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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.1-3 Lecture 43 on 20 June 2026

Gayatri — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:46:59 GMT

The Progress Made

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

Gayatri — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:26:43 GMT

The Chāndogya Upaniṣad Example

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	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.		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'''		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 97titled swayam prakashepi brahmanyagyanopapatti''',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 निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः ।'''

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.1-3 Lecture 43 on 20 June 2026

Gayatri — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:13:19 GMT

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 60 on 16 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:59:04 GMT

The Progress of Bhakti

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 60 on 16 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:48:15 GMT

Created page with "Full Transcript (Not Corrected) == 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 पूर्ण..."

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 59 on 15 August 2026 Q&A

Bhama — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:34:12 GMT

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[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 117 Summary on 12 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:23:13 GMT

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 117 Summary on 12 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:17:18 GMT

Created page with "Full Transcript (Not Corrected) == Opening Prayer (Śānti Pāṭha) == ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu ॐ सह नाववतु । सह नौ..."

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== Opening Prayer (Śānti Pāṭha) ==
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः

Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum

pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu

ॐ सह नाववतु ।

सह नौ भुनक्तु ।

सह वीर्यं करवावहै ।

तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ हरि ॐ

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

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

May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge.

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

OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL

== Closing Prayer ==
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः

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:Taittiriya Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.1-3 Lecture 43 on 20 June 2026

Gayatri — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:45:45 GMT

Opening Invocation

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

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

	ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते		'''ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते'''

	पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते		'''पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते'''

	ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः		'''ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः'''

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

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 59 on 15 August 2026

Bhama — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 19:32:41 GMT

Example 10: Sarva – Everything

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 59 on 15 August 2026

Bhama — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:17:00 GMT

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== 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: Yājñavalkya's Teaching to Maitreyī==
In our last class we have seen how Yājñavalkya started teaching his beloved disciple – no longer a wife, but one of the greatest disciples, equivalent if not more to Janaka Mahārāja. He started teaching about the ''Ātman''.
===Why Should We Love the Ātman?===
One of the very first questions that pops up in our minds can be: Why should we have love for ''Ātman''? We equate, we experience, and we love only what gives us joy. So earlier we have seen how Yājñavalkya wants to identify that ''Ātman'' alone is the true source of every type of joy.
===The Pañcakośa Viewpoint===
So if we look at it from the ''pañcakośa'' viewpoint, whatever happiness we derive from ''anna'' – that is nothing but reflection of ''Brahman''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s ''ānanda'' through the ''annamaya kośa''. Similarly, we have to understand about the rest of the four ''kośas'' also: ''prāṇamaya'', ''manomaya'', ''vijñānamaya'', ''ānandamaya''.

But ''kośa'' means limitation. And so we have to go beyond all limitations. We also discussed that if ''Brahman'' is infinite, why are we experiencing limited happiness? And this limitedness of the limited happiness is unlimited.
===Happiness Depends on the Object===
If a person is eating a small bit of a sweet, his happiness would be only a small bit. But if he gets a stomachful of sweets – by sweets I mean any food that gives him greatest joy – we have so much of specification – we want only this if we can get it. Our happiness depends upon how much the object is yielding, both quantitatively as well as qualitatively, and to that extent would be our love for that object.

We do not love the object for its own sake. In fact, if we delve deep into the mysteries of the Vedānta philosophy, even the very existence of any object is derived only from the infinite existence of ''Brahman''.
===Consciousness and Infinity===
Any type of consciousness every living being has – whether that awareness is small or big, for a short duration or long duration – it is also deriving its sustenance only from the infinite consciousness called ''cit''. From ''sat'', from ''cit''. And besides infinity, there cannot be anything else, unlike mathematical infiniteness.

In the knowledge of mathematics, strangely, there can be many varieties of infinitudes. But unlike that, this infinitude of ''Vedānta'' contains every infinitude of the mathematician and much more. In fact, we cannot think about it because our thinking runs through the prism of time, space, and causation, which is highly limited.

The very word "time" means limited, "space" means limited, "causation" means limited. So Yājñavalkya wants to drive this wonderful, ultimate, supreme truth into the mind of each one of us, but through Maitreyī.
===No Bar to Realisation===
And there is another significance: Maitreyī being a woman and being a wife – that is no bar. Age is no bar. Gender is no bar. Time is no bar. Nothing is a bar. If at all there is a bar, there is an obstruction – we are the creators of that obstruction.

But once anyone decides to get out of this limitation, that person can expand himself until he becomes the Infinite, in which case "I" and ''Brahman'', God and "I", do not exist at all. There will be no ''dvaitam'' – ''ekam sat advitīyam''.
===The Medium of Teaching===
So that is the lesson. He himself – Yājñavalkya himself realised – but he wants to convey it through Maitreyī, like Arjuna conveyed his message of the essence of all ''Upaniṣads'' through the ''Bhagavad Gītā''. Yājñavalkya, through the medium of people like Maitreyī, Janaka, and other great seekers of ''Brahman'' in the court of Janaka Mahārāja, wants to teach all of us.
===The Starting Point===
And just as there is a lot of differentiation between the various scholars in the court of Janaka Mahārāja, so there would be vast difference from a just‑born baby to the most ripened old man who spent the whole life in doing ''sādhanā''. We generally say there is infinite amount of difference. So it does not matter – there must be a starting point. The first step has to be taken. That is what Yājñavalkya started.

What did he say? He said: "You analyse your life." He is sending that message to all of us: "You analyse your life, and if you are honest about yourself – how to analyse: What am I doing? What am I thinking? What am I talking?"
===Goals of Thoughts and Actions===
And then these are not without any goals. Every thought that arises has a goal in life, including the most wasteful thought. There is a goal. When a person cannot pass time, he will be thinking all sorts of rubbish.

So what is the purpose? Maybe many times that person is quite aware: "I should not be thinking these thoughts. I should not be speaking about these thoughts." But in spite of being aware, the person helplessly is carried away, as it were, by his own mind.
===Everything Is in the Mind===
Everything is in the mind. Bondage is in the mind, liberation is in the mind, happiness is in the mind, and unhappiness is in the mind. Everything is in the mind. You remove the mind, nothing will be there.

That is what we had discussed: how Ajātaśatru was analysing the state of deep sleep, and when deep sleep can be achieved permanently with full consciousness, then we become knowers of ''Brahman''.
===Why Am I Thinking This Thought?===
So you ask yourself the question: Why am I thinking this thought? Because boredom inflicts injury upon me. I want to counter boredom, so I think a lot of things. I speak a lot of irrelevant things. I do also a lot of irrelevant things.
===The Monkey Mind===
What does a monkey do? Every millisecond it is exhibiting restlessness. And we are no less. And these are not my words – Swami Vivekananda compared every human being, especially the mind, to a monkey.

So he said: "Normal mind is like a monkey's mind – restless. Then it drank – it was drunk with intoxicating liquor. Then it was stung by a scorpion, and it was possessed by a demon. Now, who can describe the condition of that man?"
===Total Identification with the Mind===
Because remember, we may use the word "mind", but we do not know anything else excepting total identification with the mind. "I am happy" – that there is a thought in the mind, and I feel I am happy. Unhappy, restful, restless – that is our condition.
===Why Are We Restless?===
What does Swami Vivekananda mean? By nature, we are restless. And here is the most important point: Why are we restless? Unconsciously. We are restless because we recognise the fact: I do not belong to this world. Nothing in this world belongs to me. And yet I cannot fathom the mystery of this life, this universe.
===The Greek Philosopher===
I am missing something, but I do not know what I am missing. I remember a beautiful Greek philosopher's action. Every day he used to go to a big shopping mall – in our purchases and everything – he goes on going from one department to the other department. So some of his own disciples saw him there and asked: "Sir, you never buy anything. Why do you waste your time visiting this shopping mall?" Then he smiled broadly and said: "I have come to see all the things in this shop without which I can live very happily. I have not found so far a single object without which I cannot live."
===The Pinnacle of Renunciation===
We also live without happiness, but happily I can live without them. This is called the very pinnacle of renunciation. Of course, do not go on to any shopping mall after this and go on seeing how many things I could be without. This is a great lesson we have to learn.
===The Unconscious Search===
So what is this anecdote for? We are completely restless. What for? Our unconscious, irrepressible knowledge that this world does not belong to me. My parents are not here. My source is not here.

And why am I here, roaming about? ''Akāraṇe'' – here, a beautiful word: ''akāraṇa'' means "without any cause." You ask any ordinary man: "Why are you here?" – "Oh, I have come for such and such a purpose."
===The Bhajan – Manohara===
But Swami Vivekananda or somebody composed that most meaningful ''bhajan'': ''Manohara nija niketane, saṃsāra videśe, videśir veśe, bhramo keno akāraṇe'' – "Your dress is complete, not only you are in a foreign land." What is foreign land? The ''anātma'' world, and you are dressed as one of the ''anātmas'' – ''videśir veśe, videśe bhramo keno'' – "Why do you roam about? I do not know why I roam about. If I know why I roam about, I would be the most wonderful person in this world. I am seeking something, but I am not clear with what I am seeking."
===The Real Purpose===
So this is the real purpose. Unconsciously we are seeking our own true nature. Not knowing that, we run – say, husband runs to a wife: "Perhaps I can find myself in this object?" – no? So you apply it to everything else.

So what is it that I am seeking? Myself. And the scripture tells us what we are. What is it? "I am ''ānanda svarūpa'', ''brahmānanda svarūpa''." So that is – we have already seen in the ''Taittirīya Upaniṣad'', second chapter – that the only goal of life is the realisation that I am ''Brahman''.
===Realisation of Brahman===
Realisation of ''Brahman'' means realisation of the knowledge that I am ''Brahman''. There is no other ''Brahman'' excepting Me. And that was the realisation, that is the realisation, that would be the realisation of every knower of ''Brahman'' – put in devotee's language:

You go to Vaikuṇṭha, go to Kailāsa. What is the assumption? "I will be permanently happy, because Nārāyaṇa will protect me there. I will be seeing Nārāyaṇa. I will be experiencing Nārāyaṇa." This is a better word – not "seeing", but "experiencing" Nārāyaṇa. And what is Nārāyaṇa? ''Sat-Cit-Ānanda''. I will be experiencing Śiva, Devī, Paradise, Kingdom of Heaven. That very word – "Kingdom of Heaven", "Paradise" – they all represent only pure unbroken happiness.
===The Source of Happiness===
So we are seeking only happiness, and what is the source of happiness? ''Brahman''. And who is ''Brahman''? Myself. That is the realisation. But what is this world created for? For us to climb to that state – as if I want to play with myself.

