जुहोति यद्यजते तेन देवानां लोकोऽथ यदनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणामथ यत्पितृभ्यो निपृणाति यत्प्रजामिच्छते तेन पितॄणामथ यन्मनुष्यान्वासयते यदेभ्योऽशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणामथ यत्पशुभ्यस्तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनां यदस्य गृहेषु श्वापदा वयास्यापिपीलिकाभ्य उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोको यथा ह वै स्वाय लोकायारिष्टिमिच्छेदेव हैवंविदे सर्वाणि भूतान्यरिष्टिमिच्छन्ति तद्वा एतद्विदितं मीमासितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १६'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayaṁ vā ātmā sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ sa yajjuhoti yadyajate tena devānāṁ loko'tha yadanubrūte tena ṛṣīṇāmatha yatpitṛbhyo nipṛṇāti yatprajāmicchate tena pitṝṇāmatha yanmanuṣyānvāsayate yadebhyo'śanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇāmatha yatpaśubhyastṛṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnāṁ yadasya gṛheṣu śvāpadā vayāsyāpipīlikābhya upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ loko yathā ha vai svāya lokāyāriṣṭimicchedeva haivaṁvide sarvāṇi bhūtānyariṣṭimicchanti tadvā etadviditaṁ mīmāsitam||

'''Then mantra 16 beautifully puts it'''. Suppose a person, through the evolution from ''śūdra'' to ''brāhmaṇa'', from ''tamoguṇa'' to ''sattvaguṇa'' — then the ''śūdra'' with ''sattvaguṇa'' will slowly realise, like that person who was saved from ''tamoguṇa'', then saved from ''rajoguṇa''. ''Sattvaguṇa'' alone saves — it brings him to his home, his village. "You go there."

When the man invited, "You have saved my life, I am eternally grateful, please come to my house — we will be blessed to honour you," he said, "No, I am also a robber." That means: all ''guṇas'' belong to ''sṛṣṭi''. We have to go beyond ''sṛṣṭi'' — to what was before ''sṛṣṭi'', which is Brahman.

So that is how a knower of the ''ātman'' becomes a world for all beings. Because a knower of Brahman or ''ātman'' is Brahman. And such a person — anybody who worships''',Bhūtikāmaḥ (भूतिकामः''')any anybody who wants any desire to be fulfilled — should worship an ''ātmajñānī'', because an ''ātmajñānī'' is non-separate from the ''ātman'' or Brahman. So here is a living example called a ''jīvanmukta''.

Through his sacrifice, study, and service to guests and animals, he supports entire creation. These are called '''''pañcamahāyajñas'' — ''devatās'', ''ṛṣis'', ''pitṛs'', and then all human beings, and all non-human beings, and even the smallest creatures.''' When he loves all, the entire creation loves him back.

Just imagine — Rāmakṛṣṇa once saved a big ''magur mach'' ([[Clarias magur|scientific name ; ''Clarias magur'']] ; freshwater catfish). We don't know how the magur mach really feels after that. According to its own capacity, it must have had a sigh of relief, become happy, and must have expressed gratitude to the saver, which is Rāmakṛṣṇa. Whatever is minimum necessary, they will do — but beyond that, they will never try to harm.

Even what minimum they do, also with a prayer. I heard that some South Africans, when they hunt — because they don't get anything else, for some particular animals like deer — they run them down. Finally they pray: "O ''devatā'', spirit — you are dying, sacrificing your life for the sake of sustaining us. We pray to God that in your next birth, you will have a better life because of your sacrifice." And after this prayer to their ancestors, to their own gods in whom they believe, they sprinkle a little bit of dust. This is what we do — ''śrāddha'', etc. — in gratefulness to all our ancestors. All ''pañcamahāyajña'' is nothing but uttering this gratefulness and sprinkling the dust.

'''So mantra 16 says that everybody loves a ''jīvanmukta'', because a ''jīvanmukta'' becomes the ''ātman'' of all these beings.'''
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== Mantra 17: The ''Gṛhasthāśrama'' — Legitimate Fulfilment of Desires ==
अथो अयम् आत्मा वै सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः सः यत् जुहोति यत् यजते तेन देवानां लोकः अथ यत् अनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणाम् अथ यत् पितृभ्यः निपृणाति यत् प्रजम् इच्छते तेन पितृणाम् अथ यत् मनुष्यान् वासयतेयत् एभ्यः अशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणाम् अथ यत् पशुभ्यः तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनाम् यत् अस्य गृहुषु श्वापदाः वयांसि आ पिपीलिकाभ्यः उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोकः यथा ह स्वाय लोकाय अरिष्टिम् इच्छेत् एवं ह सर्वाणि भूतानि एवंविदे अरिष्टिम् इच्छन्ति तत् एतत् वै वीदितम् मीमाम्सितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १७'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayam ātmā vai sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ saḥ yat juhoti yat yajate tena devānāṁ lokaḥ atha yat anubrūte tena ṛṣīṇām atha yat pitṛbhyaḥ nipṛṇāti yat prajam icchate tena pitṛṇām atha yat manuṣyān vāsayateyat ebhyaḥ aśanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇām atha yat paśubhyaḥ tṛiṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnām yat asya gṛhuṣu śvāpadāḥ vayāṁsi ā pipīlikābhyaḥ upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ lokaḥ yathā ha svāya lokāya ariṣṭim icchet evaṁ ha sarvāṇi bhūtāni evaṁvide ariṣṭim icchanti tat etat vai vīditam mīmāmsitam||

'''And the final mantra — mantra 17 —''' '''in this fourth section''': when the ''ātman'' existed alone, it desired a wife, children, wealth, and work, to feel complete. So what does this seventeenth mantra really mean?

It means: when a person comes of age, comes to consciousness, becomes awakened, he looks around and understands what to do. He understands: "This is my duty in life if I want to progress further." So therefore, he wants to fulfil all his desires legitimately, according to the direction of the scripture. Such a person — what is called a ''brahmacārī'' — desires a wife, children, wealth, and work.

And then the purpose is not to enjoy the world, but the purpose is slowly to evolve — by developing faith in the scripture, and by satisfying some of the desires.

So this mantra teaches us a very important lesson: an unfit person cannot simply renounce the world. He will be like a jobless person renouncing the world, going to Vārāṇasī, and then after some time securing a job. "Do not worry, I am keeping well. I am sending ten rupees — I got a job now. The next time when I come, I will bring some clothes and some other materials for you. So you do not feel bad about me, don't feel anxious about me." This is called jobless ''vairāgya'' — '''''śmaśāna-vairāgya'', ''prasūti-vairāgya'', ''markaṭa-vairāgya'', jobless ''vairāgya''.'''

'''So the mantra 17 tells us that all this entering into ''gṛhasthāśrama'' from ''brahmacaryāśrama'' to ''gṛhasthāśrama'' is an evolution'''. So that what we have learnt must be put into practice — that helps us to evolve further. '''Ultimately it brings us to ''vānaprasthāśrama'', which leads us to ''sannyāsāśrama''.''' That is the essence of this mantra 17.
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== Conclusion: The Mutual Relationship of Mantras 11–17 ==
So that is the essence of the eleventh to seventeenth mantras. There is a mutual relationship between these mantras, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 31 on 09 May 2026

2026-07-24T15:22:53Z

Gayatri: /* Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Goal of Life and the Nature of Brahman ==
As we saw, a great discussion was going on: what is the goal of life? Some seekers understood that realisation of Brahman alone is the goal of life. And what does one gain? They also understood the gains — ''sarvam idaṃ bhavati'''सर्वं इदं भवति''''' , so ''sarva bhāva prāpti'''सर्व भाव प्राप्ति'''''. A person who realises Brahman becomes ''sarvam'''सर्वं''''' , becomes ''pūrṇam'''पूर्णं'''''<nowiki/>'''.'''

Then, how to attain it? We have seen also that this whole creation is a play of Brahman, so that he wants to entertain himself. It is like playing a solitaire game, where one tries to deceive oneself, and then catch oneself, and then go on laughing: "I caught myself!" So it is what is called ''līlā'''लीला'''''<nowiki/>'''.'''
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== Summary of the Tenth Mantra: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' ==
In our last class, we completed one of the most important mantras — the tenth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. What is the essence of this tenth mantra? This tenth mantra unfolds and establishes that there is only one reality, that is called Brahman — call it God, call it Allāh, by whatever blessed name you desire to call.

And what are we? The ''jīva'''जीव''''', the individual soul, is essentially identical to that Brahman, because if Brahman is everything, if Brahman is the cause, then this entire universe is the effect. And the effect can never be different from the cause.

Then what is it we are experiencing now? This is called ''saṃsāra'''संसार'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' ''Saṃsāra'''संसार''''' means seeing everything as different. I am born — that is different. I am surviving — that is different. One day I will have to disappear from this world — that is also a change. This entire birth, growth, sustenance, old age, disease, and death — this is called ''ṣaḍvikāra'''षडविकार''''', the sixfold changes. Everyone has to go through them. ''Saṃsarati'' '''संसरति''' means continuous change.

And Brahman is one — eternal, unchanging, one without a second. So how can we equate this world with Brahman? But this thinking — really, Brahman has not created, has not become, has not become ''jīva'''जीव''''' , is not thinking as the ''jīva'''जीव''''' — and all these thoughts are only from our mind's point of view, from the ''avidyā'' '''अविद्या'''point of view. All questions — "Who am I? Why am I here? How did I happen to come here? Why did Brahman create? He could have created a better world" — all these questions are products of ignorance.

So long as we are ignorant, so long as we do not know that we are Brahman, these questions will not cease. So long as a person is experiencing a snake, his fear will never vanish.
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== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker ==
But at some point of time, a person gets tired. First — and this is a very great psychological point — first, all of us get so much of pleasure from various things. In fact, we try to minimise all unhappiness and all suffering, and maximise all our happiness. This seems to be the goal of life for a very, very long time.

And then comes the awakening: that it is impossible to achieve this objective. Therefore there must be another way, where I can be without any fear of death, ignorance, and suffering. And for that purpose, the search is now withdrawn from the external to the internal. Such persons are called spiritual seekers.

Then that person, with the help of the Guru who interprets the scripture, slowly destroys the ''avidyā'''अविद्या'''''. Now, what Advaita wants to convey to us is that ''vidyā'''विद्या''''', or true ''brahmavidyā'''ब्रह्मविद्य'''''<nowiki/>''',''' or ''ātmavidyā'' '''आत्मविद्य'''— knowledge of one's own self — is never lost, can never be lost. But it is covered up. So every spiritual practice is only to remove this covering.

So destruction of ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''', or destruction of the ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' (superimposition), is called spiritual practice. And as soon as we succeed in removing this ignorance — ignorance of who we really are, not what we think we are [ ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''',]— the moment we remove the wrong notion totally, ''vidyā'' stands revealed. We do not need to acquire ''vidyā'''विद्या''',''; it is already there.

Just like the removal of darkness manifests the light automatically — not that after removing the darkness, like somebody sitting outside, we have vacated a seat, there is a vacant chair and you can come inside. No, not like that. Removal of ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' or ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''' alone is spiritual practice. And then we realise: we were never bound. What we were wholeheartedly seeking, we already have, as it were — we are that.

Just, we have to remove the covering. For that, a ''mahāvākya'' tremendously helps. And the essential point in this tenth mantra is '''''ahaṃ brahmāsmi ({{lang|sa|अहं ब्रह्मास्मि}})'''([[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] 1.4.10 of the [[Yajur Veda]])''. And then — '''''ātmany eva upāsīta''''' एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत [ बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५][B'''rihad Up 1.4.15]'''— one should therefore strive to realise this Brahman alone.
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== Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section ==
Now we are going to proceed. This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras. We covered more or less ten mantras, and some mantras I have already described — especially, I think, in the eighth mantra, how this creation has started. Now again, from the eleventh to the seventeenth, this fourth section gives us This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras we have covered Ten mantras and now we will cover another seven mantras.this fourth section gives us two important ideas.

So creation has been described earlier. But to maintain this creation and to see that life goes on merrily without any problem, then we have to create those people who tell us how to run, how to live life, and how not to do certain actions which will only stop our further evolution — or even take us back to the previous state. How to stop that? And then slowly, how to progress?
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== The Origin of the Four Varṇas (''Cāturvarṇyam''''')चातुर्वर्ण्यं''' ==
So Brahman has created four types of castes. This is the origin of the caste system in Hinduism. God himself has created it, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa affirms it.<center>चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥
</center><center>''cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥtasya kartāram api māṁviddhy akartāram avyayam''bhagavad gita ch-!V verse 13
</center>So what is the purpose? Maintenance.

But the peculiarity of this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — what do we mean by ''cāturvarṇyam'''चातुर्वर्ण्यं''''' , the four castes? The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates and says that because '''''sṛṣṭi''''' also contains gods and goddesses, the entire creation can be divided into three: ''ādhyātmikaअध्यात्मिक'', ''ādhibhautika(आधिभौतिक)'', and ''ādhidaivika(आधिदैविक)''.

Each one of us, as individuals, is called ''ādhyātmika'''अध्यात्मिक'''''. Then the entire external world, which everyone of us is experiencing and formulating certain ''saṃskāras'' through our experiences, is called ''ādhibhautika'''(आधिभौतिक)'''''. But to have an overall management — how to make a person behave properly, do this, do not do this, the do's and don'ts — certain powers are created. They are called ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''. ('''अधिष्ठातृ देवता)''' And also, how to live life: for that purpose, four castes were created.

Now what the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad wants to add is that it is not only at our level, but even at the level of the gods, four ''varṇas'' are there. So there is a ''d'''eva-brāhmaṇa'''''<nowiki/>''', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', and ''deva-śūdra''.'''
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== The Three ''Guṇas'' and Their Combinations ==
Now, what are these castes? Castes are nothing but divided on the basis of ''guṇas''. As we know, ''guṇas'' are three. So certain combinations — and this is a very important point — no ''guṇa'' by itself can be effective. It is only the combination of every ''guṇa'' that counts.

How many combinations are possible? First: '''''sattvaguṇa''''' dominates, ''r'''ajoguṇa''''' supports, '''''tamoguṇa''''' helps — that is called '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' Second: ''rajoguṇa'' dominates, ''sattvaguṇa'' helps, ''tamoguṇa'' also helps — that is called '''''kṣatriya'',''' or the rulers and warriors. What Plato or Socrates used to call the second category.

The first category, according to Socrates, is called philosophers — those who set the goal of life crystal clearly. But to maintain this order, ''kṣatriyas'' are necessary, with tremendous power. They are the kings, they are the warriors, they are the leaders of men. They fall under the second category and are dominated by ''rajoguṇa''. They have to be extremely alert and intolerant of any evil that is being perpetuated.

People were advised according to their castes what special activities they would have to do. So for example, for the ''brāhmaṇa'' — study of the Vedas, leading an ideal life — that is the speciality of ''brāhmaṇas''. For ''kṣatriyas'' — protecting the weak, subduing the strong and evil, and seeing that society runs smoothly. That oiling process of this machine called society — they are called ''kṣatriyas'', or the warrior class.

And people are advised: you have to worship God, you have certain duties in life. For that purpose, ''pañcamahāyajñas'', special worships, special ''upāsanās'', have been given. And to see that they are done properly, many things are needed, many items are needed. So one has to get that supply. The persons who see that everybody requires food and materials — and at one place something grows, another place something else grows — these third castes are called the business people, ''vaiśyas''.

Their business is such that they have international connections. If some excess product is there, they remove it, take it where it is needed and not available. And what is available there — say, for example, certain exotic things are not available in western countries, only India can give, especially spices. That is why everybody wanted to come and conquer India, so that they could have free access. India was also known as a treasure house of gold, silver, and many other precious minerals and metals.

So that is why everybody's sight was drawn there. That is why Muslims had come, that's why English, Dutch, Portuguese, French people — everybody had come. Finally, only the Muslims and the English people dominated and looted. And that we should not blame them, because we welcomed them and we helped them to loot everything, because of our non-cooperation. Even now it is going on.

So the third class — what is called ''rajo''-dominated, greatly helped by ''rajas'' and ''tamas'' in equal proportions — they are called '''''vaiśyas'''''. But there are different types of activities: harvesting, cultivating, cleaning, storing, bringing things. Workers are needed — they are called '''''śūdras''.'''

And it is not that a particular caste of people have been created. No. According to their ''guṇa'', where ''tamoguṇa'' is more — the person needs to be told, "You have to do this," etc. They cannot think for themselves; somebody has to continuously direct them: "Do this, don't do this, do this after that." Such people are called ''śūdras''.

And in every society, in every age, we get these people. Not that it is only from the beginning so. For that purpose, from Brahman, having created this universe with all the ''pañcabhūtas'', he then created '''''deva-varṇas'' — ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', ''deva-śūdra''.'''
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== Intelligence in Nature: An Illustrative Digression ==
And this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, from the eleventh mantra onwards — from the eleventh section onwards — is trying to elaborate one after the other that with the help of everyone doing their duties properly, everybody will be progressing. So ''śūdras'' will develop higher consciousness, then they become more ''rajo''-dominated, and then later on they will be dominated by ''sattvaguṇa''. That is how this is a slow evolution from a low state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness — that is what this section wants to tell.

Just as Brahman created the '''''deva-varṇas''''' — the four castes of the ''devas'', the gods and goddesses — we have to understand that exactly in a similar manner, all human beings were also created. So ''deva-brāhmaṇas'' degenerated into '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇas''''', ''deva-kṣatriyas'' into '''''manuṣya-kṣatriyas''''', ''deva-vaiśyas'' into '''''manuṣya-vaiśyas''''', and ''deva-śūdras'' into '''''manuṣya-śūdras''.'''

Now, though it is not necessary — this is a point we can add here — does this division apply only to human beings or to non-human beings also? Yes. Take one simple example: the story of the honey bee. There is a queen, there are warriors to protect the hive, there are workers who will be going and gathering — it is such a marvellous story. How much intelligence is needed!

Just to give one small example: there are some ant colonies that were being flooded, and they had to find a safer nest. we call it an Ant hill.What do these ants do? They have to cross sometimes huge expanses of water. And individually, if they do it, it is not going to help. So they join hands and legs and form a huge, like a boat or a huge mat. The entire rest of the colony gathers onto that mat, as it were, and they float. And these front ants slowly guide it to a place where the danger of water is not there.

That's why if anybody scientifically examines either a beehive or an anthill, you will see how much intelligence is there. When you look at some birds — there are some birds who create such beautiful nests, and they are fully aware, fully conscious that snakes are there to hunt them. So there are particular species of birds I have seen in a video: they create a nest with various doors, and the real room where they store the eggs will be practically like Lucknow's maze, the ''Bhūlbhulāiyā''. The snake will poke into several nests and not find anything. Finally, disappointed, most snakes leave.

Why am I citing this example? To show how much intelligence is really working there, albeit unconsciously. Many squirrels gather nuts when winter is coming — they have to survive in their burrows, to tide them over during that cold season when they cannot come out. What do the bears do? They hibernate. How much intelligence!

This is only to place before you how much intelligence these creatures have. So Brahman manifested himself as the world, then created various animals, then created human beings. Then a world order has to be established. For that, '''''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''''' were created. And that is from where the '''''karma-siddhānta''''' has come — these gods are watching us. According to our ''karma'', if we worship them, they reward us; if we neglect and misbehave, they keep count and will try to correct us. It is not a punishment — it is a correction.
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== The ''Varṇas'' as a Framework for Evolution ==
So this is how ''deva-varṇas'' and ''brahman-varṇas'' are created. And then, what is the purpose of all this? Right from the lowest caste, we have to strive — through the devout performance of our respective duties — to evolve. That is how a ''śūdra'' becomes a ''vaiśya'', meaning the terrible ''tamoguṇa'' now becomes mixed up with more of ''rajoguṇa'', and then he enters into more ''sāttvikaguṇa'' and becomes a ''kṣatriya''. This is a state of progress.

We have to understand: it is not a privilege to oppress and suppress and selfishly hoard everything for one's own self. And whenever we neglect this, the ''karmaphala'' will come with a big blow. Study history — this is what happens. And this history has been repeated in our ''Purāṇas'' in the form of the continuous warfare between the ''suras'' and ''asuras'', gods and demons.

What is this fight? The fight is: whenever somebody neglects and doesn't live a proper life appropriate to their station in life, then ''karmaphala'' will come in the form of suffering. Here, a demon is nothing but a creator of — or an excuse for creating — suffering. Suffering awakens these people. Then they think deeply: "We have neglected the commandments of God." That's why in the Bible it is called the Ten Commandments, and we have got ''dharmaśāstras'' — nothing but ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'', the do's and don'ts.

Then we slowly acquire faith, and we experiment and get some results. Our faith deepens. That is how we progress.

The whole thing is meant — involution is meant — so that we can evolve. If I have to summarise the entire creation: '''first,''' it is nothing but '''involution''', coming down to the inorganic. Thereafter, '''evolution''' starts with the sprouting of '''''prāṇa''''' in the one-celled body — call it amoeba, by whatever name — and slowly multiplying and evolving physically, brain-wise, then mentally, then spiritually, finally reaching the destination, that is, reaching home from where we have come. This is the idea.
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== A Note on Methodology: How to Read a Text ==
Now I will give you a gist and summary of these mantras from the eleventh to the seventeenth. Six or seven mantras are there for us to deal with. Once we understand the gist of this — which I have already given as the summary of the summaries — I am going into a little more detail. And then we will go through the proper mantras; it will be a breeze to understand them.

This is how we have to read any book. This is the technique by which one can grasp the most in the least amount of time, and grasp more intelligently and retain it for a longer time. First of all, you read the foreword. The author, if he is a good author, crystal clearly outlines: "This is the subject about which I am going to talk, and on this subject, especially I am going to emphasise these particular points of view." And then he elaborates them, giving examples, etc.

So it may be a 300-page book or a 400-page book. At the end of every chapter — every paragraph has a connection with the next paragraph, if it is intelligent writing. Every chapter has a connection to the next chapter. And at the end of every chapter: "These are the special points we have discussed so far in this chapter," and then: "This is the connection between the previous chapter and the next chapter." This is what Śaṅkarācārya calls '''''sambandhabhāṣya''''' — the relationship between the previous mantra and the next mantra, previous chapter and next chapter, previous section and next section. If we can follow this methodology, it will be marvellous.
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== Before Creation: Brahman Alone ==
So what happened before creation? Who was there? Brahman alone existed — '''''ekaṃ sat, advitīyam'', ''sadeva saumya idam agra āsītसदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम्‌॥छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌षष्ठोऽध्यायःद्वितीयः खण्डःVerse १'''''. In the '''Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen, in the sixth chapter verse 21''', that only Brahman alone existed. That is what the Brihadāraṇyaka also repeats.

So then Brahman wanted to create. Now, so many people question: why did Brahman have to create? Could he not have kept quiet? Then we need not have all these classes, this ''saṃsāra'', this — "create a problem, then show a solution." No. This is called '''''līlā'''''. And you cannot complain, because: who is the creator? Brahman. Who is the creation? Brahman. Who has degenerated or involved? Brahman. Who is evolving? Brahman. That is the fun of it — he does it for fun, and he knows it with full consciousness.

So this is what we have to understand. Before creation, Brahman alone existed. And to ensure the proper functioning of this created universe, Brahman created the powerful castes — so ''kṣatriyas'', and earlier he said ''agni'' — ''agni'' means ''brāhmaṇa'' — so Indra, Varuṇa, etc. While the ''kṣatriya'' power, the warrior class, represents power, its source is none other than Brahman.

And that is why in the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the king has to sit below a ''brāhmaṇa'' who is performing the ''agni''. So a ''kṣatriya'' has to honour his own source.

To understand it in common sense language: why is the person doing this ''agni'' or ''yāga'', etc.? Because he learns from the ''brāhmaṇa'' that the goal of life is to manifest your potential divinity. And you are a ''kṣatriya'', and the duty of the ''kṣatriya'' is to protect, and also to evolve one's own self. So if you can do some ''agni'' or ''yāgas'', that is not the only duty. Your main duty is to see that society functions as it is supposed to function. But since you are also a human being with individual desires to fulfil, you can do some y''agna'', ''yāgas'', etc.

And only powerful, wealthy ''kṣatriyas'' can do some of these. And that is — at the very beginning of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — we said that what is called A''śvamedha'', as ''virāṭ'', a king can do, with all the elaborations and all four ''varṇas'' necessary. But if somebody doesn't have that capacity, you just sit and do mental ''upāsanā'' — it will give you exactly the same result as if you are the king and you are doing it meticulously from the beginning to the end. That is why that ''virāṭ upāsanā'' and its continuation was there. First it is the ''aśva'', then it is the ''agni'', then it is the ''prāṇa'' — we have seen that one already.

You will always have to keep the essential points in mind, otherwise my talk will be what is called dissected, non-related topics.
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== Mantra 11: The Creation of ''Brāhmaṇas'' and ''Kṣatriyas'' ==
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== Transliteration ====
brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||

'''So the essence of the eleventh mantra is: Brahman created what is called ''brāhmaṇas'' and ''kṣatriyas''.'''
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== Mantra 12: The Creation of ''Vaiśyas'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥-'''-बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||

'''Then the twelfth mantra: power alone, strength alone, was not enough. Because for the sake of wealth and social nourishment, many things are necessary — suppliers of many things. And therefore ''deva-vaiśyas'' were created. That is described in mantra 12. So like ''vasus'', ''rudras'' — these ''vaiśyas'' were created.'''
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== Mantra 13: The Creation of ''Śūdras'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||

But creation of ''brāhmaṇas'', creation of ''kṣatriyas'', creation of ''vaiśyas'' alone will not do. There is so much physical, menial labour one has to do. When a person has vast lands for cultivation, the cultivators — only ''śūdras'' can do it. And then harvesting, and then storing, and then protecting them — so many things one has to do. For that purpose, the ''śūdras'' have to be created.

'''Mantra 13: for service and support, the ''śūdra-varṇa'''''. Here also, ''deva-śūdra'' — you have to remember — '''''pūṣan''''', that is ''pṛthvī'', was created. Here the earth is called ''pūṣā'', because it is she who is cultivable, who yields, sustains, supports, and nourishes all of us.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||

Then the fourteenth mantra tells us something extraordinary. Here are the ''kṣatriyas'', here are the ''brāhmaṇas'', here are the ''vaiśyas'', here are the ''śūdras''. And there are also infinite variations possible. Suppose some ''kṣatriya'' has got tremendous power, or some ''brāhmaṇa'' has tremendous knowledge. Then he can become very arrogant — that possibility is there, because ''avidyā'' is ruling. Similarly, a powerful king, like a powerful politician, can do whatever he likes. If somebody praises him, he will bestow the highest power and all his goodies and goodwill. And if he doesn't like somebody, however worthy that somebody may be, he will demote and destroy them. This is the way — just look at the newspaper, that is what you will see everywhere going on.

So to protect against this, Brahman created something marvellous — it is called ''dharma''. So a ''brāhmaṇa'' has ''brāhmaṇa-dharma'', a ''kṣatriya'' has ''kṣatriya-dharma'', a ''vaiśya'' has ''vaiśya-dharma'', a ''śūdra'' has ''śūdra-dharma''. What does it mean? It means these people, according to their own caste — and they were created and classified as belonging to that caste because a particular quality is dominating in them, assisted of course by the other two qualities.

Just as in a ''brāhmaṇa'', ''sattva'' is the dominant quality, ''rajas'' is the helpful quality, and ''tamas'' is another one. Here ''rajas'' is more powerful and more helpful — that's why he retains. So it is not according to birth; caste is according to quality.

So that is what we need to do. And now a very interesting analogy can be given. There are so many AI companies — like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google of course, Meta, and so many others coming. And China is producing marvellous AI, which India cannot even look up to. Not because we lack intelligence, but we lack that ''puruṣakāra'', that energy. Full of jealousy, intolerance — we cannot tolerate our own. Our greatest ''adharma'' is to pull down the other person as much as possible. "I may not get anything, but I will not tolerate another person getting even a little better than what I have." This is the main cause. If this cause is not addressed, however much money the government may spend, we are not going to improve at all — whatever party comes into power. What type of persons are there using that power — that is most important.

So Brahman has created ''dharma''. And very interestingly, ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are equated. ''Satya'' is understanding what the proper action is to be done and the proper way to do it. And ''dharma'' is putting it into absolute practice. That is why you cannot separate ''satya'' and ''dharma''. We will come to that.

So in this fourteenth mantra, Brahman, after creating the four divine castes, now created ''dharma'', so that ''dharma'' keeps them under control. If anybody transgresses the ''dharma'', then ''dharma'' itself becomes ''Yama'' — ''Yama Dharmarāja''. That is why Yama is called ''Yama Dharmarāja''. ''Yama Dharmarāja'' will give appropriate ''karma'' for all.

This is ''dharma'' — ''dharma'' is the power behind power. The controlling power of any power is called ''dharma''. Where ''dharma'' exists, even a weak person can overcome a strong one. That is why we say ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are one'''सत्यमेव जयते satyameva jayate[Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6]'''. In the ultimate instance, it is only ''dharma'' and ''satya'' which become victorious — temporarily maybe something may not be there. That is the essence of the fourteenth mantra.
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== Mantra 15: The Purpose of All Action — ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== Transliteration ====
tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||

'''The fifteenth mantra: t'''his social order exists among both gods and men. So if a person performs many holy works without realising his own self, those works are only temporary. Only when a person knows who he is — obtains, through the obtainment of self-knowledge, ''ātmajñāna'' — then these works become complete and help him achieve the goal of life, which is to know ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.

So mantra 15 is reminding us: the whole purpose of creation is to catch hold of ''dharma'' and ''satya''. That is why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣadसत्यं वद। धर्मं चर।satyam vada dharmam chara — the rest is elaboration.

The social order exists among both gods and men, as I said earlier. For example: Agni is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', Indra is the ''deva-kṣatriya'', the ''vasus'' etc. are the ''deva-vaiśyas'', and ''pṛthvī'' is called the ''deva-śūdra'', etc.

'''In this fifteenth mantra''', it says we have to evolve slowly. What is evolution? Absolutely behaving as we are supposed to behave. And this we get from ''dharmaśāstras'': if you are a ''śūdra'', this is your ''dharma''; you should not do your ''adharma''. And if you follow — so if a person discharges his duty as a worship of God, <center>यत: प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।
'''स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानव: ॥ ४६ ॥'''
</center><center>''yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁyena sarvam idaṁ tatam'''sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcyasiddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ''' ---- '''BG18.46'''''</center>that is the essence of ''Karma Yoga''. Then slowly he progresses. And ultimately, by the grace of God, he will become a ''vaiśya'', he will become a ''kṣatriya'' — that is called improvement, progress in the state of consciousness. Ultimately a person will become a ''brāhmaṇa'', that is, a seeker of Brahman. And then he will practise,'''महावाक्य श्रवण मनन निधिध्यासन''' [Mahavakya sravana manana , nidhidhyasana]and then he becomes a realised soul. That is the most wonderful thing.

'''What is the fifteenth mantra saying'''? Let me first quote how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully puts it: any number of zeros without a one in the front are completely zeros — valueless. But put one, and as you go on adding zero after zero, the value increases: 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, etc. This is what the mantra is telling — that if every activity is not directed towards reaching our own true nature, or Brahman, or ''ātmajñāna'', all these works will only give temporary effects.

The mantra is not telling that they will not give effect — they will. But again and again and again, we fall from that high state, and again we have to do it, until we learn the lesson. That all these works will give permanent result only when we offer them as worship of God.
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== Mantra 16: The ''Jīvanmukta'' — The Liberated Soul ==
अथो अयं वा आत्मा सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः स यज्जुहोति यद्यजते तेन देवानां लोकोऽथ यदनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणामथ यत्पितृभ्यो निपृणाति यत्प्रजामिच्छते तेन पितॄणामथ यन्मनुष्यान्वासयते यदेभ्योऽशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणामथ यत्पशुभ्यस्तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनां यदस्य गृहेषु श्वापदा वयास्यापिपीलिकाभ्य उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोको यथा ह वै स्वाय लोकायारिष्टिमिच्छेदेव हैवंविदे सर्वाणि भूतान्यरिष्टिमिच्छन्ति तद्वा एतद्विदितं मीमासितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १६'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayaṁ vā ātmā sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ sa yajjuhoti yadyajate tena devānāṁ loko'tha yadanubrūte tena ṛṣīṇāmatha yatpitṛbhyo nipṛṇāti yatprajāmicchate tena pitṝṇāmatha yanmanuṣyānvāsayate yadebhyo'śanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇāmatha yatpaśubhyastṛṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnāṁ yadasya gṛheṣu śvāpadā vayāsyāpipīlikābhya upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ loko yathā ha vai svāya lokāyāriṣṭimicchedeva haivaṁvide sarvāṇi bhūtānyariṣṭimicchanti tadvā etadviditaṁ mīmāsitam||

'''Then mantra 16 beautifully puts it'''. Suppose a person, through the evolution from ''śūdra'' to ''brāhmaṇa'', from ''tamoguṇa'' to ''sattvaguṇa'' — then the ''śūdra'' with ''sattvaguṇa'' will slowly realise, like that person who was saved from ''tamoguṇa'', then saved from ''rajoguṇa''. ''Sattvaguṇa'' alone saves — it brings him to his home, his village. "You go there."

When the man invited, "You have saved my life, I am eternally grateful, please come to my house — we will be blessed to honour you," he said, "No, I am also a robber." That means: all ''guṇas'' belong to ''sṛṣṭi''. We have to go beyond ''sṛṣṭi'' — to what was before ''sṛṣṭi'', which is Brahman.

So that is how a knower of the ''ātman'' becomes a world for all beings. Because a knower of Brahman or ''ātman'' is Brahman. And such a person — anybody who worships, anybody who wants any desire to be fulfilled — should worship an ''ātmajñānī'', because an ''ātmajñānī'' is non-separate from the ''ātman'' or Brahman. So here is a living example called a ''jīvanmukta''.

Through his sacrifice, study, and service to guests and animals, he supports entire creation. These are called '''''pañcamahāyajñas'' — ''devatās'', ''ṛṣis'', ''pitṛs'', and then all human beings, and all non-human beings, and even the smallest creatures.''' When he loves all, the entire creation loves him back.

Just imagine — Rāmakṛṣṇa once saved a big ''magur mach'' ([[Clarias magur|scientific name ; ''Clarias magur'']] ; freshwater catfish). We don't know how the magur mach really feels after that. According to its own capacity, it must have had a sigh of relief, become happy, and must have expressed gratitude to the saver, which is Rāmakṛṣṇa. Whatever is minimum necessary, they will do — but beyond that, they will never try to harm.

Even what minimum they do, also with a prayer. I heard that some South Africans, when they hunt — because they don't get anything else, for some particular animals like deer — they run them down. Finally they pray: "O ''devatā'', spirit — you are dying, sacrificing your life for the sake of sustaining us. We pray to God that in your next birth, you will have a better life because of your sacrifice." And after this prayer to their ancestors, to their own gods in whom they believe, they sprinkle a little bit of dust. This is what we do — ''śrāddha'', etc. — in gratefulness to all our ancestors. All ''pañcamahāyajña'' is nothing but uttering this gratefulness and sprinkling the dust.

'''So mantra 16 says that everybody loves a ''jīvanmukta'', because a ''jīvanmukta'' becomes the ''ātman'' of all these beings.'''
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== Mantra 17: The ''Gṛhasthāśrama'' — Legitimate Fulfilment of Desires ==
अथो अयम् आत्मा वै सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः सः यत् जुहोति यत् यजते तेन देवानां लोकः अथ यत् अनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणाम् अथ यत् पितृभ्यः निपृणाति यत् प्रजम् इच्छते तेन पितृणाम् अथ यत् मनुष्यान् वासयतेयत् एभ्यः अशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणाम् अथ यत् पशुभ्यः तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनाम् यत् अस्य गृहुषु श्वापदाः वयांसि आ पिपीलिकाभ्यः उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोकः यथा ह स्वाय लोकाय अरिष्टिम् इच्छेत् एवं ह सर्वाणि भूतानि एवंविदे अरिष्टिम् इच्छन्ति तत् एतत् वै वीदितम् मीमाम्सितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १७'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayam ātmā vai sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ saḥ yat juhoti yat yajate tena devānāṁ lokaḥ atha yat anubrūte tena ṛṣīṇām atha yat pitṛbhyaḥ nipṛṇāti yat prajam icchate tena pitṛṇām atha yat manuṣyān vāsayateyat ebhyaḥ aśanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇām atha yat paśubhyaḥ tṛiṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnām yat asya gṛhuṣu śvāpadāḥ vayāṁsi ā pipīlikābhyaḥ upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ lokaḥ yathā ha svāya lokāya ariṣṭim icchet evaṁ ha sarvāṇi bhūtāni evaṁvide ariṣṭim icchanti tat etat vai vīditam mīmāmsitam||

'''And the final mantra — mantra 17 —''' '''in this fourth section''': when the ''ātman'' existed alone, it desired a wife, children, wealth, and work, to feel complete. So what does this seventeenth mantra really mean?

It means: when a person comes of age, comes to consciousness, becomes awakened, he looks around and understands what to do. He understands: "This is my duty in life if I want to progress further." So therefore, he wants to fulfil all his desires legitimately, according to the direction of the scripture. Such a person — what is called a ''brahmacārī'' — desires a wife, children, wealth, and work.

And then the purpose is not to enjoy the world, but the purpose is slowly to evolve — by developing faith in the scripture, and by satisfying some of the desires.

So this mantra teaches us a very important lesson: an unfit person cannot simply renounce the world. He will be like a jobless person renouncing the world, going to Vārāṇasī, and then after some time securing a job. "Do not worry, I am keeping well. I am sending ten rupees — I got a job now. The next time when I come, I will bring some clothes and some other materials for you. So you do not feel bad about me, don't feel anxious about me." This is called jobless ''vairāgya'' — '''''śmaśāna-vairāgya'', ''prasūti-vairāgya'', ''markaṭa-vairāgya'', jobless ''vairāgya''.'''

'''So the mantra 17 tells us that all this entering into ''gṛhasthāśrama'' from ''brahmacaryāśrama'' to ''gṛhasthāśrama'' is an evolution'''. So that what we have learnt must be put into practice — that helps us to evolve further. '''Ultimately it brings us to ''vānaprasthāśrama'', which leads us to ''sannyāsāśrama''.''' That is the essence of this mantra 17.
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== Conclusion: The Mutual Relationship of Mantras 11–17 ==
So that is the essence of the eleventh to seventeenth mantras. There is a mutual relationship between these mantras, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 31 on 09 May 2026

2026-07-22T07:55:07Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Goal of Life and the Nature of Brahman ==
As we saw, a great discussion was going on: what is the goal of life? Some seekers understood that realisation of Brahman alone is the goal of life. And what does one gain? They also understood the gains — ''sarvam idaṃ bhavati'''सर्वं इदं भवति''''' , so ''sarva bhāva prāpti'''सर्व भाव प्राप्ति'''''. A person who realises Brahman becomes ''sarvam'''सर्वं''''' , becomes ''pūrṇam'''पूर्णं'''''<nowiki/>'''.'''

Then, how to attain it? We have seen also that this whole creation is a play of Brahman, so that he wants to entertain himself. It is like playing a solitaire game, where one tries to deceive oneself, and then catch oneself, and then go on laughing: "I caught myself!" So it is what is called ''līlā'''लीला'''''<nowiki/>'''.'''
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== Summary of the Tenth Mantra: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' ==
In our last class, we completed one of the most important mantras — the tenth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. What is the essence of this tenth mantra? This tenth mantra unfolds and establishes that there is only one reality, that is called Brahman — call it God, call it Allāh, by whatever blessed name you desire to call.

And what are we? The ''jīva'''जीव''''', the individual soul, is essentially identical to that Brahman, because if Brahman is everything, if Brahman is the cause, then this entire universe is the effect. And the effect can never be different from the cause.

Then what is it we are experiencing now? This is called ''saṃsāra'''संसार'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' ''Saṃsāra'''संसार''''' means seeing everything as different. I am born — that is different. I am surviving — that is different. One day I will have to disappear from this world — that is also a change. This entire birth, growth, sustenance, old age, disease, and death — this is called ''ṣaḍvikāra'''षडविकार''''', the sixfold changes. Everyone has to go through them. ''Saṃsarati'' '''संसरति''' means continuous change.

And Brahman is one — eternal, unchanging, one without a second. So how can we equate this world with Brahman? But this thinking — really, Brahman has not created, has not become, has not become ''jīva'''जीव''''' , is not thinking as the ''jīva'''जीव''''' — and all these thoughts are only from our mind's point of view, from the ''avidyā'' '''अविद्या'''point of view. All questions — "Who am I? Why am I here? How did I happen to come here? Why did Brahman create? He could have created a better world" — all these questions are products of ignorance.

So long as we are ignorant, so long as we do not know that we are Brahman, these questions will not cease. So long as a person is experiencing a snake, his fear will never vanish.
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== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker ==
But at some point of time, a person gets tired. First — and this is a very great psychological point — first, all of us get so much of pleasure from various things. In fact, we try to minimise all unhappiness and all suffering, and maximise all our happiness. This seems to be the goal of life for a very, very long time.

And then comes the awakening: that it is impossible to achieve this objective. Therefore there must be another way, where I can be without any fear of death, ignorance, and suffering. And for that purpose, the search is now withdrawn from the external to the internal. Such persons are called spiritual seekers.

Then that person, with the help of the Guru who interprets the scripture, slowly destroys the ''avidyā'''अविद्या'''''. Now, what Advaita wants to convey to us is that ''vidyā'''विद्या''''', or true ''brahmavidyā'''ब्रह्मविद्य'''''<nowiki/>''',''' or ''ātmavidyā'' '''आत्मविद्य'''— knowledge of one's own self — is never lost, can never be lost. But it is covered up. So every spiritual practice is only to remove this covering.

