View source for Aitareya Upanishad Lecture 10 on 03 September 2023

== Full Transcript (Not Corrected) ==
In our last class, we have been discussing various stages of creation. We should always remember why God created this universe. The ''Advaitic'' view is that God did not create. If it is created, it's not real. We are not going into that rigmarole of argumentation. For us, the world is real, very, very real. The only reality is this world. If anything is unreal, it is God only. But we have faith that the scriptures are teaching us that God exists. He is the only goal of life. Why? Because we are coming from Him. We are living because of Him, in Him, and because of Him. And finally, whether we like it or not, we are going to go back to Him.

But in another way, we can understand that there are no I, you, or we. It is all He Himself is creating, just as we create ourselves in our dreams. But thinking that this world is existing, why did God create? To enjoy Himself. This is called ''Leela''. And this creation has been divided into three parts. Whatever ''Upanishads'' we study, ''Bhagavad Gita'', or any saint's teachings, we see these three things. What are they called? ''Srishti, Sthiti'', and ''Laya''.

What are those things? First, descent from God, called involution. This is also called ''Srishti''. The second is called ''Sthiti'' or gradual evolution. It means gradually evolving from the inorganic to the lower organic until one reaches the human body, all the while progressing physically, intellectually, morally, and finally spiritually. This is called ''Sthiti''. Then the third stage is called ''Laya'', which means moving inevitably, inescapably towards God, slowly approaching God. That is called ''Upasana''. And finally, merging and becoming one with God. So we have obtained human birth.

And this teaching is meant not for any non-human, not animals. No animals will attend the classes, but only for human beings, and that too very highly evolved human beings. Call them devotees, call them ''Sadhakas'', by whatever blessed name you want to call them. The person who became very acutely aware that I have a human body and I have to evolve slowly, I have suffered enough, let me slowly move towards God. That is the human body. And we are in that second stage, slowly trying to move towards the third stage, that is called spiritual progress, also called ''Upasana'', also called ''Laya''. It means moving towards God, slowly progressing towards God, and as we progress towards God, slowly becoming God-like, and finally merging in Him, without any distinction, called ''Advaitic'' state.

In this background, let us take up the thread. So, God created the worlds, He created the rulers of the worlds, He created all the ''Adhishtatra Devata''s, presiding deities; that is, He Himself became the presiding deities. In simplest words, ''Panchadevatas - Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, Prith''vi, or if you add separately, the Sun, the Moon, ''Vishnu, Indra, Ashwini Kumaras, Varuna'', etc. Everything is ready, but two things were not ready.

The first thing is a human body. That means, God has created, and we want a body. The ''Upanishad'' tells us, first, He brought them a cow, and then He brought a horse. What does it mean? It means that all the lower animals, non-human births have been gone through. And they said, that was enough for that particular purpose. Now we have evolved; our buddhi has evolved, developed discrimination, and the non-human body is no longer sufficient. Naturally, when we are ready, God will supply whatever we need. There is a law; Swami Vivekananda used to put it this way: when the field is ready, the seed also will be ready.

The human body, God had brought them. Allegorically, in the shortest terms, we want a body, a house, from where we can operate the functions which you intend us to operate. All the ''devatas'', remember, they require housing, for example, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, and the skin, and we have to apply, etc. Then, the functioning has to be done. That is, some type of power to experience, all the powers to experience. The power of seeing, power of hearing, power of breathing, smelling, power of tasting, power of touching. And that has been created. And that is how even lower animals also have got. But ''manushya'' also has got, with this difference: he can use it to discriminate what should be experienced and how to strive towards specific experiences, not general experiences.

That is, whatever aids, helps in spiritual progress, that has to be discriminated and followed upon. And that is what we also saw. ''Upanishad'', briefly but very tellingly, describing it: fire entered in the form of speech into the mouth, and the big ''devata'', the space, spatial ''devata, akasha devata'', entered into the ears with the power of hearing into the ears. So apply all these things. We have already seen that. We will just go through them briefly. And then, the experiences come. But then, the power of seeing is there. The object of seeing must be there. The power of hearing is there. The object of hearing, that means sights, sounds, smells, etc., should be there. And that is what we call the objects of experience. Otherwise called as ''adhi-bhautikam. Adhyatmikam'' is the body. That is the capacity to experience. ''Adhi-bhautikam'' is the object so that we can experience through all the sense organs and act and interact. And controlling both, supplying both, becoming both, manifesting as both, is called residing deities. ''Adhi-daivikam''. This is going to be the process.