I dwell on the roof of a five‑storied house, but I come down to the ground now and then to amuse myself, and then I get tired, I want to rejoin my mother, and I go back. That is the purpose.
===The Final Light===
So what is the final light by which we have to understand this whole section? The ''mantra'' says: "Nobody loves anybody. Everybody loves ''ānanda''." So everybody loves ''ānanda''. ''Ātman'' is of the very nature of ''ānanda''. ''Ātman'' does not have ''ānanda'' – ''Ātman'' is ''ānanda''.

"Having" is a possession, and one who possesses is separate from what is possessed. "I have a house" – but I am not the house. "I have a dress" – I am not the dress. That is how we have to understand.
===Every Object Is a Reflection===
So in this world, no object loves any other object, but every object serves a purpose. What is the purpose? I can look at myself and get glimpses of that nature of mine, because every object is a reflection.

And we have to understand: when we see a good reflection – which means I become happy – that is a good experience. And when it is obscured, I experience suffering, unhappiness – I start counting time.
===Ananda and Time===
I explained earlier that ''ānanda'', bliss, happiness, and time – they do not go together. If you are happy, you transcend time. If you are unhappy, you are counting time. If you have a headache, time passes very slowly. And if you are very happy, time does not exist, because you alone live – that is called "one without a second."
===The Teaching===
So Yājñavalkya wants to teach this: Do not discard any object, saying that "this is ''mithyā'', unreal." No – see, you try to see your reflection and try to awaken yourself, become aware.

If this changeable object can give me so much happiness, even though for a short time – changeable time – how much happiness can I derive if I can get a reflection of myself which will remain permanently?

And ''Brahman'' or God is that mirror in which I get permanent reflection of myself. And once a person gets this permanent reflection, he forgets the reflection and the reflector and remains as himself or herself alone. That is the experience ''Aham Brahmasmi''.
==The Eleven Examples==
With this background, we can very quickly go – as I said earlier in the last class – Yājñavalkya repeats it, giving eleven examples.
===Example 1: Husband and Wife===
We have also discussed: a husband does not love his wife for the sake of the wife. Remember what is the wife? It is a complex of the body, complex of the mind – ''jīvātman''. What happens? Body is changing. Every change brings what is called restlessness within us. So the mind – is it permanent? No, it is also changing. Is the deep sleep permanent? No, that is also changing.

So that is the lesson we have to learn here. And so Yājñavalkya wants to arouse in her: never think that any object is going to give you any happiness. First, no object can give you happiness, but we cannot stop seeking happiness. And the only source – one and only source – of that happiness is only the ''Ātman'', and nothing else.
===A Wife Loves for the Same Reason===
A wife also gives back to her husband this in the same coin that he receives. Do we do it consciously? I would say yes – consciously, mostly unconsciously, but consciously also. How do we do? Because consciously, if we try to get happiness, nobody would ever criticise anybody. Criticism means finding fault; finding fault means "I am not getting what happiness I expected from this object" – as simple as that.
===Example 2: Children and Parents===
The third one is ''putrāṇāṃ kāmāya'' – parents love children, children love parents. So you have to extend that meaning. Friends love friends, etc. So enemies love enemies – beautiful example.

So if there is a common enemy, then his enemies join together and they pretend to love – they pretend, we unite. Really they do not. They want to finish off their opponent, but a single one cannot do it, so they combine together and attempt to try to suppress, oppress, kill, destroy, etc.
===Lessons from History===
And then we have to learn lessons. If only our devotees study a little bit of history – and what does history say? That there is no time when there are no wars. There is no time when people did not oppress, suppress, destroy, kill, loot. History will not tell you that there was a period – sometimes a little bit of time, relatively short bit of time – when there is not that much conflict. But the very conflict is not only outside – between people, between nations – but between even family members.
===The Essence of the Bhagavad Gītā===
That is the essence of the ''Bhagavad Gītā'': the Kauravas represent one end, the Pāṇḍavas represent another end, and it is categorised – the fight between the struggle between the good and the evil. Finally, the good wins. That is why ''satyameva jayate'' – but what they do not put in brackets is: ''satyam'' conquers, gives the result, maybe after a long, long, long time. That we should not forget.
===The Purpose of Creation===
So all this is created by God for us to learn a lesson. You strengthen your muscles of running away, of dispassion, of discrimination by observing these things. And the more you love, the more you have to struggle, suffer to get rid of this attachment. And that loving to the very highest pinnacle is the pre‑condition for turning it towards God.
===Examples from History===
Remember the stories of Bilvamaṅgala, Tulasīdāsa, Ratnākara, Saint Augustine – who led a very irresolute life until his conversion had come. And if we study history, we learn a lot of valuable lessons – a lot.
===Why So Many Examples?===
So Yājñavalkya is citing: why so many examples? Why are the same words repeated? Because our Upaniṣadic ṛṣis had realised a fact: unless we repeat these things several times, the truth does not sink into our unconscious mind. We do not remember it.

So that is why nowadays I am sending the teachings of Bhagavān Buddha. If you notice the linguistic expression, the same idea is expressed in both positive and negative languages, and it is repeated.
===Repetition and Habit===
So many people question themselves: "Why is this man wasting my time?" What he wants to tell is: everything – if anybody is evil, evil will make him get paid back sooner or later. Somebody is righteous, he will enjoy felicity, will enjoy upliftment – but the same thing has to be repeated. How long? Until that sinks into our very unconscious mind, and once an idea enters into the unconscious, in modern language we call it a habit.

What is a habit? That even without thinking, when we think in a way, speak in a way, act in a way – that is called a habit. So that is the purpose. This is no fault of the Upaniṣadic teacher.
===Distractions Then and Now===
And remember, in the olden days – the older time, the further back we go in time – the fewer distractions are there. Nowadays, the greatest enemy, according to Yuval Harari – and which is absolutely true – is social media.
===A Caution About Social Media===
So one just a small precaution here. The social media – like WhatsApp application, etc. – in many cases sends a wrong message. Not only that, according to Harari, the same message is edited to each individual so that it can exert the strongest influence upon that person. Of course, I do not know about it – I have not come across because I do not read your social media. But then, it is possible – probably they are doing it, I do not know. So what would they do? Repeat. Repeat again and again: "This nation is bad, this religion is bad, these leaders are bad, these people are bad." Go on doing it. And what we hear many times looks like obvious truth.

That is why we have to be very cautious – avoid it if possible, or if you want to have WhatsApp applications, messages like what I am sending. But many people, even our own devotees, they take to these WhatsApp application channels. They create their own channels. What type of rubbish – especially meaningless trivial matters – they are posting on their posts, and they want the whole world to notice them. I cannot believe this horror. Our own devotees – I am not talking about any other devotees – Rāmakṛṣṇa Mission devotees – they are sending the most possible rubbish on their channels. Be very careful – at least do not waste your time. As Lāṭumahārāja says: "If you want to waste your time, you go to sleep."
===The Remaining Examples===
Coming back to our subject, I think I have given you enough background.
===Example 3: Possessions (Vitta)===
So ''vittasya kāmāya'' – ''vitta'' means possession. ''Vitta'' means money, but it means possessions. So possessions also – a person loves a possession only because if he can derive, so long as he can derive – and that happiness should be proportionate to his labour – then only he loves it.

Suppose a man has inherited a big house, and then it has become a source – he thinks: "I am very happy." Very soon he realises: it is a big house – so many rooms – and I have to keep it neat and clean; I have to wash it, I have to wipe it, I have to keep it presentable – and it is more than the worth of the labour, and money has to be wasted. So so many people I have seen – they will move especially after retirement, when the children are living separately – then they say this is counterproductive. When they buy a small house and try to accommodate themselves, they are very happy because they do not need that space, and so they do not need to work so much cleaning, etc.

''Vitta'' represents every type of possession, including beauty of the body also – we have to understand – including intelligence of the mind. Maybe a person develops amnesia – what is the use of his previously what he did? Now he cannot remember what he did at all. We see some aged people suffering from it, and we see some young people also deliberately developing that symptom.
===Example 4: Kṣatriya===
Then after ''vitta'', he says ''kṣatrasya''. We have to live in a society – there these Kṣatriyas are more like police or military people – so nobody loves a military just for the sake of what service they are rendering.
===Example 5: The Four Varṇas===
And then we have to understand: Kṣatriya, Brāhmaṇa, Vaiśya, Śūdra – nobody loves anybody.
===Example 6: Worlds (Lokas)===
Then he said ''lokānāṃ kāmāya'' – that is, a man can think: "I love the world – not only this world, ''Svargaloka'', etc." Does he love ''Narakaloka''? No, absolutely no. But he loves ''Svargaloka'', ''Indraloka'' – we have seen nearly I think twelve in the ''Taittirīya Upaniṣad'', second chapter.