So destruction of ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''', or destruction of the ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' (superimposition), is called spiritual practice. And as soon as we succeed in removing this ignorance — ignorance of who we really are, not what we think we are [ ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''',]— the moment we remove the wrong notion totally, ''vidyā'' stands revealed. We do not need to acquire ''vidyā''; it is already there.

Just like the removal of darkness manifests the light automatically — not that after removing the darkness, like somebody sitting outside, we have vacated a seat, there is a vacant chair and you can come inside. No, not like that. Removal of ''adhyāsa'''अध्यास''''' or ''avidyā'''अविद्या''''' alone is spiritual practice. And then we realise: we were never bound. What we were wholeheartedly seeking, we already have, as it were — we are that.

Just, we have to remove the covering. For that, a ''mahāvākya'' tremendously helps. And the essential point in this tenth mantra is '''''ahaṃ brahmāsmi ({{lang|sa|अहं ब्रह्मास्मि}})'''([[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] 1.4.10 of the [[Yajur Veda]])''. And then — '''''ātmany eva upāsīta''''' एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत [ बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५][B'''rihad Up 1.4.15]'''— one should therefore strive to realise this Brahman alone.
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== Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section ==
Now we are going to proceed. This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras. We covered more or less ten mantras, and some mantras I have already described — especially, I think, in the eighth mantra, how this creation has started. Now again, from the eleventh to the seventeenth, this fourth section gives us This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantraswe have covered Ten mantras and now we will vover another seven mantras.this fourth section gives us two important ideas.

So creation has been described earlier. But to maintain this creation and to see that life goes on merrily without any problem, then we have to create those people who tell us how to run, how to live life, and how not to do certain actions which will only stop our further evolution — or even take us back to the previous state. How to stop that? And then slowly, how to progress?
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== The Origin of the Four Varṇas (''Cāturvarṇyam''''')चातुर्वर्ण्यं''' ==
So Brahman has created four types of castes. This is the origin of the caste system in Hinduism. God himself has created it, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa affirms it.<center>चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥
</center><center>''cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁguṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥtasya kartāram api māṁviddhy akartāram avyayam''bhagavad gita ch-!V verse 13
</center>So what is the purpose? Maintenance.

But the peculiarity of this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — what do we mean by ''cāturvarṇyam'''चातुर्वर्ण्यं''''' , the four castes? The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates and says that because ''sṛṣṭi'' also contains gods and goddesses, the entire creation can be divided into three: ''ādhyātmikaअध्यात्मिक'', ''ādhibhautika(आधिभौतिक)'', and ''ādhidaivika(आधिदैविक)''.

Each one of us, as individuals, is called ''ādhyātmika'''अध्यात्मिक'''''. Then the entire external world, which everyone of us is experiencing and formulating certain ''saṃskāras'' through our experiences, is called ''ādhibhautika'''(आधिभौतिक)'''''. But to have an overall management — how to make a person behave properly, do this, do not do this, the do's and don'ts — certain powers are created. They are called ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''. ('''अधिष्ठातृ देवता)''' And also, how to live life: for that purpose, four castes were created.

Now what the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad wants to add is that it is not only at our level, but even at the level of the gods, four ''varṇas'' are there. So there is a ''d'''eva-brāhmaṇa'''''<nowiki/>''', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', and ''deva-śūdra''.'''
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== The Three ''Guṇas'' and Their Combinations ==
Now, what are these castes? Castes are nothing but divided on the basis of ''guṇas''. As we know, ''guṇas'' are three. So certain combinations — and this is a very important point — no ''guṇa'' by itself can be effective. It is only the combination of every ''guṇa'' that counts.

How many combinations are possible? First: ''sattvaguṇa'' dominates, ''rajoguṇa'' supports, ''tamoguṇa'' helps — that is called ''brāhmaṇa''. Second: ''rajoguṇa'' dominates, ''sattvaguṇa'' helps, ''tamoguṇa'' also helps — that is called ''kṣatriya'', or the rulers and warriors. What Plato or Socrates used to call the second category.

The first category, according to Socrates, is called philosophers — those who set the goal of life crystal clearly. But to maintain this order, ''kṣatriyas'' are necessary, with tremendous power. They are the kings, they are the warriors, they are the leaders of men. They fall under the second category and are dominated by ''rajoguṇa''. They have to be extremely alert and intolerant of any evil that is being perpetuated.

People were advised according to their castes what special activities they would have to do. So for example, for the ''brāhmaṇa'' — study of the Vedas, leading an ideal life — that is the speciality of ''brāhmaṇas''. For ''kṣatriyas'' — protecting the weak, subduing the strong and evil, and seeing that society runs smoothly. That oiling process of this machine called society — they are called ''kṣatriyas'', or the warrior class.

And people are advised: you have to worship God, you have certain duties in life. For that purpose, ''pañcamahāyajñas'', special worships, special ''upāsanās'', have been given. And to see that they are done properly, many things are needed, many items are needed. So one has to get that supply. The persons who see that everybody requires food and materials — and at one place something grows, another place something else grows — these third castes are called the business people, ''vaiśyas''.

Their business is such that they have international connections. If some excess product is there, they remove it, take it where it is needed and not available. And what is available there — say, for example, certain exotic things are not available in western countries, only India can give, especially spices. That is why everybody wanted to come and conquer India, so that they could have free access. India was also known as a treasure house of gold, silver, and many other precious minerals and metals.

So that is why everybody's sight was drawn there. That is why Muslims had come, that's why English, Dutch, Portuguese, French people — everybody had come. Finally, only the Muslims and the English people dominated and looted. And that we should not blame them, because we welcomed them and we helped them to loot everything, because of our non-cooperation. Even now it is going on.

So the third class — what is called ''rajo''-dominated, greatly helped by ''rajas'' and ''tamas'' in equal proportions — they are called ''vaiśyas''. But there are different types of activities: harvesting, cultivating, cleaning, storing, bringing things. Workers are needed — they are called ''śūdras''.

And it is not that a particular caste of people have been created. No. According to their ''guṇa'', where ''tamoguṇa'' is more — the person needs to be told, "You have to do this," etc. They cannot think for themselves; somebody has to continuously direct them: "Do this, don't do this, do this after that." Such people are called ''śūdras''.

And in every society, in every age, we get these people. Not that it is only from the beginning so. For that purpose, from Brahman, having created this universe with all the ''pañcabhūtas'', he then created ''deva-varṇas'' — ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', ''deva-śūdra''.
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== Intelligence in Nature: An Illustrative Digression ==
And this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, from the eleventh mantra onwards — from the eleventh section onwards — is trying to elaborate one after the other that with the help of everyone doing their duties properly, everybody will be progressing. So ''śūdras'' will develop higher consciousness, then they become more ''rajo''-dominated, and then later on they will be dominated by ''sattvaguṇa''. That is how this is a slow evolution from a low state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness — that is what this section wants to tell.

Just as Brahman created the ''deva-varṇas'' — the four castes of the ''devas'', the gods and goddesses — we have to understand that exactly in a similar manner, all human beings were also created. So ''deva-brāhmaṇas'' degenerated into ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇas'', ''deva-kṣatriyas'' into ''manuṣya-kṣatriyas'', ''deva-vaiśyas'' into ''manuṣya-vaiśyas'', and ''deva-śūdras'' into ''manuṣya-śūdras''.

Now, though it is not necessary — this is a point we can add here — does this division apply only to human beings or to non-human beings also? Yes. Take one simple example: the story of the honey bee. There is a queen, there are warriors to protect the hive, there are workers who will be going and gathering — it is such a marvellous story. How much intelligence is needed!

Just to give one small example: there are some ant colonies that were being flooded, and they had to find a safer nest. What do these ants do? They have to cross sometimes huge expanses of water. And individually, if they do it, it is not going to help. So they join hands and legs and form a huge, like a boat or a huge mat. The entire rest of the colony gathers onto that mat, as it were, and they float. And these front ants slowly guide it to a place where the danger of water is not there.

That's why if anybody scientifically examines either a beehive or an anthill, you will see how much intelligence is there. When you look at some birds — there are some birds who create such beautiful nests, and they are fully aware, fully conscious that snakes are there to hunt them. So there are particular species of birds I have seen in a video: they create a nest with various doors, and the real room where they store the eggs will be practically like Lucknow's maze, the ''Bhūlbhulāiyā''. The snake will poke into several nests and not find anything. Finally, disappointed, most snakes leave.

Why am I citing this example? To show how much intelligence is really working there, albeit unconsciously. Many squirrels gather nuts when winter is coming — they have to survive in their burrows, to tide them over during that cold season when they cannot come out. What do the bears do? They hibernate. How much intelligence!

This is only to place before you how much intelligence these creatures have. So Brahman manifested himself as the world, then created various animals, then created human beings. Then a world order has to be established. For that, ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās'' were created. And that is from where the ''karma-siddhānta'' has come — these gods are watching us. According to our ''karma'', if we worship them, they reward us; if we neglect and misbehave, they keep count and will try to correct us. It is not a punishment — it is a correction.
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== The ''Varṇas'' as a Framework for Evolution ==
So this is how ''deva-varṇas'' and ''brahman-varṇas'' are created. And then, what is the purpose of all this? Right from the lowest caste, we have to strive — through the devout performance of our respective duties — to evolve. That is how a ''śūdra'' becomes a ''vaiśya'', meaning the terrible ''tamoguṇa'' now becomes mixed up with more of ''rajoguṇa'', and then he enters into more ''sāttvikaguṇa'' and becomes a ''kṣatriya''. This is a state of progress.

We have to understand: it is not a privilege to oppress and suppress and selfishly hoard everything for one's own self. And whenever we neglect this, the ''karmaphala'' will come with a big blow. Study history — this is what happens. And this history has been repeated in our ''Purāṇas'' in the form of the continuous warfare between the ''suras'' and ''asuras'', gods and demons.

What is this fight? The fight is: whenever somebody neglects and doesn't live a proper life appropriate to their station in life, then ''karmaphala'' will come in the form of suffering. Here, a demon is nothing but a creator of — or an excuse for creating — suffering. Suffering awakens these people. Then they think deeply: "We have neglected the commandments of God." That's why in the Bible it is called the Ten Commandments, and we have got ''dharmaśāstras'' — nothing but ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'', the do's and don'ts.

Then we slowly acquire faith, and we experiment and get some results. Our faith deepens. That is how we progress.

The whole thing is meant — involution is meant — so that we can evolve. If I have to summarise the entire creation: first, it is nothing but involution, coming down to the inorganic. Thereafter, evolution starts with the sprouting of ''prāṇa'' in the one-celled body — call it amoeba, by whatever name — and slowly multiplying and evolving physically, brain-wise, then mentally, then spiritually, finally reaching the destination, that is, reaching home from where we have come. This is the idea.
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== A Note on Methodology: How to Read a Text ==
Now I will give you a gist and summary of these mantras from the eleventh to the seventeenth. Six or seven mantras are there for us to deal with. Once we understand the gist of this — which I have already given as the summary of the summaries — I am going into a little more detail. And then we will go through the proper mantras; it will be a breeze to understand them.

This is how we have to read any book. This is the technique by which one can grasp the most in the least amount of time, and grasp more intelligently and retain it for a longer time. First of all, you read the foreword. The author, if he is a good author, crystal clearly outlines: "This is the subject about which I am going to talk, and on this subject, especially I am going to emphasise these particular points of view." And then he elaborates them, giving examples, etc.

So it may be a 300-page book or a 400-page book. At the end of every chapter — every paragraph has a connection with the next paragraph, if it is intelligent writing. Every chapter has a connection to the next chapter. And at the end of every chapter: "These are the special points we have discussed so far in this chapter," and then: "This is the connection between the previous chapter and the next chapter." This is what Śaṅkarācārya calls ''sambandhabhāṣya'' — the relationship between the previous mantra and the next mantra, previous chapter and next chapter, previous section and next section. If we can follow this methodology, it will be marvellous.
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== Before Creation: Brahman Alone ==
So what happened before creation? Who was there? Brahman alone existed — ''ekaṃ sat, advitīyam'', ''sadeva saumya idam agra āsīt''. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen, in the sixth chapter, that only Brahman alone existed. That is what the Brihadāraṇyaka also repeats.

So then Brahman wanted to create. Now, so many people question: why did Brahman have to create? Could he not have kept quiet? Then we need not have all these classes, this ''saṃsāra'', this — "create a problem, then show a solution." No. This is called ''līlā''. And you cannot complain, because: who is the creator? Brahman. Who is the creation? Brahman. Who has degenerated or involved? Brahman. Who is evolving? Brahman. That is the fun of it — he does it for fun, and he knows it with full consciousness.

So this is what we have to understand. Before creation, Brahman alone existed. And to ensure the proper functioning of this created universe, Brahman created the powerful castes — so ''kṣatriyas'', and earlier he said ''agni'' — ''agni'' means ''brāhmaṇa'' — so Indra, Varuṇa, etc. While the ''kṣatriya'' power, the warrior class, represents power, its source is none other than Brahman.

And that is why in the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the king has to sit below a ''brāhmaṇa'' who is performing the ''agni''. So a ''kṣatriya'' has to honour his own source.

To understand it in common sense language: why is the person doing this ''agni'' or ''yāga'', etc.? Because he learns from the ''brāhmaṇa'' that the goal of life is to manifest your potential divinity. And you are a ''kṣatriya'', and the duty of the ''kṣatriya'' is to protect, and also to evolve one's own self. So if you can do some ''agni'' or ''yāgas'', that is not the only duty. Your main duty is to see that society functions as it is supposed to function. But since you are also a human being with individual desires to fulfil, you can do some ''agni'', ''yāgas'', etc.

And only powerful, wealthy ''kṣatriyas'' can do some of these. And that is — at the very beginning of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — we said that what is called ''aśvamedha'', as ''virāṭ'', a king can do, with all the elaborations and all four ''varṇas'' necessary. But if somebody doesn't have that capacity, you just sit and do mental ''upāsanā'' — it will give you exactly the same result as if you are the king and you are doing it meticulously from the beginning to the end. That is why that ''virāṭ upāsanā'' and its continuation was there. First it is the ''aśva'', then it is the ''agni'', then it is the ''prāṇa'' — we have seen that one already.

You will always have to keep the essential points in mind, otherwise my talk will be what is called dissected, non-related topics.
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== Mantra 11: The Creation of ''Brāhmaṇas'' and ''Kṣatriyas'' ==
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== Transliteration ====
brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||

So the essence of the eleventh mantra is: Brahman created what is called ''brāhmaṇas'' and ''kṣatriyas''.
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== Mantra 12: The Creation of ''Vaiśyas'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥-'''-बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||

Then the twelfth mantra: power alone, strength alone, was not enough. Because for the sake of wealth and social nourishment, many things are necessary — suppliers of many things. And therefore ''deva-vaiśyas'' were created. That is described in mantra 12. So like ''vasus'', ''rudras'' — these ''vaiśyas'' were created.
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== Mantra 13: The Creation of ''Śūdras'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||

But creation of ''brāhmaṇas'', creation of ''kṣatriyas'', creation of ''vaiśyas'' alone will not do. There is so much physical, menial labour one has to do. When a person has vast lands for cultivation, the cultivators — only ''śūdras'' can do it. And then harvesting, and then storing, and then protecting them — so many things one has to do. For that purpose, the ''śūdras'' have to be created.

Mantra 13: for service and support, the ''śūdra-varṇa''. Here also, ''deva-śūdra'' — you have to remember — ''pūṣan'', that is ''pṛthvī'', was created. Here the earth is called ''pūṣā'', because it is she who is cultivable, who yields, sustains, supports, and nourishes all of us.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||

Then the fourteenth mantra tells us something extraordinary. Here are the ''kṣatriyas'', here are the ''brāhmaṇas'', here are the ''vaiśyas'', here are the ''śūdras''. And there are also infinite variations possible. Suppose some ''kṣatriya'' has got tremendous power, or some ''brāhmaṇa'' has tremendous knowledge. Then he can become very arrogant — that possibility is there, because ''avidyā'' is ruling. Similarly, a powerful king, like a powerful politician, can do whatever he likes. If somebody praises him, he will bestow the highest power and all his goodies and goodwill. And if he doesn't like somebody, however worthy that somebody may be, he will demote and destroy them. This is the way — just look at the newspaper, that is what you will see everywhere going on.

So to protect against this, Brahman created something marvellous — it is called ''dharma''. So a ''brāhmaṇa'' has ''brāhmaṇa-dharma'', a ''kṣatriya'' has ''kṣatriya-dharma'', a ''vaiśya'' has ''vaiśya-dharma'', a ''śūdra'' has ''śūdra-dharma''. What does it mean? It means these people, according to their own caste — and they were created and classified as belonging to that caste because a particular quality is dominating in them, assisted of course by the other two qualities.

Just as in a ''brāhmaṇa'', ''sattva'' is the dominant quality, ''rajas'' is the helpful quality, and ''tamas'' is another one. Here ''rajas'' is more powerful and more helpful — that's why he retains. So it is not according to birth; caste is according to quality.

So that is what we need to do. And now a very interesting analogy can be given. There are so many AI companies — like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google of course, Meta, and so many others coming. And China is producing marvellous AI, which India cannot even look up to. Not because we lack intelligence, but we lack that ''puruṣakāra'', that energy. Full of jealousy, intolerance — we cannot tolerate our own. Our greatest ''adharma'' is to pull down the other person as much as possible. "I may not get anything, but I will not tolerate another person getting even a little better than what I have." This is the main cause. If this cause is not addressed, however much money the government may spend, we are not going to improve at all — whatever party comes into power. What type of persons are there using that power — that is most important.

So Brahman has created ''dharma''. And very interestingly, ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are equated. ''Satya'' is understanding what the proper action is to be done and the proper way to do it. And ''dharma'' is putting it into absolute practice. That is why you cannot separate ''satya'' and ''dharma''. We will come to that.

So in this fourteenth mantra, Brahman, after creating the four divine castes, now created ''dharma'', so that ''dharma'' keeps them under control. If anybody transgresses the ''dharma'', then ''dharma'' itself becomes ''Yama'' — ''Yama Dharmarāja''. That is why Yama is called ''Yama Dharmarāja''. ''Yama Dharmarāja'' will give appropriate ''karma'' for all.

This is ''dharma'' — ''dharma'' is the power behind power. The controlling power of any power is called ''dharma''. Where ''dharma'' exists, even a weak person can overcome a strong one. That is why we say ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are one. In the ultimate instance, it is only ''dharma'' and ''satya'' which become victorious — temporarily maybe something may not be there. That is the essence of the fourteenth mantra.
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== Mantra 15: The Purpose of All Action — ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== Transliteration ====
tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||

The fifteenth mantra: this social order exists among both gods and men. So if a person performs many holy works without realising his own self, those works are only temporary. Only when a person knows who he is — obtains, through the obtainment of self-knowledge, ''ātmajñāna'' — then these works become complete and help him achieve the goal of life, which is to know ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.

So mantra 15 is reminding us: the whole purpose of creation is to catch hold of ''dharma'' and ''satya''. That is why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad — the rest is elaboration.

The social order exists among both gods and men, as I said earlier. For example: Agni is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', Indra is the ''deva-kṣatriya'', the ''vasus'' etc. are the ''deva-vaiśyas'', and ''pṛthvī'' is called the ''deva-śūdra'', etc.

In this fifteenth mantra, it says we have to evolve slowly. What is evolution? Absolutely behaving as we are supposed to behave. And this we get from ''dharmaśāstras'': if you are a ''śūdra'', this is your ''dharma''; you should not do your ''adharma''. And if you follow — so if a person discharges his duty as a worship of God, that is the essence of ''Karma Yoga''. Then slowly he progresses. And ultimately, by the grace of God, he will become a ''vaiśya'', he will become a ''kṣatriya'' — that is called improvement, progress in the state of consciousness. Ultimately a person will become a ''brāhmaṇa'', that is, a seeker of Brahman. And then he will practise, and then he becomes a realised soul. That is the most wonderful thing.

What is the fifteenth mantra saying? Let me first quote how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully puts it: any number of zeros without a one in the front are completely zeros — valueless. But put one, and as you go on adding zero after zero, the value increases: 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, etc. This is what the mantra is telling — that if every activity is not directed towards reaching our own true nature, or Brahman, or ''ātmajñāna'', all these works will only give temporary effects.

The mantra is not telling that they will not give effect — they will. But again and again and again, we fall from that high state, and again we have to do it, until we learn the lesson. That all these works will give permanent result only when we offer them as worship of God.
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== Mantra 16: The ''Jīvanmukta'' — The Liberated Soul ==
अथो अयं वा आत्मा सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः स यज्जुहोति यद्यजते तेन देवानां लोकोऽथ यदनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणामथ यत्पितृभ्यो निपृणाति यत्प्रजामिच्छते तेन पितॄणामथ यन्मनुष्यान्वासयते यदेभ्योऽशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणामथ यत्पशुभ्यस्तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनां यदस्य गृहेषु श्वापदा वयास्यापिपीलिकाभ्य उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोको यथा ह वै स्वाय लोकायारिष्टिमिच्छेदेव हैवंविदे सर्वाणि भूतान्यरिष्टिमिच्छन्ति तद्वा एतद्विदितं मीमासितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १६'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayaṁ vā ātmā sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ sa yajjuhoti yadyajate tena devānāṁ loko'tha yadanubrūte tena ṛṣīṇāmatha yatpitṛbhyo nipṛṇāti yatprajāmicchate tena pitṝṇāmatha yanmanuṣyānvāsayate yadebhyo'śanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇāmatha yatpaśubhyastṛṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnāṁ yadasya gṛheṣu śvāpadā vayāsyāpipīlikābhya upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ loko yathā ha vai svāya lokāyāriṣṭimicchedeva haivaṁvide sarvāṇi bhūtānyariṣṭimicchanti tadvā etadviditaṁ mīmāsitam||

Then mantra 16 beautifully puts it. Suppose a person, through the evolution from ''śūdra'' to ''brāhmaṇa'', from ''tamoguṇa'' to ''sattvaguṇa'' — then the ''śūdra'' with ''sattvaguṇa'' will slowly realise, like that person who was saved from ''tamoguṇa'', then saved from ''rajoguṇa''. ''Sattvaguṇa'' alone saves — it brings him to his home, his village. "You go there."

When the man invited, "You have saved my life, I am eternally grateful, please come to my house — we will be blessed to honour you," he said, "No, I am also a robber." That means: all ''guṇas'' belong to ''sṛṣṭi''. We have to go beyond ''sṛṣṭi'' — to what was before ''sṛṣṭi'', which is Brahman.

So that is how a knower of the ''ātman'' becomes a world for all beings. Because a knower of Brahman or ''ātman'' is Brahman. And such a person — anybody who worships, anybody who wants any desire to be fulfilled — should worship an ''ātmajñānī'', because an ''ātmajñānī'' is non-separate from the ''ātman'' or Brahman. So here is a living example called a ''jīvanmukta''.

Through his sacrifice, study, and service to guests and animals, he supports entire creation. These are called ''pañcamahāyajñas'' — ''devatās'', ''ṛṣis'', ''pitṛs'', and then all human beings, and all non-human beings, and even the smallest creatures. When he loves all, the entire creation loves him back.

Just imagine — Rāmakṛṣṇa once saved a big ''magar mach'' (crocodile). We don't know how the crocodile really feels after that. According to its own capacity, it must have had a sigh of relief, become happy, and must have expressed gratitude to the saver, which is Rāmakṛṣṇa. Whatever is minimum necessary, they will do — but beyond that, they will never try to harm.

Even what minimum they do, also with a prayer. I heard that some South Africans, when they hunt — because they don't get anything else, for some particular animals like deer — they run them down. Finally they pray: "O ''devatā'', spirit — you are dying, sacrificing your life for the sake of sustaining us. We pray to God that in your next birth, you will have a better life because of your sacrifice." And after this prayer to their ancestors, to their own gods in whom they believe, they sprinkle a little bit of dust. This is what we do — ''śrāddha'', etc. — in gratefulness to all our ancestors. All ''pañcamahāyajña'' is nothing but uttering this gratefulness and sprinkling the dust.

So mantra 16 says that everybody loves a ''jīvanmukta'', because a ''jīvanmukta'' becomes the ''ātman'' of all these beings.
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== Mantra 17: The ''Gṛhasthāśrama'' — Legitimate Fulfilment of Desires ==
अथो अयम् आत्मा वै सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः सः यत् जुहोति यत् यजते तेन देवानां लोकः अथ यत् अनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणाम् अथ यत् पितृभ्यः निपृणाति यत् प्रजम् इच्छते तेन पितृणाम् अथ यत् मनुष्यान् वासयतेयत् एभ्यः अशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणाम् अथ यत् पशुभ्यः तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनाम् यत् अस्य गृहुषु श्वापदाः वयांसि आ पिपीलिकाभ्यः उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोकः यथा ह स्वाय लोकाय अरिष्टिम् इच्छेत् एवं ह सर्वाणि भूतानि एवंविदे अरिष्टिम् इच्छन्ति तत् एतत् वै वीदितम् मीमाम्सितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १७'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayam ātmā vai sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ saḥ yat juhoti yat yajate tena devānāṁ lokaḥ atha yat anubrūte tena ṛṣīṇām atha yat pitṛbhyaḥ nipṛṇāti yat prajam icchate tena pitṛṇām atha yat manuṣyān vāsayateyat ebhyaḥ aśanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇām atha yat paśubhyaḥ tṛiṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnām yat asya gṛhuṣu śvāpadāḥ vayāṁsi ā pipīlikābhyaḥ upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ lokaḥ yathā ha svāya lokāya ariṣṭim icchet evaṁ ha sarvāṇi bhūtāni evaṁvide ariṣṭim icchanti tat etat vai vīditam mīmāmsitam||

'''And the final mantra — mantra 17 —''' '''in this fourth section''': when the ''ātman'' existed alone, it desired a wife, children, wealth, and work, to feel complete. So what does this seventeenth mantra really mean?

It means: when a person comes of age, comes to consciousness, becomes awakened, he looks around and understands what to do. He understands: "This is my duty in life if I want to progress further." So therefore, he wants to fulfil all his desires legitimately, according to the direction of the scripture. Such a person — what is called a ''brahmacārī'' — desires a wife, children, wealth, and work.

And then the purpose is not to enjoy the world, but the purpose is slowly to evolve — by developing faith in the scripture, and by satisfying some of the desires.

So this mantra teaches us a very important lesson: an unfit person cannot simply renounce the world. He will be like a jobless person renouncing the world, going to Vārāṇasī, and then after some time securing a job. "Do not worry, I am keeping well. I am sending ten rupees — I got a job now. The next time when I come, I will bring some clothes and some other materials for you. So you do not feel bad about me, don't feel anxious about me." This is called jobless ''vairāgya'' — ''śmaśāna-vairāgya'', ''prasūti-vairāgya'', ''markaṭa-vairāgya'', jobless ''vairāgya''.

So the mantra 17 tells us that all this entering into ''gṛhasthāśrama'' from ''brahmacaryāśrama'' to ''gṛhasthāśrama'' is an evolution. So that what we have learnt must be put into practice — that helps us to evolve further. Ultimately it brings us to ''vānaprasthāśrama'', which leads us to ''sannyāsāśrama''. That is the essence of this mantra 17.
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== Conclusion: The Mutual Relationship of Mantras 11–17 ==
So that is the essence of the eleventh to seventeenth mantras. There is a mutual relationship between these mantras, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-22T07:11:58Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍaमधु काण्ड'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍaउपदेश काण्ड''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand '''three primary truths.'''

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā(समष्टिभावना)'' .''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' Chandogya Upanishad (3.14.1)['', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of '''''avidyā'',''' ignorance. What is ignorance? '''First''', to think that I am not Brahman. '''Second''', to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||''

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
स ''नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||''

Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
''स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥''

-बृ'''हदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||''

But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,'''

''स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥''

-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||''

as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
''तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||''

And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to seventeenth mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-19T13:51:13Z

Gayatri: /* Three Primary Truths of These Mantras */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍaमधु काण्ड'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍaउपदेश काण्ड''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||''

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
स ''नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||''

Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
''स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥''

-बृ'''हदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||''

But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,'''

''स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥''

-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||''

as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
''तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||''

And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to seventeenth mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 31 on 09 May 2026

2026-07-15T06:42:51Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 11: The Creation of Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Goal of Life and the Nature of Brahman ==
As we saw, a great discussion was going on: what is the goal of life? Some seekers understood that realisation of Brahman alone is the goal of life. And what does one gain? They also understood the gains — ''sarvam idaṃ bhavati'', so ''sarva bhāva prāpti''. A person who realises Brahman becomes ''sarvam'', becomes ''pūrṇam''.

Then, how to attain it? We have seen also that this whole creation is a play of Brahman, so that he wants to entertain himself. It is like playing a solitaire game, where one tries to deceive oneself, and then catch oneself, and then go on laughing: "I caught myself!" So it is what is called ''līlā''.
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== Summary of the Tenth Mantra: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' ==
In our last class, we completed one of the most important mantras — the tenth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. What is the essence of this tenth mantra? This tenth mantra unfolds and establishes that there is only one reality, that is called Brahman — call it God, call it Allāh, by whatever blessed name you desire to call.

And what are we? The ''jīva'', the individual soul, is essentially identical to that Brahman, because if Brahman is everything, if Brahman is the cause, then this entire universe is the effect. And the effect can never be different from the cause.

Then what is it we are experiencing now? This is called ''saṃsāra''. ''Saṃsāra'' means seeing everything as different. I am born — that is different. I am surviving — that is different. One day I will have to disappear from this world — that is also a change. This entire birth, growth, sustenance, old age, disease, and death — this is called ''ṣaḍvikāra'', the sixfold changes. Everyone has to go through them. ''Saṃsarati'' means continuous change.

And Brahman is one — eternal, unchanging, one without a second. So how can we equate this world with Brahman? But this thinking — really, Brahman has not created, has not become, has not become ''jīva'', is not thinking as the ''jīva'' — and all these thoughts are only from our mind's point of view, from the ''avidyā'' point of view. All questions — "Who am I? Why am I here? How did I happen to come here? Why did Brahman create? He could have created a better world" — all these questions are products of ignorance.

So long as we are ignorant, so long as we do not know that we are Brahman, these questions will not cease. So long as a person is experiencing a snake, his fear will never vanish.
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== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker ==
But at some point of time, a person gets tired. First — and this is a very great psychological point — first, all of us get so much of pleasure from various things. In fact, we try to minimise all unhappiness and all suffering, and maximise all our happiness. This seems to be the goal of life for a very, very long time.

And then comes the awakening: that it is impossible to achieve this objective. Therefore there must be another way, where I can be without any fear of death, ignorance, and suffering. And for that purpose, the search is now withdrawn from the external to the internal. Such persons are called spiritual seekers.

Then that person, with the help of the Guru who interprets the scripture, slowly destroys the ''avidyā''. Now, what Advaita wants to convey to us is that ''vidyā'', or true ''brahmavidyā'', or ''ātmavidyā'' — knowledge of one's own self — is never lost, can never be lost. But it is covered up. So every spiritual practice is only to remove this covering.

So destruction of ''avidyā'', or destruction of the ''adhyāsa'' (superimposition), is called spiritual practice. And as soon as we succeed in removing this ignorance — ignorance of who we really are, not what we think we are — the moment we remove the wrong notion totally, ''vidyā'' stands revealed. We do not need to acquire ''vidyā''; it is already there.

Just like the removal of darkness manifests the light automatically — not that after removing the darkness, like somebody sitting outside, we have vacated a seat, there is a vacant chair and you can come inside. No, not like that. Removal of ''adhyāsa'' or ''avidyā'' alone is spiritual practice. And then we realise: we were never bound. What we were wholeheartedly seeking, we already have, as it were — we are that.

Just, we have to remove the covering. For that, a ''mahāvākya'' tremendously helps. And the essential point in this tenth mantra is ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''. And then — ''ātmany eva upāsīta'' — one should therefore strive to realise this Brahman alone.
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== Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section ==
Now we are going to proceed. This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras. We covered more or less ten mantras, and some mantras I have already described — especially, I think, in the eighth mantra, how this creation has started. Now again, from the eleventh to the seventeenth, this fourth section gives us two important ideas.

So creation has been described earlier. But to maintain this creation and to see that life goes on merrily without any problem, then we have to create those people who tell us how to run, how to live life, and how not to do certain actions which will only stop our further evolution — or even take us back to the previous state. How to stop that? And then slowly, how to progress?
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== The Origin of the Four Varṇas (''Cāturvarṇyam'') ==
So Brahman has created four types of castes. This is the origin of the caste system in Hinduism. God himself has created it, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa affirms it. So what is the purpose? Maintenance.

But the peculiarity of this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — what do we mean by ''cāturvarṇyam'', the four castes? The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates and says that because ''sṛṣṭi'' also contains gods and goddesses, the entire creation can be divided into three: ''ādhyātmika'', ''ādhibhautika'', and ''ādhidaivika''.

Each one of us, as individuals, is called ''ādhyātmika''. Then the entire external world, which everyone of us is experiencing and formulating certain ''saṃskāras'' through our experiences, is called ''ādhibhautika''. But to have an overall management — how to make a person behave properly, do this, do not do this, the do's and don'ts — certain powers are created. They are called ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''. And also, how to live life: for that purpose, four castes were created.

Now what the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad wants to add is that it is not only at our level, but even at the level of the gods, four ''varṇas'' are there. So there is a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', and ''deva-śūdra''.
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== The Three ''Guṇas'' and Their Combinations ==
Now, what are these castes? Castes are nothing but divided on the basis of ''guṇas''. As we know, ''guṇas'' are three. So certain combinations — and this is a very important point — no ''guṇa'' by itself can be effective. It is only the combination of every ''guṇa'' that counts.

How many combinations are possible? First: ''sattvaguṇa'' dominates, ''rajoguṇa'' supports, ''tamoguṇa'' helps — that is called ''brāhmaṇa''. Second: ''rajoguṇa'' dominates, ''sattvaguṇa'' helps, ''tamoguṇa'' also helps — that is called ''kṣatriya'', or the rulers and warriors. What Plato or Socrates used to call the second category.

The first category, according to Socrates, is called philosophers — those who set the goal of life crystal clearly. But to maintain this order, ''kṣatriyas'' are necessary, with tremendous power. They are the kings, they are the warriors, they are the leaders of men. They fall under the second category and are dominated by ''rajoguṇa''. They have to be extremely alert and intolerant of any evil that is being perpetuated.

People were advised according to their castes what special activities they would have to do. So for example, for the ''brāhmaṇa'' — study of the Vedas, leading an ideal life — that is the speciality of ''brāhmaṇas''. For ''kṣatriyas'' — protecting the weak, subduing the strong and evil, and seeing that society runs smoothly. That oiling process of this machine called society — they are called ''kṣatriyas'', or the warrior class.

And people are advised: you have to worship God, you have certain duties in life. For that purpose, ''pañcamahāyajñas'', special worships, special ''upāsanās'', have been given. And to see that they are done properly, many things are needed, many items are needed. So one has to get that supply. The persons who see that everybody requires food and materials — and at one place something grows, another place something else grows — these third castes are called the business people, ''vaiśyas''.

Their business is such that they have international connections. If some excess product is there, they remove it, take it where it is needed and not available. And what is available there — say, for example, certain exotic things are not available in western countries, only India can give, especially spices. That is why everybody wanted to come and conquer India, so that they could have free access. India was also known as a treasure house of gold, silver, and many other precious minerals and metals.

So that is why everybody's sight was drawn there. That is why Muslims had come, that's why English, Dutch, Portuguese, French people — everybody had come. Finally, only the Muslims and the English people dominated and looted. And that we should not blame them, because we welcomed them and we helped them to loot everything, because of our non-cooperation. Even now it is going on.

So the third class — what is called ''rajo''-dominated, greatly helped by ''rajas'' and ''tamas'' in equal proportions — they are called ''vaiśyas''. But there are different types of activities: harvesting, cultivating, cleaning, storing, bringing things. Workers are needed — they are called ''śūdras''.

And it is not that a particular caste of people have been created. No. According to their ''guṇa'', where ''tamoguṇa'' is more — the person needs to be told, "You have to do this," etc. They cannot think for themselves; somebody has to continuously direct them: "Do this, don't do this, do this after that." Such people are called ''śūdras''.

And in every society, in every age, we get these people. Not that it is only from the beginning so. For that purpose, from Brahman, having created this universe with all the ''pañcabhūtas'', he then created ''deva-varṇas'' — ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', ''deva-śūdra''.
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== Intelligence in Nature: An Illustrative Digression ==
And this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, from the eleventh mantra onwards — from the eleventh section onwards — is trying to elaborate one after the other that with the help of everyone doing their duties properly, everybody will be progressing. So ''śūdras'' will develop higher consciousness, then they become more ''rajo''-dominated, and then later on they will be dominated by ''sattvaguṇa''. That is how this is a slow evolution from a low state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness — that is what this section wants to tell.

Just as Brahman created the ''deva-varṇas'' — the four castes of the ''devas'', the gods and goddesses — we have to understand that exactly in a similar manner, all human beings were also created. So ''deva-brāhmaṇas'' degenerated into ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇas'', ''deva-kṣatriyas'' into ''manuṣya-kṣatriyas'', ''deva-vaiśyas'' into ''manuṣya-vaiśyas'', and ''deva-śūdras'' into ''manuṣya-śūdras''.

Now, though it is not necessary — this is a point we can add here — does this division apply only to human beings or to non-human beings also? Yes. Take one simple example: the story of the honey bee. There is a queen, there are warriors to protect the hive, there are workers who will be going and gathering — it is such a marvellous story. How much intelligence is needed!

Just to give one small example: there are some ant colonies that were being flooded, and they had to find a safer nest. What do these ants do? They have to cross sometimes huge expanses of water. And individually, if they do it, it is not going to help. So they join hands and legs and form a huge, like a boat or a huge mat. The entire rest of the colony gathers onto that mat, as it were, and they float. And these front ants slowly guide it to a place where the danger of water is not there.

That's why if anybody scientifically examines either a beehive or an anthill, you will see how much intelligence is there. When you look at some birds — there are some birds who create such beautiful nests, and they are fully aware, fully conscious that snakes are there to hunt them. So there are particular species of birds I have seen in a video: they create a nest with various doors, and the real room where they store the eggs will be practically like Lucknow's maze, the ''Bhūlbhulāiyā''. The snake will poke into several nests and not find anything. Finally, disappointed, most snakes leave.

Why am I citing this example? To show how much intelligence is really working there, albeit unconsciously. Many squirrels gather nuts when winter is coming — they have to survive in their burrows, to tide them over during that cold season when they cannot come out. What do the bears do? They hibernate. How much intelligence!

This is only to place before you how much intelligence these creatures have. So Brahman manifested himself as the world, then created various animals, then created human beings. Then a world order has to be established. For that, ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās'' were created. And that is from where the ''karma-siddhānta'' has come — these gods are watching us. According to our ''karma'', if we worship them, they reward us; if we neglect and misbehave, they keep count and will try to correct us. It is not a punishment — it is a correction.
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== The ''Varṇas'' as a Framework for Evolution ==
So this is how ''deva-varṇas'' and ''brahman-varṇas'' are created. And then, what is the purpose of all this? Right from the lowest caste, we have to strive — through the devout performance of our respective duties — to evolve. That is how a ''śūdra'' becomes a ''vaiśya'', meaning the terrible ''tamoguṇa'' now becomes mixed up with more of ''rajoguṇa'', and then he enters into more ''sāttvikaguṇa'' and becomes a ''kṣatriya''. This is a state of progress.

We have to understand: it is not a privilege to oppress and suppress and selfishly hoard everything for one's own self. And whenever we neglect this, the ''karmaphala'' will come with a big blow. Study history — this is what happens. And this history has been repeated in our ''Purāṇas'' in the form of the continuous warfare between the ''suras'' and ''asuras'', gods and demons.

What is this fight? The fight is: whenever somebody neglects and doesn't live a proper life appropriate to their station in life, then ''karmaphala'' will come in the form of suffering. Here, a demon is nothing but a creator of — or an excuse for creating — suffering. Suffering awakens these people. Then they think deeply: "We have neglected the commandments of God." That's why in the Bible it is called the Ten Commandments, and we have got ''dharmaśāstras'' — nothing but ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'', the do's and don'ts.

Then we slowly acquire faith, and we experiment and get some results. Our faith deepens. That is how we progress.

The whole thing is meant — involution is meant — so that we can evolve. If I have to summarise the entire creation: first, it is nothing but involution, coming down to the inorganic. Thereafter, evolution starts with the sprouting of ''prāṇa'' in the one-celled body — call it amoeba, by whatever name — and slowly multiplying and evolving physically, brain-wise, then mentally, then spiritually, finally reaching the destination, that is, reaching home from where we have come. This is the idea.
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== A Note on Methodology: How to Read a Text ==
Now I will give you a gist and summary of these mantras from the eleventh to the seventeenth. Six or seven mantras are there for us to deal with. Once we understand the gist of this — which I have already given as the summary of the summaries — I am going into a little more detail. And then we will go through the proper mantras; it will be a breeze to understand them.

This is how we have to read any book. This is the technique by which one can grasp the most in the least amount of time, and grasp more intelligently and retain it for a longer time. First of all, you read the foreword. The author, if he is a good author, crystal clearly outlines: "This is the subject about which I am going to talk, and on this subject, especially I am going to emphasise these particular points of view." And then he elaborates them, giving examples, etc.