So, the Creator brought them a cow, brought them a horse. The passage means one has to go through all the lower births until one is ready for the human body. Then they are no longer serving the purpose. They said, "That's not enough for us. ''Na ayam alam iti''." And then, ''Bhagawan'' said, "Now you are ready." So He brought a human body. That means He made a human body and invited them to enter into it and to do further progress. And then all the deities said, "Ah, well done. ''So'' ''krutam vava." Krutam'', you have done well. This body will serve. That means what? This body will be, can also desire ''dharma'' and attain ''dharm''a. Can desire ''artha'', can attain ''artha''. Can desire ''kama'', can experience ''kama.''

Finally, after many births of experiences, the final discriminative power, that all these are temporary and limited. These are very two important words. Temporary and limited. Every experience is limited by time and space. This is called incompleteness. So is there any way out where experience will be infinite and forever? ''Ananta'' and ''Nitya''. All the time. Yes. Go beyond time. Go beyond space. And that is, in other words, let me become God Himself. And the human body will serve that purpose very well. So, the human body alone can desire ''dharma, artha, kama'', and ''moksha''. And the human body alone can acquire ''dharma, artha, kama''. And through ''dharma'', when one acquires ''artha'' and experiences ''kama, dharmically'' acquiring the means, ''dharmically'', righteously experiencing them, the mind becomes pure, and faith dawns in it and through that the person desires only ''moksha''. "I had enough of this. I want ''moksha''." So, that is the purpose.

Then God, the Creator, ''Prajapati'' brought this human body and then all appreciated, "This will do." He said, "Okay, now all of you enter." And the deities entered obeying the commandment of the Creator, like servants of a king or an emperor obey instantaneously. So all the ''devatas'' entered into the human body, into their respective organs, and that is the description we have seen yesterday. We will just go through it. 

''agnirvagbhutva mukham pravishadvayuh prano bhutva nasike''

''pravishadadityashchakshurbhutva.akshini pravishaddishah''

''shrotram bhutva karnau pravishannoshadhivanaspatayo lomani bhutva''

''tvachampravisha.nshchandrama mano bhutva hridayam pravishanmrityurapano''

''bhutva nabhim pravishadapo reto bhutva shishnam pravishan.h .. 4..''

''Apo, Veto Bhutva, Shishnam Pravishat.'' That is how many ''Agni, Vayu, Aditya, Disha, Shrotraha, Karnaha, Oshadvanaspatiyaha, Chandrama, Hridayam, Mrutyaho'' and ''Apaha''. Nearly eleven of these ''devatas'' and remember I told you earlier, eleven ''devatas'', eleven what we call sense organs. They are not complete. How many are complete? Nearly speaking, fourteen are complete. That is ten, five of the sense organs of knowledge, five organs of action, ten, four parts of the mind, fourteen. So, fourteen but here eleven we have to add. So, add the others also. Now, they all entered. Who entered really? ''Virat Purusha'' entered. How did he enter? He became the ''Agni'', he became the ''Vayu'', he became the ''Aditya'', he became the ''Akasha,'' he became ''Oshadvanaspatiyaha,'' he became the Moon, he became the ''Mrityu'', that means ''Apana Prana'', and he became the ''Apodevata, Urnadevata'' for different functions.

We also discussed different ''Devatas'' or different powers exactly suited for each sense organ's function. So, he entered. We do not need to enter into the details. Then what happened? They all entered, but they must have the desire for experience, and that desire for experience is herein technically called ''Ashana'' and ''Pepasa'', hunger and thirst. What is hunger? Hunger means I want to experience. For example, the eye has hunger. What is the hunger of the eye? What is it called? We know the hunger of the mouth. I want to eat food. That is the hunger of the mouth. What is thirst? Of course, we drink water, but here thirst means ''Tanha'', desire. That was wonderful. So, I have no desire. I have more desire to experience this again and again or I have experienced that. It's not so great. I don't want to experience. Equal strength I want to experience this and I want to avoid this. That is technically represented here symbolically hunger and thirst. Every sense organ has a hunger. I gave the illustration for the tongue which is here called ''Mukha''. What is it? I want to taste. For the nostril, smell. For the ears, hearing. For the eyes, seeing. We have to extrapolate every sense organ. For the legs, legs will be useless if they can't move. Hands will be useless if they cannot grasp. So also. So, they also came.