But a person ''śrotriyasya akāmatasya'' – they derive the same happiness and much more happiness, because they have identified themselves with the source of happiness – bliss, which is called ''Brahman''. So there is no desire in them, and desire will not stop popping up until we become fulfilled – the source of all ''ānanda''. Every desire is for ''ānanda'' only. Nobody says: "I want to suffer, and so I desire suffering." No – nobody will say that.
===The Different Lokas===
Then ''loka'' means ''Bhūloka'', ''Bhuvarloka'', ''Svargaloka'', ''Satyaloka'', ''Brahmaloka'', ''Indraloka'', ''Bṛhaspatiloka'', ''Varuṇaloka'', etc., etc. No – nobody loves this world or any other world, but if it yields happiness, so long as it yields happiness, he thinks: "I love." That is not love – that is an attachment for the happiness.
===Example 7: Gods (Devatās)===
Then ''devānāṃ kāmāya'' – so many devotees say: "I love God." ''Devānāṃ'' means gods – plural. Hindus especially belong – because other religions do not mention deities, they mention angels, but they do not mention ''devāḥ''. But Hinduism is one religion which says the whole universe is the outcome of five deities: ''Ākāśa Devatā'', ''Vāyu Devatā'', ''Agni Devatā'', ''Jala Devatā'', and ''Pṛthivī Devatā''. And I also explained they are sustaining us every millisecond of our life from birth to death.
===If God Does Not Give Happiness===
Then from the ''devānām'' – and we also can extend it and say not only ''devānām'', but ''deva'' means God – ''Brahman''. Suppose a devotee is praying to God: "Lord, I love You very much, please grant me this and that." God appears – just imagine – and says: "So you believe in Me? Yes. You want Me? Yes. But you know, I have to tell you a truth" – God tells them – "I can give you anything you want, excepting happiness. Let me find out – let you find out and inform me – how many devotees of God will remain there."

We all love God, thinking He will remove all obstacles for our happiness. What we really love is ''Ātman'', and that ''Ātman'' is ''ānanda svarūpa''. If any God turns out to be ''nirānanda svarūpa'' – that is, no happiness, only suffering – then immediately he will divorce from God. So even God – if God does not fulfil my desires, then I am likely to discard Him – and especially God.
===Example 8: Beings (Bhūtas)===
''Bhūtānāṃ kāmāya'' – ''bhūta'' means any living creature. And in Sanskrit language, ''bhūta'' also means after death, before rebirth takes place – there is an in‑between state – and ''bhūta'' means a kind of spirit, ghost, etc. Do people love them? Yes – some people worship them; they believe that these ''bhūtas'' can give tremendous happiness.

So there are some powers – some ''bhūtas'' can give these powers. So there are ''mantras'', and they do this what is called ''upāsana''. And is it true? Yes, really it is true. I have already told you about how many people worship what is called Hayagrīva ''upāsana'' – Hayagrīva is none other than our Sun God. Why do they do that? Because they want power. Some people do Añjaneya ''upāsana'', Hanumān ''upāsana'' – Hanumān Cālīsā they recite. Some people do Lakṣmī Devī ''upāsana'', hoping that she will grant them possessions, etc.

Realistically speaking, I have to tell them: Mahālakṣmī is the embodiment of happiness. After all, if she gives money – and money makes you many enemies – and you are fearing for your life every second – or the Mother gives you, makes you president – how many people have to protect you, and every millisecond you are frightened: "Who will come and then kick me out?" That is why many dictators, before even the thought arises, they go on killing or eliminating – they call it "eliminating" – so many whom they call potential rivals – not only rivals, but potential rivals.
===Example 9: All Creatures (Bhūta – Another Sense)===
So one does not love God; one does not love any of the world; one does not love ''bhūta'' – here means any other creature, whether it is a tree or an insect or an animal, etc. – ''bhūtānāṃ kāmāya'' – "I love this ''bhūta''" – no. It is ''ātmanas tu kāmāya'' – for the sake of only ''Ātman'', which means happiness, bliss.
===Example 10: Sarva – Everything===
And then he concludes the eleventh one: ''sarvasya kāmāya, sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati – ātmanas tu kāmāya, sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati'' – "It is only, O Maitreyī, I am telling you the highest truth, which I myself have realised: anything in this world, or everything in this world, becomes the most beloved only so long as it yields happiness – ''sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati''."
===The Sweet Analogy===
But the moment it stops giving, or we are unable to squeeze happiness from it – what does it mean? Let me explain. Suppose a man loves sweets, and he strives to get as many sweets as he can – healthily, possibly, digestibly – eats, and he feels: "I am so happy." Supposing he is rich and he can eat sweets as long as he wants, however many he wants, at any age he wants – suppose after some time he develops a terrible stomach problem, and he cannot retain even a single thing.

So the object is available, but he is not able to derive any happiness from it, because the instrument of enjoyment has gone bad. So the instrument can go bad, the circumstances can be unfavourable, the instrument of enjoyment can be sick or diseased, or anything like that – or mentally there is a terrible worry. Any of these are sufficient to block that happiness. Yes, you can eat – that person can eat – but not only will it not give what he expects, it gives what he does not want to get.
===The Essence of the Teaching===
That is why ''na vā are sarvasya kāmāya, sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati – ātmanas tu kāmāya, sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati'' – it is only for the sake of ''Ātman''. And we have seen earlier also that everybody – ''Ātman'' is dearer than a son, dearer than everything else in this world. We have seen in the very first chapter – I hope you will remember it – nothing, nobody loves anything in this world – that is the essence of it. But then what do we love? We love happiness.
===What Type of Happiness?===
And what is the source – what type of happiness we all want? Infinite, eternal, unbroken happiness with full consciousness. And where is it available? That source is called ''Ātman''. Here instead of using the word ''Brahman'', only the word ''Ātman'' is used.
===Yājñavalkya's Conclusion===
So Yājñavalkya concludes – so we have to understand here something marvellous. What is he telling? O Maitreyī – each one – she is telling – eleven times. We have to presume – we have to presume that immediately that truth sank into the very unconscious. That means she will never again love anything else excepting ''Ātman''.

So she has reached the very peak. It is a negative teaching – we have to keep in mind – nobody loves anybody, one loves only ''Ātman'', and ''Ātman'' is the source of the only source – not only the bigger source, but only source – of eternal, unbroken happiness.
==The Positive Teaching: Ātmā Vā Are Draṣṭavyaḥ==
Not only that – that is a negative language. What is the positive language? That is what he comes to – he imparts that invaluable teaching: ''ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ, śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ''.
===The Only Goal of Life===
He says: the only goal of life – as Swami Vivekananda says, or Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says – "God realisation" – speaking in the words of a devotee, not an Advaitin or Vedāntin.
===Draṣṭavyaḥ – To Be Realised===
So this ''Ātman'' alone has to be ''draṣṭavyaḥ'' – means "to be realised." ''Draṣṭavyaḥ'' means "to be seen" – but here "seeing" means what? Understanding. Because we use in English language also – when somebody is speaking to us or when we are reading something, we say: "I see." "I see" means what? "I understand." So realise what is ''Ātman''? What is that realisation? "I am the ''Ātman'' – therefore I am the source of infinite, eternal, unbroken happiness."
===The Three Steps===
What is the way? It looks that infinite ''Ātman'' is somewhere else. ''Draṣṭavyaḥ, śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ'' – so ''śrotavyaḥ, mantavyaḥ, nididhyāsitavyaḥ'':
#''Śrotavyaḥ'' – First you hear about it, go on doing ''japa'' of it.
#''Mantavyaḥ'' – until the last doubt is totally eliminated and one hundred percent convinced – like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says to Girish Chandra Ghosh, that he has got 125% of faith, ''śraddhā'' – that is what is being referred.
#''Nididhyāsitavyaḥ'' – transform your life, acquire those qualities, become an ''adhikārī'' – a fit person – and slowly progress by going beyond the ''pañcakośas'', and remember that "I am the ''Ātman'', I am the ''Ānanda Svarūpa''."
===Transcending the Kośas===
''Ānandamaya'' has to be transcended – ''etam ānandamayam ātmānam upasaṃkramya'', etc. – ''idaṃ sarvaṃ viditaṃ bhavati'' – then after realisation, ''vijñānena'' – what happens? ''Idaṃ sarvaṃ viditaṃ bhavati'' – you understand the mystery of life. You understand who you are – not only you understand who you are, you understand what everything else is – and that is called ''sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma''.
==Conclusion==
We will talk about this in our next class.

== Closing Prayer ==
ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः

''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.2 Introduction Lecture 41 on 13 June 2026

Gopi — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 23:06:58 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:06, 15 August 2026
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	== Opening Invocation ==		== 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~~		ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते ।

	पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते		पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥

	ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः		ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

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

	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.		'''PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE'''

			'''OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI'''

			'''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.		OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
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	So the whole conversation between Gārgya and Ajātaśatru is on this particular theme: recognising the universal in every particular mode of manifestation. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—how did he look upon every one of his disciples? As the Divine Mother. Even a cat as the manifestation of the Divine Mother, not to speak of his own father, his own mother, and his own teachers. That is why whoever has taken refuge in him have been saved. So everything is nothing but Brahman. But Brahman as such is not understandable by us. So we have to remove what makes us incapable of recognising Brahman in this finite. What we call finite is not really finite; it is our mind surrounding it, breaking it into pieces with the instruments called time, space, and causation. The highest universal is nothing but consciousness, pure consciousness. That is the theme of every Upaniṣad: ''īśāvāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat''.		So the whole conversation between Gārgya and Ajātaśatru is on this particular theme: recognising the universal in every particular mode of manifestation. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa—how did he look upon every one of his disciples? As the Divine Mother. Even a cat as the manifestation of the Divine Mother, not to speak of his own father, his own mother, and his own teachers. That is why whoever has taken refuge in him have been saved. So everything is nothing but Brahman. But Brahman as such is not understandable by us. So we have to remove what makes us incapable of recognising Brahman in this finite. What we call finite is not really finite; it is our mind surrounding it, breaking it into pieces with the instruments called time, space, and causation. The highest universal is nothing but consciousness, pure consciousness. That is the theme of every Upaniṣad: ''īśāvāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yat kiñca jagatyāṃ jagat''.