So it may be a 300-page book or a 400-page book. At the end of every chapter — every paragraph has a connection with the next paragraph, if it is intelligent writing. Every chapter has a connection to the next chapter. And at the end of every chapter: "These are the special points we have discussed so far in this chapter," and then: "This is the connection between the previous chapter and the next chapter." This is what Śaṅkarācārya calls ''sambandhabhāṣya'' — the relationship between the previous mantra and the next mantra, previous chapter and next chapter, previous section and next section. If we can follow this methodology, it will be marvellous.
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== Before Creation: Brahman Alone ==
So what happened before creation? Who was there? Brahman alone existed — ''ekaṃ sat, advitīyam'', ''sadeva saumya idam agra āsīt''. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen, in the sixth chapter, that only Brahman alone existed. That is what the Brihadāraṇyaka also repeats.

So then Brahman wanted to create. Now, so many people question: why did Brahman have to create? Could he not have kept quiet? Then we need not have all these classes, this ''saṃsāra'', this — "create a problem, then show a solution." No. This is called ''līlā''. And you cannot complain, because: who is the creator? Brahman. Who is the creation? Brahman. Who has degenerated or involved? Brahman. Who is evolving? Brahman. That is the fun of it — he does it for fun, and he knows it with full consciousness.

So this is what we have to understand. Before creation, Brahman alone existed. And to ensure the proper functioning of this created universe, Brahman created the powerful castes — so ''kṣatriyas'', and earlier he said ''agni'' — ''agni'' means ''brāhmaṇa'' — so Indra, Varuṇa, etc. While the ''kṣatriya'' power, the warrior class, represents power, its source is none other than Brahman.

And that is why in the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the king has to sit below a ''brāhmaṇa'' who is performing the ''agni''. So a ''kṣatriya'' has to honour his own source.

To understand it in common sense language: why is the person doing this ''agni'' or ''yāga'', etc.? Because he learns from the ''brāhmaṇa'' that the goal of life is to manifest your potential divinity. And you are a ''kṣatriya'', and the duty of the ''kṣatriya'' is to protect, and also to evolve one's own self. So if you can do some ''agni'' or ''yāgas'', that is not the only duty. Your main duty is to see that society functions as it is supposed to function. But since you are also a human being with individual desires to fulfil, you can do some ''agni'', ''yāgas'', etc.

And only powerful, wealthy ''kṣatriyas'' can do some of these. And that is — at the very beginning of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — we said that what is called ''aśvamedha'', as ''virāṭ'', a king can do, with all the elaborations and all four ''varṇas'' necessary. But if somebody doesn't have that capacity, you just sit and do mental ''upāsanā'' — it will give you exactly the same result as if you are the king and you are doing it meticulously from the beginning to the end. That is why that ''virāṭ upāsanā'' and its continuation was there. First it is the ''aśva'', then it is the ''agni'', then it is the ''prāṇa'' — we have seen that one already.

You will always have to keep the essential points in mind, otherwise my talk will be what is called dissected, non-related topics.
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== Mantra 11: The Creation of ''Brāhmaṇas'' and ''Kṣatriyas'' ==
ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== Transliteration ====
brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||

So the essence of the eleventh mantra is: Brahman created what is called ''brāhmaṇas'' and ''kṣatriyas''.
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== Mantra 12: The Creation of ''Vaiśyas'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥-'''-बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||

Then the twelfth mantra: power alone, strength alone, was not enough. Because for the sake of wealth and social nourishment, many things are necessary — suppliers of many things. And therefore ''deva-vaiśyas'' were created. That is described in mantra 12. So like ''vasus'', ''rudras'' — these ''vaiśyas'' were created.
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== Mantra 13: The Creation of ''Śūdras'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||

But creation of ''brāhmaṇas'', creation of ''kṣatriyas'', creation of ''vaiśyas'' alone will not do. There is so much physical, menial labour one has to do. When a person has vast lands for cultivation, the cultivators — only ''śūdras'' can do it. And then harvesting, and then storing, and then protecting them — so many things one has to do. For that purpose, the ''śūdras'' have to be created.

Mantra 13: for service and support, the ''śūdra-varṇa''. Here also, ''deva-śūdra'' — you have to remember — ''pūṣan'', that is ''pṛthvī'', was created. Here the earth is called ''pūṣā'', because it is she who is cultivable, who yields, sustains, supports, and nourishes all of us.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== Transliteration ====
sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||

Then the fourteenth mantra tells us something extraordinary. Here are the ''kṣatriyas'', here are the ''brāhmaṇas'', here are the ''vaiśyas'', here are the ''śūdras''. And there are also infinite variations possible. Suppose some ''kṣatriya'' has got tremendous power, or some ''brāhmaṇa'' has tremendous knowledge. Then he can become very arrogant — that possibility is there, because ''avidyā'' is ruling. Similarly, a powerful king, like a powerful politician, can do whatever he likes. If somebody praises him, he will bestow the highest power and all his goodies and goodwill. And if he doesn't like somebody, however worthy that somebody may be, he will demote and destroy them. This is the way — just look at the newspaper, that is what you will see everywhere going on.

So to protect against this, Brahman created something marvellous — it is called ''dharma''. So a ''brāhmaṇa'' has ''brāhmaṇa-dharma'', a ''kṣatriya'' has ''kṣatriya-dharma'', a ''vaiśya'' has ''vaiśya-dharma'', a ''śūdra'' has ''śūdra-dharma''. What does it mean? It means these people, according to their own caste — and they were created and classified as belonging to that caste because a particular quality is dominating in them, assisted of course by the other two qualities.

Just as in a ''brāhmaṇa'', ''sattva'' is the dominant quality, ''rajas'' is the helpful quality, and ''tamas'' is another one. Here ''rajas'' is more powerful and more helpful — that's why he retains. So it is not according to birth; caste is according to quality.

So that is what we need to do. And now a very interesting analogy can be given. There are so many AI companies — like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google of course, Meta, and so many others coming. And China is producing marvellous AI, which India cannot even look up to. Not because we lack intelligence, but we lack that ''puruṣakāra'', that energy. Full of jealousy, intolerance — we cannot tolerate our own. Our greatest ''adharma'' is to pull down the other person as much as possible. "I may not get anything, but I will not tolerate another person getting even a little better than what I have." This is the main cause. If this cause is not addressed, however much money the government may spend, we are not going to improve at all — whatever party comes into power. What type of persons are there using that power — that is most important.

So Brahman has created ''dharma''. And very interestingly, ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are equated. ''Satya'' is understanding what the proper action is to be done and the proper way to do it. And ''dharma'' is putting it into absolute practice. That is why you cannot separate ''satya'' and ''dharma''. We will come to that.

So in this fourteenth mantra, Brahman, after creating the four divine castes, now created ''dharma'', so that ''dharma'' keeps them under control. If anybody transgresses the ''dharma'', then ''dharma'' itself becomes ''Yama'' — ''Yama Dharmarāja''. That is why Yama is called ''Yama Dharmarāja''. ''Yama Dharmarāja'' will give appropriate ''karma'' for all.

This is ''dharma'' — ''dharma'' is the power behind power. The controlling power of any power is called ''dharma''. Where ''dharma'' exists, even a weak person can overcome a strong one. That is why we say ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are one. In the ultimate instance, it is only ''dharma'' and ''satya'' which become victorious — temporarily maybe something may not be there. That is the essence of the fourteenth mantra.
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== Mantra 15: The Purpose of All Action — ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== Transliteration ====
tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||

The fifteenth mantra: this social order exists among both gods and men. So if a person performs many holy works without realising his own self, those works are only temporary. Only when a person knows who he is — obtains, through the obtainment of self-knowledge, ''ātmajñāna'' — then these works become complete and help him achieve the goal of life, which is to know ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.

So mantra 15 is reminding us: the whole purpose of creation is to catch hold of ''dharma'' and ''satya''. That is why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad — the rest is elaboration.

The social order exists among both gods and men, as I said earlier. For example: Agni is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', Indra is the ''deva-kṣatriya'', the ''vasus'' etc. are the ''deva-vaiśyas'', and ''pṛthvī'' is called the ''deva-śūdra'', etc.

In this fifteenth mantra, it says we have to evolve slowly. What is evolution? Absolutely behaving as we are supposed to behave. And this we get from ''dharmaśāstras'': if you are a ''śūdra'', this is your ''dharma''; you should not do your ''adharma''. And if you follow — so if a person discharges his duty as a worship of God, that is the essence of ''Karma Yoga''. Then slowly he progresses. And ultimately, by the grace of God, he will become a ''vaiśya'', he will become a ''kṣatriya'' — that is called improvement, progress in the state of consciousness. Ultimately a person will become a ''brāhmaṇa'', that is, a seeker of Brahman. And then he will practise, and then he becomes a realised soul. That is the most wonderful thing.

What is the fifteenth mantra saying? Let me first quote how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully puts it: any number of zeros without a one in the front are completely zeros — valueless. But put one, and as you go on adding zero after zero, the value increases: 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, etc. This is what the mantra is telling — that if every activity is not directed towards reaching our own true nature, or Brahman, or ''ātmajñāna'', all these works will only give temporary effects.

The mantra is not telling that they will not give effect — they will. But again and again and again, we fall from that high state, and again we have to do it, until we learn the lesson. That all these works will give permanent result only when we offer them as worship of God.
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== Mantra 16: The ''Jīvanmukta'' — The Liberated Soul ==
अथो अयं वा आत्मा सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः स यज्जुहोति यद्यजते तेन देवानां लोकोऽथ यदनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणामथ यत्पितृभ्यो निपृणाति यत्प्रजामिच्छते तेन पितॄणामथ यन्मनुष्यान्वासयते यदेभ्योऽशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणामथ यत्पशुभ्यस्तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनां यदस्य गृहेषु श्वापदा वयास्यापिपीलिकाभ्य उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोको यथा ह वै स्वाय लोकायारिष्टिमिच्छेदेव हैवंविदे सर्वाणि भूतान्यरिष्टिमिच्छन्ति तद्वा एतद्विदितं मीमासितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १६'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayaṁ vā ātmā sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ sa yajjuhoti yadyajate tena devānāṁ loko'tha yadanubrūte tena ṛṣīṇāmatha yatpitṛbhyo nipṛṇāti yatprajāmicchate tena pitṝṇāmatha yanmanuṣyānvāsayate yadebhyo'śanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇāmatha yatpaśubhyastṛṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnāṁ yadasya gṛheṣu śvāpadā vayāsyāpipīlikābhya upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ loko yathā ha vai svāya lokāyāriṣṭimicchedeva haivaṁvide sarvāṇi bhūtānyariṣṭimicchanti tadvā etadviditaṁ mīmāsitam||

Then mantra 16 beautifully puts it. Suppose a person, through the evolution from ''śūdra'' to ''brāhmaṇa'', from ''tamoguṇa'' to ''sattvaguṇa'' — then the ''śūdra'' with ''sattvaguṇa'' will slowly realise, like that person who was saved from ''tamoguṇa'', then saved from ''rajoguṇa''. ''Sattvaguṇa'' alone saves — it brings him to his home, his village. "You go there."

When the man invited, "You have saved my life, I am eternally grateful, please come to my house — we will be blessed to honour you," he said, "No, I am also a robber." That means: all ''guṇas'' belong to ''sṛṣṭi''. We have to go beyond ''sṛṣṭi'' — to what was before ''sṛṣṭi'', which is Brahman.

So that is how a knower of the ''ātman'' becomes a world for all beings. Because a knower of Brahman or ''ātman'' is Brahman. And such a person — anybody who worships, anybody who wants any desire to be fulfilled — should worship an ''ātmajñānī'', because an ''ātmajñānī'' is non-separate from the ''ātman'' or Brahman. So here is a living example called a ''jīvanmukta''.

Through his sacrifice, study, and service to guests and animals, he supports entire creation. These are called ''pañcamahāyajñas'' — ''devatās'', ''ṛṣis'', ''pitṛs'', and then all human beings, and all non-human beings, and even the smallest creatures. When he loves all, the entire creation loves him back.

Just imagine — Rāmakṛṣṇa once saved a big ''magar mach'' (crocodile). We don't know how the crocodile really feels after that. According to its own capacity, it must have had a sigh of relief, become happy, and must have expressed gratitude to the saver, which is Rāmakṛṣṇa. Whatever is minimum necessary, they will do — but beyond that, they will never try to harm.

Even what minimum they do, also with a prayer. I heard that some South Africans, when they hunt — because they don't get anything else, for some particular animals like deer — they run them down. Finally they pray: "O ''devatā'', spirit — you are dying, sacrificing your life for the sake of sustaining us. We pray to God that in your next birth, you will have a better life because of your sacrifice." And after this prayer to their ancestors, to their own gods in whom they believe, they sprinkle a little bit of dust. This is what we do — ''śrāddha'', etc. — in gratefulness to all our ancestors. All ''pañcamahāyajña'' is nothing but uttering this gratefulness and sprinkling the dust.

So mantra 16 says that everybody loves a ''jīvanmukta'', because a ''jīvanmukta'' becomes the ''ātman'' of all these beings.
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== Mantra 17: The ''Gṛhasthāśrama'' — Legitimate Fulfilment of Desires ==
अथो अयम् आत्मा वै सर्वेषां भूतानां लोकः सः यत् जुहोति यत् यजते तेन देवानां लोकः अथ यत् अनुब्रूते तेन ऋषीणाम् अथ यत् पितृभ्यः निपृणाति यत् प्रजम् इच्छते तेन पितृणाम् अथ यत् मनुष्यान् वासयतेयत् एभ्यः अशनं ददाति तेन मनुष्याणाम् अथ यत् पशुभ्यः तृणोदकं विन्दति तेन पशूनाम् यत् अस्य गृहुषु श्वापदाः वयांसि आ पिपीलिकाभ्यः उपजीवन्ति तेन तेषां लोकः यथा ह स्वाय लोकाय अरिष्टिम् इच्छेत् एवं ह सर्वाणि भूतानि एवंविदे अरिष्टिम् इच्छन्ति तत् एतत् वै वीदितम् मीमाम्सितम्॥--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १७'''

==== Transliteration ====
atho ayam ātmā vai sarveṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ lokaḥ saḥ yat juhoti yat yajate tena devānāṁ lokaḥ atha yat anubrūte tena ṛṣīṇām atha yat pitṛbhyaḥ nipṛṇāti yat prajam icchate tena pitṛṇām atha yat manuṣyān vāsayateyat ebhyaḥ aśanaṁ dadāti tena manuṣyāṇām atha yat paśubhyaḥ tṛiṇodakaṁ vindati tena paśūnām yat asya gṛhuṣu śvāpadāḥ vayāṁsi ā pipīlikābhyaḥ upajīvanti tena teṣāṁ lokaḥ yathā ha svāya lokāya ariṣṭim icchet evaṁ ha sarvāṇi bhūtāni evaṁvide ariṣṭim icchanti tat etat vai vīditam mīmāmsitam||

'''And the final mantra — mantra 17 —''' '''in this fourth section''': when the ''ātman'' existed alone, it desired a wife, children, wealth, and work, to feel complete. So what does this seventeenth mantra really mean?

It means: when a person comes of age, comes to consciousness, becomes awakened, he looks around and understands what to do. He understands: "This is my duty in life if I want to progress further." So therefore, he wants to fulfil all his desires legitimately, according to the direction of the scripture. Such a person — what is called a ''brahmacārī'' — desires a wife, children, wealth, and work.

And then the purpose is not to enjoy the world, but the purpose is slowly to evolve — by developing faith in the scripture, and by satisfying some of the desires.

So this mantra teaches us a very important lesson: an unfit person cannot simply renounce the world. He will be like a jobless person renouncing the world, going to Vārāṇasī, and then after some time securing a job. "Do not worry, I am keeping well. I am sending ten rupees — I got a job now. The next time when I come, I will bring some clothes and some other materials for you. So you do not feel bad about me, don't feel anxious about me." This is called jobless ''vairāgya'' — ''śmaśāna-vairāgya'', ''prasūti-vairāgya'', ''markaṭa-vairāgya'', jobless ''vairāgya''.

So the mantra 17 tells us that all this entering into ''gṛhasthāśrama'' from ''brahmacaryāśrama'' to ''gṛhasthāśrama'' is an evolution. So that what we have learnt must be put into practice — that helps us to evolve further. Ultimately it brings us to ''vānaprasthāśrama'', which leads us to ''sannyāsāśrama''. That is the essence of this mantra 17.
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== Conclusion: The Mutual Relationship of Mantras 11–17 ==
So that is the essence of the eleventh to seventeenth mantras. There is a mutual relationship between these mantras, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 31 on 09 May 2026

2026-07-15T06:31:24Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Goal of Life and the Nature of Brahman ==
As we saw, a great discussion was going on: what is the goal of life? Some seekers understood that realisation of Brahman alone is the goal of life. And what does one gain? They also understood the gains — ''sarvam idaṃ bhavati'', so ''sarva bhāva prāpti''. A person who realises Brahman becomes ''sarvam'', becomes ''pūrṇam''.

Then, how to attain it? We have seen also that this whole creation is a play of Brahman, so that he wants to entertain himself. It is like playing a solitaire game, where one tries to deceive oneself, and then catch oneself, and then go on laughing: "I caught myself!" So it is what is called ''līlā''.
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== Summary of the Tenth Mantra: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' ==
In our last class, we completed one of the most important mantras — the tenth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. What is the essence of this tenth mantra? This tenth mantra unfolds and establishes that there is only one reality, that is called Brahman — call it God, call it Allāh, by whatever blessed name you desire to call.

And what are we? The ''jīva'', the individual soul, is essentially identical to that Brahman, because if Brahman is everything, if Brahman is the cause, then this entire universe is the effect. And the effect can never be different from the cause.

Then what is it we are experiencing now? This is called ''saṃsāra''. ''Saṃsāra'' means seeing everything as different. I am born — that is different. I am surviving — that is different. One day I will have to disappear from this world — that is also a change. This entire birth, growth, sustenance, old age, disease, and death — this is called ''ṣaḍvikāra'', the sixfold changes. Everyone has to go through them. ''Saṃsarati'' means continuous change.

And Brahman is one — eternal, unchanging, one without a second. So how can we equate this world with Brahman? But this thinking — really, Brahman has not created, has not become, has not become ''jīva'', is not thinking as the ''jīva'' — and all these thoughts are only from our mind's point of view, from the ''avidyā'' point of view. All questions — "Who am I? Why am I here? How did I happen to come here? Why did Brahman create? He could have created a better world" — all these questions are products of ignorance.

So long as we are ignorant, so long as we do not know that we are Brahman, these questions will not cease. So long as a person is experiencing a snake, his fear will never vanish.
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== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker ==
But at some point of time, a person gets tired. First — and this is a very great psychological point — first, all of us get so much of pleasure from various things. In fact, we try to minimise all unhappiness and all suffering, and maximise all our happiness. This seems to be the goal of life for a very, very long time.

And then comes the awakening: that it is impossible to achieve this objective. Therefore there must be another way, where I can be without any fear of death, ignorance, and suffering. And for that purpose, the search is now withdrawn from the external to the internal. Such persons are called spiritual seekers.

Then that person, with the help of the Guru who interprets the scripture, slowly destroys the ''avidyā''. Now, what Advaita wants to convey to us is that ''vidyā'', or true ''brahmavidyā'', or ''ātmavidyā'' — knowledge of one's own self — is never lost, can never be lost. But it is covered up. So every spiritual practice is only to remove this covering.

So destruction of ''avidyā'', or destruction of the ''adhyāsa'' (superimposition), is called spiritual practice. And as soon as we succeed in removing this ignorance — ignorance of who we really are, not what we think we are — the moment we remove the wrong notion totally, ''vidyā'' stands revealed. We do not need to acquire ''vidyā''; it is already there.

Just like the removal of darkness manifests the light automatically — not that after removing the darkness, like somebody sitting outside, we have vacated a seat, there is a vacant chair and you can come inside. No, not like that. Removal of ''adhyāsa'' or ''avidyā'' alone is spiritual practice. And then we realise: we were never bound. What we were wholeheartedly seeking, we already have, as it were — we are that.

Just, we have to remove the covering. For that, a ''mahāvākya'' tremendously helps. And the essential point in this tenth mantra is ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''. And then — ''ātmany eva upāsīta'' — one should therefore strive to realise this Brahman alone.
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== Overview: Mantras 11 to 17 of the Fourth Section ==
Now we are going to proceed. This particular fourth section has got seventeen mantras. We covered more or less ten mantras, and some mantras I have already described — especially, I think, in the eighth mantra, how this creation has started. Now again, from the eleventh to the seventeenth, this fourth section gives us two important ideas.

So creation has been described earlier. But to maintain this creation and to see that life goes on merrily without any problem, then we have to create those people who tell us how to run, how to live life, and how not to do certain actions which will only stop our further evolution — or even take us back to the previous state. How to stop that? And then slowly, how to progress?
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== The Origin of the Four Varṇas (''Cāturvarṇyam'') ==
So Brahman has created four types of castes. This is the origin of the caste system in Hinduism. God himself has created it, and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa affirms it. So what is the purpose? Maintenance.

But the peculiarity of this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — what do we mean by ''cāturvarṇyam'', the four castes? The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates and says that because ''sṛṣṭi'' also contains gods and goddesses, the entire creation can be divided into three: ''ādhyātmika'', ''ādhibhautika'', and ''ādhidaivika''.

Each one of us, as individuals, is called ''ādhyātmika''. Then the entire external world, which everyone of us is experiencing and formulating certain ''saṃskāras'' through our experiences, is called ''ādhibhautika''. But to have an overall management — how to make a person behave properly, do this, do not do this, the do's and don'ts — certain powers are created. They are called ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās''. And also, how to live life: for that purpose, four castes were created.

Now what the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad wants to add is that it is not only at our level, but even at the level of the gods, four ''varṇas'' are there. So there is a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', and ''deva-śūdra''.
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== The Three ''Guṇas'' and Their Combinations ==
Now, what are these castes? Castes are nothing but divided on the basis of ''guṇas''. As we know, ''guṇas'' are three. So certain combinations — and this is a very important point — no ''guṇa'' by itself can be effective. It is only the combination of every ''guṇa'' that counts.

How many combinations are possible? First: ''sattvaguṇa'' dominates, ''rajoguṇa'' supports, ''tamoguṇa'' helps — that is called ''brāhmaṇa''. Second: ''rajoguṇa'' dominates, ''sattvaguṇa'' helps, ''tamoguṇa'' also helps — that is called ''kṣatriya'', or the rulers and warriors. What Plato or Socrates used to call the second category.

The first category, according to Socrates, is called philosophers — those who set the goal of life crystal clearly. But to maintain this order, ''kṣatriyas'' are necessary, with tremendous power. They are the kings, they are the warriors, they are the leaders of men. They fall under the second category and are dominated by ''rajoguṇa''. They have to be extremely alert and intolerant of any evil that is being perpetuated.

People were advised according to their castes what special activities they would have to do. So for example, for the ''brāhmaṇa'' — study of the Vedas, leading an ideal life — that is the speciality of ''brāhmaṇas''. For ''kṣatriyas'' — protecting the weak, subduing the strong and evil, and seeing that society runs smoothly. That oiling process of this machine called society — they are called ''kṣatriyas'', or the warrior class.

And people are advised: you have to worship God, you have certain duties in life. For that purpose, ''pañcamahāyajñas'', special worships, special ''upāsanās'', have been given. And to see that they are done properly, many things are needed, many items are needed. So one has to get that supply. The persons who see that everybody requires food and materials — and at one place something grows, another place something else grows — these third castes are called the business people, ''vaiśyas''.

Their business is such that they have international connections. If some excess product is there, they remove it, take it where it is needed and not available. And what is available there — say, for example, certain exotic things are not available in western countries, only India can give, especially spices. That is why everybody wanted to come and conquer India, so that they could have free access. India was also known as a treasure house of gold, silver, and many other precious minerals and metals.

So that is why everybody's sight was drawn there. That is why Muslims had come, that's why English, Dutch, Portuguese, French people — everybody had come. Finally, only the Muslims and the English people dominated and looted. And that we should not blame them, because we welcomed them and we helped them to loot everything, because of our non-cooperation. Even now it is going on.

So the third class — what is called ''rajo''-dominated, greatly helped by ''rajas'' and ''tamas'' in equal proportions — they are called ''vaiśyas''. But there are different types of activities: harvesting, cultivating, cleaning, storing, bringing things. Workers are needed — they are called ''śūdras''.

And it is not that a particular caste of people have been created. No. According to their ''guṇa'', where ''tamoguṇa'' is more — the person needs to be told, "You have to do this," etc. They cannot think for themselves; somebody has to continuously direct them: "Do this, don't do this, do this after that." Such people are called ''śūdras''.

And in every society, in every age, we get these people. Not that it is only from the beginning so. For that purpose, from Brahman, having created this universe with all the ''pañcabhūtas'', he then created ''deva-varṇas'' — ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', ''deva-kṣatriya'', ''deva-vaiśya'', ''deva-śūdra''.
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== Intelligence in Nature: An Illustrative Digression ==
And this Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, from the eleventh mantra onwards — from the eleventh section onwards — is trying to elaborate one after the other that with the help of everyone doing their duties properly, everybody will be progressing. So ''śūdras'' will develop higher consciousness, then they become more ''rajo''-dominated, and then later on they will be dominated by ''sattvaguṇa''. That is how this is a slow evolution from a low state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness — that is what this section wants to tell.

Just as Brahman created the ''deva-varṇas'' — the four castes of the ''devas'', the gods and goddesses — we have to understand that exactly in a similar manner, all human beings were also created. So ''deva-brāhmaṇas'' degenerated into ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇas'', ''deva-kṣatriyas'' into ''manuṣya-kṣatriyas'', ''deva-vaiśyas'' into ''manuṣya-vaiśyas'', and ''deva-śūdras'' into ''manuṣya-śūdras''.

Now, though it is not necessary — this is a point we can add here — does this division apply only to human beings or to non-human beings also? Yes. Take one simple example: the story of the honey bee. There is a queen, there are warriors to protect the hive, there are workers who will be going and gathering — it is such a marvellous story. How much intelligence is needed!

Just to give one small example: there are some ant colonies that were being flooded, and they had to find a safer nest. What do these ants do? They have to cross sometimes huge expanses of water. And individually, if they do it, it is not going to help. So they join hands and legs and form a huge, like a boat or a huge mat. The entire rest of the colony gathers onto that mat, as it were, and they float. And these front ants slowly guide it to a place where the danger of water is not there.

That's why if anybody scientifically examines either a beehive or an anthill, you will see how much intelligence is there. When you look at some birds — there are some birds who create such beautiful nests, and they are fully aware, fully conscious that snakes are there to hunt them. So there are particular species of birds I have seen in a video: they create a nest with various doors, and the real room where they store the eggs will be practically like Lucknow's maze, the ''Bhūlbhulāiyā''. The snake will poke into several nests and not find anything. Finally, disappointed, most snakes leave.

Why am I citing this example? To show how much intelligence is really working there, albeit unconsciously. Many squirrels gather nuts when winter is coming — they have to survive in their burrows, to tide them over during that cold season when they cannot come out. What do the bears do? They hibernate. How much intelligence!

This is only to place before you how much intelligence these creatures have. So Brahman manifested himself as the world, then created various animals, then created human beings. Then a world order has to be established. For that, ''adhiṣṭhātṛ devatās'' were created. And that is from where the ''karma-siddhānta'' has come — these gods are watching us. According to our ''karma'', if we worship them, they reward us; if we neglect and misbehave, they keep count and will try to correct us. It is not a punishment — it is a correction.
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== The ''Varṇas'' as a Framework for Evolution ==
So this is how ''deva-varṇas'' and ''brahman-varṇas'' are created. And then, what is the purpose of all this? Right from the lowest caste, we have to strive — through the devout performance of our respective duties — to evolve. That is how a ''śūdra'' becomes a ''vaiśya'', meaning the terrible ''tamoguṇa'' now becomes mixed up with more of ''rajoguṇa'', and then he enters into more ''sāttvikaguṇa'' and becomes a ''kṣatriya''. This is a state of progress.

We have to understand: it is not a privilege to oppress and suppress and selfishly hoard everything for one's own self. And whenever we neglect this, the ''karmaphala'' will come with a big blow. Study history — this is what happens. And this history has been repeated in our ''Purāṇas'' in the form of the continuous warfare between the ''suras'' and ''asuras'', gods and demons.

What is this fight? The fight is: whenever somebody neglects and doesn't live a proper life appropriate to their station in life, then ''karmaphala'' will come in the form of suffering. Here, a demon is nothing but a creator of — or an excuse for creating — suffering. Suffering awakens these people. Then they think deeply: "We have neglected the commandments of God." That's why in the Bible it is called the Ten Commandments, and we have got ''dharmaśāstras'' — nothing but ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'', the do's and don'ts.

Then we slowly acquire faith, and we experiment and get some results. Our faith deepens. That is how we progress.

The whole thing is meant — involution is meant — so that we can evolve. If I have to summarise the entire creation: first, it is nothing but involution, coming down to the inorganic. Thereafter, evolution starts with the sprouting of ''prāṇa'' in the one-celled body — call it amoeba, by whatever name — and slowly multiplying and evolving physically, brain-wise, then mentally, then spiritually, finally reaching the destination, that is, reaching home from where we have come. This is the idea.
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== A Note on Methodology: How to Read a Text ==
Now I will give you a gist and summary of these mantras from the eleventh to the seventeenth. Six or seven mantras are there for us to deal with. Once we understand the gist of this — which I have already given as the summary of the summaries — I am going into a little more detail. And then we will go through the proper mantras; it will be a breeze to understand them.

This is how we have to read any book. This is the technique by which one can grasp the most in the least amount of time, and grasp more intelligently and retain it for a longer time. First of all, you read the foreword. The author, if he is a good author, crystal clearly outlines: "This is the subject about which I am going to talk, and on this subject, especially I am going to emphasise these particular points of view." And then he elaborates them, giving examples, etc.

So it may be a 300-page book or a 400-page book. At the end of every chapter — every paragraph has a connection with the next paragraph, if it is intelligent writing. Every chapter has a connection to the next chapter. And at the end of every chapter: "These are the special points we have discussed so far in this chapter," and then: "This is the connection between the previous chapter and the next chapter." This is what Śaṅkarācārya calls ''sambandhabhāṣya'' — the relationship between the previous mantra and the next mantra, previous chapter and next chapter, previous section and next section. If we can follow this methodology, it will be marvellous.
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== Before Creation: Brahman Alone ==
So what happened before creation? Who was there? Brahman alone existed — ''ekaṃ sat, advitīyam'', ''sadeva saumya idam agra āsīt''. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen, in the sixth chapter, that only Brahman alone existed. That is what the Brihadāraṇyaka also repeats.

So then Brahman wanted to create. Now, so many people question: why did Brahman have to create? Could he not have kept quiet? Then we need not have all these classes, this ''saṃsāra'', this — "create a problem, then show a solution." No. This is called ''līlā''. And you cannot complain, because: who is the creator? Brahman. Who is the creation? Brahman. Who has degenerated or involved? Brahman. Who is evolving? Brahman. That is the fun of it — he does it for fun, and he knows it with full consciousness.

So this is what we have to understand. Before creation, Brahman alone existed. And to ensure the proper functioning of this created universe, Brahman created the powerful castes — so ''kṣatriyas'', and earlier he said ''agni'' — ''agni'' means ''brāhmaṇa'' — so Indra, Varuṇa, etc. While the ''kṣatriya'' power, the warrior class, represents power, its source is none other than Brahman.

And that is why in the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the king has to sit below a ''brāhmaṇa'' who is performing the ''agni''. So a ''kṣatriya'' has to honour his own source.

To understand it in common sense language: why is the person doing this ''agni'' or ''yāga'', etc.? Because he learns from the ''brāhmaṇa'' that the goal of life is to manifest your potential divinity. And you are a ''kṣatriya'', and the duty of the ''kṣatriya'' is to protect, and also to evolve one's own self. So if you can do some ''agni'' or ''yāgas'', that is not the only duty. Your main duty is to see that society functions as it is supposed to function. But since you are also a human being with individual desires to fulfil, you can do some ''agni'', ''yāgas'', etc.

And only powerful, wealthy ''kṣatriyas'' can do some of these. And that is — at the very beginning of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — we said that what is called ''aśvamedha'', as ''virāṭ'', a king can do, with all the elaborations and all four ''varṇas'' necessary. But if somebody doesn't have that capacity, you just sit and do mental ''upāsanā'' — it will give you exactly the same result as if you are the king and you are doing it meticulously from the beginning to the end. That is why that ''virāṭ upāsanā'' and its continuation was there. First it is the ''aśva'', then it is the ''agni'', then it is the ''prāṇa'' — we have seen that one already.

You will always have to keep the essential points in mind, otherwise my talk will be what is called dissected, non-related topics.
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== Mantra 11: The Creation of ''Brāhmaṇas'' and ''Kṣatriyas'' ==
So the essence of the eleventh mantra is: Brahman created what is called ''brāhmaṇas'' and ''kṣatriyas''.
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== Mantra 12: The Creation of ''Vaiśyas'' ==
Then the twelfth mantra: power alone, strength alone, was not enough. Because for the sake of wealth and social nourishment, many things are necessary — suppliers of many things. And therefore ''deva-vaiśyas'' were created. That is described in mantra 12. So like ''vasus'', ''rudras'' — these ''vaiśyas'' were created.
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== Mantra 13: The Creation of ''Śūdras'' ==
But creation of ''brāhmaṇas'', creation of ''kṣatriyas'', creation of ''vaiśyas'' alone will not do. There is so much physical, menial labour one has to do. When a person has vast lands for cultivation, the cultivators — only ''śūdras'' can do it. And then harvesting, and then storing, and then protecting them — so many things one has to do. For that purpose, the ''śūdras'' have to be created.

Mantra 13: for service and support, the ''śūdra-varṇa''. Here also, ''deva-śūdra'' — you have to remember — ''pūṣan'', that is ''pṛthvī'', was created. Here the earth is called ''pūṣā'', because it is she who is cultivable, who yields, sustains, supports, and nourishes all of us.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
Then the fourteenth mantra tells us something extraordinary. Here are the ''kṣatriyas'', here are the ''brāhmaṇas'', here are the ''vaiśyas'', here are the ''śūdras''. And there are also infinite variations possible. Suppose some ''kṣatriya'' has got tremendous power, or some ''brāhmaṇa'' has tremendous knowledge. Then he can become very arrogant — that possibility is there, because ''avidyā'' is ruling. Similarly, a powerful king, like a powerful politician, can do whatever he likes. If somebody praises him, he will bestow the highest power and all his goodies and goodwill. And if he doesn't like somebody, however worthy that somebody may be, he will demote and destroy them. This is the way — just look at the newspaper, that is what you will see everywhere going on.

So to protect against this, Brahman created something marvellous — it is called ''dharma''. So a ''brāhmaṇa'' has ''brāhmaṇa-dharma'', a ''kṣatriya'' has ''kṣatriya-dharma'', a ''vaiśya'' has ''vaiśya-dharma'', a ''śūdra'' has ''śūdra-dharma''. What does it mean? It means these people, according to their own caste — and they were created and classified as belonging to that caste because a particular quality is dominating in them, assisted of course by the other two qualities.

Just as in a ''brāhmaṇa'', ''sattva'' is the dominant quality, ''rajas'' is the helpful quality, and ''tamas'' is another one. Here ''rajas'' is more powerful and more helpful — that's why he retains. So it is not according to birth; caste is according to quality.

So that is what we need to do. And now a very interesting analogy can be given. There are so many AI companies — like OpenAI, Microsoft, Google of course, Meta, and so many others coming. And China is producing marvellous AI, which India cannot even look up to. Not because we lack intelligence, but we lack that ''puruṣakāra'', that energy. Full of jealousy, intolerance — we cannot tolerate our own. Our greatest ''adharma'' is to pull down the other person as much as possible. "I may not get anything, but I will not tolerate another person getting even a little better than what I have." This is the main cause. If this cause is not addressed, however much money the government may spend, we are not going to improve at all — whatever party comes into power. What type of persons are there using that power — that is most important.

So Brahman has created ''dharma''. And very interestingly, ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are equated. ''Satya'' is understanding what the proper action is to be done and the proper way to do it. And ''dharma'' is putting it into absolute practice. That is why you cannot separate ''satya'' and ''dharma''. We will come to that.

So in this fourteenth mantra, Brahman, after creating the four divine castes, now created ''dharma'', so that ''dharma'' keeps them under control. If anybody transgresses the ''dharma'', then ''dharma'' itself becomes ''Yama'' — ''Yama Dharmarāja''. That is why Yama is called ''Yama Dharmarāja''. ''Yama Dharmarāja'' will give appropriate ''karma'' for all.

This is ''dharma'' — ''dharma'' is the power behind power. The controlling power of any power is called ''dharma''. Where ''dharma'' exists, even a weak person can overcome a strong one. That is why we say ''dharma'' and ''satya'' are one. In the ultimate instance, it is only ''dharma'' and ''satya'' which become victorious — temporarily maybe something may not be there. That is the essence of the fourteenth mantra.
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== Mantra 15: The Purpose of All Action — ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
The fifteenth mantra: this social order exists among both gods and men. So if a person performs many holy works without realising his own self, those works are only temporary. Only when a person knows who he is — obtains, through the obtainment of self-knowledge, ''ātmajñāna'' — then these works become complete and help him achieve the goal of life, which is to know ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.

So mantra 15 is reminding us: the whole purpose of creation is to catch hold of ''dharma'' and ''satya''. That is why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad — the rest is elaboration.

The social order exists among both gods and men, as I said earlier. For example: Agni is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', Indra is the ''deva-kṣatriya'', the ''vasus'' etc. are the ''deva-vaiśyas'', and ''pṛthvī'' is called the ''deva-śūdra'', etc.

In this fifteenth mantra, it says we have to evolve slowly. What is evolution? Absolutely behaving as we are supposed to behave. And this we get from ''dharmaśāstras'': if you are a ''śūdra'', this is your ''dharma''; you should not do your ''adharma''. And if you follow — so if a person discharges his duty as a worship of God, that is the essence of ''Karma Yoga''. Then slowly he progresses. And ultimately, by the grace of God, he will become a ''vaiśya'', he will become a ''kṣatriya'' — that is called improvement, progress in the state of consciousness. Ultimately a person will become a ''brāhmaṇa'', that is, a seeker of Brahman. And then he will practise, and then he becomes a realised soul. That is the most wonderful thing.

What is the fifteenth mantra saying? Let me first quote how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully puts it: any number of zeros without a one in the front are completely zeros — valueless. But put one, and as you go on adding zero after zero, the value increases: 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000, etc. This is what the mantra is telling — that if every activity is not directed towards reaching our own true nature, or Brahman, or ''ātmajñāna'', all these works will only give temporary effects.

The mantra is not telling that they will not give effect — they will. But again and again and again, we fall from that high state, and again we have to do it, until we learn the lesson. That all these works will give permanent result only when we offer them as worship of God.
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== Mantra 16: The ''Jīvanmukta'' — The Liberated Soul ==
Then mantra 16 beautifully puts it. Suppose a person, through the evolution from ''śūdra'' to ''brāhmaṇa'', from ''tamoguṇa'' to ''sattvaguṇa'' — then the ''śūdra'' with ''sattvaguṇa'' will slowly realise, like that person who was saved from ''tamoguṇa'', then saved from ''rajoguṇa''. ''Sattvaguṇa'' alone saves — it brings him to his home, his village. "You go there."

When the man invited, "You have saved my life, I am eternally grateful, please come to my house — we will be blessed to honour you," he said, "No, I am also a robber." That means: all ''guṇas'' belong to ''sṛṣṭi''. We have to go beyond ''sṛṣṭi'' — to what was before ''sṛṣṭi'', which is Brahman.

So that is how a knower of the ''ātman'' becomes a world for all beings. Because a knower of Brahman or ''ātman'' is Brahman. And such a person — anybody who worships, anybody who wants any desire to be fulfilled — should worship an ''ātmajñānī'', because an ''ātmajñānī'' is non-separate from the ''ātman'' or Brahman. So here is a living example called a ''jīvanmukta''.

Through his sacrifice, study, and service to guests and animals, he supports entire creation. These are called ''pañcamahāyajñas'' — ''devatās'', ''ṛṣis'', ''pitṛs'', and then all human beings, and all non-human beings, and even the smallest creatures. When he loves all, the entire creation loves him back.

Just imagine — Rāmakṛṣṇa once saved a big ''magar mach'' (crocodile). We don't know how the crocodile really feels after that. According to its own capacity, it must have had a sigh of relief, become happy, and must have expressed gratitude to the saver, which is Rāmakṛṣṇa. Whatever is minimum necessary, they will do — but beyond that, they will never try to harm.

Even what minimum they do, also with a prayer. I heard that some South Africans, when they hunt — because they don't get anything else, for some particular animals like deer — they run them down. Finally they pray: "O ''devatā'', spirit — you are dying, sacrificing your life for the sake of sustaining us. We pray to God that in your next birth, you will have a better life because of your sacrifice." And after this prayer to their ancestors, to their own gods in whom they believe, they sprinkle a little bit of dust. This is what we do — ''śrāddha'', etc. — in gratefulness to all our ancestors. All ''pañcamahāyajña'' is nothing but uttering this gratefulness and sprinkling the dust.

So mantra 16 says that everybody loves a ''jīvanmukta'', because a ''jīvanmukta'' becomes the ''ātman'' of all these beings.
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== Mantra 17: The ''Gṛhasthāśrama'' — Legitimate Fulfilment of Desires ==
And the final mantra — mantra 17 — in this fourth section: when the ''ātman'' existed alone, it desired a wife, children, wealth, and work, to feel complete. So what does this seventeenth mantra really mean?