Okay, every organ is there. Now, what is the food for us? Where do we live? Where do and what do we eat? This was the question for all the ''Indriyas'' herein called ''Devatas.'' Remember in ''Vedanta, Indriyas'' are called ''Devatas''. That is why ''Devaha'' means ''Indriya. Indriya'' means the power of experiencing, the subtle power of experiencing something. That is why it is called eye shines. I am able to see. The ear shines. That is ''Devaha'' means he who shines. ''Deva'' is the root. ''Deva'' means to shine. Shine means to reveal. Eye reveals. This is the colour. This is the shape. The ear reveals. This is the sound. This is beautiful sound. This is undesirable sound etc.

So every organ has its own hunger and thirst. That is why every organ is called ''Devaha.'' And the universal aspect, that means all the powers of every individual organ is called ''Adishtatra Devata''. Presiding deities are also called the ''Adi Daivika''. The objects of experiences are called ''Adibhautika''. And the one who experiences through the medium of the body and sense organs and the mind is called ''Jivatma''. That is going to come actually. So first ''Adhyaya'', second section, fifth ''mantra''. So these people, they went and told. Which people? Hunger and thirst. Remember, they are also ''Devatas''. Why? Because they are going to take us; this very hunger and thirst are maintaining our body, maintaining every sense organ. Very, very interesting concept. Supposing, the eyes are there, have the capacity to see and don't use, don't eat as it were, the forms, the colours, the shapes. Then, it will become in course of time incapable of seeing. If you don't hear something, it becomes incapable of hearing or even after hearing incomprehensible. So, they must continuously hone their experiences. For that objects are necessary, and those objects called ''Shabda, Sparsha, Roop, Parasa, Gandha'', and then space for walking, objects to grasp, etc. They are the food material through which, without food, the instrument is there, a motor car.

I still remember when I was reading the present Dalai Lama's life. He was extremely fascinated by motor cars. So, because he was a very rich person. Lamas are highly rich people. Swami Akhandanandji chided them. People are starving. What right have you got to keep this money? Now, they go on preaching so many things. Universal love and other things. But if you see the way they lived their life, it is something else. So, he acquired immediately a motor car. What is the problem? There are no roads. What is he going to do with that motor car? So, he put people to labour and made a crude road and goes round and round in that small area in front of his monastery. Big house. Monastery means a huge house. Maybe 10,000 to 20,000 Lamas will be there. Cooks, Lama cooks, Lama servants, Lama body messengers, Lama watchmen, everybody, they are all called ''Sannyasins'' only. Why? Because without pay, you can get free service. So, all these people were there.

What am I trying to tell you? Without objects, it is impossible to have experiences. The instrument is there. Gadgets are there. You have a first-class TV is there. There are no broadcasts. What are you going to do? Phone is there. Nobody wants to speak with you. What are you going to do with that? Like that. So, in the fifth ''mantra'', this is the subject matter. 

''tamashanayapipase abrutamavabhyamabhiprajanihiti te abravidetasveva'' 

''va.n devatasvabhajamyetasu bhaginnyau karomiti . tasmadyasyai kasyai'' 

''cha devatayai havigri.rhyate bhaginyavevasyamashanayapipase'' 

''bhavatah .. 5..''

The hunger and thirst, that is, the desire for experience, that much only. They approached and said, where are we going to live? You made houses for every one of them, for all the ''Devata''s. Where are we going to stay? And then, very wisely, because God is very wise, never otherwise. So, He told them, see, who has to have experience? Telephone is meant for speaking. And therefore, if that speech becomes hungry, I want to speak. Where am I going to dwell? And it goes and sits there on a branch of a tree. How is it going to speak? It must enter into the telephone, so that the telephone will be able to do its function. So, the wise creator said to them, you enter into with all these organs, sense organs. Here, the word used is ''Devata. Devata'' means the eye ''Devata'' illumines the sights. The ear ''Devata'' illumines the sounds. Now you extrapolate all those things to every organ. So, every organ has got hunger and thirst. And therefore, you enter into that ''Devata''. And whenever the ''Devata'' wants to experience, first you inspire that ''Devata''. For example, the desire to see and insatiable desire to go and see what is pleasing, what gives happiness that is called ''Asana'' and ''Pipasa''. So, the ears want to hear endlessly and the tongue wants to taste endlessly. The nostrils want to smell endlessly. The skin wants endlessly. Really? Does the skin want endlessly? Yes. When you are in Kashi like me and it is so hot outside walking even to the dining hall, what do you do? Your pace quickens automatically to enter into the room where you want to experience unbroken air-conditioned condition. Otherwise, it becomes restless because ''Asana Pipasa''. I want AC. I want AC, goes on troubling me.