	So that consciousness, whose faint inklings are observable only in the state of deep sleep—that is why deep sleep is the nearest analogy to understand what is called pure consciousness. Why? Because time, space, and causation are thrown out in the waking state and dream state. They ~~grasp certain~~ minds, but are completely out of this deep sleep state. That is why we do not recognise or cognise time while we are deeply asleep. Only when we come out do we recollect: "I went to sleep at such and such a time; now I woke up, so I must have slept six hours, seven hours, whatever it is." But that awareness of time, of space (divided space), and of separation of objects is completely absent, and that is expressed as "I did not know anything." It doesn't mean he does not know what he is experiencing; it means "I did not know time, space, and causation." But I am fully aware. How do I describe when the awakened person from deep sleep issues a statement? "I do not know anything." What we need to understand is that he was not ignorant of what he experienced—there can be no experience in a state of ignorance. What we need to understand is that there is no way to describe what I have experienced: ''na kiñcid avediṣam''. But how do I know I experienced it? ''sukham aham asvāpsam''—I was joyous; it was unbroken happiness from the beginning to the end, unbroken by time, space, and causation.		So that consciousness, whose faint inklings are observable only in the state of deep sleep—that is why deep sleep is the nearest analogy to understand what is called pure consciousness. Why? Because time, space, and causation are thrown out in the waking state and dream state. They gross, subtle minds, but are completely out of this deep sleep state. That is why we do not recognise or cognise time while we are deeply asleep. Only when we come out do we recollect: "I went to sleep at such and such a time; now I woke up, so I must have slept six hours, seven hours, whatever it is." But that awareness of time, of space (divided space), and of separation of objects is completely absent, and that is expressed as "I did not know anything." It doesn't mean he does not know what he is experiencing; it means "I did not know time, space, and causation." But I am fully aware. How do I describe when the awakened person from deep sleep issues a statement? "I do not know anything." What we need to understand is that he was not ignorant of what he experienced—there can be no experience in a state of ignorance. What we need to understand is that there is no way to describe what I have experienced: ''na kiñcid avediṣam''. But how do I know I experienced it? ''sukham aham asvāpsam''—I was joyous; it was unbroken happiness from the beginning to the end, unbroken by time, space, and causation.

	So this is the essence of the discourse between Gārgya and Ajātaśatru (Bālāki and Ajātaśatru). Why do we use "Bālāki"? Because the very first mantra says: ''dṛptaḥ Bālākiḥ''. ''Dṛptaḥ'' means arrogant—arrogant means that he thought he knew everything, and he did not know that he did not know so much. Only a little bit of it he knew, and little knowledge cannot be compared as all knowledge.		So this is the essence of the discourse between Gārgya and Ajātaśatru (Bālāki and Ajātaśatru). Why do we use "Bālāki"? Because the very first mantra says: ''dṛptaḥ Bālākiḥ''. ''Dṛptaḥ'' means arrogant—arrogant means that he thought he knew everything, and he did not know that he did not know so much. Only a little bit of it he knew, and little knowledge cannot be compared as all knowledge.
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	''Dṛptaḥ'' means arrogant, proudful. But there is a difference between arrogance and pride. A person who is arrogant does not have any quality, but he goes on declaring himself: "I am the owner of such and such qualities; I am the owner of this company; I am the owner of so much bank balance"—without having anything. He wants to get rid of his inferiority complex. But a proud person is one who knows what he is, what he has, and what he knows, and he knows very few people are there equivalent to him; therefore he becomes proud. That is why in the Bhartṛhari Subhāṣita—even in the ''Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa'' we get it—if somebody is so great, soon another person comes who proves he is greater; and if he thinks he is the greatest, some other person comes. So a person who understands "I am not the greatest"—that is called ''vidyā''. And what does ''vidyā'' do? ''Vidyā dadhāti vinayam''—Vidyā gives complete humility.		''Dṛptaḥ'' means arrogant, proudful. But there is a difference between arrogance and pride. A person who is arrogant does not have any quality, but he goes on declaring himself: "I am the owner of such and such qualities; I am the owner of this company; I am the owner of so much bank balance"—without having anything. He wants to get rid of his inferiority complex. But a proud person is one who knows what he is, what he has, and what he knows, and he knows very few people are there equivalent to him; therefore he becomes proud. That is why in the Bhartṛhari Subhāṣita—even in the ''Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa'' we get it—if somebody is so great, soon another person comes who proves he is greater; and if he thinks he is the greatest, some other person comes. So a person who understands "I am not the greatest"—that is called ''vidyā''. And what does ''vidyā'' do? ''Vidyā dadhāti vinayam''—Vidyā gives complete humility.

	As I remember, if you still remember the great Western scientist who discovered gravity—he was approached and said, "Sir, you know everything," and then he said, "No, I am like a person sitting by the side of a sea, and whenever any thirsty person comes, I give one or two cupfuls of this salt-water." A similar better story is regarding Socrates. He was declared by the ~~Delphic~~ Oracle that he was the wisest man in this whole world, and he became curious to know: "How did I earn this title? Do I really earn it?" So he wanted to find out. He met all the greatest so-called wise people—they are called philosophers—and he put certain adroit questions. Then he came back and declared: "The Oracle is absolutely right. I am the wisest person." And lest he might be mistaken, he declared: "Why do I say I am the wisest? Because the wisest person is one who knows definitely that I am not the wisest person. I met so many people, and they did not know that they are not wise, but they are under the delusion that we are all great wise people."		As I remember, if you still remember the great Western scientist who discovered gravity—he was approached and said, "Sir, you know everything," and then he said, "No, I am like a person sitting by the side of a sea, and whenever any thirsty person comes, I give one or two cupfuls of this salt-water." A similar better story is regarding Socrates. He was declared by the Delphi Oracle that he was the wisest man in this whole world, and he became curious to know: "How did I earn this title? Do I really earn it?" So he wanted to find out. He met all the greatest so-called wise people—they are called philosophers—and he put certain adroit questions. Then he came back and declared: "The Oracle is absolutely right. I am the wisest person." And lest he might be mistaken, he declared: "Why do I say I am the wisest? Because the wisest person is one who knows definitely that I am not the wisest person. I met so many people, and they did not know that they are not wise, but they are under the delusion that we are all great wise people."

	अन्धैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः दन्द्रम्यमानाः परयन्ति मूढाः.		अन्धैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः दन्द्रम्यमानाः परयन्ति मूढाः.
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	== Closing Prayer ==		== Closing Prayer ==
	ॐ जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ~~।पादपद्मे~~ तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः		''ॐ'' जननीं शारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।

			पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहुः ॥

			''Om Jananīṁ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum''

	''~~Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum~~ Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''		''Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh''

	May ~~Rāmakṛṣṇa~~, Holy Mother, and Swami ~~Vivekānanda~~ bless us all with ~~Bhakti~~.		May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.

	''Jai ~~Rāmakṛṣṇa~~!''		'''Jai Ramakrishna!'''
	[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]		[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.15-20 Lecture 50 on 12 July 2026

Geetha — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:47:57 GMT

punctuation and a couple of words captured incorrectly. removed Jananim verse in the Opening invocation.

Show changes

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 33 on 16 May 2026

Geetha — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:42:17 GMT

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	== The Sixteenth Mantra: Full Exposition ==		== The Sixteenth Mantra: Full Exposition ==



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	=== The Higher Upāsanā: Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā ===		=== The Higher Upāsanā: Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā ===
	So for such a person — suppose he has done all this and has some higher desires, a desire to evolve to a higher stage of life ~~— what~~ should he do? He should do a special type of Upāsanā. This is called Panthā Upāsanā, Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā. And this is a marvellous subject which we will talk about in our next class.		So for such a person ,suppose he has done all this and has some higher desires, a desire to evolve to a higher stage of life .What should he do? He should do a special type of Upāsanā. This is called Panthā Upāsanā, Ahaṃgraha Upāsanā. And this is a marvellous subject which we will talk about in our next class.
	----		----

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 58 on 09 August 2026 Q&A

Bhama — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:23:48 GMT

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			== Q&A: On Developing a Happy Mindset, Annabrahma Upasana, and Praying for Others==
			===Developing the Mindset for Happiness===
			'''Question:''' Maharaj, in today's class you mentioned about happiness – you have mentioned it before also – that it is about the mindset. So what is the most important thing to develop that mindset to be happy?

			'''Answer:''' Remove any obstacle which makes us feel "I am not happy." As simple as that.

			'''Question:''' Sometimes it's there – it is just the feeling of dullness, Maharaj. It is neither happy. We don't consciously feel happy all the time.

			'''Answer:''' Then we have to cultivate. That's why several times I have reiterated: only a happy person can progress in spiritual life. Do you think a miserable person will ever progress in spiritual life? Spiritual life starts with happiness. It increases in happiness. It expands into happiness. And from happiness, he increases and becomes one with happiness. First experience happiness, then become one with happiness.
			===Annabrahma Upasana: From Happiness to Oneness===
			Okay, like ''annamaya kośa'', ''annaṃ brahmeti vyajanāt'' – what is that Brahman? Annam is Brahman. Is it a miserable Brahman or what? That means what? You understand? If I am hungry, I feel miserable. Yes. But you just imagine that somebody is enjoying his food or her food – whether it is a dog, whether it is a child, a poor man – that happiness we have to focus upon. That is called Brahmabhāva.

			'''Question:''' What does his happiness do to me?

			'''Answer:''' That is called worldliness. You have to bring in all those Vedāntic concepts now. Why am I not getting food? Because I did not do sufficient donation of food in my previous life. What to speak of previous birth – even in this life, did I donate with happiness? Yeah. So we have to do all those things. That is why the world is created – to fulfill all these duties. Then only we can say he is slowly progressing towards Annam Brahma.

			To be happy, you don't need to do anything? There was a Christian school, and when Christmas approached, the school decided to present what is called a Christmas drama in which there would be two scenes: the heavenly scene and the hellish scene. So a teacher was assigned to train them in acting. He called the boys and girls. So when the scene of heaven comes, put on bright faces, smile wholeheartedly, show that you are joyous. And one of them piped out: "What should we do when we are in the hellish scene?" The teacher said: "You don't need to do anything – just as you are. People understand perfectly what is called hell."