It means: when a person comes of age, comes to consciousness, becomes awakened, he looks around and understands what to do. He understands: "This is my duty in life if I want to progress further." So therefore, he wants to fulfil all his desires legitimately, according to the direction of the scripture. Such a person — what is called a ''brahmacārī'' — desires a wife, children, wealth, and work.

And then the purpose is not to enjoy the world, but the purpose is slowly to evolve — by developing faith in the scripture, and by satisfying some of the desires.

So this mantra teaches us a very important lesson: an unfit person cannot simply renounce the world. He will be like a jobless person renouncing the world, going to Vārāṇasī, and then after some time securing a job. "Do not worry, I am keeping well. I am sending ten rupees — I got a job now. The next time when I come, I will bring some clothes and some other materials for you. So you do not feel bad about me, don't feel anxious about me." This is called jobless ''vairāgya'' — ''śmaśāna-vairāgya'', ''prasūti-vairāgya'', ''markaṭa-vairāgya'', jobless ''vairāgya''.

So the mantra 17 tells us that all this entering into ''gṛhasthāśrama'' from ''brahmacaryāśrama'' to ''gṛhasthāśrama'' is an evolution. So that what we have learnt must be put into practice — that helps us to evolve further. Ultimately it brings us to ''vānaprasthāśrama'', which leads us to ''sannyāsāśrama''. That is the essence of this mantra 17.
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== Conclusion: The Mutual Relationship of Mantras 11–17 ==
So that is the essence of the eleventh to seventeenth mantras. There is a mutual relationship between these mantras, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-15T06:28:12Z

Gayatri: /* Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All Varṇāśrama Dharmas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||''

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
स ''नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||''

Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
''स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥''

-बृ'''हदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||''

But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,'''

''स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥''

-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||''

as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
''तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||''

And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to seventeenth mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-15T06:21:58Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 15: Satya, Dharma, and the Purpose of the Varṇas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ११'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||''

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
स ''नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १२'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||''

Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
''स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥''

-बृ'''हदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १३'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||''

But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,'''

''स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥''

-'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १४'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||''

as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
''तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥''

--'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse १५'''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
''tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||''

And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-15T06:16:15Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

'''''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव तदेक सन्न व्यभवत्। तच्छ्रेयो रूपमत्यसृजत क्षत्रं यान्येतानि देवत्रा क्षत्राणीन्द्रो वरुणः सोमो रुद्रः पर्जन्यो यमो मृत्युरीशान इति। तस्मात् क्षत्रात्परं नास्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियमधस्तादुपास्ते राजसूये क्षत्र एव तद्यशो दधाति सैषा क्षत्रस्य योनिर्यद्ब्रह्म। तस्माद्यद्यपि राजा परमतां गच्छति ब्रह्मैवान्तत उपनिश्रयति स्वां योनिं य उ एन हिनस्ति स्वा स योनिमृच्छति स पापीयान्भवति यथा श्रेयास हिसित्वा॥'''''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
'''''brahma vā idamagra āsīdekameva tadeka sanna vyabhavat| tacchreyo rūpamatyasṛjata kṣatraṁ yānyetāni devatrā kṣatrāṇīndro varuṇaḥ somo rudraḥ parjanyo yamo mṛtyurīśāna iti| tasmāt kṣatrātparaṁ nāsti tasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyamadhastādupāste rājasūye kṣatra eva tadyaśo dadhāti saiṣā kṣatrasya yoniryadbrahma| tasmādyadyapi rājā paramatāṁ gacchati brahmaivāntata upaniśrayati svāṁ yoniṁ ya u ena hinasti svā sa yonimṛcchati sa pāpīyānbhavati yathā śreyāsa hisitvā||'''''

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
स '''''नैव व्यभवत् स विशमसृजत यान्येतानि देवजातानि गणश आख्यायन्ते वसवो रुद्रा आदित्या विश्वे देवा मरुत इति॥'''''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
'''''sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśamasṛjata yānyetāni devajātāni gaṇaśa ākhyāyante vasavo rudrā ādityā viśve devā maruta iti||'''''

Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
'''''स नैव व्यभवत् स शौद्रं वर्णमसृजत पूषणमियं वै पूषेय हीद सर्वं पुष्यति यदिदं किंच॥'''''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
'''''sa naiva vyabhavat sa śaudraṁ varṇamasṛjata pūṣaṇamiyaṁ vai pūṣeya hīda sarvaṁ puṣyati yadidaṁ kiṁca||'''''

But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,'''

'''''स नैव व्यभवत्तच्छ्रेयोरूपमत्यसृजत धर्मं तदेतत्क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रं यद्धर्मस्तस्माद्धर्मात्परं नास्त्यथो अबलीयान्बलीयासमाशसते धर्मेण यथा राज्ञैवं यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्त सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति॥'''''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
'''''sa naiva vyabhavattacchreyorūpamatyasṛjata dharmaṁ tadetatkṣatrasya kṣatraṁ yaddharmastasmāddharmātparaṁ nāstyatho abalīyānbalīyāsamāśasate dharmeṇa yathā rājñaivaṁ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati||'''''

as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
'''''तदेतद्ब्रह्म क्षत्रं विट् शूद्रस्तदग्निनैव देवेषु ब्रह्माभवद्ब्राह्मणो मनुष्येषु क्षत्रियेण क्षत्रियो वैश्येन वैश्यः शूद्रेण शूद्रस्तस्मादग्नावेव देवेषु लोकमिच्छन्ते ब्राह्मणे मनुष्येष्वेताभ्या हि रूपाभ्यां ब्रह्माभवत्। अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाऽननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदि ह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते। अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते॥15'''''

==== '''''Transliteration''''' ====
'''''tadetadbrahma kṣatraṁ viṭ śūdrastadagninaiva deveṣu brahmābhavadbrāhmaṇo manuṣyeṣu kṣatriyeṇa kṣatriyo vaiśyena vaiśyaḥ śūdreṇa śūdrastasmādagnāveva deveṣu lokamicchante brāhmaṇe manuṣyeṣvetābhyā hi rūpābhyāṁ brahmābhavat| atha yo ha vā asmāllokātsvaṁ lokamadṛṣṭvā praiti sa enamavidito na bhunakti yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''

And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-14T15:31:13Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''.'' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'''पुरुषविध ब्राह्मण''''': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
'''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २]

so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.'''तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय ''tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya[''Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought:

'''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''

"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati '''अरतिः''' [. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented]. '''''rati''''' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel anyintense joy.. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because '''''saṃsāra''''' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."that is called '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

So with this word — '''arati अरतिः''' "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding in their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga.'''"योगः चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः"''' (Yogaś Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ [ Patanjali Yoga sutra1.2] And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the '''third mantra in this fourth section'''

'''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते स द्वितीयमैच्छत्। स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां तस्मादिदमर्धबृगलमिव स्व इति ह स्माह याज्ञवल्क्यस्तस्मादयमाकाशः स्त्रिया पूर्यत एव ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ३

'''''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat| sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau | sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ tasmādidamardhabṛgalamiva sva iti ha smāha yājñavalkyastasmādayamākāśaḥ striyā pūryata eva tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

It is telling us: '''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते ''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate ;'''''so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīrdas thus so beautifully expressed:'''''मोकों कहाँ ढूँढ़े रे बंदे, मैं तो तेरे पास में।''' “Where are you searching for Me, O seeker/servant?” It is a call from the Divine, as voiced by the poet '''Sant Kabi'''r,'']

when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''स वै नैव रेमे''' ''sa vai naiva reme'' '''''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3] Saguṇa Brahma''''' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today '''तस्मादेकाकी न रमते''tasmādekākī na ramate'''''— what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? '''स''' '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।He decided: "Let me have a companion.'''He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]"Let me have a companion.'''Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication etc,.. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how '''''Sṛṣṭi'' सृष्टि''' comes. What is सृष्टि ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.One becoming many is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।'''So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' —

it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? '''स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। ''sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau |Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? '''स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः''sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ|[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our Svapna Jagat ((स्वप्न जगत्) dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

'''त्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां''tataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. '''ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥''tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''<nowiki/>''So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings.''So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view:('''''Ana'l-Ḥaqq'')''' "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say ,you are not even a child, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. '''''Upāsanā''''' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am '''''Saguṇa Brahma'''''." And hereafter: "I am '''''Nirguṇa Brahma''."''' This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The '''intelligent cause''' — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called '''''Nimitta Kāraṇa''.''' And what is called '''material cause''' is '''''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.'''

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like '''clay''' is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but '''''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma'''''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: '''mind is time, space, and causation'''. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': '''''['''सर्वं खल्विदं'' ब्रह्म([[Chāndogya Upaniṣad]] 3.14.1)everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''. '''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva''''' सर्वं खल्विदं '''''अहं एव I alone am everything.-'''''
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. '''First''' creation is '''human creation.''' '''Second''' is '''animal creation.''' T'''hird is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses.''' And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in '''Bhriguvall,Taittiriya Upanishad''' we are going to see:'''अन्नं ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्‌।'''तैत्तिरीयोपनिषद्भृगुवल्लीद्वितीयोऽनुवाकःVerse १ ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' Taittiriya upanishad- Bhriguvalli-2.1''']—''' "'''Know food as Brahman."''' So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called '''''Ādi Daivika'''''. Another way of saying: '''''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika''''' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

'''So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section.'''

Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come.

'''सा हेयमीक्षांचक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति हन्त तिरोऽसानीति सा गौरभवदृषभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततो गावोऽजायन्त वडवेतराऽभवदश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्तत एकशफमजायताऽजेतराभवद्बस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥-['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४]

''sā heyamīkṣāṁcakre kathaṁ nu mā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti sā gaurabhavadṛṣabha itarastā samevābhavattato gāvo'jāyanta vaḍavetarā'bhavadaśvavṛṣa itaro gardabhītarā gardabha itarastā samevābhavattata ekaśaphamajāyatā'jetarābhavadbasta itaro'viritarā meṣa itarastā samevābhavattato'jāvayo'jāyantaivameva yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad?'''आत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति ā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati''' "बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४['''Brihad Up. 1.4.4]'''That he created me." '''हन्त तिरोऽसानीति ''hanta tiro'sānīti'''''I['''Brihad Up. 1.4.4]''' am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a she goat, he became the he-goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: '''यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥''yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''-'''both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
'''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ५]

'''''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''

And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, '''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti'' ''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: '''ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥''tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''"He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the '''sixth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter''' — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-14T15:28:22Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''.'' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
'''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २]

so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.'''तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय ''tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya[''Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought:

'''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''

"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati '''अरतिः''' [. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented]. '''''rati''''' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel anyintense joy.. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because '''''saṃsāra''''' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."that is called '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

So with this word — '''arati अरतिः''' "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding in their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga.'''"योगः चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः"''' (Yogaś Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ [ Patanjali Yoga sutra1.2] And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the '''third mantra in this fourth section'''

'''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते स द्वितीयमैच्छत्। स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां तस्मादिदमर्धबृगलमिव स्व इति ह स्माह याज्ञवल्क्यस्तस्मादयमाकाशः स्त्रिया पूर्यत एव ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ३

'''''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat| sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau | sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ tasmādidamardhabṛgalamiva sva iti ha smāha yājñavalkyastasmādayamākāśaḥ striyā pūryata eva tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

It is telling us: '''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते ''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate ;'''''so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīrdas thus so beautifully expressed:'''''मोकों कहाँ ढूँढ़े रे बंदे, मैं तो तेरे पास में।''' “Where are you searching for Me, O seeker/servant?” It is a call from the Divine, as voiced by the poet '''Sant Kabi'''r,'']

when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''स वै नैव रेमे''' ''sa vai naiva reme'' '''''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3] Saguṇa Brahma''''' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today '''तस्मादेकाकी न रमते''tasmādekākī na ramate'''''— what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? '''स''' '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।He decided: "Let me have a companion.'''He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]"Let me have a companion.'''Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication etc,.. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how '''''Sṛṣṭi'' सृष्टि''' comes. What is सृष्टि ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.One becoming many is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।'''So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' —

it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? '''स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। ''sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau |Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? '''स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः''sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ|[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our Svapna Jagat ((स्वप्न जगत्) dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

'''त्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां''tataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. '''ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥''tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''<nowiki/>''So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings.''So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view:('''''Ana'l-Ḥaqq'')''' "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say ,you are not even a child, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. '''''Upāsanā''''' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am '''''Saguṇa Brahma'''''." And hereafter: "I am '''''Nirguṇa Brahma''."''' This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The '''intelligent cause''' — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called '''''Nimitta Kāraṇa''.''' And what is called '''material cause''' is '''''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.'''

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like '''clay''' is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but '''''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma'''''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: '''mind is time, space, and causation'''. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': '''''['''सर्वं खल्विदं'' ब्रह्म([[Chāndogya Upaniṣad]] 3.14.1)everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''. '''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva''''' सर्वं खल्विदं '''''अहं एव I alone am everything.-'''''
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. '''First''' creation is '''human creation.''' '''Second''' is '''animal creation.''' T'''hird is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses.''' And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in '''Bhriguvall,Taittiriya Upanishad''' we are going to see:'''अन्नं ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्‌।'''तैत्तिरीयोपनिषद्भृगुवल्लीद्वितीयोऽनुवाकःVerse १ ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' Taittiriya upanishad- Bhriguvalli-2.1''']—''' "'''Know food as Brahman."''' So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called '''''Ādi Daivika'''''. Another way of saying: '''''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika''''' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

'''So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section.'''

Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come.

'''सा हेयमीक्षांचक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति हन्त तिरोऽसानीति सा गौरभवदृषभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततो गावोऽजायन्त वडवेतराऽभवदश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्तत एकशफमजायताऽजेतराभवद्बस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥-['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४]

''sā heyamīkṣāṁcakre kathaṁ nu mā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti sā gaurabhavadṛṣabha itarastā samevābhavattato gāvo'jāyanta vaḍavetarā'bhavadaśvavṛṣa itaro gardabhītarā gardabha itarastā samevābhavattata ekaśaphamajāyatā'jetarābhavadbasta itaro'viritarā meṣa itarastā samevābhavattato'jāvayo'jāyantaivameva yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad?'''आत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति ā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati''' "बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४['''Brihad Up. 1.4.4]'''That he created me." '''हन्त तिरोऽसानीति ''hanta tiro'sānīti'''''I['''Brihad Up. 1.4.4]''' am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a she goat, he became the he-goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: '''यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥''yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''-'''both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
'''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ५]

'''''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''

And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, '''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti'' ''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: '''ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥''tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''"He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the '''sixth mantra of the fourth section of the first chapter''' — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । १0)]Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10]'''.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-13T15:40:22Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — sayin g: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
'''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २]

so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः '''यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति''' sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti "'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought:

'''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''

"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati अरतिः a. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented. ''rati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel anyintense joy.. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because '''''saṃsāra''''' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."that is called '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

So with this word — '''arati अरतिः''' "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding in their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga.'''"योगः चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः"''' (Yogaś Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ [ Patanjali Yoga sutra1.2] And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the '''third mantra in this fourth section'''

'''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते स द्वितीयमैच्छत्। स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां तस्मादिदमर्धबृगलमिव स्व इति ह स्माह याज्ञवल्क्यस्तस्मादयमाकाशः स्त्रिया पूर्यत एव ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ३

'''''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat| sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau | sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ tasmādidamardhabṛgalamiva sva iti ha smāha yājñavalkyastasmādayamākāśaḥ striyā pūryata eva tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

It is telling us: '''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते ''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate ;'''''so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīrdas thus so beautifully expressed:'''''मोकों कहाँ ढूँढ़े बंदे, मैं तो तेरे पास में।''' “Where are you searching for Me, O seeker/servant?” It is a call from the Divine, as voiced by the poet '''Sant Kabi'''r,'']

when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''स वै नैव रेमे''' ''sa vai naiva reme'' '''''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3] Saguṇa Brahma''''' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today '''तस्मादेकाकी न रमते''tasmādekākī na ramate'''''— what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।He decided: "Let me have a companion.'''He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." '''"द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication etc,.. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how '''''Sṛṣṭi'' सृष्टि'''comes. What is सृष्टि ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. '''द्वितीयमैच्छत्।'''So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' —

'''सा हेयमीक्षांचक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति हन्त तिरोऽसानीति सा गौरभवदृषभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततो गावोऽजायन्त वडवेतराऽभवदश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्तत एकशफमजायताऽजेतराभवद्बस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥-['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४]

''sā heyamīkṣāṁcakre kathaṁ nu mā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti sā gaurabhavadṛṣabha itarastā samevābhavattato gāvo'jāyanta vaḍavetarā'bhavadaśvavṛṣa itaro gardabhītarā gardabha itarastā samevābhavattata ekaśaphamajāyatā'jetarābhavadbasta itaro'viritarā meṣa itarastā samevābhavattato'jāvayo'jāyantaivameva yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? '''स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। ''sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau |Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? '''स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः''sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ|[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]''''' He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call ourSvapna (स्वप्न) Jagat (जगत्) dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

'''त्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां''tataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. '''ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥''tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
'''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ५]

'''''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''

And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-13T12:27:45Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — sayin g: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
'''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २]

so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः '''यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति''' sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti "'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought:

'''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''

"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati अरतिः a. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented. ''rati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel anyintense joy.. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because '''''saṃsāra''''' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."that is called '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

So with this word — '''arati अरतिः''' "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga."योगः चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः" (Yogaś Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ [ Patanjali Yoga sutra1.2] And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the '''third mantra in this fourth section'''

'''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते स द्वितीयमैच्छत्। स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां तस्मादिदमर्धबृगलमिव स्व इति ह स्माह याज्ञवल्क्यस्तस्मादयमाकाशः स्त्रिया पूर्यत एव ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ३

'''''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat| sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau | sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ tasmādidamardhabṛgalamiva sva iti ha smāha yājñavalkyastasmādayamākāśaḥ striyā pūryata eva tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed:''मोकों कहाँ ढूँढ़े बंदे, मैं तो तेरे पास में। “Where are you searching for Me, O seeker/servant?” It is a call from the Divine, as voiced by the poet '''Sant Kabi'''r,'']when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''स वै नैव रेमे''' ''sa vai naiva reme'' '''''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3] Saguṇa Brahma''''' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, fourth mantra''' —

'''सा हेयमीक्षांचक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति हन्त तिरोऽसानीति सा गौरभवदृषभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततो गावोऽजायन्त वडवेतराऽभवदश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्तत एकशफमजायताऽजेतराभवद्बस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥-['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४]

''sā heyamīkṣāṁcakre kathaṁ nu mā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti sā gaurabhavadṛṣabha itarastā samevābhavattato gāvo'jāyanta vaḍavetarā'bhavadaśvavṛṣa itaro gardabhītarā gardabha itarastā samevābhavattata ekaśaphamajāyatā'jetarābhavadbasta itaro'viritarā meṣa itarastā samevābhavattato'jāvayo'jāyantaivameva yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
'''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ५]

'''''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''

And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-13T07:55:52Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — sayin g: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
'''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति तत एवास्य भयं वीयाय कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥[बृ'''हदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २]

so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti tata evāsya bhayaṁ vīyāya kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः '''यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति''' sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti "'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought:

'''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''

"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati अरतिः a. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented. ''rati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel anyintense joy.. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because '''''saṃsāra''''' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."that is called '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''

So with this word — '''arati अरतिः''' "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga."योगः चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः" (Yogaś Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ [ Patanjali Yoga sutra1.2] And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the '''third mantra in this fourth section'''

'''स वै नैव रेमे तस्मादेकाकी न रमते स द्वितीयमैच्छत्। स हैतावानास यथा स्त्रीपुमासौ सम्परिष्वक्तौ। स इममेवात्मानं द्वेधाऽपातयत्ततः पतिश्च पत्नी चाभवतां तस्मादिदमर्धबृगलमिव स्व इति ह स्माह याज्ञवल्क्यस्तस्मादयमाकाशः स्त्रिया पूर्यत एव ता समभवत्ततो मनुष्या अजायन्त॥'''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ३

'''''sa vai naiva reme tasmādekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat| sa haitāvānāsa yathā strīpumāsau sampariṣvaktau | sa imamevātmānaṁ dvedhā'pātayattataḥ patiśca patnī cābhavatāṁ tasmādidamardhabṛgalamiva sva iti ha smāha yājñavalkyastasmādayamākāśaḥ striyā pūryata eva tā samabhavattato manuṣyā ajāyanta||"[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed:''मोकों कहाँ ढूँढ़े बंदे, मैं तो तेरे पास में। “Where are you searching for Me, O seeker/servant?” It is a call from the Divine, as voiced by the poet '''Sant Kabi'''r,'']when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''स वै नैव रेमे''' ''sa vai naiva reme'' '''''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3] Saguṇa Brahma''''' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, fourth mantra''' —

'''सा हेयमीक्षांचक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा सम्भवति हन्त तिरोऽसानीति सा गौरभवदृषभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततो गावोऽजायन्त वडवेतराऽभवदश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्तत एकशफमजायताऽजेतराभवद्बस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष इतरस्ता समेवाभवत्ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किंच मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत॥-['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४]

''sā heyamīkṣāṁcakre kathaṁ nu mā<nowiki>''</nowiki>tmana eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti sā gaurabhavadṛṣabha itarastā samevābhavattato gāvo'jāyanta vaḍavetarā'bhavadaśvavṛṣa itaro gardabhītarā gardabha itarastā samevābhavattata ekaśaphamajāyatā'jetarābhavadbasta itaro'viritarā meṣa itarastā samevābhavattato'jāvayo'jāyantaivameva yadidaṁ kiṁca mithunamā pipīlikābhyastatsarvamasṛjata||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.3]'''''

it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
'''सोऽवेदहं वाव सृष्टिरस्म्यह हीद सर्वमसृक्षीति ततः सृष्टिरभवत्सृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद॥['''बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ५]

'''''so'vedahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭirasmyaha hīda sarvamasṛkṣīti tataḥ sṛṣṭirabhavatsṛṣṭyā hāsyaitasyāṁ bhavati ya evaṁ veda||[Brihad. Up. 1.4.5]'''''

And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-12T13:53:42Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as '''''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa''''', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. '''सोऽनुवीक्ष्य नान्यदात्मनोऽपश्यत्''' so'nuvīkṣya nānyadātmano'paśyat'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say?'''सोऽहमस्मीत्यग्रे''' "so'hamasmītyagre'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]''' Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — sayin g: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."so we become food.
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: '''''Puri śete''''' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, '''''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ''''' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? '''''Saguṇa Brahma''''' or '''''Hiraṇyagarbha'''''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: '''''Ahaṃ Brahmā''''' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. '''सोऽबिभेत्तस्मादेकाकी बिभेति''' so'bibhettasmādekākī bibheti '''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything.स हायमीक्षांचक्रेः '''यन्मदन्यन्नास्ति कस्मान्नु बिभेमीति''' sa hāyamīkṣāṁcakreḥ yanmadanyannāsti kasmānnu bibhemīti "'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: '''कस्माद्ध्यभेष्यद्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति॥'''"kasmāddhyabheṣyaddvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati||'''[Brihad. Up. 1.4.2]'''From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing?arati अरतिः a. 1 Dissatisfied, discontented. ''Prati प्रति'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-11T13:47:21Z

Gayatri: /* The Self Entering All Bodies: Praveśaśrutiप्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7] */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand through this language ,that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्यवरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' gives a beautiful commentary. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: -‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses —संकट काले वेन्कट रमण , तिरुपति वेन्कटरमण गोविन्द गोविन्द'''Sankata kale venkata ramana, tirupati venkataramana Govinda Govinda''' ,S'''hiva!. तस्मात् त्वमेव शरणं मम दिनबन्धोः-Tasmat tvameva sharanam mama dina bandho['श्री रामकृष्णअवतार स्तोत्रम्'''' -आरात्रिकं Aratrikam--it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them '''''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā''''', or it could be '''Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc.''' Or nowadays we say '''Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa''' — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called '''''Vighneśa'',''' one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first v''ery Mantra''.'''आत्मैवेदमग्र आसीत्पुरुषविधः ātmaivedamagra āsītpuruṣavidhaḥ [Brihad. Up. 1.4.1]'''This is also known as ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say? "Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: ''Puri śete'' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, ''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ'' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? ''Saguṇa Brahma'' or ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything. "Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: "From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing? ''Prati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-10T15:22:35Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But '''''Tattvamasiतत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'', and even more popular than '''''Tattvamasi,''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the '''Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā,''' and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, '''''Sṛṣṭi''''' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitik point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the '''Advaita Vāda''' and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — an innocent rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory'''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.''' — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. '''''Aham. Asmi.'' I am'''. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. ''But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing''. That is why the famous idea '''द्द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति'''॥''dvitīyādvai bhayaṁ bhavati|''|बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ प्रथमोऽध्यायःचतुर्थं ब्राह्मणम्Verse २—'''Brihad . Up 1.4.2'''] and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: '''अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः''' ।''abhayaṁ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ''"O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." बृहदारण्यकोपनिषदअथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायःद्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम्Verse ४/ '''Brihad. Up. 4.2.4''']Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: '''''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema''''' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments.Always discriminate, Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad''': "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya gives a beautiful commentary'''. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति:‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses — it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them ''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā'', or it could be Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc. Or nowadays we say Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called ''Vighneśa'', one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first ''Peri Mantra''. This is also known as ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say? "Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: ''Puri śete'' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, ''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ'' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? ''Saguṇa Brahma'' or ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything. "Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: "From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing? ''Prati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-08T14:40:19Z

Gayatri: /* The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But ''Tattvamasi'', and even more popular than ''Tattvamasi'''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda''',''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā, and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, ''Sṛṣṭi'' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitika point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the Advaita Vāda and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — a rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. ''Aham. Asmi.'' I am. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing. That is why the famous idea — and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: "O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: ''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema'' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments. Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad: "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya gives a beautiful commentary'''. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति:‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses — it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them ''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā'', or it could be Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc. Or nowadays we say Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called ''Vighneśa'', one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first ''Peri Mantra''. This is also known as ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say? "Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: ''Puri śete'' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, ''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ'' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? ''Saguṇa Brahma'' or ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything. "Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: "From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing? ''Prati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — '''the fourth section, third mantra''' — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the '''Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyuतस्मा॒द्वा ए॒तस्मा॑दा॒त्मन॑ आका॒शः सम्भू॑तः । आ॒का॒शाद्वा॒युः ।वाय्॒ओर॒ग्निः । अ॒ग्नेरापः॑ । अ॒द्भ्यः पृ॑थि॒वी ।पृ॒थि॒व्या ओष॑धयः । ओष॑धी॒भ्योन्नम्᳚ । अन्ना॒त्पुरु॑षः । स वा एष पुरुषोऽन्न॑रस॒मयः । तस्येद॑मेव॒ शिरः''' — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-08T14:30:57Z

Gayatri: /* The Self Entering All Bodies: Praveśaśrutiप्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7] */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But ''Tattvamasi'', and even more popular than ''Tattvamasi'''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda''',''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā, and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, ''Sṛṣṭi'' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitika point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the Advaita Vāda and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — a rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. ''Aham. Asmi.'' I am. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing. That is why the famous idea — and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: "O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: ''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema'' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahma'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''' ==
Then, first — '''''Vīrat''''' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' '''सगुण ब्रह्मन्'''— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments. Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad: "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ'''पूर्णः'''''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya gives a beautiful commentary'''. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति:‘तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेवानुप्राविशत्’ (तै. उ. २ । ६ । ६)[see also Taittiriya Upanishad 2.6.6]''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses — it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them ''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā'', or it could be Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc. Or nowadays we say Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called ''Vighneśa'', one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first ''Peri Mantra''. This is also known as ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say? "Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: ''Puri śete'' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, ''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ'' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? ''Saguṇa Brahma'' or ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything. "Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: "From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing? ''Prati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — the fourth section, third mantra — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyu — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 22 on 05 April 2026

2026-07-08T14:13:32Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

Transliteration

''oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate''

''pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate''

''oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ''

Om !That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Introduction to the Fourth Section ==
We are now in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. In our last class, we discussed about the creation and its cause.

This is the most important section in the whole of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. Here only — in this fourth section only — we get this greatest ''Mahāvākyam'': '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi।अहं ब्रह्मास्मि. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad1.4.10 of Yajur veda''.''' Why do we say "greatest ''Mahāvākyam''"? Are not all the ''Mahāvākyams'' the same? True, but then only two ''Mahāvākyams'' are more popular than the other two.

'''''Ayam Ātmā Brahmaअयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म('''Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda''')''''' and '''''Prajñānaṃ Brahma(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)(A'''itareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda''')''''' — even though considered as ''Mahāvākyas'' — are not that popular. But ''Tattvamasi'', and even more popular than ''Tattvamasi'''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''Tat tvam asi]''' Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda''',''''' is '''''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmiअहं ब्रह्मास्मि''.'''

Especially Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and all of us — we belong to the Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda Śākhā, and our Guru Totāpuri was the Advaitika Guru of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, and he belonged to the Śṛṅgeri Maṭha. The Śṛṅgeri Maṭha uses only this ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. So it is a very special ''Mahāvākyam'' for all of us.
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== The Purpose of Creation ==
That ''Mahāvākyam'' comes in this fourth section, and then we discussed about the creation. The Upaniṣad is talking about creation. But the importance is not creation. The importance is to be able to say ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' '''''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''— that is the final goal.

But first we have to be awake. Each soul is potentially divine, and therefore the goal of life is to manifest that divinity — slowly, gradually, but definitely. And for that, ''Sṛṣṭi'' helps us greatly. How does it help us? What happens when the creation comes? That is beautifully discussed here.

The moment Brahman started creating — as if. Remember, from the Advaitika point of view, there is no creation. And we also have to remember there is an actual creation, which is called '''''Pariṇāma Vādaपरिणामवाद'''''. And there is only seeming, apparent creation — we are thinking there is creation, we are thinking I am a human being, I have a body, I have a mind. But that is not the truth. That theory belongs to the Advaita Vāda and is called '''''Vivarta Vādaविवर्तवाद''.'''

A famous example — if you remember — a rope appears to be a ferocious, dangerous snake, but not so. So that is being discussed.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the First Recognition of "I Am" ==
In our last class we discussed that, as soon as Brahman and creation — according to this theory — is only just a thought, just as we dream, our entire creation of the dream world is nothing but our imagination, which is nothing but our thoughts. So first, Brahman had become ''Saguṇa Brahman'''सगुण ब्रह्मन्''''' .

And as soon as he became — what? He found himself. ''Aham. Asmi.'' I am. That is why we discussed it in our last class.

So if you have to ask anybody, "Who are you?" — the very first thing is: ''I am.'' After that: I am an Indian, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am married, I am a monk, etc. First: ''I am.'' The second point — he felt, he looked around. Who? ''Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन्'' looked around, and there was nobody. And then fear came. Why did the fear come? I am alone.

Then, next, he realised it immediately. But there is no source of fear, because there is no second thing. That is why the famous idea — and this is confirmed later on by Yājñavalkya when he was teaching Janaka Mahārāja: "O Janaka, you have attained fearlessness." Another way of saying this is: you are Brahman. Brahman is everything. There is nothing besides Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And you realised that Brahman. ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.'' And therefore there is no question of fear, etc.
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== Fear, Loneliness, and the Condition of Saṃsāra ==
So this is what happens first: ''I am.'' Then there is fear. Then he looked around and said, "There is nobody else accepting me, and therefore there is no danger for me." And then he became completely fearless.

Remember — this is what happens — we are all frightened, all the time frightened, at every second, every millisecond. "Oh, I have to become old. There may be an accident. I may die. I may have a disease." I am afraid of everything, and every fear is based upon two things: ''Yoga'' and ''Kṣema'' — I may not get what I would like to, and I may lose what I have.

But when a person realises there is nobody to take anything away from me, and there is nothing which is separate from me which I have to attain or obtain or make my own — everything is me only — gradually the Upaniṣad is leading us to that highest truth.
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== Recapitulation: The Three Conditions of Saguṇa Brahmaसगुण ब्रह्मन् ==
Then, first — ''Pīrat'' means the universal, meaning ''Saguṇa Brahma'' सगुण ब्रह्मन्— felt fear because he was alone. Then he realised: since there is nothing else but myself, what am I afraid of? Fear only affects a person when we think there is a second something — it may even be non-living.

So I am walking on a mountain. Suddenly a stone might fall. There may be an avalanche, or I may slip and fall down. Or a stone blown by the wind can come and hit me. I am walking in the forest — a fearful animal can come and kill me. Actually, there is no need to be either on a mountain or in a forest. Even when I am walking or driving anywhere, anybody or anything can do anything to any one of us at any time.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa advised us always to discriminate. Everything in this world is impermanent, excepting God — that is a commandment, one of the five commandments. Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way.

So that fear we are suppressing — we are trying not to think about it — but it is consuming us from the very birth. The very first cry of a baby is nothing but: "Oh, I may die. Because I am born, I will surely die." It is not merely for food; it is for the very existence. That is why we saw in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad: "May I never encounter death. And may I know I am deathless. And may I always be happy, because I am ''Pūrṇaḥ''. There is nothing that I do not have. I am the infinite." ''Pūrṇam'' means infinite. And from infinite, whatever we imagine to come out is nothing but infinite only.
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== The Self Entering All Bodies: ''Praveśaśruti'''प्रवेशश्रुति: [BU1.4.7]''''' ==
Then the Upaniṣad says that God created the hidden self. The Upaniṣad says the self entered everything that is created — all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful example. When we study language, we have to understand that if something is mentioned by name, that means that object was existing at that time. So the example given here is: the self is like a razor in a case, or like a sword in a scabbard.

This idea of a razor we find even in the '''Kaṭha Upaniṣad''' also: '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14''']— and then it is like walking on a sharp razor every second; I might be cut into pieces. '''क्षुरस्य धारा निशता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत्कवयो वदन्ति ।। १४।।''' ।। १४।।''Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā, durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti'' — that means razors were there, cases of razors were there, swords were there, scabbards were there. So those words they were using.

So the Upaniṣad says: where is the self? It entered all bodies, up to the very tips of the nails. And with this, '''Śaṅkarācārya gives a beautiful commentary'''. It is called '''प्रवेशश्रुति: तत्सृष्ट्वा तदेव अनुप्रविशत्''' ''Praveśaśruti'': ''Tatsṛṣṭvā tadeva anupraviśat'' — "Having created this entire world, Bhagavān himself had entered into it." We will come to that. I am only giving a hint of what important points are there in this fourth section.
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== God as Object of Fear Versus God as One's Own Self ==
So if we see God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, that means we see him as different. We see him as great. We see him as an object of fear. "He is big. I am small. He is very powerful. He can do whatever he likes. Whereas I am a helpless creature." So long, we quake with fear.

And we have seen: Brahman exists as both the cause of fear as well as fearlessness. So long as a man thinks "I am not Brahman, but Brahman is different," Brahman becomes a cause of fear. But when a man realises there is nothing else excepting "me," and "I am everything" — that is the meaning of ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'' — such a person becomes absolutely fearless.

But at this moment, we think we are having fear, and so we require protection. And so we go on worshipping different gods and goddesses — it could be divine mother, it could be divine father — but we are quaking with fear.

So the Upaniṣad tells: if anyone sees God only as a deity to be worshipped externally, cherishing the idea "God is God there — not Brahman, but the ruling, presiding deities — they are different from me." Earlier they used to call them ''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', ''Pṛthvī Devatā'', or it could be Indra, Varuṇa, Aśvinī Kumāras, etc. Or nowadays we say Śiva, Viṣṇu, Gaṇeśa — the very name Gaṇeśa, he is called ''Vighneśa'', one who can not only destroy all the obstacles but also create obstacles if he is not pleased with somebody. So these are beautiful ideas we have to understand.
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== We Become Like Animals in Serving the Gods ==
The Upaniṣad is telling: we are like animals. Why? What does an animal do? If anyone has a cow, it just gives us milk, it gives us offspring, so we can go on getting more milk or cultivate our lands. Same thing applies to buffalo, same thing to horses, to donkeys, to camels, to any imaginable — even dogs, as guarding dogs, as watchmen.

So all these — we become slaves, we become like animals. Just as animals serve us, so we go on worshipping and we offer food, etc., to gods. So that is how they are fed. And so they do not want to lose us. That means, if any one of us is attempting to become God-like, to become spiritual, it is said they create obstructions so that they may not lose us, so that we go on eternally serving them.

All these things are due to what? That "I am different, everything else is different, gods are also different, I am an individual, and Brahman is great, more powerful" — all these ideas. But the moment anyone realises "I am the all," fear and limitation will vanish.
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== The ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'': The Section on ''Pūruṣa'' ==
So yesterday we were dealing — this is only an introduction — but the first ''Peri Mantra''. This is also known as ''Pūruṣavidhā Brāhmaṇa'', the section dealing with ''Pūruṣa''.

In the beginning — that is, before creation — there was only the Self. I am just recollecting the ideas we already discussed. So, looking around, he saw nothing other than himself. Then what did he say? "Oh, I am — I." He first uttered. Therefore, even today, if you talk to anybody, first he starts: "I am talking to you." ''I am'' — that is the universal introduction. After that: "I am an American, I am a Hindu, I am a man, I am an officer, a doctor," etc. Something is added. Therefore, even now, when addressed or invited, one first utters ''I am'', and only then speaks everything else — other names.

What is the other name? ''I am a man.'' So if you were to speak with a mosquito, it will say, "I am a mosquito," in its own language. It is telling us all the time. How do we know? Because the moment I lift my hand, it is telling: "I am a very small insect. I am a mosquito. Don't kill me. I want to survive. I have no other goal in life. I can only survive by drinking the blood of animals, and you are just food for me. So do not harm me." That is indicated by its music — saying: "Now you go to sleep, don't take notice of me," or "I want to bite."
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== The Meaning of ''Pūruṣa'' ==
Then he gets the name ''Pūruṣa'', and here the Upaniṣad derives some meaning. One meaning we have seen earlier: ''Puri śete'' — he who is shining within, in the innermost cave of the heart of everyone, because of whom we are able to function. That is one meaning of the word ''Pūruṣa''. Or, ''Puraṇāt pūruṣaḥ'' — he who pervades everything, meaning there is nothing else excepting him, Ātman. That is another meaning of ''Pūruṣa''.

But here, from the human point of view — who is this? ''Saguṇa Brahma'' or ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. Previously he was a human being, and he gradually became purified by performing many ''yāgas'' and ''yajñas'', and so he destroyed all his sins — that means he became pure. And when he became sufficiently pure, he was the first person to become pure, so he claimed the Olympic medal: ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'' — I am Brahma.

So that is why: "Indeed, he who burns up anyone who wishes to rival him" — thus knows he who knows this. So we can also become Brahma. That is one meaning given.
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== The Second Mantra: Aloneness, Fear, and Fearlessness ==
The next idea, we have seen in the second mantra. So this ''Prajāpati'' or ''Saguṇa Brahma'' looked around, and then he did not see anything else excepting him. And then he felt fear, because "I am alone."

Even today, all of us suffer from this loneliness. In fact, the goal of life looks as if it is only to overcome this fear — we are trying to do some work, including marrying, divorcing, everything — to run away from feeling that uncomfortable emotion: "I am lonely."

Then, what happened? He looked around, and he did not say anything. "Since there is nothing other than me, why should I fear? Oh, I am alone — but nothing to fear, because there is nothing excepting me. That means, I am everything."

So, since that time — so the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' thought: "From whom should I fear?" Fear really arises only from a second. And so the Upaniṣad indirectly is telling: anybody who enters the ''saṃsāra'' has to pay the price. The sorrow of ''saṃsāra'' is fear — that is one of the first limitations of ''Saguṇa Brahma'', meaning all of us.

What is the second thing? ''Prati'' means intense joy. But this ''Brahma'' — he did not feel any. In modern mythological literature he is called Brahma. Earlier he is called ''Saguṇa Brahma''. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' has other names. Brahma — he only became Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are not three persons but three functions of ''Saguṇa Brahma''. As the creator he is called Brahma. As the maintainer he is called Viṣṇu. And as the absorber, reabsorber, recycler, he is called Śiva.
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== The Third Mantra: The Desire for a Companion and the Beginning of Creation ==
So then he said: "I am, but I am not happy." What is the problem with ''saṃsāra''? "I am not happy." You ask even the richest person: "Are you happy?" "No, I am not happy." Why? "Because I have a body. I have become old. I would never have wished to become old. And one day I will have to die."

That is why it is said in the USA — many billionaires are creating special cells of themselves, hoping against hope that after 50 or 500 years, science will discover a way of rejuvenating, and so until that time the most important DNA chromosomes of themselves have to be kept there. But how much profound ignorance is involved there? Yes, they may recreate you. But are you a very happy person now? Is your happiness continuous happiness, or is it broken? The same thing will happen. Even if you are recreated next second or after 1,000 years, you cannot escape this fear. Why? Because ''saṃsāra'' means: "I am small, everything is big, and everything is a danger for me."

So with this word — "I am lonely, I am alone, I am not happy, I want a companion" — that means: I want to create this whole universe. So the Upaniṣad is telling us that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' was troubled by loneliness. That is why even today, even an old person of 70, 80, 90 — they think they can overcome loneliness by getting some companion, not understanding their profound ignorance that loneliness is a condition of the mind. And so long as we are in the two states of waking and dream, we can never solve that problem.

But how do we solve the problem? Go beyond the mind. And that process is called Yoga. And we must remain permanently there. So that is why, even today, we all feel loneliness.

And the third mantra in this fourth section is telling us: so this ''Brahma'' did not find delight. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight. Why? Because "I am alone" — that is what he felt. Therefore, a solitary person does not find delight.

So naturally, a grown-up youth feels: "I am lonely. I am not happy with myself." Excepting a would-be ''sannyāsi'', or a person who is a real ''sannyāsi'' — they do not feel, because "I am always in God, with God." Which Kabīr thus so beautifully expressed: when a person realises that what I am searching is my own self — like that musk deer which is searching for that intoxicating fragrance as if it is coming from somewhere, not realising it is coming from its own self.

So the solution is: we have to become ourselves, or we have to understand, we have to know: there is nothing other than me.
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== The Decision to Create: One Becoming Many ==
So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' was not at all happy. He did not enjoy being alone. And even today — what did this ''Saguṇa Brahma'' do? He decided: "Let me have a companion." ''Dvitīya'' means a second. And let us remember: "Let me have a companion. Let me have a wife. Let me have a husband. Let us have children." All these fall under "the second." Why? Because we are alone.

Even a married person is alone. He has to eat alone, he has to sleep alone, he has to worry alone. If he has some health problem, he has to take medicine himself — nobody can do anything for him, excepting perhaps supplying food or supplying medication. But the actual experience — nobody can dream for me, nobody can sleep for me, nobody can do anything for me. Only I have to do it, everything. But such is the ignorance — thinking that if I have a companion, my problems will be solved.

But here the Upaniṣad wants to say that this is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' comes. What is ''Sṛṣṭi''? Creation. What is creation? One becoming many. That is called creation.

So ''Saguṇa Brahma'' did not find delight — therefore a solitary person even today (that means we are all ''Saguṇa Brahmas'' only) does not find delight. So he decided: a companion, a second. He thought he would solve the problem. Then not only one — so first a partner, then children, then friends, then people of the same religion, same country, same language, same beliefs, same political party, the same everywhere.

But if everybody belongs to one political party, time will not pass. So there must be rival political parties — and they must quarrel, they must create wars, they must pretend. So all these things will happen gradually. What do they do? They increase only fear. Fear means unhappiness. That is not the way. But this is how creation has come.
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== The Splitting of Brahman: Male and Female ==
Here in this particular one — the fourth section, third mantra — it is telling us how the creation has started. So this ''Saguṇa Brahma'', he looked around, there is nobody else, but "I want a companion, so let me create a companion, because I am the creator." So what did he do? He became as large as a man and a woman in close embrace. That means — what did he do? He saw himself alone. So what did he do? He split himself into two parts.

So the Upaniṣad gives a telling example. You take any nut — for example, peanut. If you open the peanut, there are two parts combined together, and both of them together is called seed. Why are they both called seed? Because if there is only man, there cannot be children. If there is only woman, there cannot be children. Both must join together; they must become united. Both become seeds for the future generation.

So since there is nobody, he became two. And one part of himself he called "I am the male," and the other part he called "You are the female." Does it look like fancy imagination? No — that is what we are doing in our dream. Every day, day after day, I create myself as an infinite number of things — living and non-living — and live in that creation of my own, which later on upon waking up we call our dream world. And that is what ''Brahma'' also has done.

From that, a husband and wife arose. That means they are mutually dependent. Husband is no husband if there is no wife. Wife is no wife if there is no husband. Male is no male when there is no female. Female is no female when there is no male. This is called duality.

So then the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful statement. Therefore this female self is said to be empty as a half split grain. That is what Yājñavalkya states later on: "Therefore this space in a woman is indeed filled by the man," indicating man and woman have to come together for further creation.
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== The Various Species and the Process of Further Creation ==
So they united together as husband and wife. So first, as it were, the first creation is human beings. So the human male and human female joined together, husband joined with wife, and from there all human beings are born. This is one version of creation. Do not go on comparing, because different Upaniṣads give us different models of creation.

If you look at the Taittirīya Upaniṣad: space was born, and space manifested as Vāyu — Air. Air manifested as fire. Fire manifested as water. Water manifested as earth. And earth manifested herself in the form of everything that we experience in this creation.

And then so ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — the next idea the Upaniṣad is telling — ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' has not only created the world, but he himself became the world itself. This is a marvellous idea, especially to be found in Hindu religions, especially in the Advaita Vedānta. Why do we say so? Because if you take Christianity, the God, the creator, is totally separate. If you take Islam — excepting what we call the mystical side of Islam, which totally is with one idea, with the Advaitika view: "I am Allāh, I am Brahman, I am the creator" — but from the orthodox point of view, they say you are a slave. Allāh can do whatever he likes with you. He can even kill you. So that is how the interpretation goes, which causes so much of problem. Some are superior, some are inferior; male is superior, female is inferior. All these ideas, even today, you open your eyes and you will see all these things.
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== ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' Becomes the Entire Creation: ''Nimitta Kāraṇa'' and ''Upādāna Kāraṇa'' ==
So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', now he became all human beings. This is one version. As I said, our problem is we should not focus on creation. Our problem is to tell that everything in this creation is nothing but Brahman. That is the idea the Upaniṣad wants us to drive home. Finally, we will have that experience. Then slowly we become purer.

We become rich. ''Saguṇa Brahma'' — identify ourselves with ''Saguṇa Brahma'' through ''Upāsanā''. ''Upāsanā'' means feeling that I am the chosen deity I have been so long meditating upon. "I am ''Saguṇa Brahma''." And hereafter: "I am ''Nirguṇa Brahma''." This is only linguistic expression; that is all.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' understood: not that "I am separate and I created" — like a mother gives birth to a baby, like a potter creates a pot. The potter ever remains separate from the pot; the pot ever remains separate from the potter. That is why two important technical points have been given: that the creation, or the origin of creation, can be from two viewpoints. The intelligent cause — the intelligence which is the cause of creation — is called ''Nimitta Kāraṇa''. And what is called material cause is ''Upādāna Kāraṇa''.

So Brahman must be both the material cause as well as the intelligent cause, and there is no difference, because he himself is the intelligence. He himself — like ourselves becoming everything in our dream world — became the cause. Like clay is the material cause which is manifesting in different forms. That idea — "What is a pot? Nothing but ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''" — that idea is going to come in this very fourth section. Everything in this universe is nothing but a form, a name, and a utility. That is what we say in other ways: mind is time, space, and causation. Only here: ''Nāma'', ''Rūpa'', and ''Karma''. ''Karma'' means utility.

So ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself had become — and because he was ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — ''Hiraṇya'' means gold, gold means purified understanding, purified understanding is right knowledge. He has the right knowledge: "I did not create the world. I am the world." That is the idea.

So I realised later on — first he says ''Ahaṃ Brahmā'', and then he says ''Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma'': everything is nothing but Brahman only. So anyone — the Upaniṣad goes on telling — whoever worships ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' and becomes one with ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', and when he becomes ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows: "I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''." And like ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', he knows that "I am the whole creation; there is nothing other than me." ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Aham eva'' — I alone am everything.
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== The Three Divisions of Creation and Their Sustenance ==
Now, simply creating human beings will not do. So then creation had taken place in four divisions. First creation is human creation. Second is animal creation. Third is divine creation — that means gods and goddesses. And then they have to be sustained. Human beings require food. Animals require food — animals meaning animals, plants, birds, insects, anything other than human. And gods also require food, and we are the suppliers of food by adoration, by ''pūjā'', etc.

So all three have to be sustained, and what sustains us is called food. That is why in Bṛhatī we are going to see: ''Annaṃ Brahmeti vijānat'' — "Know food as Brahman." So creation — first human beings, then non-human beings, then somebody to bring about laws and enforcers of law, somebody who can maintain this creation so that chaos and destruction may not happen. They are called presiding deities. They are called ''Ādi Daivika''. Another way of saying: ''Ādhyātmika'', ''Ādi Bhautika'', ''Ādi Daivika'' — individualism, then the whole external creation, and the presiding deities who have to maintain this process of creation, maintenance, and reabsorbing continuously, every millisecond.

So this creation is not a one-off aspect. It is going on every millisecond, every creation is going on continuously, unstoppably.
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== ''Brahmāṇī'' and the Creation of All Species ==
So here we should not put more attention only on creation. It is to tell what the creation is. It is ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' himself transformed into all these things. So if I come to know about it, I know I am ''Hiraṇyagarbha''. So this is the glory of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' — everything is nothing but ''Hiraṇyagarbha''.

So this is the essence of the discussion up to the third mantra in this fourth section. Then details of creation come. As I said, I am not going into that. It does not really interest us.

But what I want to say — some beautiful description is given of how the other creatures have been created. So Brahma, the creator, created a female version from himself. Then he became united, and both of them produced human beings. Then a peculiar thought has come to the wife of ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', or mother Sarasvatī. There is a Purāṇic story also: mother Sarasvatī, she was the wife of Brahma. Who created her? Brahma. And one who creates is called the father. And then father married the daughter. So Śiva, for some peculiar reason, cursed him: "You are violating moral laws by marrying your own daughter, and so it is incest, and therefore you will not be worshipped in this world," etc.

The point is not that story. The point is how the creation has come. So the wife here — that is the female Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Brahma, ''Brahmāṇī''. Śiva, ''Śivānī''. Nārāyaṇa, ''Nārāyaṇī''. So this ''Brahmāṇī'' — what did she think in this Upaniṣad? "That he created me." I am overcome with shame. So what did she do? She became a cow. Immediately the father, ''Brahma'', became the bull. So all the species called cows were born. Then she became a female horse. He became a male horse. Then he became a bull, and she became — she became a goat, he became the goat. And this is one way of saying that she became the female mosquito and he became the male mosquito. So everything.

So the sum and substance of it is: both of them created, generating every single species in the universe, down to the very ends. That includes — that means we have to understand — the whole creation is nothing but the manifestation of the creator, and he himself has become this one.
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== The Fifth Mantra: ''Avedaṃ'' — The Realisation "I Am the Creator" ==
And then in the fifth mantra of this fourth section is a very marvellous mantra. So ''Avedat'' — then that ''Brahma'' realised, that ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised, after this vast projection of creation called life: "The ''Pūruṣa'', ''Hiraṇyagarbha'' realised — I indeed am the creation, for I projected all this."

And then the fifth continues: "He who knows this as such" — ''as such'' means what? That I am the creator. In fact the whole creation is nothing but me. He becomes a creator in this very creation of ''Virāṭ''.
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== Summary and Key Takeaways ==
That is the beautiful description of creation in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad until the sixth mantra of the first section of the fourth chapter — six mantras. So a few key points:

He became the creation. He found himself alone. Then he said: "What is my name? ''Aham'' — I am." Then he found himself alone. "I am alone, therefore I am frightened." Then he looked around and found out there is nothing besides me, and therefore his fear vanished. Therefore, when there is a second, fear will come. Then he felt lonely. "I should not be lonely. I want a companion." So he got married, as it were — ''Brahmacārī'' Brahma became married Brahma — and then from them they took various forms. Every species, and in fact everything — both living and non-living — has become. This is how ''Sṛṣṭi'' has come.

What is the important takeaway from today's discussion? I am everything. There is nothing besides me. And when one realises this, then all selfishness will vanish. I become the true ''Hiraṇyagarbha'', true ''Saguṇa Brahma'', and then immediately after I will realise: the ''Saguṇa Brahma'' is none other than Brahman — ''Ahaṃ Brahma Asmi.''

We will talk about it in our next class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-07T07:54:50Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. '''Upāsanā''' means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metamorphosed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every '''Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.'''
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this is Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and '''ourselves'''? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. '''Avidyā''' means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, '''Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa''' Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 11]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, until we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore '''Aśva''' became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, '''Agni''' became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now '''Prāṇa''' has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." '''[तत् त्वम् असि][''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]''.''' And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this '''Prāṇa Upāsanā''', the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, '''Sat, Cit, Ānanda.'''

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the '''quality of Sat''' — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. that is not correct. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become '''unselfish.''' Their love is '''unlimited''' and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang '''Sūradās's bhajan'''s, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul!Even though born of a low caste.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex,young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far but he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title is "''Women who met Swami Vivekananda''," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like '''Nityagopal''' or '''Bhavānāth,''' whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only '''Svāmi Chetānandajī''' collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your power which will circulate through that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.That gives the answer . therefore even though from our point of view we say that they have sacriced , there is nothing to sacrifice.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. that is the point.So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the '''Daivasura yuddha''' . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the '''Bhagavad Gita''' in the '''sixteenth Chapter''' called the '''Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yogonam shodahso adhyaya.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.So every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''whatever way we understand it.
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, now the daytime is hot but nights were cool, enjoyable , now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat these demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the '''Udgītha'''. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity etc. etc.. It should not be like the Englishman trying to understand the Welsh or Scottish language.Every region has its own distinct language ,peculiarity. For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is '''Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta,''' and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods ,these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear gives knowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms or colours or sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge.The mind understands only ,this is a beautiful fragrance, this is beautiful blue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —these are called gods .these sense organs, the mind .the mind is also God.Then it sang the Udgitha Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others [that means it became unselfish] and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish —i.e., it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

'''What is unselfishness'''? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes extraordinarily selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as '''Mātā''', as '''Pitā''', as '''Ācārya''', as '''Atithi''' etc., So this section is called the '''Udgitha Brahmana''' and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. Then it asked, why and the rest replied, well, yes there was a little bit of inconvenience but life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now '''Prāṇa''' was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: '''it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.'''

This Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the hill/ mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why '''Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ''' — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [ch V,Devi mahatmyam , Markandeya Purana]

''Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah''

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly their breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for it, but they say that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger Whisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs/babies and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. T'''hat is why '''''Swamiji''''' defined: '''life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have —but then the Divine Mother is a mother. the Divine Mother has no such person as wicked perso,"not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the '''Prāṇa Devatā''' — called '''Mukhya Prāṇa,''' subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Roman Kingdom made humans as terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , W''omen and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise''.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'"'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what '''Swami Vivekananda''' has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a ''pariah'' requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called '''Reservation''' , whether the people deserve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said ''a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become a better cook.'' The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habits some of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come ,when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this '''third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness.''' the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥअसुषु रमते इति असुरः'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an '''Asura'''. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called Yajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. I told you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish,give their sins and deposited and established their unselfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "''My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt''" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come, come— here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: '''speech became Agni Devatā.''' Similarly, the '''nostrils became Vāyu Devatā'''. The '''eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun'''. The '''ears became the quarters'''. And the '''mind became the moon'''. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa आयस्य आङ्गिरस''', ['''सोऽयास्य आङ्गिरसोऽङ्गानाꣳ हि रसः- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mantra 1.III.19''']meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, '''Śaṅkarācārya''' in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also we increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior —'''स एको मानुष आनन्दः । ते ये शतं मानुषा आनन्दाः ॥ १ ॥''' '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.[''Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.1,8.2]''''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — '''ritual, action (karma)'''. And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the stupidity and narrowness of this view and intellect''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyas ज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit and behold its greatness. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. somebody did something and so many people died . it is all from money robbed from people.Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss in tomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-06T15:33:03Z

Gayatri: /* The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. '''Upāsanā''' means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metamorphosed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this is Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and '''ourselves'''? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. '''Avidyā''' means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, '''Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa''' Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 11]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, until we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore '''Aśva''' became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, '''Agni''' became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now '''Prāṇa''' has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." '''[तत् त्वम् असि][''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]''.''' And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, '''Sat, Cit, Ānanda.'''

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the '''quality of Sat''' — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. that is not correct. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul!Even though born of a low caste.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex,young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far but he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title is "Women who met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like '''Nityagopal''' or '''Bhavānāth,''' whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only '''Svāmi Chetānandajī''' collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your power which will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yogonam shodahso adhyaya.

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.So every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the Englishman trying to understand the welsh or scottish language.Every region has its own distinct language ,peculiarity. For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is '''Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta,''' and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods ,these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear gives knowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms or colours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge.The mind understands only ,this is a beautiful fragrance, this is beautiful blue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .these sense organs, the mind .the mind is also God.Then it sang the Udgitha Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others [that means it became unselfish] and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish —i.e., it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

'''What is unselfishness'''? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes extraordinarily selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as '''Mātā''', as '''Pitā''', as '''Ācārya''', as '''Atithi''' etc., So this section is called the '''Udgitha Brahmana''' and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied, well, yes there was a little bit of inconvenience but life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now '''Prāṇa''' was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: '''it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.'''

This Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why '''Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ''' — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]

''Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah''

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly their breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for it, but they say that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger Whisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. T'''hat is why '''''Swamiji''''' defined: '''life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have —but then the Divine Mother is a mother. the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Roman Kingdom made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , ''women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise''.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what '''Swami Vivekananda''' has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called '''Reservation''' , whether the people deserve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become a better cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habits some of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come ,when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥअसुषु रमते इति असुरः'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an '''Asura'''. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called Yajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. I told you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish,give their sins and deposited and established their unselfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come, come— here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: '''speech became Agni Devatā.''' Similarly, the '''nostrils became Vāyu Devatā'''. The e'''ye, freed of selfishness, became the sun'''. The '''ears became the quarters'''. And the '''mind became the moon'''. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa आयस्य आङ्गिरस''', ['''सोऽयास्य आङ्गिरसोऽङ्गानाꣳ हि रसः- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mantra 1.III.19''']meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also we increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior —'''स एको मानुष आनन्दः । ते ये शतं मानुषा आनन्दाः ॥ १ ॥''' '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.[''Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.1,8.2]''''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view and intellect''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyas ज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit and behold its greatness. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. somebody did something and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss in tomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-06T08:09:14Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. '''Upāsanā''' means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metamorphosed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this is Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and '''ourselves'''? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. '''Avidyā''' means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, '''Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa''' Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 11]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, until we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore '''Aśva''' became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, '''Agni''' became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now '''Prāṇa''' has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." '''[तत् त्वम् असि][''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]''.''' And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, '''Sat, Cit, Ānanda.'''

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the '''quality of Sat''' — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. that is not correct. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul!Even though born of a low caste.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex,young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far but he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title is "Women who met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like '''Nityagopal''' or '''Bhavānāth,''' whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only '''Svāmi Chetānandajī''' collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your power which will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yogonam shodahso adhyaya.

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.So every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the Englishman trying to understand the welsh or scottish language.Every region has its own distinct language ,peculiarity. For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is '''Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta,''' and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods ,these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear gives knowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms or colours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge.The mind understands only ,this is a beautiful fragrance, this is beautiful blue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .these sense organs, the mind .the mind is also God.Then it sang the Udgitha Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others [that means it became unselfish] and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish —i.e., it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

'''What is unselfishness'''? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes extraordinarily selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etc., So this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience but life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now '''Mukhya Prāṇa''' was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: '''it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.'''

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why '''Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ''' — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]

''Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah''

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. T'''hat is why Swamiji defined: '''life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habitssome of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥअसुषु रमते इति असुरः'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called yYajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. Itold you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come — here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa''', meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior — '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.2''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyasज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit it. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. how it was constructed and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss intomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-03T15:08:59Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. '''Upāsanā''' means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metamorphosed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and '''ourselves'''? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. '''Avidyā''' means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, '''Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa''' Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 verse 11]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, until we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore '''Aśva''' became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, '''Agni''' became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now '''Prāṇa''' has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." '''[तत् त्वम् असि][''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]''.''' And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex.young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "womenwho met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Chetānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your powerwhich will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yoga.

'''So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.so every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the welshman or scotsman trying to understand the english language.Every region has its own distinct language . For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear givesknowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms orcolours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge. these beautifulblue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .then it sang the Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etcSo this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience bt life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why '''Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ''' — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]

''Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah''

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. T'''hat is why Swamiji defined: '''life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habitssome of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥअसुषु रमते इति असुरः'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called yYajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. Itold you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come — here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa''', meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior — '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.2''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyasज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit it. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. how it was constructed and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss intomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-03T08:12:49Z

Gayatri: /* The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. Upāsanā means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metaphorsed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and ourselves? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. Avidyā means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ [1, 2] ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [1]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore Aśva became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, Agni became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now Prāṇa has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." Tat tvam asi. And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex.young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "womenwho met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Chetānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your powerwhich will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yoga.

'''So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.so every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the welshman or scotsman trying to understand the english language.Every region has its own distinct language . For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear givesknowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms orcolours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge. these beautifulblue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .then it sang the Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etcSo this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience bt life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why '''Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ''' — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]

''Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah''

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. T'''hat is why Swamiji defined: '''life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habitssome of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥ'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called yYajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. Itold you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come — here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa''', meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior — '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.2''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyasज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit it. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. how it was constructed and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss intomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-03T08:10:50Z

Gayatri: /* Closing Prayer */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. Upāsanā means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metaphorsed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and ourselves? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. Avidyā means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ [1, 2] ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [1]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore Aśva became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, Agni became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now Prāṇa has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." Tat tvam asi. And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex.young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "womenwho met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Chetānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your powerwhich will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yoga.

'''So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.so every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the welshman or scotsman trying to understand the english language.Every region has its own distinct language . For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear givesknowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms orcolours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge. these beautifulblue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .then it sang the Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etcSo this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience bt life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. That is why Swamiji defined: life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habitssome of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥ'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called yYajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. Itold you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come — here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa''', meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior — '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.2''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyasज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit it. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. how it was constructed and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss intomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-03T08:10:14Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. Upāsanā means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metaphorsed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and ourselves? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. Avidyā means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ [1, 2] ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [1]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore Aśva became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, Agni became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now Prāṇa has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." Tat tvam asi. And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex.young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "womenwho met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Chetānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your powerwhich will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yoga.

'''So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.so every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the welshman or scotsman trying to understand the english language.Every region has its own distinct language . For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear givesknowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms orcolours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge. these beautifulblue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .then it sang the Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etcSo this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience bt life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. That is why Swamiji defined: life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any "''sthan'' which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now ,I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called '''Practical Vedanta''' is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do must become Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''i'''n the name of certain old dead habitssome of the religions are trying to suppress /opress people. But their time also come when they will be overthrown. there is no doubt about it.what we are trying to say is that this third section wants to highlight the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. the person who is trying or has become somewhat unselfish is called God and the person who has not yet thrown out selfishness he is called a demon.Daiva, Deva and Asura.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: '''Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥ'''. '''Asu''' means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there. the whole body should be equally treated.so that is what we are getting in this beautiful story.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Sacrifice called yYajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves. Itold you the beautiful story.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.That is the struggle . that is how divinity has to be brought about.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. So,Come, come — here is a nice dish , sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

So, When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as '''Āyasya Āṅgirasa''', meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is '''Mātṛ Rūpiṇī'''," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became '''Bṛhaspati''' always — it became '''Bṛhatī, the infinite'''. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. Already I have mentioned many many times.It is far, far, far superior — '''स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य । ते ये शतं मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दाः ।sa eko manushya gandhrvanamanandah ,srotriyasya cha akamahatasya ,te ye shatam manushya gandhravanaam anandah.Taittiriya upanishad , Brahmanandavall, 8.2''' a billion times more than '''Mānuṣa Ānand'''a, similarly a billion times more than '''Viṣayānanda''' will be '''Medhānanda.''' That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are '''certain schools of philosophy''' which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. '''True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.'''

Now '''Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view''' and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called '''Veda Pramāṇya.''' What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? '''That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa'''.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi]That thou art [Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda,]'''''What action is it prescribing? These are '''Jnana Bodhaka Vakyasज्ञान बोधक''' '''वाक्यानि'''.,sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. It is a wonderful construction. At least once in a lifetime one must see it/visit it. Dont go into the history , etc.Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. how it was constructed and how many people died Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

'''यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा।'''

'''तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसम्भवम्॥ (१०.४१) [1, 2]'''

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaḿ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā

tat tad evāvagaccha tvaḿmama tejo-’ḿśa-sambhavam '''Bhagavad Gita Ch 10.verse 41'''

“This is a statement made by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41) .

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.And every important concept in the veda is Pramana. So, how is it a pramana? Very Very beautiful explanation comes and that we will discuss intomorrows class.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-02T15:52:07Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the '''third section,''' which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. Upāsanā means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metaphorsed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and ourselves? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. Avidyā means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself resolved these problems '''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ [1, 2] ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [1]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore Aśva became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, Agni became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now Prāṇa has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." Tat tvam asi. And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some women think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi hai naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekananda in his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, There was a very great ladyand we have notprobed into that somebody had probed into what happened to people whom Swamiji had met . A great Rishi like Swamiji can transform people's lives.So .the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. So the there was a lady highly devoted to God. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."etc etc

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: '''प्रभु मेरे अवगुण चित ना धरो समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो ['''''prabhu mere avgun chit na dharo. samadarshi hai nam tiharo, chahe to par karo.'']"Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing.

"'''ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।'''

'''भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ 61॥'''

'''īśhvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛid-deśhe ‘rjuna tiṣhṭhati'''

'''bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā'''

She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex.young woman,old woman, i am a monk... Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.this is the story we .get

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "womenwho met Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Chetānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.

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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your powerwhich will circulatethrough that weapon, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.so if your back on a very cold night is facing a blazing fir and the front part is shivering, that is not the point.the point is your whole body is feeling the warmth in the back. So God wanted to create and he created his children and there were a few good people , unselfish people and the rest of them were plenty and they were very selfish people and they were waging wars between these selfish and unselfish people .that is what is going on even today.that is what is called the daivasura yuddha . thae war between the divine and the demonic people.that is going on even today. every event that happens proves who is demonic and who is divine,daivic.this has been beautifully discussed in the Bhagavad Gita in the sixteenth Chapter called the Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga yoga.

'''So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.'''

There is a story that relates to this '''third section, which has twenty-eight mantras.''' The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group.so every selfish person should try to reduce selfishness. So Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: '''मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये ।यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः ॥ [BG 7.3]manuṣyāṇāṃ sahasreṣu kaścidyatati siddhaye yatatāmapi siddhānāṃ kaścinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥBG 7-3-'''among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will be left behind and never ever reach God — No ,it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well '''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi,''' or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call '''Īśvara Darśana.'''
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root '''div, meaning light.''' The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, the daytime is hot but nights were cool now the nights are also slowly becoming warm and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable if we are not accustome to it There are people who do not have any facilities fans or mosquito repellants. They sleep , snoring outside. the whole day they do back breaking work. Now the point is.

— let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. '''Sāma Ved'''a is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. '''Ud means "loudly"''' or "in a higher scale, with strength." '''Gītha means "to sing.'''" Some parts of the Sāma are called '''Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas,''' and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. It should not be like the welshman or scotsman trying to understand the english language.Every region has its own distinct language . For them it is not a problem..For outsiders it is a problem .Many rules and regulations have been strictly imposed on how to sing Sama: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods,we are talking about gods these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge,like the eye gives knowledge of the forms and the ear givesknowledge of the sounds . whether it is forms orcolours sounds because the very income of sense activity is knowledge. these beautifulblue lily flowers, this beautiful fragrance —theese are called gods .then it sang the Sama- 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi etcSo this section is called the Udgitha Brahmana and there is a an extraordinary story which is mentioned;

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — but the happiness the joy, everything is the same. then it asked, why and the rest replied yes there was a little bit of inconvenience bt life went on "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means '''Prāṇa.'''

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only slaved to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ — like the universal loving mother. not the ordinary loving mother but

'''या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः''' ॥ [1, 2]Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. unstintingly, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. If somebody because of some evil action had become asthmatic and cannot receive what the Vayu devata wants to give freely then it is his fault..Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."But even while breathing also so many people are so miserly they breathing is so shallow.Why cant you breathe ,it is free , it is good, it is healthy. So take a long breath and leave it slowly, make it slowly . that is why they say and i think it is true but I cannot vouch for , but they that elephants breathe very slowly and that is why with their huge weighty , bulky bodies they live for along time , for many years and their memories are supersharp.Much better than many human beings and they never forget a person who had done some good to them. There is a beautiful book, I only remember the title, "'''the Elephant Whispere'''r". There are also other books like the '''Horse Whisperer''' maybe like '''the Lion Whisperer, . Tiger wWhisperer.''' We hear these stories that they brought up the cubs and even after several years of separation , these animals can instinctively smell and say, my mother has come, my guardian who has brought me up and they protect many times. Real stories are there . So what we have to understand is
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity, ==
that The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the Sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Dik Devatā, the directions''', '''Ākāśa Devatā'''. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. '''Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. That is why Swamiji defined: life is expansion, and contraction is death.'''

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called '''Udgītha Brāhmaṇa,''' and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called '''Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.'''Without this Prana Devata , helping us , sustaining us , not only in producing food, not only in cooking food but in digesting food. not only in digesting food, distributing the food which is another name for prana or energy and distributing that energy. If the hands require more energy, it is supplied more energy.Just imagine, you must have a little bit of expansion in your studies. How many kingdoms like the Romans made terrible slaves , treated them worse than animals.Nobody is an exception.In India the lower classes were treated by us for centuries together as bond slaves.Swami Vivekananda was the first person to notice it and point it out and said , women and the masses are being systematically mistreated , maltreated(?) and until they come up the country will not rise.and that truth can be applied to Afghanistan , to any sthan which tries to suppress women , all in the name of morality.How can immorality be there , if all men are moral. Then how would the women become immoral?If the women are educatedd, given culture and given an opportunity , then if the masses are also given the same opportunity, equal opportunity and even helped much more. That is what Swami Vivekananda has said, If a Brahmins's son requires one teacher,the son of a pariah requires four teachers because he never had that background.That is what turned into this terrible evil system called reservation , whether the people desrve it or not, certain number of seats are given and probably there was a need for it at one time.But now I dont think there is any need for it. So rather they should be trained in studying hard, in becoming more practical. That is why Swami Vivekananda called Practical Vedanta is not only vedanta in practice but everything that we do mustbecome Practical Vedanta. That is why he said a fisherman will become a better fisherman, a housewife will become a better housewife, a student becomes a better student, a cook can become abetter cook. The quality of life can be improved enormously and in the name of religion, '''in the name of certain old dead habits'''

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥ. Asu means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Yajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. Come, come — here is a sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as Āyasya Āṅgirasa, meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is Mātṛ Rūpiṇī," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became Bṛhaspati always — it became Bṛhatī, the infinite. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. It is far, far, far superior — a billion times more than Mānuṣa Ānanda, similarly a billion times more than Viṣayānanda will be Medhānanda. That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are certain schools of philosophy which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.

Now Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called Veda Pramāṇya. What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says: such-and-such is the case. What action is it prescribing? These are sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.3 Lecture 17 on 21 March 2026

2026-07-02T13:37:28Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==

'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Recap: The First Two Sections ==
We have covered the first two sections of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. We are now discussing the third section, which is called '''Prāṇa Upāsanā.'''

Earlier we have seen two contemplations. Upāsanā means the ability to identify oneself with one's chosen deity. In the olden days, '''Agni, Prāṇa, Indra, Prajāpati, Yuṣuf, or Virāṭ —''' these were the names that were used as '''Iṣṭa Devatās''', chosen deities. But now all have metaphorsed into three — that is to say, '''Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Devī.''' All the various Gods and Goddesses that we encounter are manifestations of Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti.

As Rāmakṛṣṇa said, God is one but He takes different forms for the facility and progress of His children. Whichever form, whichever name a devotee likes — that would be his Iṣṭa Devatā form. But every Iṣṭa Devatā must be contemplated as the Supreme Brahman.
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== Saguṇa Brahman and the Nature of Māyā ==
Considerations like this pertain to Saguṇa Brahman. There are some people who find that Saguṇa Brahman is Himself bound, and sometimes they say He is the master — '''Māyādhīśvara.''' What is the difference between '''Saguṇa Brahman, or Īśvara, or Virāṭ''', and ourselves? Saguṇa Brahman is the Lord of Māyā, and we are all under the thumb of Māyā. We are bound, we are slaves — but He is the master.

And yet some go on contradicting it, saying that even though they call Him the master of Māyā, He cannot liberate one from Māyā. What is '''Mukti'''? Mukti is liberation from Māyā. What is '''Māyā?''' Avidyā. Avidyā means to forget that I am Brahman and to think I am an individual. That is called Māyā.

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had resolved all these problems. Even long before that, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself resolved these problems'''ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् ।'''

'''मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्याः पार्थ सर्वशः ॥ [1, 2] ''ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ'' [1]—''' "Everyone is wending his or her way only to Me alone, because I am infinite." So whichever way you travel, you only encounter infinity. Sometimes the progress is slow. For a few people, they deliberately make the progress quite fast by concentrating their minds.
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== The Meaning of Upāsanā: From the Individual to the Universal ==
So here we have to understand: '''Upāsanā''' means to become one with the chosen deity. Until we succeed in becoming identified with our chosen deity, we identify as separate — "I am separate, my chosen deity is separate" — but with a significant difference in understanding: "I am small, my chosen deity is big. I am of small power, He has infinite powers. I am only here, He is everywhere. I know very little, He knows everything. I cannot help others, but He can help everybody." That concept even the most common person has.

So we have to become identified with the deity through any means. In the olden days, kings used to perform the '''Aśvamedha Yajña.''' Therefore Aśva became a symbol for one Iṣṭa Devatā called Virāṭ. Next, Agni became the Iṣṭa Devatā. Now Prāṇa has become the Iṣṭa Devatā — Virat ,the universal.

What is universal? It is the process of gradually shedding one's identity with small individuality and expanding one's identity with larger and still larger wholes, until we become like Virāṭ. Virāṭ means universal. So the journey is from the individual to the universal. That is the process.
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== The Growth of Ānanda Through Expansion ==
As we progress, as we have seen, our Ānanda increases. How does it increase? Because if someone else is happy and I am identified with that person, then not only my own individual happiness, but my neighbour's happiness, my distant known people's happiness, distant unknown people's happiness, the happiness of my friends, the happiness of my enemies — all of it becomes mine. There is no enemy, because when I am expanding, I am both the friend and the enemy.

Like this, the person — by identifying with the universal — gradually expands his happiness also. And finally, when he becomes one with the Iṣṭa Devatā, the Iṣṭa Devatā gives him that complete knowledge: "You are Brahman." Tat tvam asi. And by the grace of God, he realises Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)I am Brahman'''
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== The Four Qualities of a True Sādhaka ==
Now, in this Prāṇa Upāsanā, the Prāṇa is praised. In our last class, I discussed a very important point. Every sādhaka who is progressing towards this greater identity must exhibit in his or her life '''four distinct and marvellous qualities.''' Every upāsaka has to know about them, and every upāsaka has to judge whether he or she is manifesting these qualities — not with tremendous effort, but automatically, naturally.

What are those qualities?

'''First,''' those people who are progressing toward or experiencing God '''are always happy.''' That is the first quality, because the very characteristic of the universal — of Brahman — is Ānanda, Sat, Cit, Ānanda.

'''Second''', they become '''most unselfish.''' That is called the quality of Sat — holiness and purity.

'''Third''', their '''love is unlimited and equal to everybody.''' There is no distinction. They do not say, "This person is high, this is low; I will bestow only a small portion of my love to this person but greater love to another."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrates it thus: a mother may have three, four, or five children, and her love is 100% to every child. It does not get divided. Do not think she has 100% love, and that when the first child is born it becomes halved to 50%, and as the children grow more her love becomes divided further. No. Love and knowledge — these things remain the same even when we distribute them. When you give knowledge to somebody, you do not lose anything. When you love somebody, you do not lose anything.

Unfortunately, some think: "If my son gets married and starts loving his wife, his love towards me will be halved,lessened to that extent." That is a misnomer. Love and knowledge only go on growing. That is why I called it digital copying — the same quality will be there.
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== Fourth Quality: Readiness to Sacrifice ==
So they become unselfish. Their love is unlimited and equal. '''समदर्शी प्रभु नाम तिहारो, चाहो तो पार करो [samadarshi naam tiharo,chahe to paar karo]''' when Swami Vivekanandain his wandering days '''A'''nd the '''fourth quality''': they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

In my last class I mentioned the Purāṇic story of how Indra wanted to defeat the demons, and he approached a great Ṛṣi called Dadīci — even while he was alive. Dadīci could have perhaps lived for quite some time, but out of dire necessity, Indra shamelessly asked: "You die so that I can take your backbone and shape a weapon out of it. Only through that weapon, carrying your power, can I defeat the demons." And that is exactly what Dadīci did.

Is it a sacrifice for them? We say Dadīci sacrificed so much. But really speaking, Dadīci did not sacrifice anything. If anybody sacrifices one cent in the hope of getting a trillion trillion trillion dollars, can we call it a sacrifice? A person who understands that even if he gives up his whole possessions, his body, his mind, his life, his everything — as a result he gets infinity — what has he sacrificed? He only sacrifices finiteness and gains infinity.

When your left hand is itching and your right hand lifts to scratch it, giving relief — is the left hand supposed to turn, with tears in its eyes, and say, "Oh, how great you are. How kind you are"? No. Because the whole body identifies with every part of the body. Any distress in any part of the body is felt by the whole body. And if one part is very happy, every limb also feels happy about it.
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== The Story of Swami Vivekananda at Khetri ==
So God wanted to create. He created His children — a few good and unselfish people, and plenty of selfish ones. And there has ever been a war going on between the selfish and the unselfish. That is what is going on even today. This is called Daivāsura Yuddha — the war between the divine and the demonic — and it is going on even today.

There is a story with regard to this. When Swami Vivekananda was wandering and staying at Khetri, the Khetri Mahārāja arranged for a dance singing programme. A great, spiritually devoted lady was present. The king informed Swamiji and invited him to come down from his room and enjoy. He had not yet learned the lesson — that a true sannyāsī is not conscious of: "I am male, somebody else is female; I am a sannyāsī; this person belongs to a low caste."

Then this lady — probably God inspired her — started singing. She sang Sūradās's bhajans, beautiful bhajans: "Oh Lord, look not upon my evil qualities, because it is You who is playing." She was a lady of great knowledge. What does it matter where she was born? Like M. S. Subbalakṣmī, who was such a great soul.

This heartfelt singing with complete devotion to God moved Swamiji. He heard it from his room, came down practically running, sat down — and she was instrumental in removing that barrier. A true monk has no distinction of sex. Only a person who thinks, "I am a male human being," will be aware of a female. But Swamiji had gone far and he had to learn his lesson. So he learned it and wholeheartedly blessed her.

What happened to her in the end? Somebody had taken the trouble to find out, and a great transformation had come over her. The ultimate result was that she truly became a saintly soul by coming into contact with Swami Vivekananda. Like that — how many women had been transformed? One person has taken the trouble and written a book — I think the title includes "woman" and "Swami Vivekananda," though I do not remember the exact title — and he gathered further details.

India is not great at preserving biographies. We do not even know the full biographies of those whom Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to praise, like Nityagopal or Bhavānāth, whom the Master loved so much. What happened to them in the end? Only Svāmi Caitānandajī collected their biographies. Through the few details we know, we come to see that Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's influence did not go to waste. Even though some came less frequently, this undeniable influence upon their lives has been abundantly proved by the transformations they underwent.
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== The Story of Dadīci and the Deva-Asura War ==
So these great people — their love is unlimited, and they are ready to sacrifice anything for the sake of anybody.

There is a story that relates to this third section, which has twenty-eight mantras. The essence is that one should find out: Do I belong to the demonic group or to the divine group? And if by chance I am born to the demonic group, I should try to join the godly group. Sādhanā is nothing but reducing selfishness.

Bhagavad Gītā also beautifully enumerates this fact: among billions of people, there will be only one or two who really want to progress towards God. And even among those thousands, only one or two really reach the goal. This does not mean that the rest will never reach God — it means there will always be some people who have started long back and are steadily making progress. And we see in our life a few such people becoming one with God — knowing fully well Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi, or what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to call Īśvara Darśana.
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== The Sense Organs as Devatās: '''The Udgītha Brahmāṇa''' ==
Now, a small story: Prāṇa has transformed itself into our sense organs — the five sense organs and the mind. These sense organs are also called Devas. The word Deva comes from the root div, meaning light. The eye lights up all forms. The ear lights up all sounds. The nostrils light up all smells. The tongue lights up all tastes. And the Tvak — the sense organ of touch — reveals all that is soft, hard, hot, or cold. We are all experiencing these in India — it was quite cold, slowly the cold has come down, and after a few days it becomes quite uncomfortable.

So — let us defeat the demons. That means, let us defeat selfishness. These sense organs said: let us sing the Udgītha. Udgītha consists of certain mantras from the Sāma Veda. Sāma Veda is that part of the Veda which is meant for singing loudly. Ud means "loudly" or "in a higher scale, with strength." Gītha means "to sing." Some parts of the Sāma are called Sāma mantras, Sāma Gānas, and they have to be sung with a beautiful voice — the intonation, the strength, the purity. Many rules and regulations have been imposed: there is Udātta, Anudātta, Svarita, and double Udātta, and so on.

So they asked every sense organ to sing for them. But being selfish — even these gods, these sense organs that are called gods because they give us knowledge, because the very income of sense activity is knowledge — 50% of the result they gave to others and the finer parts of enjoyment they kept for themselves. Therefore the demons could easily defeat them. Because whoever is selfish, that person will be defeated sooner or later. There is no doubt about it. If we study history with this idea in mind, we can understand it much better.
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== The Triumph of Mukhya Prāṇa ==
Every sense organ was given the opportunity, and every sense organ proved to be selfish — it did not give 100%, it kept some portion for its own private pleasure. This is what this beautiful third section is describing — not to highlight what they did, but to show that we all should try to conquer selfishness and become unselfish.

What is unselfishness? To become the infinite. To identify oneself with the other — just as a mother becomes unselfish automatically because she identifies: "This child is also me. The baby is also me. The grown-up son is also me. Every one of them is none other than me." But as soon as she encounters neighbouring children, that same mother becomes selfish. "Now you are not my children" — and she does not want to share any good thing with others. That is why selfish love is only selfish love. It is not true love.