			So remember: Annabrahma Upāsanā is a spiritual practice. It is a tapasyā – hardship. You follow now? So we have to go through that. Simply hearing of the Upaniṣad, we are not going to realise Brahman tomorrow. Of course, if Śrī Ramakṛṣṇa wants to get rid of us, that is a totally different issue altogether because you know how He wants to. He is intelligent; He can; He is capable of giving mukti. He says: "I don't want anything to do with this person. Let me give him liberation." Permanently he would be free. He is happy, we are happy, everybody is happy.
			===The Difficulty of the Spiritual Path===
			It is not easy to be a spiritual aspirant. That is why it is said in the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi itself: ''durllabhaṃ ...'' – the desire for spiritual life arises only when a man has done a lot of puṇya; citta-śuddhi happens. Anyway, what we are talking is that we have to start from where we are. The whole thing can be condensed into one simple sentence: the more we become unselfish, the more progress we are making towards God.

			'''Question:''' Okay. Yes, Maharaj. Thank you.
			===On Praying for Others===
			'''Question:''' This was another question, Maharaj. When we sit down for prayer – especially when we have to pray for others, say some friend or family – what is the proper way? Sometimes we make saṅkalpa of doing these many japa counts. – do we pray for that before the japa, or during the japa for every count, or after the japa like samarpanam? What is the proper method?

			'''Answer:''' You mean when you want to help somebody else?

			'''Question:''' Ahh, yes.

			'''Answer:''' So the saṅkalpa is there all the time. Not that you have to specially do – is it? God doesn't know? He knows every thought of ours. So this person wants to help the other person – does He not know or not?

			'''Question:''' Yeah.
			===The Readiness of the Other Person===
			'''Answer:''' So if we do, then God's grace will come. But the point is: is the other person ready to receive the grace of God? He says: "I don't want God. I don't want to change my life. I don't want to become unselfish." You see how much ignorance still we cherish. Nothing depends upon me.

			We can also pray. You can – that's what they say in English language: you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Only when it is thirsty, then happily it will move and then drink. An unwilling horse will not drink, isn't it? Yeah. You can't make even a child eat food. You will see how much he is turning his face this side and that side. Yeah. What to speak of helping others ?!
			===The Benefit of Praying for Others===
			But it is good for us to pray for others because our own selfishness gradually becomes attenuated. That is the truth.

			'''Question:''' Okay.

			'''Answer:''' Yeah, yes – I'm not saying you should not pray. What I'm saying is that don't expect that because you prayed, it should do some good to the other person. It depends on how much that person is ready to receive the help. Yeah, that's very important.
	[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]		[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 57 on 08 August 2026 Q&A

Bhama — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:15:12 GMT

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	== [https://pub-0536a4be5dcf4ea9890169f5da0ca6a9.r2.dev/April%202026%20onwards/Brihadaranyaka%20Upanishad/Q%20%26%20A%2057%20Brihadaranyaka%20Upanishad%20%20On%208%20August%202026%20.mp3 Link to Audio] ==		== [https://pub-0536a4be5dcf4ea9890169f5da0ca6a9.r2.dev/April%202026%20onwards/Brihadaranyaka%20Upanishad/Q%20%26%20A%2057%20Brihadaranyaka%20Upanishad%20%20On%208%20August%202026%20.mp3 Link to Audio] ==
			== Q&A: On the Self, Happiness, and the Quest for Brahman==
			===The Self as the Source of Love and Happiness===
			'''Question:''' Maharaj, in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, when Yājñavalkya says that everything and everyone is loved for the sake of the self, is it right to understand that it is the lower self, and then ultimately the understanding goes to the capital 'S'?

			'''Answer:''' It is only – in both senses it is the... you are correct. Because when a person gets enlightened, he understands that Ātman is the only source of happiness, okay? No seeking is there?

			'''Question:''' Ah, yes.

			'''Answer:''' But whatever – until even in our deepest state of ignorance, what is it we want?

			'''Question:''' Happiness.
			===The Deepest State of Ignorance and the Desire for Deep Sleep===
			'''Answer:''' Ahh, that is why if happiness is lacking in the waking and dream state, what do you think the person wants to do?

			'''Question:''' He wants to somehow obtain – seeking.

			'''Answer:''' No, he desires deep sleep.

			'''Question:''' Oh, like that?

			'''Answer:''' Yeah, because that is a common experience. You can't say whether there is happiness in the deep sleep or not. That is true. One form of terrific suffering is called boredom. If someone is boring you, what happens to you?

			'''Question:''' Sleepy

			'''Answer:''' Correct – your mouth goes on opening. You must understand why you are boring me: because boring brings a big hole. But there are people who totally don't pay attention to what is happening to other people. And as I jokingly referred, you know the biggest bore in the world is God. That is why He wanted to show: "I am the biggest bore." (Varaha Avatara). Literally, it is true. Most people, 99.99%, they want God, or they want what God can give ?
			===What People Really Seek===
			'''Answer:''' What God can give. Not only that, another point you remember. Suppose a person gets quite a good amount of happiness from eating a sweet. Now, what should we call that sweet?

			'''Question:''' God.

			'''Answer:''' God. Yeah, He has given the biggest happiness. So only it doesn't last long. That is why after many, many a birth, we seek. So people drink – another example. What do they want to do? They want to enter into an altered state of consciousness where he wants to forget his body, his mind, the world, circumstance. Forgetting himself, he says yes, but he doesn't understand what he means by the word "forgetting myself". Forgetting myself means forgetting the causes of unhappiness. Because if he forgets himself, who is going to enjoy?
	[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]		[[Category:Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]]

Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 116 Summary on 05 August 2026 Q&A

Bhama — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:11:26 GMT

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			== Q&A: On the Three Types of Dharma, Ashramas, and the Yearning for Brahman==
			'''Question:''' Maharaj, the 3 types of Dharmas you had mentioned.

			'''Answer:''' Meaning of Dharma.

			'''Question:''' Meaning of Dharma.

			'''Answer:''' Yeah.

			'''Question:''' I noted only 2, Maharaj. So the first one is one's own nature.

			'''Answer:''' Correct – reminding our true nature.

			'''Question:''' Second is the Varṇāśrama Dharma – following the Varṇāśrama.
			===The Means to Know True Nature: Varṇa Dharma===
			'''Answer:''' Second and third are the means – how we can really know our true nature, the sādhanā. For that sādhanā, first of all: which guṇa is dominant in us? Tamoguṇa – that means Śūdra; Rajoguṇa – Kṣatriya; and Sattvaguṇa – Brāhmaṇa. So this is slow progress from a lower guṇa to a higher guṇa, and this is called Varṇa Dharma. But having developed more Sattvaguṇa, one is born into a human body. And here also, according to Hinduism, each person's life span is divided into 4 categories. It is not one life actually; it is a spiritual development.
			===The Four Āśramas as Spiritual Development===
			====First Stage: Brahmacarya – Learning with Faith====
			The first stage is learning with complete faith. How many people have the faith that God exists, that He is watching, and that He will reward everybody according to one's duties? How many people really believe in it? They don't. Even religious people do not believe in it. Yeah, otherwise they will not bribe the priests. Priests are supposed to be the custodians of God; they will not take also. So what I am trying to tell: first stage is learning, but that learning is not academic learning. If they learn coding, your character is not changed by coding. It is only – if you are very clever, it might help you to earn more money. But the fundamental teaching of Hinduism is: no possessions, no money, nothing will give happiness. It is a state of mind. Happiness and unhappiness are states of mind. Only puṇyam will give us happiness. So possessions will not give happiness. That truth – how many people understand? Very few people.
			====Second Stage: Gṛhastha – Experiment and Experience====
			So the first stage is learning with faith. Once faith comes, put it into practice. That is what I call experiment and experience. That is the second stage called Gṛhastha Āśrama. Because if you don't scientifically really do the experiments, you will not know whether the experiment is successful or not. It is a development. Yes, it yields results, and then the person's faith goes on increasing in the scriptures. And that which at first the goal seems to be obtaining more happiness, later on, this happiness sort of fades in the external world, and the understanding comes: "The external world is continuously changing. I am also changing. My body and mind are also changing." So what does the scripture say? Then through Karma Kāṇḍa, he enters into – not mentioned specifically called Upāsanā – that is called the main purpose of Vānaprastha Āśrama.
			====Third Stage: Vānaprastha – Gradual Climbing====
			And it is what is called gradually climbing up and up and up. Then finally, the person says: "God alone is the reality. Everything else is temporary."
			====Fourth Stage: Sannyāsa – Integrating the Temporary into the Permanent====
			So integrate the temporary into the permanent; that is called Sannyāsa Āśrama. So this is how the teaching is given. In the very first chapter of this Taittirīya Upaniṣad, called Śikṣāvalī, all these ideas are implied. So roughly I can say: first chapter is equivalent to Śravaṇa; second chapter is roughly equivalent to Manana – because the teacher teaches about the knowledge of Brahman, and the person has to think about it deeply and slowly progress; and the last part is how to transform oneself and behave like a Jīvanmukta, a knower of Brahman. How beautifully we can try to understand these ideas. Yes.
			===Interconnection of the Āśramas===
			'''Question:''' Sure, Maharaj. Maharaj, with these Āśrama Dharmas, it seems like in Brahmacarya we actually prepare for the next āśramas.

			'''Answer:''' Yeah.

			'''Question:''' And in Gṛhastha we prepare for the Vānaprastha āśrama.

			'''Answer:''' Yeah.

			'''Question:''' Which means we Gṛhasthas, in addition to experimenting and experiencing, also practice Upāsanās in preparation for Vānaprastha.

			'''Answer:''' Correct. Correct.

			'''Question:''' So in Vānaprastha, even though he practices Upāsanās mostly, he actually prepares for Sannyāsa āśrama.

			'''Answer:''' Correct. Sannyāsa āśrama is really enjoying the result of Upāsanā. Vānaprastha āśrama we can take like that.
			===A Reflection on the Gṛhastha's Journey===
			So what happens? Just a thought occurred to me now, and because you mentioned, I have to thank you for producing that thought. So, a Gṛhastha marries, and he thinks: "My happiness comes from my wife, my husband, my children." Then he starts practicing Upāsanā. So, to maintain the wife and children, he has to work very hard.