Whereas a true spiritual sādhaka does not expect anything. His only expectation is: "I want to please God." And God is manifesting as Mātā, as Pitā, as Ācārya, as Atithi.

So when puffed up with arrogance and egotism, every sense organ thought: "Without me it is not possible for the body to live." But when it left the body in a huff and then came back, it was shocked to find the body still functioning. Maybe there was a bit of inconvenience — "We can't see, we can't hear" — but life went on. All five sense organs did the same thing in their turn, and all were proved that life can go on without them.

Here, "life" means Prāṇa.

Now Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing. But Prāṇa did not become puffed up with arrogance. It knows: without me, nothing can be sustained. If Prāṇa departs, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, life will not be there. It knows. And this is a marvellous Vedāntic explanation: it is the Prāṇa which is continuously supplied by the Vāyu Devatā.

This Mukhya Prāṇa divides itself into five parts, fulfilling five different functions within the body — some for digestion, some for circulation, some for throwing out waste — and all of this unselfishly, because it has no selfishness.

When Mukhya Prāṇa was asked to sing, the demons tried to tumble it down, to defeat it — but they could not. As the Upaniṣad gives a beautiful analogy: a huge rock is thrown at a very strong hill, and the rock itself breaks into pieces and falls down — it cannot even scratch the mountain. Like that, the demons could not defeat Mukhya Prāṇa. Selfishness cannot defeat unselfishness.

The Mukhya Prāṇa did not keep anything for itself. It only worked to sustain life so that all five sense organs could function, keep the whole body and mind functioning, and make all three states of experience — waking, dream, and dreamless sleep — completely easy and without interruption. That is why Mukhya Prāṇa is Virāṭ — like the universal loving mother.

Yā Devī sarva bhūteṣu mātṛ rūpeṇa saṃsthitā, namas tāse namas tāse namas tāse namo namaḥ.

That universal mother. This Prāṇa does not say: "Here is a person I will favour more and sustain more, and this other person I dislike, so I will not give to him." No. Instinctively, Vāyu Devatā gives the same Prāṇa śakti to all. Have you ever come across anybody saying, "Oh Vāyu Devatā, you are so stingy — I want to breathe more oxygen but you are not giving"? Vāyu Devatā says, like an ocean: "Breathe as much as you want."
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== The Five Great Elements as Devatās: Unselfishness as Divinity ==
The '''Vāyu Devatā, Agni Devatā, Bhū Devatā, Jala Devatā, Ākāśa Devatā''' — they are all Devatās. How did they become Devatās? Because of their unselfishness.

And this is going to come here: when through sādhanā a person's eye becomes unselfish, then his eye becomes the sun — a god. When his ears become unselfish, the ears become the '''Diś Devatā, the directions''', Ākāśa Devatā. Similarly, every sense organ becomes expanded. Selfishness is contraction. Unselfishness is expansion. That is why Swamiji defined: life is expansion, and contraction is death.

However much money or power a person may have — the Divine Mother has no such person as "not my child." Every one is Her child. But some have to go through elementary school to understand the fundamentals of life. And that is what is called suffering. That is why Holy Mother says: some misery is a gift of God.
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== The Definition of Asura and the Essence of the Third Section ==
This third section is called Udgītha Brāhmaṇa, and mainly it contains the glories of the Prāṇa Devatā — called Mukhya Prāṇa, subdividing itself into five functions again called Prāṇa, Apāna, Vyāna, Udāna, and Samāna.

The most marvellous thing here is the very definition of Asura: Asuṣu ramate iti asuraḥ. Asu means Prāṇa, Prāṇa means sense organ — and a person who revels in the sense organs is an Asura. That is what the whole story of this third section is about: the eye wants to enjoy to the exclusion of other sense organs. No — there must be a harmonious whole. Holistic awareness should be there.

This is what defines life. Life is a continuous struggle between selfishness and unselfishness. Evolution is nothing but gradually reducing selfishness and increasing unselfishness. And when we succeed in becoming purely unselfish, that is called becoming God. That is called manifesting one's own divinity. That is called sainthood — by whatever name you wish to call it.

This warfare is continuing even today. Sometimes divinity reigns supreme in the individual and in society, and at other times the demonical nature dominates.
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== Sacrifice, Udgītha, and the Burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa ==
Sacrifice and Udgītha chanting here stand for the holy and Sāttvika qualities and actions of the senses. Yajña here means the destruction of the lower nature and the sanctification of the human personality. Udgītha means meditation on holy qualities. So the Gods thought of purifying themselves.

Ultimately, Prāṇa made all the sense organs — called Gods here — unselfish, and deposited and established their selfishness at the end, making them supreme.

This is also called, in Pūjā, the burning of the Pāpa Puruṣa. You must have read in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life — He thought these are all just some theories floating around. But with complete faith in the Pūjā, when He uttered that word — "My Pāpa Puruṣa is being burnt" — He actually experienced a terrible burning sensation in His life. We have to believe, because Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came to prove that every single letter in the Vedas is absolute truth.
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== The Transformation of Sense Organs into Universal Devatās ==
For transcending evil — evil meaning selfishness — one must dis-identify oneself from the selfish sense organs. When I see, it should be for the good of everybody. When I hear, it should be for the good of everybody. Come, come — here is a sweet dish. A mother joyfully calls all her children because she found — like this Mukhya Prāṇa — that she can enjoy more through the mouths of her children than by trying to eat selfishly all by herself.

In the beginning, all the sense organs were very pure by nature, because they are manifestations of Brahman. But all the senses were restored to their original nature by the action of Prāṇa.

When speech was freed from death — death meaning selfishness, meaning it became unselfish — it became the fire: speech became Agni Devatā. Similarly, the nostrils became Vāyu Devatā. The eye, freed of selfishness, became the sun. The ears became the quarters. And the mind became the moon. They were freed from selfish individuality and became universal.

So the Prāṇa — also known as Āyasya Āṅgirasa, meaning the essence of all limbs — secured the edibles for itself by chanting and transformed them into different organs of the body. Prāṇa is manifesting as all the five sense organs. Therefore, like a mother, Prāṇa equally supports and equally strengthens all the five sense organs. The children must learn from the mother — not only that "my mother is Mātṛ Rūpiṇī," but that we also have to manifest the same quality.

As a result, Prāṇa became Bṛhaspati always — it became Bṛhatī, the infinite. Prāṇa is all-pervading and acquires the shape and size of the body that it inhabits.
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== Veda Pramāṇya and Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation of Narrow Views ==
So this third section ends by singing the praises of Prāṇa.

Now, Śaṅkarācārya in his Bhāṣyam wants to enlighten us further. As I mentioned, if you have heard the essence of what we discussed, you don't need Śaṅkarācārya's Bhāṣyam. But if you want to expand your intellect and enjoy making it much more sharp — and God has endowed us with a free intellect, and we already waste our time in so many ways — why not also increase our intellectual capacity? I can assure you: the more any one of us develops intellectual capacity, the more will be the joy. It is far, far, far superior — a billion times more than Mānuṣa Ānanda, similarly a billion times more than Viṣayānanda will be Medhānanda. That is what we have to understand.

Here, there are certain schools of philosophy which say the Veda teaches only one thing — ritual, action (karma). And whatever other sentences we find in the Vedas, with other types of content, should not be considered true Veda. True Veda, they say, means only that which prescribes rituals and action.

Now Śaṅkarācārya wants to expose the narrowness of this view and then refute all such arguments through his counter-arguments. This is called Veda Pramāṇya. What is the essence we are going to discuss in tomorrow's class? That every single statement in the Veda — whether it prescribes action or does not — is a Pramāṇa.

I will give you a simple sample. Suppose the Veda says: such-and-such is the case. What action is it prescribing? These are sentences that reveal a fact — they are called Arthavāda or statements of fact. There is a city; there is a marvellous construction called the Tāj Mahal. It is a statement of fact. What purpose does it serve? It definitely serves a purpose. Swami Vivekananda said it would take a whole life to study even one corner of this Tāj Mahal. If such a great soul can appreciate it, do not approach it only from the historical point of view. Whatever may be historically true — this man created a marvellous construction that shines today among the best in the world. Appreciate it, because God is manifesting.

See the mighty Himālayas and the grandest canyon with billions of tonnes of cascading water — such huge rivers. Wherever you see incomparable greatness, vastness, and beauty, delight in it. This is a manifestation of Bhagavān Himself. Admire it without any partiality — to whichever country it belongs, to whichever people it belongs, wherever it is. That is called true sādhanā, true worship of God.
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== 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-01T14:39:19Z

Gayatri: /* Opening Invocation */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman —'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11] Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, '''''deva-brāhmaṇa''''' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became '''''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa''''', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became '''''manuṣya-kṣatriya''''', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became '''''manuṣya-vaiśya''''' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became '''''manuṣya-śūdra'''''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,Jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those '''four caste categories,''' it is called '''''varṇa-dharma'''''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the '''Bible''' the '''Ten Commandments''' — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' T'''here is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayate धर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]''' So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara धर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and '''that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.'''

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one .fourth.ten of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-01T08:17:56Z

Gayatri: /* On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and Ātmajñāna */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.''' And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' —''' do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras '''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11]— anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam charaधर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' at the endIt will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we count time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate|A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-07-01T07:08:05Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 15: Satya, Dharma, and the Purpose of the Varṇas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.''' And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' —''' do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras '''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11]— anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam charaधर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end?'''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15''']''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world'''आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| . It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' sat(सत्) chit(चित्) ananda(आनन्द) is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-30T16:00:15Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman,'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म''' ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.['''छान्दोग्योपनिषद्‌तृतीयोऽध्यायःचतुर्दशः खण्डःVerse १Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1]''' Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर । Taittiriya Upanishad , Sheekshavalli, 11th anuvaka''''''''.''' And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' —''' do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

'''Third truth.''' The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'','''व्यष्टि''' the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi'''समष्टि'''''<nowiki/>''';''' from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras '''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेवावेत्, अहम् ब्रह्मास्मीति brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānamevāvet, aham brahmāsmīti''' |Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11]— anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna.''' These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, or he wo initiated him into Rama mantra ,jatadhari sadhu , To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism '''''varṇāśrama dharma'''''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the '''stages of life''' — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called '''''āśrama-dharma'''''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand earlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? '''Agni''' is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥''Om agnim īḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devam ṛtvijam,hotāraṃ ratnadhā tamam.'' [1]'''

'''"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember '''''Vedantasāra''''' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the '''twelfth mantra''' of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the '''thirteenth mantra''' we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when '''Naciketā''' went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..[ yo vai sa dharmaḥ satyaṁ vai tattasmātsatyaṁ vadantamāhurdharmaṁ vadatīti dharmaṁ vā vadanta satyaṁ vadatītyetaddhyevaitadubhayaṁ bhavati|'''|].....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada:सत्यं वद ।'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam charaधर्मं चर ।''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' yathā vedo vā'nanūkto'nyadvā karmākṛtaṁ yadi ha vā apyanevaṁvinmahatpuṇyaṁ karma karoti taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata evātmānameva lokamupāsīta sa ya ātmānameva lokamupāste na hāsya karma kṣīyate| asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. '''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' ''taddhāsyāntataḥ kṣīyata'' What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because '''''ānanda''''' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत''' evātmānameva lokamupāsīta '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''hāsya karma kṣīyate''''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते asmāddhyevātmano yadyatkāmayate tattatsṛjate||Brih.Up 1.4.॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-29T14:42:03Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called '''''Madhukāṇḍa'''''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, [''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 ]of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a '''''brāhmaṇa''.''' When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a '''''kṣatriya'''''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a '''''vaiśya'''''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is '''''sattvaguṇa'',''' which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''s'''atyaṃ vada, dharmam cara'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' —''' do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the four castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..''' a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. '''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते ॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-29T14:23:52Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 15: Satya, Dharma, and the Purpose of the Varṇas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called '''''Upadeśakāṇḍa''.''' ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.'''(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)''' — which comes in this very Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'''''1.4.10 of Yajur veda'''
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।'''without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' '''Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128,''' ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 14)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.14]''..''' a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the '''eleventh ''anuvāka''''' of the T'''aittirīya Upaniṣad,''' in the very f'''irst chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'',''' we have noted:'''सत्यं वद । धर्मं चर ।''' '''''Satyam vada''''' '''''dharmam chara''''' it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the '''fifteenth mantra''' onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher '''यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं यदिह वा अप्यनेवंविन्महत्पुण्यं कर्म करोति तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते न हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''— so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. '''तद्धास्यान्ततः क्षीयत''' What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā:'''क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति ।kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti Bg. 9.21'''not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to '''''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'',''' and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: '''एवात्मानमेव लोकमुपासीत''' '''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens?'''हास्य कर्म क्षीयते''' His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. '''अस्माद्ध्येवात्मनो यद्यत्कामयते तत्तत्सृजते ॥ १५ ॥'''Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, '''यद्यत्कामयते''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''''' that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: '''''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' स य आत्मानमेव लोकमुपास्ते ''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]''—''' one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: '''''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'''''

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: '''अथ यो ह वा अस्माल्लोकात्स्वं लोकमदृष्ट्वा प्रैति स एनमविदितो न भुनक्ति यथा वेदो वाननूक्तोऽन्यद्वा कर्माकृतं atho yo ha va asman lokastvam lokamadrishta praithee sa enam aviditi na bhunakthi ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam''''' —'''''(बृ. उ. १ । ४ । 15)'''][Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.15]'' if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: '''''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata''''' — '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत ।Katha Upanishad -Verse 1.3.14''' that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-28T13:57:12Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 15: Satya, Dharma, and the Purpose of the Varṇas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Upadeśakāṇḍa''. ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।'''।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128''', ''<nowiki/>'''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ..''' a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth '''''Satyam vada'''—'' that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it.then '''''dharmam chara''' A''nd then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the very first chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'', we have noted: it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the fifteenth mantra onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher — so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā: not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to ''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'', and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens? His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: ''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' — one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: ''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam'' — if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: ''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata'' — that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
''Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.

''Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-28T13:53:29Z

Gayatri: /* Mantra 12: The Deva-Vaiśyas */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Upadeśakāṇḍa''. ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।'''।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the '''V''irāj''''', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the '''fourteenth mantra,''' as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called ,what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' dharma eva hato hanti '''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''' tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt'''—''' Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128''', ''<nowiki/>'''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully'''यो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ ..''' a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save us.''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' ''Satyameva jayate'''सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं''''' ['''मुण्डकोपनिषद्तृतीयो मुण्डकःप्रथमः खण्डःVerse ६][Mundaka upanishad 3.1.6]'''So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth — that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it. And then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the very first chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'', we have noted: it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the fifteenth mantra onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher — so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā: not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to ''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'', and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens? His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: ''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' — one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: ''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam'' — if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: ''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata'' — that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
''Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.

''Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-28T07:50:14Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Upadeśakāṇḍa''. ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।'''।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why '''B''rahmava idamagra asit ekamevaब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीदेकमेव Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.11''''' ''.So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the ''virāj'', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the fourteenth mantra, as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayateधर्ममेव जयते''''' '''''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥdharma eva hato hanti dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ tasmād dharmo na hantavyo mā no dharmo hato'vadhīt—''' Manusmriti 8.15 Also Mahabharata Vana parva,yaksha prashna3.312.128''', ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifullyयो वै स धर्मः सत्यं वै तत्तस्मात्सत्यं वदन्तमाहुर्धर्मं वदतीति धर्मं वा वदन्तं सत्यं वदतीत्येतद्ध्येवैतदुभयं भवति ॥ १४ ॥ .. a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save. So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth — that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it. And then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the very first chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'', we have noted: it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the fifteenth mantra onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher — so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā: not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to ''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'', and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens? His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: ''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' — one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: ''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam'' — if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: ''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata'' — that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
''Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.

''Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-27T13:52:22Z

Gayatri:

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Upadeśakāṇḍa''. ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।'''।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understandearlier I mentioned who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why B''rahmava idamagra asit ekameva .So agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the presiding deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: '''Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas'''''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be '''''deva-vaiśyas'''''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the ''virāj'', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The '''''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' —''' these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the '''''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan'''''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The '''''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra'''''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But Deva, from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called '''''Pṛthvī devatā''.''' That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust unto dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the fourteenth mantra, as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls '''''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'':''' you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''d'''harma 'meva jayate'''''<nowiki/>''', ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''.''' There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our '''Gurus''' — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As '''Svāmī Brahmānandajī''' tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, '''''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''.''' And he is called '''''kṣatriya''.''' And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though a knower of B''rāhmaṇ'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully .. a.....that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save. So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth — that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it. And then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the very first chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'', we have noted: it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the fifteenth mantra onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher — so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā: not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to ''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'', and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens? His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: ''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' — one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: ''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam'' — if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: ''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata'' — that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
''Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.

''Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 32 on 10 May 2026

2026-06-26T15:32:48Z

Gayatri: /* In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 */

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

== Opening Invocation ==
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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== Recap: The Tenth Mantra and the Essence of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
We have completed the tenth mantra in the fourth section of the first chapter of the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. And this is one of the — I would say — the very essence of the entire Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all Upaniṣads, of all the scriptures in this world. And the rest is elaboration.

As I mentioned earlier, the first chapter is called ''Madhukāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Upadeśakāṇḍa''. ''Madhu'' means honey, because God is like honey to all of us. Honey means the dearest, the nearest, the closest. And we are not really separate from him. That is expressed in this beautiful ''mahāvākya'' which occurs in this tenth mantra of the fourth section: ''ahaṃ brahmāsmi''.
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== Three Primary Truths of These Mantras ==
So through these mantras, the Upaniṣad wants us to understand three primary truths.

'''First: Universal Unity — ''Samāṣṭi Bhāvanā''.''' Everybody in this world, everything in this world — living, non-living, all social roles, professions, and deities — are but different expressions of the same Brahman. Just as we are the only one in our dreams, even though it appears to be an uncountable number of objects in our dream — they are all nothing but me, the one "I," as it were, getting reflected, like one sun getting reflected in a million, billion mirrors. So ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma'', in other words.

'''Second: Nothing is Truly Separate.''' And following this truth, the second truth is: nothing is truly separate. What is our condition now? We are under the spell of ''avidyā'', ignorance. What is ignorance? First, to think that I am not Brahman. Second, to think that everything in this world is separate from everything else in this world — my hands are separate from my legs, my fingers are separate from my hand, not to speak of another person, another living creature, another non-living object. So nothing is truly separate. I am everything.

So we were discussing the social systems called caste systems. It is nothing but a division for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. Just to illustrate — I love to illustrate until I am satisfied that the point I want to make is clear, as far as I can do that — see, eyes are most important in a human body, in any body actually, whether it is an owl, whether it is a tiger, whether it is a deer. Eyes give us the closest knowledge of things. Then comes the ears, hearing. Then comes the smell, etc. So everything has got its division.

There are four castes wherever you go. How many castes are there in this world? Not one, not three, but exactly four. The thinkers, the law-upholders, the so-called business people who move things from where they are available in plenty to where they are needed — so from one place to another place things are brought — that is the third division called ''vaiśyas''. And then of course workers are needed.

And as I mentioned yesterday, these divisions are divided according to the dominance of a particular quality. Please note that all three ''guṇas'' work simultaneously. But which dominates most of the time, and which dominates for a particular type of action to be performed efficiently — that makes it whether a person is a ''brāhmaṇa'' or a ''kṣatriya'' or a ''vaiśya'' or a ''śūdra'': philosophers, warriors, business people or merchants, and workers.

The same person can be all four at different times. When I am thinking, I am a ''brāhmaṇa''. When I am enforcing something, upholding something, I am a ''kṣatriya''. When I am trying to buy something, or to sell something, or to supply something, I am a businessman or merchant, a ''vaiśya''. And when I am doing physical activity — all four have to be done by all four castes. Nobody can simply sit and say, "I will only think; I will not eat food, I will not move," etc. But one particular faculty is more dominant throughout the day, throughout life. So if a person is more of a thinking type, he does activity in the form of upholding, in the form of supplying, in the form of working — but the dominant part is ''sattvaguṇa'', which is thinking.

So we can apply the same thing to different castes. But nothing is truly separate, because whole life is nothing but evolution. So the idea is: from the lowest ''guṇa'' — from the lowest of the lowest ''guṇa'', because there are several degrees, almost infinite degrees of each ''guṇa'' — to move up higher through experience, through understanding. That is called evolution, until we realise our true nature, until we know everything is nothing but Brahman, ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''. Therefore nothing is truly separate. And as we progress, this separation becomes less and less, until we understand: "I am everything, everything is me."

So the social division cannot be removed — it is for the welfare of the world. But its inner truth is oneness. That is the second truth.

'''Third: The Supremacy of ''Dharma''.''' That is why: ''satyaṃ vada, dharmam cara''. And we have also seen that ''dharma'' is also called ''satya'', and ''satya'' is also called ''dharma''. True, right understanding is ''satya'', and expressing our understanding through physical activity is called ''dharma''. And this ''dharma'' is popularly known as ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'' — do this, do not do this. And not only in spiritual life, but in every sphere, every field of activity. In the health field, for example: eat this, do not eat this; do this exercise, do not do that exercise. So: speak this, do not speak something else; read this, do not read something else; think this way, do not think that way.

So what is the point here? The supremacy of ''dharma''. This is the point: ''dharma'' is higher than authority. So what does ''dharma'' do? It rules all the castes. And everybody has got his own ''dharma''. A ''śūdra'', a worker, has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. The merchant has his own ''dharma'' and his own ''adharma''. A warrior, or the kings, or the rulers — the presidents, the prime ministers — have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''. And the ''brāhmaṇas'' have their own ''dharma'' and ''adharma''.that is the second truth.

That is the third truth. The Upaniṣad wants to convey that it is not that you are incomplete and you do something and you are going to become complete. No — you are already complete. But we feel incomplete because of the misunderstanding called ''avidyā''. But by understanding that life is meant to manifest our potential divinity, and that there are definite pathways called ''Karma Yoga'', ''Bhakti Yoga'', ''Rāja Yoga'', ''Jñāna Yoga'' — we can manifest.

So in a sense, these mantras want to lead me, you, everybody from the ''vyaṣṭi'', the individual, to the ''samāṣṭi''; from external activity, broadly called rituals, to internal rituals called ''upāsanā'', and ultimately to ''ātmajñānam''. So: rituals, then contemplation or ''upāsanā'', and ''jñānam'' or self-knowledge — these are the three steps.
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== In This Background: Mantras 11 to 17 ==
In this background, let us briefly discuss the mantras from 11 to 17. I am not going to read the Sanskrit mantras — anyway you can read them separately. But I will read the translation and, where necessary, briefly comment.

in the beginning,So there was only Brahman — Brahman alone was there in the beginning. And that Brahman wanted to manifest himself, grossify himself. So that is called creation. And creation started.

First he created — just I am reminding you of the background which we already discussed — he created this entire universe, living and non-living. That is called ''sṛṣṭi''. Having created, it then has to be run properly. For that purpose, Brahman has manifested himself as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Brahmā's role is to create — that's it, his duty is over. But Viṣṇu has to do ''pālana''; ''sthiti'' means he has to sustain, he has to uphold the ''dharma''.

For that purpose, Brahman first created four castes, as we elaborately discussed. First, ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' — among the gods, Agni was the ''brāhmaṇa''. Then other ''kṣatriyas'', ''vaiśyas'', ''śūdras'' have come. That is what the next several mantras elaborate. That is the essence of how Brahman, the ''sthiti'', is now being put into action.

And then, exactly as Brahman became the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', etc., similarly from the ''deva-brāhmaṇa'' he became ''manuṣya-brāhmaṇa'', from the ''deva-kṣatriya'' he became ''manuṣya-kṣatriya'', from the ''deva-vaiśya'' he became ''manuṣya-vaiśya'' or human ''vaiśya'', and from the ''deva-śūdra'' he became ''manuṣya-śūdra''. That is what he wanted.

So he — meaning Brahman, being one — did not flourish, because the ''sṛṣṭi'' is done but it has to be maintained. So what did he do? He projected further an excellent form: ''kṣatriya''-hood.
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== Mantra 11: The ''Deva-Kṣatriyas'' and the Honour Due to the ''Brāhmaṇa'' ==
First he created ''kṣatriyas'' among the gods: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. These are the ''deva-kṣatriyas''. Therefore there is no one higher than the ''kṣatriya''. Thus, at the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice, the ''brāhmaṇa'' sits below and worships the ''kṣatriya''.

And a beautiful definition is given. Why does the ''brāhmaṇa'' sit? We have to presume: how does this king really perform the ''rājasūya'' sacrifice? How does he know? There is a sacrifice called ''rājasūya'' — we have to presume that the ''brāhmaṇa'' had already taught him that such a one exists, and that if you perform it properly, then you will get wonderful results; you will be able to enjoy your life. And then the king starts performing.

Now the description we have to understand. The ''kṣatriya'', the warrior, is performing this ritual called ''rājasūya yajña''. But since he is performing, he will be sitting higher, and then the priests — the ''brāhmaṇas ritwiks'' who have to perform — they sit below. And does it mean that the ''brāhmaṇa'' is inferior to the ''kṣatriya''? No. What he wants to say is: the ''brāhmaṇa'' supports all the time. Just like a baby being taken up on the shoulders of the father — without the father taking him up, the baby will fall down, cannot move. This way, the king cannot perform anything in this life unless he is supported from above through knowledge, from below, helping the king perform his proper duties. Then he confers that glory on ''kṣatriya''-hood below — a ''brāhmaṇa'' confers.

But nevertheless, the ''brāhmaṇa'' is the source, the support of the ''kṣatriya''. Therefore, even though the king is exalted at the sacrifice, at the end of it he resorts to ''brāhmaṇa''-hood as his source. He bows down: "By your grace I have been able to complete it."

So the Upaniṣad wants to tell us: respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. We are not talking about birth-''brāhmaṇas''. We are talking about ''guṇa-brāhmaṇas'' — by qualities, by ''sattvaguṇa''. And as I quoted yesterday, only a person who is godly, who has become god through behaviour, is a real ''brāhmaṇa''.''brahma janati iti brahmana'' So one should always respect ''brāhmaṇas'' — not the caste ''brāhmaṇas'', not the birth ''brāhmaṇas'', but those who are superior in knowledge and conduct.

And whoever slights a ''brāhmaṇa'' — that we can also translate as: whoever slights one's own Guru, thinking "I am greater than the Guru." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is the greatest example of how he used to respect his several Gurus, whether it was Bhairavī Brāhmaṇī, or Totāpuri, or the Sufi Guru, Govinda, orjatadhari sadhu , the one who initiated him into the ''Rāma'' mantra. To all these people he showed the highest respect.

And what is the greatness of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? The disciple knows: "My realisation is far higher, far superior to all his Guru's realisations." If you study the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, you will come to know about it. And yet he never became proud. He said, "I am so grateful because the Divine Mother alone brought them to me." So therefore it is being described here: always respect the ''brāhmaṇa''. A true ''brāhmaṇa'' is the ''jagadguru'', because from whom right, true knowledge descends — he is a ''brāhmaṇa''.

And the foundation for our happiness is called in Hinduism ''varṇāśrama dharma''. According to our quality, according to our stage in life — if we fall into those four caste categories, it is called ''varṇa-dharma''. And if we fall into what are called the stages of life — the student's life, the married life, the withdrawal life, and the renunciation's life — this is called ''āśrama-dharma''. ''Āśrama'' belongs to life; ''varṇa'' belongs to the caste. We are not talking about caste by birth, but caste by ''guṇas''.

And as I quoted yesterday:'''''chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah'' चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।'''।4.13।[Bhagavad Gita]।without this caste system, society will fall into chaos. To give a simple example — a war is going on now. So there are people who think and create the weapons, and there are people who are trained in using them properly, and there are people who have to manufacture and supply them, and there are people who have to carry them together, put them together, screw them together, check that they are done properly. And after testing — "Yes, you are ready" — then the soldiers, the real ''kṣatriyas'', will do the thing. So therefore the caste system is marvellous.
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== On Agni as ''Deva-Brāhmaṇa'' ==
And here we have to understand: who is the ''deva-brāhmaṇa''? Agni is called ''deva-brāhmaṇa''. Why is Agni considered a ''deva-brāhmaṇa'', a divine ''brāhmaṇa''? Because the whole Ṛg Veda starts with a particular mantra. It goes like this: '''अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥"I adore Agni, the priest of the sacrifice, the divine minister of the ritual, and the Hota ,who bestows treasures."[Rg Veda 1.1.1'''] So Agni ''devatā'' is considered the ''brāhmaṇa'' among the gods. He is also called ''purohitaḥ'' — ''puraḥ'' means "just in front of us," Agni, fire — because in the olden days everything used to be offered by lighting a fire, sitting behind it, and then going on pouring all your oblations mixed with clarified butter — ''ghī'' — whether it is ''bilva'' leaves or many other materials. So that is why B''rahmava idamagra asit agni deva''- Agni ''devatā'' — Agni was the first manifestation according to this Upaniṣad.

And yet he cannot do anything, because he requires ''kṣatriyas'', warriors; he requires ''vaiśyas''; he requires ''śūdras''. And that is what it says. And who are the ''kṣatriyas''? So they were given: the ''deva-kṣatriyas'' are given ruling authority even among themselves. But primarily, for all of us, they are ruling. That is why — if you remember ''Vedantasāra'' — every limb of our human body is ruled by somebody. For example, the eyes are ruled by Sūrya ''devatā'', the sun. The mind is ruled by Candra, the moon. The hands are ruled by Indra. The famous story of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: a ''brāhmaṇa'' killed a cow and the sin — he did not want to accept it — and he said, "Since Indra is the residing deity of the hand, let this go to him." You can recall that story.

So here the Upaniṣad says: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna — these are called ''deva-kṣatriyas''. So that is what we have to understand.
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== Mantra 12: The ''Deva-Vaiśyas'' ==
Similarly, ''vaiśyas'' are there. So this Upaniṣad is not satisfied. ''Kṣatriyas'' are okay, but ''kṣatriyas'' have to be assisted by the ''vaiśyas''. And so the next creation will be ''deva-vaiśyas''. This is mentioned in the twelfth mantra of the fourth section.

So the ''virāṭ'', the creator, did not flourish. He projected the ''vaiśya'' caste and the classes of gods who are designated in groups. Who are these ''vaiśyas'', these ''deva-vaiśyas''? The ''vasus'', ''rudras'', ''ādityas'', ''viśvedevas'', and ''maruts'' — these are called ''deva-vaiśyas''.
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== Mantra 13: The ''Deva-Śūdras'' ==
But then the creator is not happy with that. So in the thirteenth mantra we get: still he did not flourish. He projected the ''śūdra'' caste — ''pūṣan''. This earth is really ''pūṣan''. The ''bhū-devatā'' is the ''devatā'' indicating ''śūdra''. Why? Because, like workers working and making our life easier, what is it that we know that makes our life worth living? That is called this earth, this physical earth. But from the godly point of view, it is the divine earth. That is why it is called ''Pṛthvī devatā''. That ''Pṛthvī devatā'' manifests in our world as ''Pṛthvī'', and even here she is the earth goddess. That is why everything — our food — we come from this food, and we go back. So dust into dust.

So this earth nourishes everybody. And this is how these four castes have been given.
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== Mantra 14: The Creation of ''Dharma'' ==
And in the fourteenth mantra, as we already discussed: how to keep all these four castes united, fruitful, and efficient? For that, a divine rule is created. That is called what we call in the Bible the Ten Commandments — do this, don't do this. And that is what Hinduism calls ''vidhi'' and ''niṣedha'': you must do this — ''vidhi'' is not a choice, you must do — and ''niṣedha'' is: you must not do. It is a commandment. And that is called ''dharma''.

So first you have to understand what to do and what not to do. And if we don't follow — what would be the consequences? So therefore it is written there that Bhagavān had created this ''dharma''. That is why: ''dharmo 'va jayate'', ''dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ''. There is a beautiful ''śloka'' which says: if somebody observes ''dharma'', that ''dharma'' is going to save that person in every way.

What is our problem? Because we are such short-sighted people. We only see what we experience at this moment. We don't have the power to think backwards into the past. We have even less power to see what is going to happen in the future. That's why, since we are like blind people — you know, when horses are tied to carts or vehicles, how does the horse pull? If it is given the freedom to look everywhere, it may not obey the master. So they cover its eyes; only a few feet in front it can see. ''Dharma'' is like that — it will guide us in the right way, covering our eyes to all that we should not do.

So therefore Brahman created ''dharma''. And ''dharma'' should be put into practice. And ''dharma'' manifests as: do this, do not do that. And to know what is ''dharma'', we have to take the help of our Gurus — and it can be a computer Guru, or it can be what we call a spiritual Guru. As Svāmī Brahmānandajī tells: even to become an expert pickpocket, we will have to have a Guru. A Guru is one who imparts us the right knowledge of that particular subject.

So that's why ''dharma'' is called God, ''dharma devatā'', ''Yama Dharmarāja''. And he is called ''kṣatriya''. And that is why when Naciketā went there — Naciketā was a ''brāhmaṇa'' — and Yama ''Dharmarāja'', even though no era ''brāhmaṇa'', was a ''kṣatriya'', because his duty is to see which person, which ''jīva'', had done what type of ''dhārmic'' activities and ''adhārmic'' activities — what we call, keep an account — and then accordingly distribute the ''karmaphala''.

And then the mantra goes on to say beautifully that ''dharma'' is nothing but ''satya'', and ''satya'' is nothing but ''dharmam'' — both of them cannot be separated. Like an object cannot be separated from its name: an object is outside, and the thought about that object, the knowledge about that object, is within our mind. They can't be separated. You can't think of a table if you don't have the thought of the table, and if you don't have the thought of the table, you can't recognise what is a table.

So the Upaniṣad is telling: what is it that can save us under every circumstance, all the time, even when we are asleep, unconscious? Only ''dharma'' can save. So ''dharma'' is ''satya'' and ''satya'' is ''dharma''. Therefore: speak truth — that means, what you know to be the truth, speak it. And then what is proper, what is the only thing that should be done — you do that.

And the whole — all the four castes, all the four stages in one's life — are based upon this ''satya'' and ''dharma''. That's why in the eleventh ''anuvāka'' of the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, in the very first chapter called ''Śīkṣāvallī'', we have noted: it is a universal convocation address. The whole life is based upon truthfulness and ''dharma''.

You remember: a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had borrowed some money from somebody, promising he would return the money after some time. But greed overcame him; he didn't want to pay. Then the person from whom he had borrowed threatened: "I will call Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, I will ask him to be a witness." See the faith of that man — who was not a relative of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — that he knew Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa would never utter any untruth. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was present when that person threatened the relative. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "You better — I know you have taken money. You better give back that money to him. And if you don't, I will go against you; I will tell the truth in the court." And that fellow now had no option.

So probably to have a saint as our close relative may not always be very convenient! So the same rule applies: not only among the gods, but among the four castes also, ''satya'' and ''dharma'' are the very foundation.
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== Mantra 15: ''Satya'', ''Dharma'', and the Purpose of the ''Varṇas'' ==
And that is what we have to understand. So from the fifteenth mantra onwards, the ''virāṭ'', or the creator, following exactly the same mould as the four castes of the ''devatās'', created the ''brāhmaṇa'', ''kṣatriya'', ''vaiśya'', and ''śūdra''.

And then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful: how do we know what is ''dharma'', what is ''satya''? For that, we have to study the scripture. What is the scripture? That is God himself telling the truth about himself and about the world — what we call: "This is the truth about the world, and this is your duty, what you have to do in your life."

Then the mantra goes on to say something very beautiful. So if somebody doesn't acquire the ''satya'' from a right teacher — so if somebody doesn't study the Veda even though it is available, doesn't study, for example, the New Testament, doesn't study the teachings of the Sufi saints, doesn't study the ''Imitation of Christ'' — because the Bible can be extremely confusing, but read the ''Imitation of Christ'' and you will get what actually Bhagavān Jesus Christ wants to teach all of us, to transform all of us. Foolish that we are, we think certain external rituals are going to help us. No, they are not going to help us.

So what the mantra here wants to convey to us is that even if you formally study the Veda but really do not think it is true, and therefore you do not put it into practice — but you have a little bit of faith in the scripture, and you may be doing some ''puṇya karma'' — so what happens at the end? It will become destroyed. What does it mean?

This is what the Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, says in the Gītā: not that ''puṇya'' will not give a result, but its result will be very ephemeral, very temporary, for a very short time. And interestingly — why do I say it is short? Because whenever you eat, for example, a sweet, for a small fraction of a minute you forget the entire world; you become one with ''ānanda'', happiness.

So there is a belief that if somebody acquires a lot of merit, ''puṇyam'', he will go to ''Indraloka'', ''Candraloka'', higher ''lokas'', and he will experience happiness for a very long time. I have doubts about this statement — "for a very long time" — because ''ānanda'' means to go beyond time. And even if it is from the suffering point of view only that we come to time. So even if a person so-called goes to a higher ''loka'' and lives for, let us say, a long time — how does that long time pass? Just like if you have a wonderful holiday — one week, ten days — it looks as though in a minute the whole holiday trip is over, because it gave you so much happiness.

We have to understand and add that. Otherwise, if you went there and the hotel refused to accommodate you, or the aeroplane was cancelled because of some reason, and your whole holiday is ruined — I am not talking about that. Everything went off very well, and one week passed as if only one hour had passed — if at all, not even one minute.

So even if a thousand aeons pass, it will pass as if — because the more happy you are, the more you get out of the limitation of time, space, and causation.
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== On the Nature of Desire, Imagination, and ''Ātmajñāna'' ==
So what is it we desire? What do we imagine? "I want to be happy forever." When a young man wants to get married, when a young woman wants to get married, what is the hope of this young man and young woman? That as long as we live, we will live very happily. Such a thing is a mistaken notion — it is not going to happen. At best you can say: reluctant acceptance of the facts of life. So therefore we remain unfulfilled.

And what should be done for that? The Upaniṣad has to tell: it is not enough to say that you acquire ''puṇyam'' and you will be a very happy person. No, it says you will not be a happy person — you remain unfulfilled, you feel you are very limited, you want unlimited joy. And therefore the Upaniṣad, this mantra, says: you must worship your true God, Brahman — in other words, God. You must realise God.

And what happens? A very interesting word: ''ātman'' is compared to a ''loka'', a world. It is called ''ātmaloka''. And when a person — if you go to America, you are in the country called America; if you go to France, you are in a country called France or UK. But what is this ''ātmaloka''? It means: "I know I am Brahman," and that experience is called ''ātmaloka''.

And one who realises, "I am not the body-mind, etc., I am the ''ātman''" — what happens? His ''karma'', that means ''karmaphala'', that is happiness, will never get destroyed, because the nature of the ''ātman'' is so. Therefore whatever way this man wants to enjoy — and this is a redundant ''śloka'', actually, or these lines are redundant — that is to say, a knower of Brahman can enjoy anything he wants. What we need to understand is: once a person knows "I am Brahman, I am of the nature of ''ānanda'', bliss," the question of his desiring — "I am incomplete, I am not happy; if I go to ''Indraloka'' I will be happy, if I embrace a beautiful angel then I will be happy" — no, such a desire will never come.

But to make ignorant people like us understand — what do I get by realising Brahman? — the Upaniṣad answers: what will you not get? You will get everything. How do I get it? Whatever you desire, that enjoyment will be there instantaneously — you will be able to enjoy.

This is a very wonderful psychological fact. I have given many examples. Suppose you are dreaming. That before you went to bed you had a terrible desire to eat some sweet — as an example. And you went to bed, and then you find yourself in a dream: somebody has invited you to his house, and the very sweets you love have been prepared or bought, and they offer them to you: "Eat as much as you want." And you are eating. Now are you happy or not?

You have to imagine what I am going to tell you. If you have some unfulfilled desires, and if you have got a strong power of imagination — you just imagine: mentally, close your eyes, mentally imagine, "I am eating this first-class sweet." And there is no time limit, there is no counting of the sweets — as many sweets as you want, as long as you want, you can enjoy — provided you have that imagination.

Is this a valid proposition, or just a meaningless statement? Just imagine where was Gopālā's mother when she was absorbed in her Gopāla. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "Her mind is now in the presence of Goloka, in the presence of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa." And she came back to this consciousness and confirmed: "I was enjoying everything in the presence of my darling child Kṛṣṇa." This is called imaginary enjoyment.

In fact everything is imaginary only. Even if you think somebody has brought from a wonderful sweetmeat shop your favourite sweet — how do you know? Suppose this fellow bought it from somewhere and put it in a K.C. Das container, sealed it cleverly, and brought it to you. And because you are under the delusion that anything made by this particular sweetmeat shop will be of a quality sweet — when you are eating, tell me: do you feel it is an inferior sweet or a superior sweet? Of course, if you are a very discerning person, it is possible to discriminate. But for most people, it is the imagination.

A young man looks at a young woman and says, "She is Miss Universe." And as far as he is concerned, she is Miss Universe. Others may judge her differently. The point I want to illustrate is: if we can develop that beautiful power of imagination where we are enjoying things, then at any time, as long as we want, we can enjoy things imaginatively. And imaginary enjoyment — like dream happiness — will not be any less than what we call the waking-state happiness. It will be even much better, without any limitations.
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== ''Ātmānam Eva Lokam Upāsīta'': Strive to Manifest Your Potential Divinity ==
Therefore the Upaniṣad continues: ''ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta'' — one should strive to manifest this potential divinity, either through work or philosophy, or by psychology, or by selfless activity, or by one or more, or all of this put together — and be free. That is what Svāmī Vivekānanda had said. And such a person's happiness will never come to an end: ''na hi asya karma kṣīyate'', ''na hi asya karmaphala kṣīyate''.

So that is what he says: try to realise God — you will get everything. What happens if a person cannot, or is even not interested in spirituality, not interested in realising God? That is what he says: ''yathā yathā vedho ananuktaṃ anyad vā karmakṛtam'' — if a man departs from this world without realising his own true self, and his own true self being unknown does not protect him — just like any knowledge, if it is not put into practical usage, will not give us the result. You may know everything in the world, but if you do not put it into particular action, then it will not help us at all.

And again the Upaniṣad tells: so whoever realises this ''ātman'', his ''ānanda'', his bliss, will never come to an end, because it is infinite, it is one without a second, and most important, it is his own self.

So he who doesn't realise everything will have to come back again and again. Therefore it is better that we wake up: ''uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata'' — that is the message of this one.
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== Conclusion: The Unified Purpose of All ''Varṇāśrama Dharmas'' ==
In this eleventh to several mantras — all the ''varṇāśrama dharmas'' have only one purpose: that is to help us evolve towards our own true nature. So from ''tamas'' to ''rajas'', to ''sattva''. From student life — what I call: learn about what is life, what is the goal of life — then experiment and experience. Then withdraw, because by this time we know: "I will not get what I am seeking in this world, but I will get what I am seeking from God." Turn to God, face away from the world, turn towards God. And as we progress through contemplation, a time will come when we will be absorbed only in God, and become one with God in the end.

That is the message of this eleventh section and several other mantras also. Beautiful mantras — we will talk about them in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
''Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

May Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekānanda bless us all with Bhakti.

''Jai Rāmakṛṣṇa!''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 27 on 25 April 2026

2026-06-23T15:05:58Z

Gayatri: /* The Discussion Among the Seekers of Brahman */

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 पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Completing the Eighth Mantra: The Psychology of Love ==
We have completed the '''8th''' mantra in the '''4th sectio'''n'''[Brahmana'''] of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, and that concerns the psychology of love. The essence is: there is nobody in this world who loves anything else other than his or her own self. One's own self is the dearest, nearest, most beloved.

And what is the nature of one's own self? Pure joy — ''Ānanda Svarūpa['''आनन्द स्वरूपः ]''''' — unbroken happiness. It is not broken. It is not accompanied by its opposite, called ''Duḥkh[ '''दुःख''' ]''. In this world, everything comes in a dualistic form. Dual doesn't mean two — dual means everything comes with its opposite: happiness and unhappiness, life and death, good and evil, honour and dishonour, profit and loss, etc. These words we get in the Bhagavad Gītā very often. '''सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-३८'''॥[''sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi'' ]One should keep one's mind in the midst of these realities absolutely calm and quiet, because they come and go.

But one's desire will be for ''Ānanda'', for bliss. Why? Because I am, you are, everything is Brahman. The nature of Brahman is ''Sat'', ''Cit'', ''Ānanda'''सत् चित आनन्द'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' So we are really wanting to be our own selves — which implies that at the moment, we think we are not Brahman. That is the subject matter.

So the quest of every ''Jīva'' is only for: "Let me not die. Let me not be ignorant. And let me never be unhappy. Let me live eternally. Let me know everything. And let me always have unbroken joy." Is that possible? Yes, it is possible. How is it possible? Because that is my nature.

So what is my nature now? Nature doesn't change, but our perception of nature changes. I think I am not Brahman. Therefore I am covered by the net of death, of little knowledge, or sometimes the absence of knowledge, or complete misunderstanding of what is right and what is truth. And we are having a little bit of happiness — surrounded by, bracketed by, unhappiness. 99% unhappiness, 1% happiness. Whenever we forget any object, what results is called broken happiness.

So that is the subject matter of every scripture in this world — that state of knowledge. Not even a state of the mind, but a state of knowledge. That is called full knowledge, ''Pūrṇam''. And that is the subject matter, whether we know it or not. We are in search of our own selves — like a musk deer in search of the intoxicating fragrance that emanates from its own self.
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== The Madhu Vidyā: Knowledge of What Is Most Dear ==
So this subject matter is coming here. And these mantras in the first chapter — which is called ''Madhu Vidyā'', [('''मधुविद्या)]''' honey — the knowledge of honey. Honey means what? That which is most dear. That's why in the English language, those who love each other call each other "dear," like that. So what is most dear? That is my own nature — I myself. I am the most dear. I am the nearest to myself. But what is the problem? At this moment I am not aware of it. And this discussion was coming.

So, as we all know, Brahman becomes the whole universe. First it becomes the object without life. Then slowly this inorganic matter evolves into organic matter. Organic matter always means matter with life. And this is not coming from another planet — it is evolving from so-called inorganic matter. Life, sleeping and dormant — that is called inorganic. And life, manifesting slowly — that is called organic. Beginning from one cell, then infinite cells, then from the amoeba, insects, birds, animals — then all the plant kingdom, the bird kingdom — then finally life evolves into human nature.

After millions of births, slowly through experience, man awakens. And then he starts thinking: "Why am I suffering? Is there any way out of this suffering? Does anybody know what is the way? And how does one live without death, without ignorance, without suffering?"

And the scriptures tell us: "Yes. There were people." And the scripture is nothing but the experience of a Ṛṣi or a sage who knows, who has gone beyond the limitations of this ''anātmā'' '''(अनात्मा)''' — time, space, and causation.
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== The Ninth and Tenth Mantras: The Heart of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
So these mantras — the 9th and 10th in the 4th section'''[4th Brahmana]''' — are the very heart and essence of this entire Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all the Upaniṣads, of all the Gītā, of the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, the Bible, the Koran, the Guru Granth Sāhib — every scripture of every religion. The essence is only one: "How can I become God?" God means — we may not dare to say "I wish to become God" — but: "I wish that I have no death. I wish I have no ignorance. I wish I will never ever experience even one billionth of unhappiness, for one trillionth of a second also." So that is the subject matter, which is expressed beautifully in this 9th and 10th mantra.

The 9th mantra is a small mantra. It is only one mantra '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते । किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति ॥ ९ ॥'''—['''''tadāhuryadbrahmavidyayā sarvaṁ bhaviṣyanto manuṣyā manyante kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi||]''''' This is the original mantra in the 4th section[4th Brahmana], 9th mantra. Let us first split the sentence and then understand the English meaning. The explanation will come later on — we will deal with it.

Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः]''', they say, explanation will come later on , we will deal with it .
== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker[Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] ]''' ==
Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] means''' It looks as if some people — those who are awakened '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14'''] a person has been sleeping to the knowledge of one's own self, and after a lot of suffering, he starts thinking. And ultimately he studies the scriptures, and he understands that there is a way out of the suffering. One need not have even the slightest bit of suffering. On the other hand, one can have an infinite amount of ''Ānanda''. Even the word happiness, joy, or pleasure will not cover that word ''Ānanda''. It is a very specific word, which means infinite and eternal happiness. The simplest way of translating the word ''Ānanda'' is: unbroken happiness for all eternity.

Even now — even one trillionth of a second — we are not bound, we are not deviating from that experience. Even now. But the mind creates all the problems.

So there were some people. They awoke. And then they became aware: "I am suffering." And they became aware there is a way out of suffering. Then they became aware that there are some people who know, who have gone beyond the net of ''Māyā'', beyond time, space, and causation. So those people are teaching. They are available.
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== Are ''Brahmajñānīs'' Available Today? ==
So here we can pause and ask a question: are these ''Brahmajñānīs'' available even today?now? Yes — the scripture gives an unequivocal answer. And the question should not be: "Are there such people?" The question should be: "Am I fit to approach such people?" When I am fit, immediately I recognise. And then a scriptural support is there: every day, every time, everywhere, there would be some people who have realised God — in simple words, who know "I am Brahman." But they cannot be recognised by unfit people.

So such people are available only for those who are fit. Only they can recognise, they can approach, and they surrender themselves.'''तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |'''

'''उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: || 34|| ad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ''' [Bhagavad Gita - chapter 4 - verse 34] So they are available.

And then Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say — or even Swami Vivekānanda used to say — "When the field is ready, the seed must come."
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== The Example of Nāgamahāśaya ==
There was a wonderful incident in the life of Nāgamahāśaya. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was asked by Nāgamahāśaya: "I would like to renounce home, because I think home is not a proper place for pursuing spiritual ''sādhanā''s — practices." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "No. You be at home. You will be a shining example of how one can be a married person, one can be with family, and one can also realise Brahman."

Even in recent times in Bombay, there was a great soul called Nisargadatta Mahārāj, and his conversations have become very popular and are available now on the internet also. Nisargadatta Mahārāj was a very ordinary person, probably running a tea shop — I do not remember. But he was like fire covered up. Then some people discovered him and they started coming. All great people have to be discovered. Ramaṇa Maharṣi was also discovered — somewhere sitting there in a cave. But people recognised: there is something very special about him. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was recognised, Swami Vivekānanda was recognised. Who can recognise? Only fit people can recognise.
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== Who Is a True Brāhmaṇa? ==
Then there was a discussion now. "We would like to obtain the same experience and know like these." So then these people,knowers of Brahman — some Brāhmaṇas — but who is a Brāhmaṇa? Not a caste Brāhmaṇa, but one who is eager for ''Brahma Jñāna'', '''''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah ||''one who really knows Brahman through experience — not through second-hand information like studying books, etc., or even hearing lectures — but by one's own practice and experience. He is called a Brāhmaṇa.
'''''जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते।वेदाभ्यास भवति विप्र ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः||'''''

This is a beautiful ''śloka'' which I have quoted quite a number of times.'''''जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते।वेदाभ्यास भवति विप्र ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः||'''''

''janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṃskārāddvija ucyate |''

''vedabhyasa bhavati Vipra Brahma janati brahmanah ||''

''meaning; A Person is born Shudra by birth and becomes Brahmin after ritual. By the practice of the Vedas, he becomes wise and by knowing the Brahman he becomes Brahman himself.''

Everyone is only a ''Śūdra'' according to Hinduism. ''Śūdra'' is the lowest caste, which means highly ignorant. But this person becomes, through proper training of thoughts — either by parents, by teachers, or by one's own effort — they eliminate and overcome unhelpful ''Saṃskāra''s and develop positive, strength-giving, spiritual ''Saṃskāra''s. And it may take several lives. Such people are called ''Dvija''s — twice-born.

The word used when a Brāhmin undergoes the ceremony called '''yagnyopavita[यज्ञोपवीतम्]''' — or baptism in every religion — it is there: to enter and step into a spiritual life, a new life as it were. New life means that in which the previous worldly life is dead and a new beginning is made. That is called birth. New birth means new beginning. That is why every new year is a new start. But then why only every new year? Every day, as soon as we get up from deep sleep, it is a new year — because God gives a new opportunity to everybody.

So some people — they are called Brāhmaṇas — but ''Saṃskāra'' should lead to the feet of the Guru, through whom a person learns the very essence of scriptures. Scripture is another form of God — or to know about God. What is the relationship between me and God? Who am I really? Am I related to God in which way? Am I separate from God but related? Or very near to him? Part of him? Or am I the whole of him, or not? '''Purnam पूर्णम्''' That is how spiritual progress is made.
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== The Goal: Becoming Brahman ==
So such people — they were discussing: "About them we had enough of this worldly life. We would like to become Brahman." How does one become? How does one become a musician? By making oneself music. Learning means becoming. How does one become a carpenter? By becoming a carpenter. How does one become a good cook? By becoming a good cook. How does one become a good swimmer? By swimming. There is no purely intellectual knowledge — one has to become what one wants to be.

So these people said: "We would like to become Brahman." And why do we want to become Brahman?because ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो brihadarayaka upanishad 1.4.9''' Because once we understand, through the knowledge of Brahman — ''Brahmavidyā'' — ''Brahmavidyā Aapnoti Param'''ॐ ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् ।'''''<nowiki/>''':[Taittiriya Upanishad2.1.1]''' Brahman attains the very highest. What do you mean by highest? He goes beyond death. He goes beyond ignorance. He goes beyond suffering. That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. What is ''Brahmavidyā''? Becoming — or knowing — "I am Brahman." That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. Then what do I become? Brahman. What is Brahman? Everything.'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत । sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta Chandogya Upanishad Verse 3.14.1[sama veda]'''
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== The Discussion Among the Seekers of Brahman ==
So it looks as if some of these great seekers of Brahman gathered together, and they were earnestly trying to find out what is the best way to think, to know that I am Brahman. The discussion started, a debate started.

"Yat यत् these people were discussing."'''तत्''' tat — ahuh '''आहुः''' -'''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते[tat ahuh ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' manushyah manyante]''' so men think. Which men? Not ordinary men, not a worldly person, but people who know what they are talking about. That is to say, those who are knowers of Brahman. They think — they think, meaning they know: "Through the knowledge of Brahman, we shall become — all or anybody can become — all."

Then a small deviation has come. "'''किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति [''kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi]''''' Well, what did that Brahman know — that Brahman about which we are discussing? '''किमु आवेद [kimu aved]'''What knowledge does Brahman have, because of which it became everything?"

So it is a repetition, so to say — '''यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति'''"[''yasmad tat sarvam abhavad iti''] because of which it became everything." So the answer should be: there were some seekers of Brahman. They gathered together, they were having a debate. In that debate, they expressed: "All of us would like to become Brahman." Naturally it is a discussion, so somebody — not to have doubt, not because a person is having doubt, but they want clarification, more clarification. What is that clarification?

"All right — what is Brahman? Brahman is ''Sarva''. All right. How did Brahman become ''Sarvam''? How did Brahman become everything?"
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== The Advaita Vedānta Answer: Nature Cannot Change ==
Now this question is a very deep question. Because apparently, on the surface, it looks as if we are questioning God himself: "How did you become God?" So this question "How did you become?" is completely irrelevant according to the science of logic. Because what it means is: "I was not God, but I have acquired some knowledge — maybe God-knowledge — and by acquiring that knowledge I have become God."

But Advaita Vedānta very strenuously disagrees with this kind of understanding. If somebody — first of all, somebody whose nature is something else, non-God — cannot become God. Second: how did this person become Brahman, so through some spiritual practice, ''sādhanā''? So then "Brahman, ''Brahman Sarvam Abhavat''" — becoming everything — becomes an achievable goal. "I did not have that power to become all — that means having all happiness, having pure existence, having every knowledge, all knowledge — I was not having, but having become Brahman, I obtained all these things."

So logic teaches us: if somebody becomes something else, that means it implies that someone was not Brahman, but through some means that person had somehow become identified with Brahman, and then, like Brahman, he became all.

So what is the point we are discussing? The discussion is not about Brahman. According to Advaita, Brahman is the eternal, ever-existing reality. So therefore, how did Brahman become Brahman? How did it become all? The question does not apply to Brahman. But another person — who thought he was not Brahman —but heard that by practising certain disciplines one can become Brahman. So he practised these things, and he became Brahman.

I hope this logic is — I am trying to make it as clear as possible. It takes time to understand.
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== The Analogy of Sugar: Nature Cannot Be Altered ==
So according to Advaita logic: what one becomes — "becomes" means what? I was not this, but I became this after ''sādhanā''. So according to Advaita, one's whole nature can never be changed.

Sugar, for example — was not sugar. Sugar was not sweet. And it practised some discipline, and then it became sweet. And that name for sweetness is called sugar. Therefore: "I became sugar. I was not sugar, I was not non-sugar. So being non-sugar, I practised something, I knew something, I became sugar." This logic is not acceptable at all.

Because what these Advaitins tell through logic is: if a person who is not sweet becomes sugar through some means, that means one can change oneself into something else. If one can change oneself into something else, why can't, after becoming sugar, he also become bitter? He can also become salty. He can also become sour. Maybe sour persons are like that.

So what is meant is: that if a person is of a particular nature — and what is nature? That which can never be deviated from, changed into. One remains. Sweetness will ever remain sweetness in whichever form — maybe sugarcane, maybe some fruits are very sweet. Sweetness will be sweetness, irrespective of whatever it is. You can't change them. Impossible. Nature cannot be changed.

And then, if something can be changed, it attains changeability. Changeability means: "Yes, you have become — you are not God, you became God, and later on you became non-God, etc." That is not acceptable.
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== The True Understanding: Ignorance of One's Own Nature ==
So we have to say there is something called Brahman. That Brahman is of the nature of ''Saccidānanda''. And that nature of ''Saccidānanda'' never changes.

Again, so then we can only infer from this discussion of the Brāhmaṇas that they must have been discussing about somebody who was an ignorant person. So his nature was Brahman, but he was not aware of it. But he came to know through the scripture: "Oh man, you are thinking you are a man. But really you are not a man. You are none other than Brahman.You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'''''" And then he would not believe at first — for ''janma janmāntara'', life after life — this person came believing that "I am not Brahman." So overnight such a thing cannot change.

But then he started practising certain disciplines. Then he started understanding: "Really, if I am the body, then the body should be eternal. But every millisecond the body is changing. And that which is changing cannot be myself." Similarly, apply this to the mind also. If I am the mind, I should be there. If I am a happy person — what is mind? Mind means thoughts. So what is this thought? The moment the thought comes "I am a happy person, I am very happy" — and it should never change. But then what do we find? Even the smallest mosquito sound changes my happiness into its complete opposite.

So that which is changing cannot be called my nature. By definition, nature is that which cannot be changed. And that which can be changed is not my nature.
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== The Sadguru Leads the Seeker to Realisation ==
So therefore, there was a person. And he acquired faith in the scriptures. Then he understood intellectually: "I thought I was a human being. I thought I was subject to birth and death. I thought I am subject to happiness, unhappiness, and varied circumstances — birth, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age, disease, death — what we call ''ṣaḍ ripur['''षड रिपुः''']'', ''ṣaḍ vikāras['''षड विकारः''' ]'' , sixfold changes." So that which is changing cannot be my nature. And therefore, through surrendering to a ''Sadguru'', the ''Sadguru'' slowly takes him forward and forward. And one day he realises: "I am Brahman."

So this man, who was an ignorant person, after a long time woke up and became aware of his condition and approached a right teacher, surrendered himself, and practised what the teacher taught. And he realised: "Like my Guru, I am also Brahman. As Brahman, me and Guru — there are no differences at all."

So this is the gist. So then these '''''Brahma Jijñāsus [ब्रह्म जिज्ञासु''''' , these ''B'''rahma Sādhaka'''''<nowiki/>'''s[ब्रह्म साधकाः ]''' — they were having this discussion. "There are some people, and they understood that if we can become Brahman, we will become everything." That means there is no second — '''''Ekameva dvitīyam nāsti[ एकमेव द्वितियम् नास्ति ]''.''' There is no second. And really, we cannot think even of Brahman, whether Brahman was this or that or what. We can only see: "How do I know what is Brahman?" As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa told — he practised. Swami Vivekānanda told — he also practised. He realised: "I am Brahman." So that is how we all realise.
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== What Does the Knower of Brahman Realise? ==
Then what did this person realise? He realised: "I am Brahman." What does that mean? That means this person says: "I am everything. What does it mean? I am me — meaning this body-mind which you see. I am you, who is looking at me, experiencing me. I am every object that you can come across. There is nothing besides me which is not me."

''So '''Brahma vidyayā sarvaṃ bhaviṣyantaḥ.[ब्रह्मविद्याय सर्वं भविष्यन्ति ]'''''

So if I become everything, what is the benefit? If we think deeply, with concentration, we understand: when I become everything, happiness and unhappiness, good and evil — everything becomes absolutely merged into one pure consciousness. That means these are not real. Happiness is not real, and equally, unhappiness is not real. Birth is not real, death is not real. Because when two opposite things are happening and I am identifying myself with both — like watching a cinema where there is a birth, where there is growth, where there is death, where there are enemies fighting with each other, there is poverty, there is wealth — and then we see wealthy people becoming poor, poor people becoming wealthy, living people who are dead, new babies who are born. And then we see that these people who are acting there are only acting — because as soon as the drama is over, they will all come out to bow down before the audience and receive their applause. So we appreciate their talent.

So all this is ''nāṭana'' '''नटन''' — only a pretence. It is not true. So then everything — the greatest evil that we see in a drama, in a cinema — becomes a source of joy. This is called ''rasāsvādana'', '''रसास्वादन''' or aesthetic happiness.
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== The Meaning of Aesthetic Happiness ==
Aesthetic happiness — I know you are all intelligent people, but I am just trying to clarify. Suppose some great painter has painted a picture of the most miserable person on earth — an old man, diseased, shrunken, man or woman — and the painting shows such unimaginable misery coming out of that picture. Involuntarily we exclaim: "How realistic it looks! How real it looks!" We don't say "It is real." We say, "How realistic it looks!" — that means it is looking that way. It is the painter's greatness — his greatness is to bring to life what is not life. Lifeless portrait brought to life. Lifeless ''bhajans'' brought to life. Lifeless literature brought to life.

So like that the experience will be there. So whether it is happiness or misery, whether a baby is born or the baby is dead — every bit becomes enjoyable when we identify ourselves as only witnesses.

Witnessing means what? I don't identify myself with any particular object — that means I become identified with everybody. I am the evil person doing terrible, indescribable, unimaginable evil. I am also the good person, a saint, who in spite of all these sufferings is expressing, manifesting godliness. Both I am identified with, and therefore at that time we become complete witnesses.

We do not even understand what is the meaning of being a witness. Being a witness means enjoying everything — not like peeping through our window where so many people are coming, some are shouting, some are quarrelling, and then we become indifferent. No — witnessing means to become everything, without partially dissecting and identifying with one part and rejecting the other part. So we become equal — ''Samadṛṣṭi'' '''समदृष्टि''' — that is called witness. It is not an indifferent look. It is to know that whatever I am witnessing is not real. What is real? The enjoyment is real. When we become the witness, the indescribable joy that we experience can never be described in words.
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== Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as the Cosmic Witness ==
So there are also examples in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — there are many examples — but this is well known to most of you.

So one day, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was standing on the Dakṣiṇeśvar porch and he was watching the huge Gaṅgā flowing serenely. There were some boatmen, and two boatmen were quarrelling at quite a distance — but they could be clearly perceived. And one stronger boatman gave a big blow to the weaker boatman. And that fellow cried out. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was experiencing it and he cried out — and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's voice is not a whisper but like a lion's roar. When he wants, he can roar like a lion.
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== The Magnetic Power of Swami Vivekānanda ==
People don't take notice of it. Swami Vivekānanda could do that — five thousand people could hear, with pin-drop silence, every single syllable that he uttered. Is it poetic fancy? No.

A witness who witnessed this — he described, she described rather — that the whole hall became absolutely silent. Pin-drop silent. Swamijī had that power.

Usually what happens — see, I have seen so many times, you can watch on YouTube also — Swami is talking and people even right in front are sitting and talking and joking and prodding each other. We get so many things. That shows that the lecturer, the teacher, is not able to draw their attention.

But here: the moment he gets up — and you know Swamijī's speciality — he never starts his lecture straight away. This is my opportunity — "I don't want to lose a second, so let me drill into these people's brains whatever I want to tell." No — he will just stand for a few moments, surveying the whole thing like a lion sitting on a high ground and surveying everything. And there is some power — a mysterious power — and the whole audience's attention was drawn one-pointedly to Swami Vivekānanda.

Perhaps you know this, but some of you may not know at all. When Swamijī — Swami Vivekānanda — stands on the podium, everybody becomes like small ants, the smallest of ants.

Who is telling this? Swami Atulanandajī, later on called Guru Dās Mahārāj. He attended when Swami Vivekānanda visited America for the second time, for his health. Then he saw — so he was actually initiated as Brahmacārya by Swami Abhedānandajī, but he was fortunate enough to receive ''Mantra Dīkṣā'' '''मन्त्र दीक्षा''' from Holy Mother herself. Holy Mother loved him as her own child.
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== The Experience of Swami Atulanandajī ==
So he said: when Swami Vivekānanda entered into the hall, there were many people known to him from earlier visits, and they were all joyous to meet Swami Vivekānanda. To be in the company of a ''Brahmajñānī'' is to be joyful — there is no place for misery. At least for the time being, all misery will be kept at a long distance.

So Swami Vivekānanda was chatting, and Swami Atulanandajī was thinking — some thoughts were passing through his mind: "Is this so-called Swami Vivekānanda — he was not even tall, he was not even fat, he was not even strong — what is so great about him? Why do people, with subdued silence and the highest reverence, talk about Swami Vivekānanda?" So he was wondering in his own mind.

Then he said the meeting was over with the devotees. It was time for him to get up on the podium. And then he got up on to the podium, and when he stood there surveying — like a lion surveying his whole domain, sitting on a very high place, a high mountain — then he said: "Suddenly I perceived. He looked as though he had spread himself onto the sky. He was the tallest person in the whole world. Everybody became a pygmy compared to him. And then silence fell — as if nobody could think, much less talk about anything else — excepting their complete attention. As if a huge magnet had pulled every small iron filing towards itself."

Of course, these are not his exact words, but they convey the meaning quite well.
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== The Secret of Swami Vivekānanda's Power ==
So then he opened his mouth. What did Swami Vivekānanda do? Later on we know that: "I watch the people. I draw their attention. I make their minds attain to the highest best they can — and then they have no other awareness of anybody else excepting the voice that stems from myself. Myself means ''Aham Brahmāsmi''."

So there are so many incidents — I don't want to tell them all — but this is just to say: when Swami Vivekānanda stands there, nobody can even think of anything else. But what is this tremendous joy, this tremendous positiveness, this tremendous peace, this tremendous, indescribable joy? What is its cause? Nobody can tell. Because he drew all of them unto himself — like himself. That is the power.

So these great people who came here — eager to realise Brahman — "So what? Where from is this power coming? How come this man — he appears to be very ordinary, but he makes a lasting impression upon everybody?" This is a very common phenomenon. Those who go to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa are attracted again and again. Those who go to Ramaṇa Maharṣi are attracted again and again.

So what is that power? And if we become attuned to that same state, we can also become like him. Because only a power-storehouse of ''Ānanda'' can alone give ''Ānanda'' to anybody else. Nobody else can give. Whatever one has, that much only one can give. If a person has five grammes of happiness, very soon it will be exhausted. But here is a man who is the source of infinity.
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== The Question at the Heart of the Ninth Mantra ==
So these people started thinking — they must have come across some such person. Maybe they gathered in an āśrama where there was a Ṛṣi. And I am sure there was some, even though they did not mention it. Because who is teaching them? The teaching that is coming there — as an answer to the questions that arose in the minds of these seekers of Brahman — is answered in the next mantra: the most important mantra in the whole Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, the very essence, which is called ''Upadeśa Kāṇḍa'' — the main teaching — where this ''Mahāvākya'' comes. ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''

So we imagine: '''किम् उतत् ब्रह्म अवेत्''' what did our Gurudeva, who always teaches us ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' — what did he understand? What knowledge did he obtain?

"Well then — what did that Brahman know?यस्मात yasmat.'''यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति'''"[''yasmad tat sarvam abhavad iti''].. and because of that knowledge of Brahman, because of which he became all — that means he became pure ''Sat'', pure ''Cit'', and pure ''Ānanda''."
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== The Awakening from the Net of ''Avidyā'' ==
So we have to imagine that these people were discussing about Brahman. Why were they discussing? Because suddenly they awoke from millions of lives — the net of ''Avidyā'' or ''Māyā'' — they became aware. Like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: the young chicks of the Homa bird, falling down, after several days suddenly their eyes are opened. They realise: "We will be smashed to pieces, smithereens!" So they turn back to their mother, who is high up in the sky. Symbolism — our mother is the Divine Mother, or Brahman Śakti. And we are all her children, and we are falling down. And then suddenly, after a long time, after many lives, we realise: "We will be smashed to death. Endless suffering seems to be our fate."

Then these people become awake. Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached! Then they turn back — and that turning back is called joining a ''Sadguru''. And then, complete with complete faith — ''Śraddhā'' '''श्रद्धा''' — surrendering themselves: "Whatever you say is only God saying that. There is no difference between you and God. '''''Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo''' '''Maheśvaraḥ'''.''"'''गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः''' [source; ''Skandapuran-Gurugita-Gurustotram'']
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== Conclusion: The Guru's Teaching as Grace ==
''Kiṃ utat Brahma āvet'' '''किम् उतत् ब्रह्म अवेत् —''' "Because of which he became everything — that means he became ''Ekam'''एकम्''''' . There is no dv''itiyā['''द्वितीय ]''''' . How did he become that? Let us know. Let us also surrender. Let us humbly ask. Let us serve him, please him, and ask our question. And let him bestow his grace."

One important point we have to note down: here the Guru's teaching, the ''Sadguru''<nowiki/>'s teaching, is not a teaching. It is grace flowing in the form of words — entering into the hearts of the listeners, sincere seekers — and awakening them to their own true nature. What a beautiful topic. 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 27 on 25 April 2026

2026-06-23T15:03:36Z

Gayatri:

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 पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Completing the Eighth Mantra: The Psychology of Love ==
We have completed the '''8th''' mantra in the '''4th sectio'''n'''[Brahmana'''] of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, and that concerns the psychology of love. The essence is: there is nobody in this world who loves anything else other than his or her own self. One's own self is the dearest, nearest, most beloved.

And what is the nature of one's own self? Pure joy — ''Ānanda Svarūpa['''आनन्द स्वरूपः ]''''' — unbroken happiness. It is not broken. It is not accompanied by its opposite, called ''Duḥkh[ '''दुःख''' ]''. In this world, everything comes in a dualistic form. Dual doesn't mean two — dual means everything comes with its opposite: happiness and unhappiness, life and death, good and evil, honour and dishonour, profit and loss, etc. These words we get in the Bhagavad Gītā very often. '''सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-३८'''॥[''sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi'' ]One should keep one's mind in the midst of these realities absolutely calm and quiet, because they come and go.

But one's desire will be for ''Ānanda'', for bliss. Why? Because I am, you are, everything is Brahman. The nature of Brahman is ''Sat'', ''Cit'', ''Ānanda'''सत् चित आनन्द'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' So we are really wanting to be our own selves — which implies that at the moment, we think we are not Brahman. That is the subject matter.

So the quest of every ''Jīva'' is only for: "Let me not die. Let me not be ignorant. And let me never be unhappy. Let me live eternally. Let me know everything. And let me always have unbroken joy." Is that possible? Yes, it is possible. How is it possible? Because that is my nature.

So what is my nature now? Nature doesn't change, but our perception of nature changes. I think I am not Brahman. Therefore I am covered by the net of death, of little knowledge, or sometimes the absence of knowledge, or complete misunderstanding of what is right and what is truth. And we are having a little bit of happiness — surrounded by, bracketed by, unhappiness. 99% unhappiness, 1% happiness. Whenever we forget any object, what results is called broken happiness.

So that is the subject matter of every scripture in this world — that state of knowledge. Not even a state of the mind, but a state of knowledge. That is called full knowledge, ''Pūrṇam''. And that is the subject matter, whether we know it or not. We are in search of our own selves — like a musk deer in search of the intoxicating fragrance that emanates from its own self.
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== The Madhu Vidyā: Knowledge of What Is Most Dear ==
So this subject matter is coming here. And these mantras in the first chapter — which is called ''Madhu Vidyā'', [('''मधुविद्या)]''' honey — the knowledge of honey. Honey means what? That which is most dear. That's why in the English language, those who love each other call each other "dear," like that. So what is most dear? That is my own nature — I myself. I am the most dear. I am the nearest to myself. But what is the problem? At this moment I am not aware of it. And this discussion was coming.

So, as we all know, Brahman becomes the whole universe. First it becomes the object without life. Then slowly this inorganic matter evolves into organic matter. Organic matter always means matter with life. And this is not coming from another planet — it is evolving from so-called inorganic matter. Life, sleeping and dormant — that is called inorganic. And life, manifesting slowly — that is called organic. Beginning from one cell, then infinite cells, then from the amoeba, insects, birds, animals — then all the plant kingdom, the bird kingdom — then finally life evolves into human nature.

After millions of births, slowly through experience, man awakens. And then he starts thinking: "Why am I suffering? Is there any way out of this suffering? Does anybody know what is the way? And how does one live without death, without ignorance, without suffering?"

And the scriptures tell us: "Yes. There were people." And the scripture is nothing but the experience of a Ṛṣi or a sage who knows, who has gone beyond the limitations of this ''anātmā'' '''(अनात्मा)''' — time, space, and causation.
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== The Ninth and Tenth Mantras: The Heart of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
So these mantras — the 9th and 10th in the 4th section'''[4th Brahmana]''' — are the very heart and essence of this entire Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all the Upaniṣads, of all the Gītā, of the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, the Bible, the Koran, the Guru Granth Sāhib — every scripture of every religion. The essence is only one: "How can I become God?" God means — we may not dare to say "I wish to become God" — but: "I wish that I have no death. I wish I have no ignorance. I wish I will never ever experience even one billionth of unhappiness, for one trillionth of a second also." So that is the subject matter, which is expressed beautifully in this 9th and 10th mantra.

The 9th mantra is a small mantra. It is only one mantra '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते । किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति ॥ ९ ॥'''—['''''tadāhuryadbrahmavidyayā sarvaṁ bhaviṣyanto manuṣyā manyante kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi||]''''' This is the original mantra in the 4th section[4th Brahmana], 9th mantra. Let us first split the sentence and then understand the English meaning. The explanation will come later on — we will deal with it.

Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः]''', they say, explanation will come later on , we will deal with it .
== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker[Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] ]''' ==
Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] means''' It looks as if some people — those who are awakened '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14'''] a person has been sleeping to the knowledge of one's own self, and after a lot of suffering, he starts thinking. And ultimately he studies the scriptures, and he understands that there is a way out of the suffering. One need not have even the slightest bit of suffering. On the other hand, one can have an infinite amount of ''Ānanda''. Even the word happiness, joy, or pleasure will not cover that word ''Ānanda''. It is a very specific word, which means infinite and eternal happiness. The simplest way of translating the word ''Ānanda'' is: unbroken happiness for all eternity.

Even now — even one trillionth of a second — we are not bound, we are not deviating from that experience. Even now. But the mind creates all the problems.

So there were some people. They awoke. And then they became aware: "I am suffering." And they became aware there is a way out of suffering. Then they became aware that there are some people who know, who have gone beyond the net of ''Māyā'', beyond time, space, and causation. So those people are teaching. They are available.
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== Are ''Brahmajñānīs'' Available Today? ==
So here we can pause and ask a question: are these ''Brahmajñānīs'' available even today?now? Yes — the scripture gives an unequivocal answer. And the question should not be: "Are there such people?" The question should be: "Am I fit to approach such people?" When I am fit, immediately I recognise. And then a scriptural support is there: every day, every time, everywhere, there would be some people who have realised God — in simple words, who know "I am Brahman." But they cannot be recognised by unfit people.

So such people are available only for those who are fit. Only they can recognise, they can approach, and they surrender themselves.'''तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |'''

'''उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: || 34|| ad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ''' [Bhagavad Gita - chapter 4 - verse 34] So they are available.

And then Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say — or even Swami Vivekānanda used to say — "When the field is ready, the seed must come."
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== The Example of Nāgamahāśaya ==
There was a wonderful incident in the life of Nāgamahāśaya. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was asked by Nāgamahāśaya: "I would like to renounce home, because I think home is not a proper place for pursuing spiritual ''sādhanā''s — practices." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "No. You be at home. You will be a shining example of how one can be a married person, one can be with family, and one can also realise Brahman."

Even in recent times in Bombay, there was a great soul called Nisargadatta Mahārāj, and his conversations have become very popular and are available now on the internet also. Nisargadatta Mahārāj was a very ordinary person, probably running a tea shop — I do not remember. But he was like fire covered up. Then some people discovered him and they started coming. All great people have to be discovered. Ramaṇa Maharṣi was also discovered — somewhere sitting there in a cave. But people recognised: there is something very special about him. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was recognised, Swami Vivekānanda was recognised. Who can recognise? Only fit people can recognise.
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== Who Is a True Brāhmaṇa? ==
Then there was a discussion now. "We would like to obtain the same experience and know like these." So then these people,knowers of Brahman — some Brāhmaṇas — but who is a Brāhmaṇa? Not a caste Brāhmaṇa, but one who is eager for ''Brahma Jñāna'', '''''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah ||''one who really knows Brahman through experience — not through second-hand information like studying books, etc., or even hearing lectures — but by one's own practice and experience. He is called a Brāhmaṇa.
'''''जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते।वेदाभ्यास भवति विप्र ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः||'''''

This is a beautiful ''śloka'' which I have quoted quite a number of times.'''''जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते।वेदाभ्यास भवति विप्र ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः||'''''

''janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṃskārāddvija ucyate |''

''vedabhyasa bhavati Vipra Brahma janati brahmanah ||''

''meaning; A Person is born Shudra by birth and becomes Brahmin after ritual. By the practice of the Vedas, he becomes wise and by knowing the Brahman he becomes Brahman himself.''

Everyone is only a ''Śūdra'' according to Hinduism. ''Śūdra'' is the lowest caste, which means highly ignorant. But this person becomes, through proper training of thoughts — either by parents, by teachers, or by one's own effort — they eliminate and overcome unhelpful ''Saṃskāra''s and develop positive, strength-giving, spiritual ''Saṃskāra''s. And it may take several lives. Such people are called ''Dvija''s — twice-born.

The word used when a Brāhmin undergoes the ceremony called '''yagnyopavita[यज्ञोपवीतम्]''' — or baptism in every religion — it is there: to enter and step into a spiritual life, a new life as it were. New life means that in which the previous worldly life is dead and a new beginning is made. That is called birth. New birth means new beginning. That is why every new year is a new start. But then why only every new year? Every day, as soon as we get up from deep sleep, it is a new year — because God gives a new opportunity to everybody.

So some people — they are called Brāhmaṇas — but ''Saṃskāra'' should lead to the feet of the Guru, through whom a person learns the very essence of scriptures. Scripture is another form of God — or to know about God. What is the relationship between me and God? Who am I really? Am I related to God in which way? Am I separate from God but related? Or very near to him? Part of him? Or am I the whole of him, or not? '''Purnam पूर्णम्''' That is how spiritual progress is made.
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== The Goal: Becoming Brahman ==
So such people — they were discussing: "About them we had enough of this worldly life. We would like to become Brahman." How does one become? How does one become a musician? By making oneself music. Learning means becoming. How does one become a carpenter? By becoming a carpenter. How does one become a good cook? By becoming a good cook. How does one become a good swimmer? By swimming. There is no purely intellectual knowledge — one has to become what one wants to be.

So these people said: "We would like to become Brahman." And why do we want to become Brahman?because ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो brihadarayaka upanishad 1.4.9''' Because once we understand, through the knowledge of Brahman — ''Brahmavidyā'' — ''Brahmavidyā Aapnoti Param'''ॐ ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् ।'''''<nowiki/>''':[Taittiriya Upanishad2.1.1]''' Brahman attains the very highest. What do you mean by highest? He goes beyond death. He goes beyond ignorance. He goes beyond suffering. That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. What is ''Brahmavidyā''? Becoming — or knowing — "I am Brahman." That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. Then what do I become? Brahman. What is Brahman? Everything.'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत । sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta Chandogya Upanishad Verse 3.14.1[sama veda]'''
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== The Discussion Among the Seekers of Brahman ==
So it looks as if some of these great seekers of Brahman gathered together, and they were earnestly trying to find out what is the best way to think, to know that I am Brahman. The discussion started, a debate started.

"Yat यत् these people were discussing." Ya'''tयत्''' — ahuh '''आहुः''' -'''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते[tat ahuh ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' manushyah manyante]''' so men think. Which men? Not ordinary men, not a worldly person, but people who know what they are talking about. That is to say, those who are knowers of Brahman. They think — they think, meaning they know: "Through the knowledge of Brahman, we shall become — all or anybody can become — all."

Then a small deviation has come. "'''किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति [''kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi]''''' Well, what did that Brahman know — that Brahman about which we are discussing? '''किमु आवेद [kimu aved]'''What knowledge does Brahman have, because of which it became everything?"

So it is a repetition, so to say — '''यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति'''"[''yasmad tat sarvam abhavad iti''] because of which it became everything." So the answer should be: there were some seekers of Brahman. They gathered together, they were having a debate. In that debate, they expressed: "All of us would like to become Brahman." Naturally it is a discussion, so somebody — not to have doubt, not because a person is having doubt, but they want clarification, more clarification. What is that clarification?

"All right — what is Brahman? Brahman is ''Sarva''. All right. How did Brahman become ''Sarvam''? How did Brahman become everything?"
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== The Advaita Vedānta Answer: Nature Cannot Change ==
Now this question is a very deep question. Because apparently, on the surface, it looks as if we are questioning God himself: "How did you become God?" So this question "How did you become?" is completely irrelevant according to the science of logic. Because what it means is: "I was not God, but I have acquired some knowledge — maybe God-knowledge — and by acquiring that knowledge I have become God."

But Advaita Vedānta very strenuously disagrees with this kind of understanding. If somebody — first of all, somebody whose nature is something else, non-God — cannot become God. Second: how did this person become Brahman, so through some spiritual practice, ''sādhanā''? So then "Brahman, ''Brahman Sarvam Abhavat''" — becoming everything — becomes an achievable goal. "I did not have that power to become all — that means having all happiness, having pure existence, having every knowledge, all knowledge — I was not having, but having become Brahman, I obtained all these things."

So logic teaches us: if somebody becomes something else, that means it implies that someone was not Brahman, but through some means that person had somehow become identified with Brahman, and then, like Brahman, he became all.

So what is the point we are discussing? The discussion is not about Brahman. According to Advaita, Brahman is the eternal, ever-existing reality. So therefore, how did Brahman become Brahman? How did it become all? The question does not apply to Brahman. But another person — who thought he was not Brahman —but heard that by practising certain disciplines one can become Brahman. So he practised these things, and he became Brahman.