			'''Question:''' Yes.

			'''Answer:''' Now, as he goes on practicing Upāsanās, suddenly the thought occurs: "Why did I become such a donkey? When I am getting so much happiness just by thinking about it, not doing anything about it, why should I go through all this donkey's work?"

			'''Question:''' Too late, Maharaj.

			'''Answer:''' Nothing is too late. Then slowly he enters into that Vānaprastha āśrama. How nice it is! Yeah, all sukha is in the mind only, isn't it? Yes, ma'am. When I can get all the time the company of my dream girl, where is the need for buying jewellery? And then every time she demands something more, you demand as much as you want – I will give you more than what you want, in a dream, instantaneously. Yeah, if that fellow is imaginative, the whole jewellery shop will be his. So this is how the faith in scriptures grows. Finally, scripture wants to say: "Thou art that." That is the truth. Okay.
			===Can One Yearn for Brahman Without Going Through Saṃsāra?===
			'''Question:''' Maharaj, is it possible for an aspirant to even yearn for Brahman or the Truth without going through the burning saṃsāra?

			'''Answer:''' Not possible. Because – this is a redundant question. We are already – who is asking the question? He who is in saṃsāra, or who is not having saṃsāra? If he is in saṃsāra fully, then that question will be relevant. Let somebody who has not entered into saṃsāra – he will not ask because there is nobody he can ask the question. Yeah, Brahman, even if he wants to ask, whom is he going to ask? He will not ask. It is only for people in saṃsāra. So when does he ask? When suffering is intolerable.

			'''Question:''' Yeah.

			'''Answer:''' Then we ask the question: "What is the way to get sukha without duḥkha?" And the scripture steps in and answers: "When you know who you are, then without any least bit of duḥkha, you will be a great happy person – a blissful person."
	[[Category:Taittiriya Upanishad]]		[[Category:Taittiriya Upanishad]]

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 57 on 08 August 2026

Bhama — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:05 GMT

Rukubāī's Story

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	So there are so many wonderful saints – one Mīrā Bāī – she was a ''Brahmavādinī''; even though she used to call that ''Brahman'' as Kṛṣṇa. There was Tulasīdāsa – he used to call ''Brahman'' as Rāma – so he was a ''Brahmavādī''. In the south, Basavaṇṇa is there – he who does not see Śiva in everything all the time is not a Śiva ''bhakta''. But even more marvellous – there was one lady called Akkā Mahādevī – she used to wear no clothes at all. But it is said that whoever sees her, she has become so pure that immediately the idea of motherliness – "this is my mother" – the idea "this is a woman, a desirable object" – such a thing never enters into the mind of anybody who encounters her. She used to live in wild places; rarely she used to encounter people, but if she encountered them, her naked body does not produce worldly thoughts. On the other hand, they only produce most marvellous thoughts of God, purity, sacredness, etc. That is the power of these great people – God makes them like that. Otherwise, if anybody looks upon them in a negative way, worldly way, they will be turned into ashes that very moment.		So there are so many wonderful saints – one Mīrā Bāī – she was a ''Brahmavādinī''; even though she used to call that ''Brahman'' as Kṛṣṇa. There was Tulasīdāsa – he used to call ''Brahman'' as Rāma – so he was a ''Brahmavādī''. In the south, Basavaṇṇa is there – he who does not see Śiva in everything all the time is not a Śiva ''bhakta''. But even more marvellous – there was one lady called Akkā Mahādevī – she used to wear no clothes at all. But it is said that whoever sees her, she has become so pure that immediately the idea of motherliness – "this is my mother" – the idea "this is a woman, a desirable object" – such a thing never enters into the mind of anybody who encounters her. She used to live in wild places; rarely she used to encounter people, but if she encountered them, her naked body does not produce worldly thoughts. On the other hand, they only produce most marvellous thoughts of God, purity, sacredness, etc. That is the power of these great people – God makes them like that. Otherwise, if anybody looks upon them in a negative way, worldly way, they will be turned into ashes that very moment.
	===Other Women Saints===		===Other Women Saints===
	Anyway – what about Āṇḍāḷ, the greatest lover of Kṛṣṇa, and she became one with Kṛṣṇa? She married Kṛṣṇa – of course His name was Raṅganātha Svāmī. All these – how many other stories are there? I am just mentioning because this is more important than just reading the sentence meaning of these ''Upaniṣads''. Maharashtra had produced marvellous women saints. We know everywhere there were men saints – male saints – but female saints. Now what we need to understand here – how marvellously there was one, I think, Rukubāī. Her husband, her mother‑in‑law hated her, got the greatest amount of work done through her, and the mother used to use her son – who could not say no – to beat her up. Once he was beating her up, she was completely helpless. Remember, several centuries back – East or West – women were playthings in the hands of men. How much hellish suffering these people had to go through, and even people burned – you know, the famous witch burning, etc.		Anyway – what about Āṇḍāḷ, the greatest lover of Kṛṣṇa, and she became one with Kṛṣṇa? She married Kṛṣṇa – of course His name was Raṅganātha Svāmī. All these – how many other stories are there? I am just mentioning because this is more important than just reading the sentence meaning of these ''Upaniṣads''. Maharashtra had produced marvellous women saints. We know everywhere there were men saints – male saints – but female saints. Now what we need to understand here – how marvellously there was one, I think, Rukubāī (Sakkubai). Her husband, her mother‑in‑law hated her, got the greatest amount of work done through her, and the mother used to use her son – who could not say no – to beat her up. Once he was beating her up, she was completely helpless. Remember, several centuries back – East or West – women were playthings in the hands of men. How much hellish suffering these people had to go through, and even people burned – you know, the famous witch burning, etc.
	===~~Rukubāī~~'s Story===		===Sakkubāī's Story===
	So this lady – her only ''gati'' is to call upon her beloved Kṛṣṇa. She used to, every time pain came, she used to call out Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa had taken all the blows that her body was receiving upon His body – like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa took upon himself the blow of one of the boatmen who was beaten by another boatman – we must recall that incident. So the husband went on beating, and then next day the priest found traces of blood on the image on the back of the image. They were shocked – how can a stone image suddenly emit blood? For us it is a lifeless stone – however, what is called, we invoke ''prāṇa'' while opening the temple, while doing ''pūjā'', etc. – for us still it is a statue. But in the eyes of these great people, there is no statue. If this lady had gone to that ''Puraṇḍara Pīṭhā'', then she would have seen Him, she would have talked with Him, etc.		So this lady – her only ''gati'' is to call upon her beloved Kṛṣṇa. She used to, every time pain came, she used to call out Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa had taken all the blows that her body was receiving upon His body – like Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa took upon himself the blow of one of the boatmen who was beaten by another boatman – we must recall that incident. So the husband went on beating, and then next day the priest found traces of blood on the image on the back of the image. They were shocked – how can a stone image suddenly emit blood? For us it is a lifeless stone – however, what is called, we invoke ''prāṇa'' while opening the temple, while doing ''pūjā'', etc. – for us still it is a statue. But in the eyes of these great people, there is no statue. If this lady had gone to that ''Puraṇḍara Pīṭhā'', then she would have seen Him, she would have talked with Him, etc.
	===The Advent of Holy Mother===		===The Advent of Holy Mother===

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 58 on 09 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:54:48 GMT

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 58 on 09 August 2026

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 57 on 08 August 2026 Q&A

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-5 Lecture 57 on 08 August 2026

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 116 Summary on 06 August 2026 Q&A

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 116 Summary on 06 August 2026

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 116 Summary on 06 August 2026

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 Introduction Lecture 40 on 07 June 2026

Shekhar — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:10:27 GMT

The Story of Ajātaśatru and Gārgya

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	So take the ''vyasti'' (the individual) and make it universal, ''samaṣṭi''. Then the individuality melts away, revealing its universal nature, and that is becoming one with the ''saguṇa brahma'' or qualified Brahman. Once I reach there, then I realise that the ''saguṇa brahma'' is none other than ''nirguṇa brahma'' only. The manifest is but a manifestation of the unmanifest, an expression of the unmanifest. That is why I told you earlier: through the path of ''iti iti'', I am not only this individual "I", I am the universal "I". I merely expanded my "I" without any limitation. And then finally I find I am one with the universal ''saguṇa brahma'' (Īśvara), by whatever name you call it. Usually we call it "God". For most religions, God means ''saguṇa brahma''. He is the creator. Creator is always ''saguṇa brahma'' in Vedānta, in Hinduism. But once we identify that "I do not exist, everything is Brahman", this is beautifully expressed in a very clipped manner in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, which we are all familiar with:		So take the ''vyasti'' (the individual) and make it universal, ''samaṣṭi''. Then the individuality melts away, revealing its universal nature, and that is becoming one with the ''saguṇa brahma'' or qualified Brahman. Once I reach there, then I realise that the ''saguṇa brahma'' is none other than ''nirguṇa brahma'' only. The manifest is but a manifestation of the unmanifest, an expression of the unmanifest. That is why I told you earlier: through the path of ''iti iti'', I am not only this individual "I", I am the universal "I". I merely expanded my "I" without any limitation. And then finally I find I am one with the universal ''saguṇa brahma'' (Īśvara), by whatever name you call it. Usually we call it "God". For most religions, God means ''saguṇa brahma''. He is the creator. Creator is always ''saguṇa brahma'' in Vedānta, in Hinduism. But once we identify that "I do not exist, everything is Brahman", this is beautifully expressed in a very clipped manner in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, which we are all familiar with:

			'''ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्। ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना॥'''

			''Brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam, brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahma-karma-samādhinā.''