I hope this logic is — I am trying to make it as clear as possible. It takes time to understand.
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== The Analogy of Sugar: Nature Cannot Be Altered ==
So according to Advaita logic: what one becomes — "becomes" means what? I was not this, but I became this after ''sādhanā''. So according to Advaita, one's whole nature can never be changed.

Sugar, for example — was not sugar. Sugar was not sweet. And it practised some discipline, and then it became sweet. And that name for sweetness is called sugar. Therefore: "I became sugar. I was not sugar, I was not non-sugar. So being non-sugar, I practised something, I knew something, I became sugar." This logic is not acceptable at all.

Because what these Advaitins tell through logic is: if a person who is not sweet becomes sugar through some means, that means one can change oneself into something else. If one can change oneself into something else, why can't, after becoming sugar, he also become bitter? He can also become salty. He can also become sour. Maybe sour persons are like that.

So what is meant is: that if a person is of a particular nature — and what is nature? That which can never be deviated from, changed into. One remains. Sweetness will ever remain sweetness in whichever form — maybe sugarcane, maybe some fruits are very sweet. Sweetness will be sweetness, irrespective of whatever it is. You can't change them. Impossible. Nature cannot be changed.

And then, if something can be changed, it attains changeability. Changeability means: "Yes, you have become — you are not God, you became God, and later on you became non-God, etc." That is not acceptable.
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== The True Understanding: Ignorance of One's Own Nature ==
So we have to say there is something called Brahman. That Brahman is of the nature of ''Saccidānanda''. And that nature of ''Saccidānanda'' never changes.

Again, so then we can only infer from this discussion of the Brāhmaṇas that they must have been discussing about somebody who was an ignorant person. So his nature was Brahman, but he was not aware of it. But he came to know through the scripture: "Oh man, you are thinking you are a man. But really you are not a man. You are none other than Brahman.You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'''''" And then he would not believe at first — for ''janma janmāntara'', life after life — this person came believing that "I am not Brahman." So overnight such a thing cannot change.

But then he started practising certain disciplines. Then he started understanding: "Really, if I am the body, then the body should be eternal. But every millisecond the body is changing. And that which is changing cannot be myself." Similarly, apply this to the mind also. If I am the mind, I should be there. If I am a happy person — what is mind? Mind means thoughts. So what is this thought? The moment the thought comes "I am a happy person, I am very happy" — and it should never change. But then what do we find? Even the smallest mosquito sound changes my happiness into its complete opposite.

So that which is changing cannot be called my nature. By definition, nature is that which cannot be changed. And that which can be changed is not my nature.
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== The Sadguru Leads the Seeker to Realisation ==
So therefore, there was a person. And he acquired faith in the scriptures. Then he understood intellectually: "I thought I was a human being. I thought I was subject to birth and death. I thought I am subject to happiness, unhappiness, and varied circumstances — birth, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age, disease, death — what we call ''ṣaḍ ripur['''षड रिपुः''']'', ''ṣaḍ vikāras['''षड विकारः''' ]'' , sixfold changes." So that which is changing cannot be my nature. And therefore, through surrendering to a ''Sadguru'', the ''Sadguru'' slowly takes him forward and forward. And one day he realises: "I am Brahman."

So this man, who was an ignorant person, after a long time woke up and became aware of his condition and approached a right teacher, surrendered himself, and practised what the teacher taught. And he realised: "Like my Guru, I am also Brahman. As Brahman, me and Guru — there are no differences at all."

So this is the gist. So then these '''''Brahma Jijñāsus [ब्रह्म जिज्ञासु''''' , these ''B'''rahma Sādhaka'''''<nowiki/>'''s[ब्रह्म साधकाः ]''' — they were having this discussion. "There are some people, and they understood that if we can become Brahman, we will become everything." That means there is no second — '''''Ekameva dvitīyam nāsti[ एकमेव द्वितियम् नास्ति ]''.''' There is no second. And really, we cannot think even of Brahman, whether Brahman was this or that or what. We can only see: "How do I know what is Brahman?" As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa told — he practised. Swami Vivekānanda told — he also practised. He realised: "I am Brahman." So that is how we all realise.
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== What Does the Knower of Brahman Realise? ==
Then what did this person realise? He realised: "I am Brahman." What does that mean? That means this person says: "I am everything. What does it mean? I am me — meaning this body-mind which you see. I am you, who is looking at me, experiencing me. I am every object that you can come across. There is nothing besides me which is not me."

''So '''Brahma vidyayā sarvaṃ bhaviṣyantaḥ.[ब्रह्मविद्याय सर्वं भविष्यन्ति ]'''''

So if I become everything, what is the benefit? If we think deeply, with concentration, we understand: when I become everything, happiness and unhappiness, good and evil — everything becomes absolutely merged into one pure consciousness. That means these are not real. Happiness is not real, and equally, unhappiness is not real. Birth is not real, death is not real. Because when two opposite things are happening and I am identifying myself with both — like watching a cinema where there is a birth, where there is growth, where there is death, where there are enemies fighting with each other, there is poverty, there is wealth — and then we see wealthy people becoming poor, poor people becoming wealthy, living people who are dead, new babies who are born. And then we see that these people who are acting there are only acting — because as soon as the drama is over, they will all come out to bow down before the audience and receive their applause. So we appreciate their talent.

So all this is ''nāṭana'' '''नटन''' — only a pretence. It is not true. So then everything — the greatest evil that we see in a drama, in a cinema — becomes a source of joy. This is called ''rasāsvādana'', '''रसास्वादन''' or aesthetic happiness.
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== The Meaning of Aesthetic Happiness ==
Aesthetic happiness — I know you are all intelligent people, but I am just trying to clarify. Suppose some great painter has painted a picture of the most miserable person on earth — an old man, diseased, shrunken, man or woman — and the painting shows such unimaginable misery coming out of that picture. Involuntarily we exclaim: "How realistic it looks! How real it looks!" We don't say "It is real." We say, "How realistic it looks!" — that means it is looking that way. It is the painter's greatness — his greatness is to bring to life what is not life. Lifeless portrait brought to life. Lifeless ''bhajans'' brought to life. Lifeless literature brought to life.

So like that the experience will be there. So whether it is happiness or misery, whether a baby is born or the baby is dead — every bit becomes enjoyable when we identify ourselves as only witnesses.

Witnessing means what? I don't identify myself with any particular object — that means I become identified with everybody. I am the evil person doing terrible, indescribable, unimaginable evil. I am also the good person, a saint, who in spite of all these sufferings is expressing, manifesting godliness. Both I am identified with, and therefore at that time we become complete witnesses.

We do not even understand what is the meaning of being a witness. Being a witness means enjoying everything — not like peeping through our window where so many people are coming, some are shouting, some are quarrelling, and then we become indifferent. No — witnessing means to become everything, without partially dissecting and identifying with one part and rejecting the other part. So we become equal — ''Samadṛṣṭi'' '''समदृष्टि''' — that is called witness. It is not an indifferent look. It is to know that whatever I am witnessing is not real. What is real? The enjoyment is real. When we become the witness, the indescribable joy that we experience can never be described in words.
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== Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as the Cosmic Witness ==
So there are also examples in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — there are many examples — but this is well known to most of you.

So one day, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was standing on the Dakṣiṇeśvar porch and he was watching the huge Gaṅgā flowing serenely. There were some boatmen, and two boatmen were quarrelling at quite a distance — but they could be clearly perceived. And one stronger boatman gave a big blow to the weaker boatman. And that fellow cried out. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was experiencing it and he cried out — and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's voice is not a whisper but like a lion's roar. When he wants, he can roar like a lion.
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== The Magnetic Power of Swami Vivekānanda ==
People don't take notice of it. Swami Vivekānanda could do that — five thousand people could hear, with pin-drop silence, every single syllable that he uttered. Is it poetic fancy? No.

A witness who witnessed this — he described, she described rather — that the whole hall became absolutely silent. Pin-drop silent. Swamijī had that power.

Usually what happens — see, I have seen so many times, you can watch on YouTube also — Swami is talking and people even right in front are sitting and talking and joking and prodding each other. We get so many things. That shows that the lecturer, the teacher, is not able to draw their attention.

But here: the moment he gets up — and you know Swamijī's speciality — he never starts his lecture straight away. This is my opportunity — "I don't want to lose a second, so let me drill into these people's brains whatever I want to tell." No — he will just stand for a few moments, surveying the whole thing like a lion sitting on a high ground and surveying everything. And there is some power — a mysterious power — and the whole audience's attention was drawn one-pointedly to Swami Vivekānanda.

Perhaps you know this, but some of you may not know at all. When Swamijī — Swami Vivekānanda — stands on the podium, everybody becomes like small ants, the smallest of ants.

Who is telling this? Swami Atulanandajī, later on called Guru Dās Mahārāj. He attended when Swami Vivekānanda visited America for the second time, for his health. Then he saw — so he was actually initiated as Brahmacārya by Swami Abhedānandajī, but he was fortunate enough to receive ''Mantra Dīkṣā'' '''मन्त्र दीक्षा''' from Holy Mother herself. Holy Mother loved him as her own child.
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== The Experience of Swami Atulanandajī ==
So he said: when Swami Vivekānanda entered into the hall, there were many people known to him from earlier visits, and they were all joyous to meet Swami Vivekānanda. To be in the company of a ''Brahmajñānī'' is to be joyful — there is no place for misery. At least for the time being, all misery will be kept at a long distance.

So Swami Vivekānanda was chatting, and Swami Atulanandajī was thinking — some thoughts were passing through his mind: "Is this so-called Swami Vivekānanda — he was not even tall, he was not even fat, he was not even strong — what is so great about him? Why do people, with subdued silence and the highest reverence, talk about Swami Vivekānanda?" So he was wondering in his own mind.

Then he said the meeting was over with the devotees. It was time for him to get up on the podium. And then he got up on to the podium, and when he stood there surveying — like a lion surveying his whole domain, sitting on a very high place, a high mountain — then he said: "Suddenly I perceived. He looked as though he had spread himself onto the sky. He was the tallest person in the whole world. Everybody became a pygmy compared to him. And then silence fell — as if nobody could think, much less talk about anything else — excepting their complete attention. As if a huge magnet had pulled every small iron filing towards itself."

Of course, these are not his exact words, but they convey the meaning quite well.
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== The Secret of Swami Vivekānanda's Power ==
So then he opened his mouth. What did Swami Vivekānanda do? Later on we know that: "I watch the people. I draw their attention. I make their minds attain to the highest best they can — and then they have no other awareness of anybody else excepting the voice that stems from myself. Myself means ''Aham Brahmāsmi''."

So there are so many incidents — I don't want to tell them all — but this is just to say: when Swami Vivekānanda stands there, nobody can even think of anything else. But what is this tremendous joy, this tremendous positiveness, this tremendous peace, this tremendous, indescribable joy? What is its cause? Nobody can tell. Because he drew all of them unto himself — like himself. That is the power.

So these great people who came here — eager to realise Brahman — "So what? Where from is this power coming? How come this man — he appears to be very ordinary, but he makes a lasting impression upon everybody?" This is a very common phenomenon. Those who go to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa are attracted again and again. Those who go to Ramaṇa Maharṣi are attracted again and again.

So what is that power? And if we become attuned to that same state, we can also become like him. Because only a power-storehouse of ''Ānanda'' can alone give ''Ānanda'' to anybody else. Nobody else can give. Whatever one has, that much only one can give. If a person has five grammes of happiness, very soon it will be exhausted. But here is a man who is the source of infinity.
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== The Question at the Heart of the Ninth Mantra ==
So these people started thinking — they must have come across some such person. Maybe they gathered in an āśrama where there was a Ṛṣi. And I am sure there was some, even though they did not mention it. Because who is teaching them? The teaching that is coming there — as an answer to the questions that arose in the minds of these seekers of Brahman — is answered in the next mantra: the most important mantra in the whole Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, the very essence, which is called ''Upadeśa Kāṇḍa'' — the main teaching — where this ''Mahāvākya'' comes. ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''

So we imagine: '''किम् उतत् ब्रह्म अवेत्''' what did our Gurudeva, who always teaches us ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' — what did he understand? What knowledge did he obtain?

"Well then — what did that Brahman know?यस्मात yasmat.'''यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति'''"[''yasmad tat sarvam abhavad iti''].. and because of that knowledge of Brahman, because of which he became all — that means he became pure ''Sat'', pure ''Cit'', and pure ''Ānanda''."
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== The Awakening from the Net of ''Avidyā'' ==
So we have to imagine that these people were discussing about Brahman. Why were they discussing? Because suddenly they awoke from millions of lives — the net of ''Avidyā'' or ''Māyā'' — they became aware. Like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: the young chicks of the Homa bird, falling down, after several days suddenly their eyes are opened. They realise: "We will be smashed to pieces, smithereens!" So they turn back to their mother, who is high up in the sky. Symbolism — our mother is the Divine Mother, or Brahman Śakti. And we are all her children, and we are falling down. And then suddenly, after a long time, after many lives, we realise: "We will be smashed to death. Endless suffering seems to be our fate."

Then these people become awake. Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached! Then they turn back — and that turning back is called joining a ''Sadguru''. And then, complete with complete faith — ''Śraddhā'' '''श्रद्धा''' — surrendering themselves: "Whatever you say is only God saying that. There is no difference between you and God. '''''Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo''' '''Maheśvaraḥ'''.''"'''गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः''' [source; ''Skandapuran-Gurugita-Gurustotram'']
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== Conclusion: The Guru's Teaching as Grace ==
''Kiṃ utat Brahma āvet'' '''किम् उतत् ब्रह्म अवेत् —''' "Because of which he became everything — that means he became ''Ekam'''एकम्''''' . There is no dv''itiyā['''द्वितीय ]''''' . How did he become that? Let us know. Let us also surrender. Let us humbly ask. Let us serve him, please him, and ask our question. And let him bestow his grace."

One important point we have to note down: here the Guru's teaching, the ''Sadguru''<nowiki/>'s teaching, is not a teaching. It is grace flowing in the form of words — entering into the hearts of the listeners, sincere seekers — and awakening them to their own true nature. What a beautiful topic. 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 27 on 25 April 2026

2026-06-23T14:14:49Z

Gayatri: /* Who Is a True Brāhmaṇa? */

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 पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH

OM That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.

OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.

== Completing the Eighth Mantra: The Psychology of Love ==
We have completed the 8th mantra in the 4th section'''[Brahmana'''] of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, and that concerns the psychology of love. The essence is: there is nobody in this world who loves anything else other than his or her own self. One's own self is the dearest, nearest, most beloved.

And what is the nature of one's own self? Pure joy — ''Ānanda Svarūpa['''आनन्द स्वरूपः ]''''' — unbroken happiness. It is not broken. It is not accompanied by its opposite, called ''Duḥkh[ '''दुःख''' ]''. In this world, everything comes in a dualistic form. Dual doesn't mean two — dual means everything comes with its opposite: happiness and unhappiness, life and death, good and evil, honour and dishonour, profit and loss, etc. These words we get in the Bhagavad Gītā very often. '''सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ ।ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ २-३८'''॥[''sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi'' ]One should keep one's mind in the midst of these realities absolutely calm and quiet, because they come and go.

But one's desire will be for ''Ānanda'', for bliss. Why? Because I am, you are, everything is Brahman. The nature of Brahman is ''Sat'', ''Cit'', ''Ānanda'''सत् चित आनन्द'''''<nowiki/>'''.''' So we are really wanting to be our own selves — which implies that at the moment, we think we are not Brahman. That is the subject matter.

So the quest of every ''Jīva'' is only for: "Let me not die. Let me not be ignorant. And let me never be unhappy. Let me live eternally. Let me know everything. And let me always have unbroken joy." Is that possible? Yes, it is possible. How is it possible? Because that is my nature.

So what is my nature now? Nature doesn't change, but our perception of nature changes. I think I am not Brahman. Therefore I am covered by the net of death, of little knowledge, or sometimes the absence of knowledge, or complete misunderstanding of what is right and what is truth. And we are having a little bit of happiness — surrounded by, bracketed by, unhappiness. 99% unhappiness, 1% happiness. Whenever we forget any object, what results is called broken happiness.

So that is the subject matter of every scripture in this world — that state of knowledge. Not even a state of the mind, but a state of knowledge. That is called full knowledge, ''Pūrṇam''. And that is the subject matter, whether we know it or not. We are in search of our own selves — like a musk deer in search of the intoxicating fragrance that emanates from its own self.
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== The Madhu Vidyā: Knowledge of What Is Most Dear ==
So this subject matter is coming here. And these mantras in the first chapter — which is called ''Madhu Vidyā'', [('''मधुविद्या)]''' honey — the knowledge of honey. Honey means what? That which is most dear. That's why in the English language, those who love each other call each other "dear," like that. So what is most dear? That is my own nature — I myself. I am the most dear. I am the nearest to myself. But what is the problem? At this moment I am not aware of it. And this discussion was coming.

So, as we all know, Brahman becomes the whole universe. First it becomes the object without life. Then slowly this inorganic matter evolves into organic matter. Organic matter always means matter with life. And this is not coming from another planet — it is evolving from so-called inorganic matter. Life, sleeping and dormant — that is called inorganic. And life, manifesting slowly — that is called organic. Beginning from one cell, then infinite cells, then from the amoeba, insects, birds, animals — then all the plant kingdom, the bird kingdom — then finally life evolves into human nature.

After millions of births, slowly through experience, man awakens. And then he starts thinking: "Why am I suffering? Is there any way out of this suffering? Does anybody know what is the way? And how does one live without death, without ignorance, without suffering?"

And the scriptures tell us: "Yes. There were people." And the scripture is nothing but the experience of a Ṛṣi or a sage who knows, who has gone beyond the limitations of this ''anātmā'' '''(अनात्मा)''' — time, space, and causation.
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== The Ninth and Tenth Mantras: The Heart of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ==
So these mantras — the 9th and 10th in the 4th section'''[4th Brahmana]''' — are the very heart and essence of this entire Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, of all the Upaniṣads, of all the Gītā, of the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, the Bible, the Koran, the Guru Granth Sāhib — every scripture of every religion. The essence is only one: "How can I become God?" God means — we may not dare to say "I wish to become God" — but: "I wish that I have no death. I wish I have no ignorance. I wish I will never ever experience even one billionth of unhappiness, for one trillionth of a second also." So that is the subject matter, which is expressed beautifully in this 9th and 10th mantra.

The 9th mantra is a small mantra. It is only one mantra '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते । किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति ॥ ९ ॥'''—['''''tadāhuryadbrahmavidyayā sarvaṁ bhaviṣyanto manuṣyā manyante kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi||]''''' This is the original mantra in the 4th section[4th Brahmana], 9th mantra. Let us first split the sentence and then understand the English meaning. The explanation will come later on — we will deal with it.

Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः]''', they say, explanation will come later on , we will deal with it .
== The Awakening of the Spiritual Seeker[Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] ]''' ==
Tat ahuh ['''तत् आहुः] means''' It looks as if some people — those who are awakened '''उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत'''। ''[uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varānnibodhata]'' | कठोपनिषद् अध्याय १ वल्ली ३Verse १४[ '''Kathopanishad Chapter 1 valli 3 verse 14'''] a person has been sleeping to the knowledge of one's own self, and after a lot of suffering, he starts thinking. And ultimately he studies the scriptures, and he understands that there is a way out of the suffering. One need not have even the slightest bit of suffering. On the other hand, one can have an infinite amount of ''Ānanda''. Even the word happiness, joy, or pleasure will not cover that word ''Ānanda''. It is a very specific word, which means infinite and eternal happiness. The simplest way of translating the word ''Ānanda'' is: unbroken happiness for all eternity.

Even now — even one trillionth of a second — we are not bound, we are not deviating from that experience. Even now. But the mind creates all the problems.

So there were some people. They awoke. And then they became aware: "I am suffering." And they became aware there is a way out of suffering. Then they became aware that there are some people who know, who have gone beyond the net of ''Māyā'', beyond time, space, and causation. So those people are teaching. They are available.
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== Are ''Brahmajñānīs'' Available Today? ==
So here we can pause and ask a question: are these ''Brahmajñānīs'' available even today, now? Yes — the scripture gives an unequivocal answer. And the question should not be: "Are there such people?" The question should be: "Am I fit to approach such people?" When I am fit, immediately I recognise. And then a scriptural support is there: every day, every time, everywhere, there would be some people who have realised God — in simple words, who know "I am Brahman." But they cannot be recognised by unfit people.

So such people are available only for those who are fit. Only they can recognise, they can approach, and they surrender themselves.'''तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया |'''

'''उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: || 34|| ad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ''' [Bhagavad Gita - chapter 4 - verse 34] So they are available.

And then Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say — or even Swami Vivekānanda used to say — "When the field is ready, the seed must come."
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== The Example of Nāgamahāśaya ==
There was a wonderful incident in the life of Nāgamahāśaya. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was asked by Nāgamahāśaya: "I would like to renounce home, because I think home is not a proper place for pursuing spiritual ''sādhanā''s — practices." Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "No. You be at home. You will be a shining example of how one can be a married person, one can be with family, and one can also realise Brahman."

Even in recent times in Bombay, there was a great soul called Nisargadatta Mahārāj, and his conversations have become very popular and are available now on the internet also. Nisargadatta Mahārāj was a very ordinary person, probably running a tea shop — I do not remember. But he was like fire covered up. Then some people discovered him and they started coming. All great people have to be discovered. Ramaṇa Maharṣi was also discovered — somewhere sitting there in a cave. But people recognised: there is something very special about him. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was recognised, Swami Vivekānanda was recognised. Who can recognise? Only fit people can recognise.
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== Who Is a True Brāhmaṇa? ==
Then there was a discussion now. "We would like to obtain the same experience and know like these." So then these people,knowers of Brahman — some Brāhmaṇas — but who is a Brāhmaṇa? Not a caste Brāhmaṇa, but one who is eager for ''Brahma Jñāna'', '''''ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः|'''|Brahma janati brahmanah ||''one who really knows Brahman through experience — not through second-hand information like studying books, etc., or even hearing lectures — but by one's own practice and experience. He is called a Brāhmaṇa.

'''''जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते।वेदाभ्यास भवति विप्र ब्रह्मम जानति ब्राह्मणः||'''''

''janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṃskārāddvija ucyate |''

''vedabhyasa bhavati Vipra Brahma janati brahmanah ||''

''meaning; A Person is born Shudra by birth and becomes Brahmin after ritual. By the practice of the Vedas, he becomes wise and by knowing the Brahman he becomes Brahman himself.''

This is a beautiful ''śloka'' which I have quoted quite a number of times. Everyone is only a ''Śūdra'' according to Hinduism. ''Śūdra'' is the lowest caste, which means highly ignorant. But this person becomes, through proper training of thoughts — either by parents, by teachers, or by one's own effort — they eliminate and overcome unhelpful ''Saṃskāra''s and develop positive, strength-giving, spiritual ''Saṃskāra''s. And it may take several lives. Such people are called ''Dvija''s — twice-born.

The word used when a Brāhmin undergoes the ceremony called '''yagnyopavita[यज्ञोपवीतम्]''' — or baptism in every religion — it is there: to enter and step into a spiritual life, a new life as it were. New life means that in which the previous worldly life is dead and a new beginning is made. That is called birth. New birth means new beginning. That is why every new year is a new start. But then why only every new year? Every day, as soon as we get up from deep sleep, it is a new year — because God gives a new opportunity to everybody.

So some people — they are called Brāhmaṇas — but ''Saṃskāra'' should lead to the feet of the Guru, through whom a person learns the very essence of scriptures. Scripture is another form of God — or to know about God. What is the relationship between me and God? Who am I really? Am I related to God in which way? Am I separate from God but related? Or very near to him? Part of him? Or am I the whole of him, or not? '''Purnamपूर्णम्''' That is how spiritual progress is made.
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== The Goal: Becoming Brahman ==
So such people — they were discussing: "About them we had info of this worldly life. We would like to become Brahman." How does one become? How does one become a musician? By making oneself music. Learning means becoming. How does one become a carpenter? By becoming a carpenter. How does one become a good cook? By becoming a good cook. How does one become a good swimmer? By swimming. There is no purely intellectual knowledge — one has to become what one wants to be.

So these people said: "We would like to become Brahman." And why do we want to become Brahman?because ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' '''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो brihadarayaka upanishad 1.4.9''' Because once we understand, through the knowledge of Brahman — ''Brahmavidyā'' — ''Brahmavidyā Aapnoti Param'''ॐ ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् ।'''''<nowiki/>''':[Taittiriya Upanishad2.1.1]''' Brahman attains the very highest. What do you mean by highest? He goes beyond death. He goes beyond ignorance. He goes beyond suffering. That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. What is ''Brahmavidyā''? Becoming — or knowing — "I am Brahman." That is called ''Brahmavidyā''. Then what do I become? Brahman. What is Brahman? Everything.'''सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत । sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta Chandogya Upanishad Verse 3.14.1[sama veda]'''
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== The Discussion Among the Seekers of Brahman ==
So it looks as if some of these great seekers of Brahman gathered together, and they were earnestly trying to find out what is the best way to think, to know that I am Brahman. The discussion started, a debate started.

"Yat यत् these people were discussing." Ya'''tयत्''' — ahuh '''आहुः''' -'''तदाहुर्यद्ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वं भविष्यन्तो मनुष्या मन्यन्ते[tat ahuh ''brahma vidyaya sarvam bhavishyantah'' manushyah manyante]''' so men think. Which men? Not ordinary men, not a worldly person, but people who know what they are talking about. That is to say, those who are knowers of Brahman. They think — they think, meaning they know: "Through the knowledge of Brahman, we shall become — all or anybody can become — all."

Then a small deviation has come. "'''किमु तद्ब्रह्मावेद्यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति [''kimu tadbrahmā'vedyasmāttatsarvamabhavaditi]''''' Well, what did that Brahman know — that Brahman about which we are discussing? '''किमु आवेद [kimu aved]'''What knowledge does Brahman have, because of which it became everything?"

So it is a repetition, so to say — '''यस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवदिति'''"[''yasmad tat sarvam abhavad iti''] because of which it became everything." So the answer should be: there were some seekers of Brahman. They gathered together, they were having a debate. In that debate, they expressed: "All of us would like to become Brahman." Naturally it is a discussion, so somebody — not to have doubt, not because a person is having doubt, but they want clarification, more clarification. What is that clarification?

"All right — what is Brahman? Brahman is ''Sarva''. All right. How did Brahman become ''Sarva''? How did Brahman become everything?"
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== The Advaita Vedānta Answer: Nature Cannot Change ==
Now this question is a very deep question. Because apparently, on the surface, it looks as if we are questioning God himself: "How did you become God?" So this question "How did you become?" is completely irrelevant according to the science of logic. Because what it means is: "I was not God, but I have acquired some knowledge — maybe God-knowledge — and by acquiring that knowledge I have become God."

But Advaita Vedānta very strenuously disagrees with this kind of understanding. If somebody — first of all, somebody whose nature is something else, non-God — cannot become God. Second: how did this person become Brahman, so through some spiritual practice, ''sādhanā''? So then "Brahman, ''Brahman Sarvam Abhavat''" — becoming everything — becomes an achievable goal. "I did not have that power to become all — that means having all happiness, having pure existence, having every knowledge, all knowledge — I was not having, but having become Brahman, I obtained all these things."

So logic teaches us: if somebody becomes something else, that means it implies that someone was not Brahman, but through some means that person had somehow become identified with Brahman, and then, like Brahman, he became all.

So what is the point we are discussing? The discussion is not about Brahman. According to Advaita, Brahman is the eternal, ever-existing reality. So therefore, how did Brahman become Brahman? How did it become all? The question does not apply to Brahman. But another person — who thought he was not Brahman —but heard that by practising certain disciplines one can become Brahman. So he practised these things, and he became Brahman.

I hope this logic is — I am trying to make it as clear as possible. It takes time to understand.
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== The Analogy of Sugar: Nature Cannot Be Altered ==
So according to Advaita logic: what one becomes — "becomes" means what? I was not this, but I became this after ''sādhanā''. So according to Advaita, one's whole nature can never be changed.

Sugar, for example — was not sugar. Sugar was not sweet. And it practised some discipline, and then it became sweet. And that name for sweetness is called sugar. Therefore: "I became sugar. I was not sugar, I was not non-sugar. So being non-sugar, I practised something, I knew something, I became sugar." This logic is not acceptable at all.

Because what these Advaitins tell through logic is: if a person who is not sweet becomes sugar through some means, that means one can change oneself into something else. If one can change oneself into something else, why can't, after becoming sugar, he also become bitter? He can also become salty. He can also become sour. Maybe sour persons are like that.

So what is meant is: that if a person is of a particular nature — and what is nature? That which can never be deviated from, changed into. One remains. Sweetness will ever remain sweetness in whichever form — maybe sugarcane, maybe some fruits are very sweet. Sweetness will be sweetness, irrespective of whatever it is. You can't change them. Impossible. Nature cannot be changed.

And then, if something can be changed, it attains changeability. Changeability means: "Yes, you have become — you are not God, you became God, and later on you became non-God, etc." That is not acceptable.
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== The True Understanding: Ignorance of One's Own Nature ==
So we have to say there is something called Brahman. That Brahman is of the nature of ''Saccidānanda''. And that nature of ''Saccidānanda'' never changes.

Again, so then we can only infer from this discussion of the Brāhmaṇas that they must have been discussing about somebody who was an ignorant person. So his nature was Brahman, but he was not aware of it. But he came to know through the scripture: "Oh man, you are thinking you are a man. But really you are not a man. You are none other than Brahman.You are That."['''तत् त्वम् असि''']['''''Tat tvam asi] Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda'''''" And then he would not believe at first — for ''janma janmāntara'', life after life — this person came believing that "I am not Brahman." So overnight such a thing cannot change.

But then he started practising certain disciplines. Then he started understanding: "Really, if I am the body, then the body should be eternal. But every millisecond the body is changing. And that which is changing cannot be myself." Similarly, apply this to the mind also. If I am the mind, I should be there. If I am a happy person — what is mind? Mind means thoughts. So what is this thought? The moment the thought comes "I am a happy person, I am very happy" — and it should never change. But then what do we find? Even the smallest mosquito sound changes my happiness into its complete opposite.

So that which is changing cannot be called my nature. By definition, nature is that which cannot be changed. And that which can be changed is not my nature.
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== The Sadguru Leads the Seeker to Realisation ==
So therefore, there was a person. And he acquired faith in the scriptures. Then he understood intellectually: "I thought I was a human being. I thought I was subject to birth and death. I thought I am subject to happiness, unhappiness, and varied circumstances — birth, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age, disease, death — what we call ''ṣaḍ ripur['''षड रिपुः''']'', ''ṣaḍ vikāras['''षड विकारः''' ]'' , sixfold changes." So that which is changing cannot be my nature. And therefore, through surrendering to a ''Sadguru'', the ''Sadguru'' slowly takes him forward and forward. And one day he realises: "I am Brahman."

So this man, who was an ignorant person, after a long time woke up and became aware of his condition and approached a right teacher, surrendered himself, and practised what the teacher taught. And he realised: "Like my Guru, I am also Brahman. As Brahman, me and Guru — there are no differences at all."

So this is the gist. So then these '''''Brahma Jijñāsus [ब्रह्म जिज्ञासु''''' , these ''B'''rahma Sādhaka'''''<nowiki/>'''s[ब्रह्म साधकाः ]''' — they were having this discussion. "There are some people, and they understood that if we can become Brahman, we will become everything." That means there is no second — '''''Ekameva dvitīyam nāsti[ एकमेव द्वितियम् नास्ति ]''.''' There is no second. And really, we cannot think even of Brahman, whether Brahman was this or that or what. We can only see: "How do I know what is Brahman?" As Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa told — he practised. Swami Vivekānanda told — he also practised. He realised: "I am Brahman." So that is how we all realise.
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== What Does the Knower of Brahman Realise? ==
Then what did this person realise? He realised: "I am Brahman." What does that mean? That means this person says: "I am everything. What does it mean? I am me — meaning this body-mind which you see. I am you, who is looking at me, experiencing me. I am every object that you can come across. There is nothing besides me which is not me."

''So '''Brahma vidyayā sarvaṃ bhaviṣyantaḥ.[ब्रह्मविद्याय सर्वं भविष्यन्ति ]'''''

So if I become everything, what is the benefit? If we think deeply, with concentration, we understand: when I become everything, happiness and unhappiness, good and evil — everything becomes absolutely merged into one pure consciousness. That means these are not real. Happiness is not real, and equally, unhappiness is not real. Birth is not real, death is not real. Because when two opposite things are happening and I am identifying myself with both — like watching a cinema where there is a birth, where there is growth, where there is death, where there are enemies fighting with each other, there is poverty, there is wealth — and then we see wealthy people becoming poor, poor people becoming wealthy, living people who are dead, new babies who are born. And then we see that these people who are acting there are only acting — because as soon as the drama is over, they will all come out to bow down before the audience and receive their applause. So we appreciate their talent.

So all this is ''nāṭana'' '''नटन''' — only a pretence. It is not true. So then everything — the greatest evil that we see in a drama, in a cinema — becomes a source of joy. This is called ''rasāsvādana'', '''रसास्वादन''' or aesthetic happiness.
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== The Meaning of Aesthetic Happiness ==
Aesthetic happiness — I know you are all intelligent people, but I am just trying to clarify. Suppose some great painter has painted a picture of the most miserable person on earth — an old man, deceased, shrunken, man or woman — and the painting shows such unimaginable misery coming out of that picture. Involuntarily we exclaim: "How realistic it looks! How real it looks!" We don't say "It is real." We say, "How realistic it looks!" — that means it is looking that way. It is the painter's greatness — his greatness is to bring to life what is not life. Lifeless portrait brought to life. Lifeless ''bhajans'' brought to life. Lifeless literature brought to life.

So like that the experience will be there. So whether it is happiness or misery, whether a baby is born or the baby is dead — every bit becomes enjoyable when we identify ourselves as only witnesses.

Witnessing means what? I don't identify myself with any particular object — that means I become identified with everybody. I am the evil person doing terrible, indescribable, unimaginable evil. I am also the good person, a saint, who in spite of all these sufferings is expressing, manifesting godliness. Both I am identified with, and therefore at that time we become complete witnesses.

We do not even understand what is the meaning of being a witness. Being a witness means enjoying everything — not like peeping through our window where so many people are coming, some are shouting, some are quarrelling, and then we become indifferent. No — witnessing means to become everything, without partially dissecting and identifying with one part and rejecting the other part. So we become equal — ''Samadṛṣṭi'' '''समदृष्टि''' — that is called witness. It is not an indifferent look. It is to know that whatever I am witnessing is not real. What is real? The enjoyment is real. When we become the witness, the indescribable joy that we experience can never be described in words.
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== Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as the Cosmic Witness ==
So there are also examples in the life of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa — there are many examples — but this is well known to most of you.

So one day, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was standing on the Dakṣiṇeśvar porch and he was watching the huge Gaṅgā flowing serenely. There were some boatmen, and two boatmen were quarrelling at quite a distance — but they could be clearly perceived. And one stronger boatman gave a big blow to the weaker boatman. And that fellow cried out. And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was experiencing it and he cried out — and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's voice is not a whisper but like a lion's roar. When he wants, he can roar like a lion.
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== The Magnetic Power of Swami Vivekānanda ==
People don't take notice of it. Swami Vivekānanda could do that — five thousand people could hear, with pin-drop silence, every single syllable that he uttered. Is it poetic fancy? No.

A witness who witnessed this — he described, she described rather — that the whole hall became absolutely silent. Pin-drop silent. Swamijī had that power.

Usually what happens — see, I have seen so many times, you can watch on YouTube also — Swami is talking and people even right in front are sitting and talking and joking and prodding each other. We get so many things. That shows that the lecturer, the teacher, is not able to draw their attention.

But here: the moment he gets up — and you know Swamijī's speciality — he never starts his lecture straight away. This is my opportunity — "I don't want to lose a second, so let me drill into these people's brains whatever I want to tell." No — he will just stand for a few moments, surveying the whole thing like a lion sitting on high ground and surveying everything. And there is some power — a mysterious power — and the whole audience's attention was drawn one-pointedly to Swami Vivekānanda.

Perhaps you know this, but some of you may not know at all. When Swamijī — Swami Vivekānanda — stands on the podium, everybody becomes like small ants, the smallest of ants.

Who is telling this? Swami Atulanandajī, later on called Guru Dās Mahārāj. He attended when Swami Vivekānanda visited America for the second time, for his health. Then he saw — so he was actually initiated as Brahmacārya by Swami Abhedānandajī, but he was fortunate enough to receive ''Mantra Dīkṣā'' '''मन्त्र दीक्षा''' from Holy Mother herself. Holy Mother loved him as her own child.
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== The Experience of Swami Atulanandajī ==
So he said: when Swami Vivekānanda entered into the hall, there were many people known to him from earlier visits, and they were all joyous to meet Swami Vivekānanda. To be in the company of a ''Brahmajñānī'' is to be joyful — there is no place for misery. At least for the time being, all misery will be kept at a long distance.

So Swami Vivekānanda was chatting, and Swami Atulanandajī was thinking — some thoughts were passing through his mind: "Is this so-called Swami Vivekānanda — he was not even tall, he was not even fat, he was not even strong — what is so great about him? Why do people, with subdued silence and the highest reverence, talk about Swami Vivekānanda?" So he was wondering in his own mind.

Then he said the meeting was over with the devotees. It was time for him to get up on the podium. And then he got up on to the podium, and when he stood there surveying — like a lion surveying his whole domain, sitting on a very high place, a high mountain — then he said: "Suddenly I perceived. He looked as though he had spread himself onto the sky. He was the tallest person in the whole world. Everybody became a pygmy compared to him. And then silence fell — as if nobody could think, much less talk about anything else — excepting their complete attention. As if a huge magnet had pulled every small iron filing towards itself."

Of course, these are not his exact words, but they convey the meaning quite well.
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== The Secret of Swami Vivekānanda's Power ==
So then he opened his mouth. What did Swami Vivekānanda do? Later on we know that: "I watch the people. I draw their attention. I make their minds attain to the highest best they can — and then they have no other awareness of anybody else excepting the voice that stems from myself. Myself means ''Aham Brahmāsmi''."

So there are so many incidents — I don't want to tell them all — but this is just to say: when Swami Vivekānanda stands there, nobody can even think of anything else. But what is this tremendous joy, this tremendous positiveness, this tremendous peace, this tremendous, indescribable joy? What is its cause? Nobody can tell. Because he drew all of them unto himself — like himself. That is the power.

So these great people who came here — eager to realise Brahman — "So what? Where from is this power coming? How come this man — he appears to be very ordinary, but he makes a lasting impression upon everybody?" This is a very common phenomenon. Those who go to Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa are attracted again and again. Those who go to Ramaṇa Maharṣi are attracted again and again.

So what is that power? And if we become attained to that same state, we can also become like him. Because only a power-storehouse of ''Ānanda'' can alone give ''Ānanda'' to anybody else. Nobody else can give. Whatever one has, that much only one can give. If a person has five grammes of happiness, very soon it will be exhausted. But here is a man who is the source of infinity.
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== The Question at the Heart of the Ninth Mantra ==
So these people started thinking — they must have come across some such person. Maybe they gathered in an āśrama where there was a Ṛṣi. And I am sure there was some, even though they did not mention it. Because who is teaching them? The teaching that is coming there — as an answer to the questions that arose in the minds of these seekers of Brahman — is answered in the next mantra: the most important mantra in the whole Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, the very essence, which is called ''Upadeśa Kāṇḍa'' — the main teaching — where this ''Mahāvākya'' comes. ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि'''''

So we imagine: what did our Gurudeva, who always teaches us ''Aham Brahmāsmi'''अहं ब्रह्मास्मि''''' — what did he understand? What knowledge did he obtain?

"Well then — what did that Brahman know? A small... and because of that knowledge of Brahman, because of which he became all — that means he became pure ''Sat'', pure ''Cit'', and pure ''Ānanda''."
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== The Awakening from the Net of ''Avidyā'' ==
So we have to imagine that these people were discussing about Brahman. Why were they discussing? Because suddenly they awoke from millions of lives — the net of ''Avidyā'' or ''Māyā'' — they became aware. Like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: the young chicks of the Homa bird, falling down, after several days suddenly their eyes are opened. They realise: "We will be smashed to pieces, smithereens!" So they turn back to their mother, who is high up in the sky. Symbolism — our mother is the Divine Mother, or Brahman Śakti. And we are all her children, and we are falling down. And then suddenly, after a long time, after many lives, we realise: "We will be smashed to death. Endless suffering seems to be our fate."

Then these people become awake. Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached! Then they turn back — and that turning back is called joining a ''Sadguru''. And then, complete with complete faith — ''Śraddhā'' '''श्रद्धा''' — surrendering themselves: "Whatever you say is only God saying that. There is no difference between you and God. '''''Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo''' '''Maheśvaraḥ'''.''"'''गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः''' [source; ''Skandapuran-Gurugita-Gurustotram'']
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== Conclusion: The Guru's Teaching as Grace ==
''Kiṃ utat Brahma āvet'' '''किम् उतत् ब्रह्म अवेत् —''' "Because of which he became everything — that means he became ''Ekam''. There is no dv''itiyā['''द्वितीय ]''''' . How did he become that? Let us know. Let us also surrender. Let us humbly ask. Let us serve him, please him, and ask our question. And let him bestow his grace."

One important point we have to note down: here the Guru's teaching, the ''Sadguru''<nowiki/>'s teaching, is not a teaching. It is grace flowing in the form of words — entering into the hearts of the listeners, sincere seekers — and awakening them to their own true nature. What a beautiful topic. 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!'''
[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]