	''brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma haviḥ brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam \|'' brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahma karma samādhinā \|\|		''brahmārpaṇaṃ brahma haviḥ brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam \|'' brahmaiva tena gantavyaṃ brahma karma samādhinā \|\|
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	Then he decided that he would like to share his knowledge with this king. The scripture is using a peculiar word: ''dhr̥pta bālāki''. ''Dhr̥pta'' means proud, but he was not like Śvetaketu; you have to understand. We have seen the story of Śvetaketu, and after returning from ''gurukula'', he was arrogant, unbearable, and his father, a true ''sādhaka'', asked him: "Did your teacher teach you the highest truth?" And this fellow proudly replied: "My teacher doesn't know; otherwise he would have taught." He did not know that some things can be taught without being asked, but some things must be taught only after being asked. So this person never realized there is something I have to ask, which we see in the Kaṭhopaniṣad: how Naciketā asks, and he is so adamant, so firm, that Yamadharmarāja shows him so many temptations which are extremely rare, but firmly Naciketā rejects all of them: "I will not desire any other boon excepting I want to obtain knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of the Ātman."		Then he decided that he would like to share his knowledge with this king. The scripture is using a peculiar word: ''dhr̥pta bālāki''. ''Dhr̥pta'' means proud, but he was not like Śvetaketu; you have to understand. We have seen the story of Śvetaketu, and after returning from ''gurukula'', he was arrogant, unbearable, and his father, a true ''sādhaka'', asked him: "Did your teacher teach you the highest truth?" And this fellow proudly replied: "My teacher doesn't know; otherwise he would have taught." He did not know that some things can be taught without being asked, but some things must be taught only after being asked. So this person never realized there is something I have to ask, which we see in the Kaṭhopaniṣad: how Naciketā asks, and he is so adamant, so firm, that Yamadharmarāja shows him so many temptations which are extremely rare, but firmly Naciketā rejects all of them: "I will not desire any other boon excepting I want to obtain knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of the Ātman."

	So Śvetaketu was very arrogant, and when he approached a king with the same idea that "I will teach", the king questioned him in turn—five questions he could not answer even one. He got hurt, he came back, he complained to his father, and then his father said: "I also do not know the answer, so let us go sit humbly at his feet." But Śvetaketu refused to come. But the father came, he learned. That kind of arrogance is no good at all for true aspirants; one has to be careful about it. That is why Śukadeva had to go to Janaka to be confirmed: "Yes, you are truly a ''brahmajñānī'', ''naira brahma''." But Janaka did not simply look at his face and certify him. He tested him for one week with absolutely no respect, and second, with the highest respect that is possible, and keeping him in the midst of the greatest temptations. Śukadeva's mind did not flicker: ''ethadipo nivathasthu ningate sa upama smruta''. Just as in a windless place, a lamp never flickers even the slightest, Śukadeva's mind remained absolutely firm. It is also said that Janaka gave him a cup full of oil and told him to go around a huge room seven times, and not even one drop of oil had ever spilled out of fear, out of apprehension, out of anxiety. No, his mind was totally what Patañjali Rishi calls complete ''citta nirodha'' had taken place, and he was abiding in his own self: ''tathā dhraśtasvarūpe avasthānam''.		So Śvetaketu was very arrogant, and when he approached a king with the same idea that "I will teach", the king questioned him in turn—five questions he could not answer even one. He got hurt, he came back, he complained to his father, and then his father said: "I also do not know the answer, so let us go sit humbly at his feet." But Śvetaketu refused to come. But the father came, he learned. That kind of arrogance is no good at all for true aspirants; one has to be careful about it. So somebody has to certify — you have attained to the highest. Not by granting certificate to oneself, by oneself. That is why Śukadeva had to go to Janaka to be confirmed: "Yes, you are truly a ''brahmajñānī'', ''naira brahma''." But Janaka did not simply look at his face and certify him. He tested him for one week with absolutely no respect, and second, with the highest respect that is possible, and keeping him in the midst of the greatest temptations. Śukadeva's mind did not flicker: ''ethadipo nivathasthu ningate sa upama smruta''. Just as in a windless place, a lamp never flickers even the slightest, Śukadeva's mind remained absolutely firm. It is also said that Janaka gave him a cup full of oil and told him to go around a huge room seven times, and not even one drop of oil had ever spilled out of fear, out of apprehension, out of anxiety. No, his mind was totally what Patañjali Rishi calls complete ''citta nirodha'' had taken place, and he was abiding in his own self: ''tathā dhraśtasvarūpe avasthānam''.

	We should not compare Gārgya, this young Brahmin boy, to Śvetaketu at all. How do we know? Because he genuinely thought—mistakenly, but genuinely thought—that "I know; I want to share it with the king." But when the king countered him and said, "I know much more than you," twelve times he says this. Then this boy realized his knowledge is not up to the mark; he has a lot to learn. And you know what happened? Immediately, instantaneously, he sat down. Of course, the Upaniṣad doesn't say that, but he said: "Sir, I thought I came to teach you, but now I know that I am an ignoramus." Acceptance of one's ignorance is the highest knowledge because that leads to the highest knowledge. So we know later on that this Brahmin boy learned well, he behaved well, and he was a little bit proud but at heart he was a very good boy. He approached Ajātaśatru, who is a ''kṣatriya'', a warrior, a king, and he was the king of Kāśī. So he approached and said...		We should not compare Gārgya, this young Brahmin boy, to Śvetaketu at all. How do we know? Because he genuinely thought—mistakenly, but genuinely thought—that "I know; I want to share it with the king." But when the king countered him and said, "I know much more than you," twelve times he says this. Then this boy realized his knowledge is not up to the mark; he has a lot to learn. And you know what happened? Immediately, instantaneously, he sat down. Of course, the Upaniṣad doesn't say that, but he said: "Sir, I thought I came to teach you, but now I know that I am an ignoramus." Acceptance of one's ignorance is the highest knowledge because that leads to the highest knowledge. So we know later on that this Brahmin boy learned well, he behaved well, and he was a little bit proud but at heart he was a very good boy. He approached Ajātaśatru, who is a ''kṣatriya'', a warrior, a king, and he was the king of Kāśī. So he approached and said...

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.2-5 Lecture 45 on 27 June 2026

Sachidanand — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:31:59 GMT

Minor corrections and words that were missed/and, or mixed up.

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 1.2-3 Lecture 44 on 21 June 2026

Sachidanand — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 17:49:15 GMT

Minor corrections that were either missing or mixed up.

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.4 Lecture 33 on 16 May 2026

Geetha — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:02:43 GMT

inserted the big paragraph after the first para under Our debt to Animals and nature which was not there at all. inserted the 16th verse which he did not fully recite but have added it and the 17th verse too.

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.5 Lecture 35 on 23 May 2026

Gopi — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:49:53 GMT

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-4.2 Lecture 56 on 02 August 2026

Bhama — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 04:29:14 GMT

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.2 4.1-4.14 Lecture 55 on 01 August 2026

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 115 Summary on 29 July 2026 Q&A

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Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 115 Summary on 29 July 2026

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Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Lecture 169 on 28-July-2026

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1 Summary Lecture 39 on 06 June 2026

Shekhar — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:50:10 GMT

4. Praveśa Bhāṣya (Fourth Section)

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	In the fourth section, we get ''Praveśa Bhāṣya'': ''tat sṛṣṭvā'', ''tadeva'', ''anupraviśat'' – "God created, Brahman created and entered." What is the meaning of this "entrance"? A long discussion, but the essence is that Brahman is available inside our own heart. That availability of Brahman in the heart is called "Brahman entering into the heart" – not physical entry, not intellectual entry, but we take it as "it is available". Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "A ''zamindar'' can be anywhere in his vast lands, but often he is found in his drawing room, where he is easily available." So that is called ''Praveśa Bhāṣyam'' – elaborate discussion: "Brahman created the world and entered; what is this entry? Brahman's availability in the ''jīva'', that's all, because we consider ourselves as ''jīva''." So by taking the support of the ''mahāvākya'' "I am Brahman", we have to meditate upon Brahman in the cave of our own heart.		In the fourth section, we get ''Praveśa Bhāṣya'': ''tat sṛṣṭvā'', ''tadeva'', ''anupraviśat'' – "God created, Brahman created and entered." What is the meaning of this "entrance"? A long discussion, but the essence is that Brahman is available inside our own heart. That availability of Brahman in the heart is called "Brahman entering into the heart" – not physical entry, not intellectual entry, but we take it as "it is available". Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa says: "A ''zamindar'' can be anywhere in his vast lands, but often he is found in his drawing room, where he is easily available." So that is called ''Praveśa Bhāṣyam'' – elaborate discussion: "Brahman created the world and entered; what is this entry? Brahman's availability in the ''jīva'', that's all, because we consider ourselves as ''jīva''." So by taking the support of the ''mahāvākya'' "I am Brahman", we have to meditate upon Brahman in the cave of our own heart.

	~~ज्योति राज्योति उज्ज्वला हृदिकन्दर तुमितम भञ्जनहर्~~		ज्योतिषां ज्योतिः, उज्ज्वल हृदि कन्दरे, तुमि तम भञ्जनहार।

	jyoti rājyoti ujjvalā hṛdikandara tumitama bhañjanahar		jyoti rājyoti ujjvalā hṛdikandara tumitama bhañjanahar
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	Then there is a ''Mahāvākya Bhāṣyam''. We get it in the fourth section, tenth mantra, wherein one of the ''mahāvākyas'' – ''Aham brahmāsmi'' – is discussed. First chapter, fourth section, tenth mantra:		Then there is a ''Mahāvākya Bhāṣyam''. We get it in the fourth section, tenth mantra, wherein one of the ''mahāvākyas'' – ''Aham brahmāsmi'' – is discussed. First chapter, fourth section, tenth mantra:

	अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि		'''अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि'''

	aham brahmāsmi		aham brahmāsmi
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	===Important Mantras in the First Chapter===		===Important Mantras in the First Chapter===
	There are some important mantras we have to understand.		There are some important mantras we have to understand.
	~~====First Mantra: ''Naiva kiñcana agre āsīt''====~~
	~~The famous mantra:~~

	~~नैव किञ्चनाग्रे~~ आसीत्		'''नैवेह किंचनाग्र आसीत्, मृत्युनैवेदमावृतमासीत्।'''

	~~naiva kiñcanāgre~~ āsīt		''Naiveha kiñcanāgra āsīt, mṛtyunaivedamāvṛtamāsīt.''

	What does it mean? "In the beginning, nothing is manifest." That means everything is in the form of the unmanifest.		What does it mean? "In the beginning, nothing is manifest." That means everything is in the form of the unmanifest.
	~~====Fourth Section: ''Ātmaivedam agre āsīt''====~~
	~~In the fourth section we get:~~

	~~आत्मैवेदमग्रे आसीत्~~		Then we get in the third section of the first chapter, abhyāroha mantra, the famous, what is that?

	~~ātmaivedam agre āsīt~~		'''असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय। मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय।'''

	~~" In the beginning~~, ~~there was only one existing~~, ~~and that is called '~~'~~Ātman~~'~~' and He is called ''Puruṣa''." He saw everywhere, and then He said:~~		''Asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyormā amṛtaṃ gamaya.''

	~~अहम् अस्मि~~		Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28).

	~~aham asmi~~		'''आत्मैव इदमग्र आसीत् पुरुषविधः।'''

	~~"There is nobody He did not see. The ''Ātman'' did not see anything else other than the ''Ātman~~''. ~~So He said~~ '~~I am~~'~~." That is why we use "I am" before adding anything else.~~		''Ātmaiva idamagra āsīt puruṣavidhaḥ.''
	~~====Fourth Section, Eighth Mantra====~~
	~~In this fourth section again, we get a most marvelous psychological fact:~~

	~~प्रियोऽन्यस्मात् सर्वस्मात्~~		At the beginning, there is only one existing, and that is called ātmā, and he is called Purusha. So he saw everywhere.

	~~priyo~~'~~nyasmāt sarvasmāt~~		'''सोऽहमस्मीति अग्रे व्याहरत्।'''

	~~"The~~ ''~~Ātman~~'' is the closest, nearest, dearest to everybody. Anything that we do is only because we love the ''Ātman''. When we do not get this ''Ātman'', we discard it. This ''Ātman'' is dearer than one's own dearest child. ~~It is dearer than any wealth, and it is dearer than everything else: ''sarvasmāt anyasmāt antara taram'' – I am '~~'~~Ātman~~'~~'."~~		''So'hamasmīti agre vyāharat.''
	~~====Fourth Section, Tenth Mantra====~~
	~~ब्रह्मव इदमग्रे आसीत्~~

	~~brahmava idam agre āsīt~~		There is nobody. He did not see. The ātman did not see anything else other than the ātman.

	~~"In~~ the ~~beginning~~, Brahman was alone." ''Tad ātmanāmevā aham brahmāsmi'' – "It knew 'I am Brahman'." Therefore it knows "I am everything". Whoever realizes "I am Brahman, I am everything" becomes free from slavery to gods, to this ~~body~~, ~~to this mind, to the ''pañcakośas''~~. ~~There were many people who had this realization. One of the ṛṣis called Vāmadeva said after realization:~~		And in the mantra eighth, in this fourth section again, we get a most marvelous psychological fact.

	~~अहम् मनोः अहम् सूर्यः~~		'''तद्धैतत् प्रियः पुत्रात्, प्रियो वित्तात्, प्रियोऽन्यस्मात् सर्वस्मात्, तदन्तरतरं यदयमात्मा।'''

	~~aham manoḥ aham sūryaḥ~~		''Taddhaitat priyaḥ putrāt, priyo vittāt, priyo'nyasmāt sarvasmāt, tadantarataraṃ yadayamātmā.''

	~~"I am Manu~~, ~~I am Sūrya~~, ~~I am everything else~~."		The ātman is the closest, nearest, dearest way of liberty. And anything that we do is only because we love the ātman. And when we do not get this ātman, we discard it.
	~~====Fourth Section~~, ~~Eleventh Mantra====~~
	~~ब्रह्मव इदमग्रे आसीत् एकमेव~~

	~~brahmava idam agre āsīt ekameva~~		So this ātman is dearer than one's own dearest child. It is dearer than any wealth, vittāt, and it is dearest than everything else, sarvasmāt, anyasmāt, antarataram yath ayam ātmā.

	"In the beginning, there was only ~~Brahman~~, one without a second."		'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत्, तदात्मानमेव अवेत्, अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति।'''

			''Brahma vā idamagra āsīt, tadātmānameva avet, ahaṃ brahmāsmīti.''

			In the beginning, this was Brahman alone; it knew itself: "I am Brahman." Therefore it became all — and whoever among gods or men realizes "I am Brahman" becomes all this (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10).

			'''अहं मनुः, अहं सूर्यः।'''

			''Ahaṃ manuḥ, ahaṃ sūryaḥ.''

			I am Manu, I am Surya — the realization declared by the sage Vāmadeva.

			'''ब्रह्म वा इदमग्र आसीत् एकमेव।'''

			''Brahma vā idamagra āsīt ekameva.''

			In the beginning, there was only brahman, one without a second. So, mantra seventeenth also, more or less repeats this one.

	~~The seventeenth mantra also more or less repeats this one.~~
	===Transition to the Second Chapter===		===Transition to the Second Chapter===
	These are some of the important mantras we get. Now, from the next class onwards, we will be entering into the second chapter. What is the essence of the second chapter? This chapter features the most marvelous conversation between Ajātaśatru and Gārgīya, which we will be seeing in our next class tomorrow.		These are some of the important mantras we get. Now, from the next class onwards, we will be entering into the second chapter. What is the essence of the second chapter? This chapter features the most marvelous conversation between Ajātaśatru and Gārgīya, which we will be seeing in our next class tomorrow.

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

Gayatri — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 05:45:57 GMT

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1 Summary Lecture 39 on 06 June 2026

Shekhar — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:32:03 GMT

Conclusion of the First Chapter

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	Where there is reflected consciousness, there must also be pure consciousness. If you want reflected light, there must be original light. Just imagine: the sun is shining, and its rays are falling upon a mirror through a window. That mirror is reflecting, and the room which was in darkness is now being lighted up, and every object becomes enveloped by the light and is illumined. Illumination means we get the knowledge: "I know so many objects are in this room." That knowledge, light reveals.		Where there is reflected consciousness, there must also be pure consciousness. If you want reflected light, there must be original light. Just imagine: the sun is shining, and its rays are falling upon a mirror through a window. That mirror is reflecting, and the room which was in darkness is now being lighted up, and every object becomes enveloped by the light and is illumined. Illumination means we get the knowledge: "I know so many objects are in this room." That knowledge, light reveals.
	====The Individual====		====The Individual====
	So wherever there is an individual, there must be original consciousness; there must be a mind. When that original consciousness falls upon this mind (which is compared to a mirror), the light of consciousness gets reflected and it illumines the body and the sense organs and the external world through the body. This subject is beautifully exposed in a beautiful small text called ''Dṛśya Viveka'' by the great Śaṅkarācārya.		So wherever there is an individual, there must be original consciousness; there must be a mind. When that original consciousness falls upon this mind (which is compared to a mirror), the light of consciousness gets reflected and it illumines the body and the sense organs and the external world through the body. This subject is beautifully exposed in a beautiful small text called Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka by the great Śaṅkarācārya.

	So, pure consciousness + reflected consciousness + body and mind is called the individual. At this moment, we are totally identified with the body and what belongs to the body. That is called ''māmakāra''.		So, pure consciousness + reflected consciousness + body and mind is called the individual. At this moment, we are totally identified with the body and what belongs to the body. That is called ''māmakāra''.
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	Let us now try to analyze. By negating this individual body – that is the first step, ''sthūla śarīra'' – then we have to identify. The individual cannot remain without identification, so he goes to the next step, which is identification with the ''sūkṣma śarīra'', and then comes identification with the ''kāraṇa śarīra'', which we call the experience of deep sleep, wherein body and mind are completely negated; we are not even aware of that. Pure bliss, but limited by time and causation.		Let us now try to analyze. By negating this individual body – that is the first step, ''sthūla śarīra'' – then we have to identify. The individual cannot remain without identification, so he goes to the next step, which is identification with the ''sūkṣma śarīra'', and then comes identification with the ''kāraṇa śarīra'', which we call the experience of deep sleep, wherein body and mind are completely negated; we are not even aware of that. Pure bliss, but limited by time and causation.

	This is how a person learns to look upon all the three states as objects of experience. The fundamental principle of Advaita Vedānta is: whatever I experience, whatever I objectify, is not me. Then who am I? Beyond the three ''śarīras'', beyond the three states of experiences, beyond all the three states of ''avasthāntara'', I am somebody beyond. That is why it is called ''turīya''. This is how negation is to be accomplished slowly and slowly.		This is how a person learns to look upon all the three states as objects of experience. The fundamental principle of Advaita Vedānta is: whatever I experience, whatever I objectify, is not me. Then who am I? Beyond the three ''śarīras'', beyond the three states of experiences, beyond all the three states of ''avasthāntara'', beyond avasthātīta. I am somebody beyond. That is why it is called ''turīya''. This is how negation is to be accomplished slowly and slowly.
	===Summary of the Entire First Chapter (Upadeśa Kāṇḍa / Madhu Kāṇḍa)===		===Summary of the Entire First Chapter (Upadeśa Kāṇḍa / Madhu Kāṇḍa)===
	Now I will try to summarize the entire first chapter as much as possible. The first chapter is called ''Upadeśa Kāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Madhu Kāṇḍa'', and there are six sections. Each section is called a ''brāhmaṇa''.		Now I will try to summarize the entire first chapter as much as possible. The first chapter is called ''Upadeśa Kāṇḍa''. It is also called ''Madhu Kāṇḍa'', and there are six sections. Each section is called a ''brāhmaṇa''.

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

Gayatri — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:29:17 GMT

The Three Vādas: Sṛṣṭi-Dṛṣṭi, Dṛṣṭi-Sṛṣṭi, and Ajātavāda

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