So, God told you to enter into these sense organs and whatever food they enjoy, that will be there. In fact, you come first. You create that thirst, that desire with great force and whatever they do and you will be enjoying there. And what did they do? So, they entered. Hunger and thirst requested the creator for the two of us to find an abode also. He said to them, "I assign both of you, that means hunger and thirst, to these deities. ''Devatas'' mean sense organs. I made you, I make you co-sharers with them, ''Bhagine.'' Therefore, whichever deity is having an oblation, that means requesting food, that is, you also experience along with them." The beautiful word is ''Havihi. Havihi'' means whatever is offered. With this, the second section of the first part is over.

Now, what we need to understand that we are going to create, we need, everything is there. ''Jivatma, Jivatma'' has not yet come, is going to come. Body is ready. Instrument is ready. The car is ready. The driver is ready. The roads are ready. And the petrol is supplied. But the owner who wants to travel, he has to come. And there must be a purpose. "I want to go from here to the capital and finish some unfinished business." All those things will come. So, roads have to be prepared also. So, that is what he is telling in the third section of the first ''Adhyaya'', first ''mantra.'' 

''sa IkShateme nu lokAshcha lokapAlAshchAnnamebhyaH sRijA iti .. 1..''

''"Sa"'' means ''Ishwara'', creator. "''Ikshate''" means he thought. Thought means he made a plan. What is it? "I created the ''Lokas''. I created the ''Lokapalas.'' I created appropriate bodies." But everything is ready. But "''Annam Srijayati''." Let me now create ''Anna''. That is what is the ''Anna''? For the eye, it is the form. For the ear, it is the sound. For the nostril, it is the smell. etc. That is how we have to understand it. So, this is called ''Anna Srishti''. And here, "''Ikshata''," we have a special commentary here. Because God is ''Satya Kamaha, Satya Sankalpaha''. Like us, we also, if a person very sincerely desires, intensely desires, "I want this." Somebody, some idea strikes. That is how science progresses. That is how knowledge progresses in every field. So, it is the same process. And "''Tapasya''" is a special word. What is ''Tapasya''? Not standing on one foot, not giving up food, but deep thinking, crystal clear thinking, rational thinking, discriminative thinking. That is called ''Tapasya.'' And whatever distractions are there, avoiding those distractions, that is what generally goes by the name of ''Tapasya''. A lonely place, for example, sights, sounds, disturbances, noises can be avoided. Don't eat too much. Just eat what is necessary. So, you will have plenty of time, easily digestible material, etc. What is ''Tapasya''? It is not external. It is that which aids deep thinking and really deep thinking, deep visualization. That is called ''Tapasya''. So, that is called ''Ikshata'' or as Shankara says, that is a ''Chandasa Vedic'' usage, a real thing, ''Ekshata''. He visualized like an artist visualizes his creation, like a scientist visualizes the would-be discovery. 

Every scientist, based upon past knowledge, thinks rationally. It is possible to imagine that this process is called a hypothesis. Through this hypothesis, they conduct experiments, and that is how knowledge truly comes to be, becoming the property of everybody, each one of us. Therefore, '<nowiki/>''Sarvagnaha Sarva Vidhya Yasya Gnanamayam Tapaha''<nowiki/>'—knowledge itself is their visualization. '<nowiki/>''Tasmat Etat Brahma''<nowiki/>'—so, this creator, ''Ishwara'', creates the name and form. '''Annamcha Srijate''<nowiki/>'—so, what does he do?

So, he created ''Nama, Rupa,'' that is called ''Annam''. Everything in the world which has a form, which has got a shape, which has got a colour, which has got some qualities, and every object must be distinguished from every other object, that is called ''Nama''. So, ''Nama, Rupa'', the whole universe is nothing but ''Nama, Rupa'', which I reminded you Vidyaaranya says, "What is the world? ''Asti, Bhati, Priya, Nama, Rupa''." What is ''Brahman''? ''Asti, Bhati, Priya'', minus ''Nama, Rupa'', is ''Brahman. Asti, Bhati, Priya,'' plus ''Nama, Rupa'', is this world. That is what Vidyaaranya says in the ''Panchadashi.''

So, I have created these things, and then I have also indicated now everything is ready, but the objects of enjoyment, that means this ''Pancha Bhautika'' world has to be created. So, what did he do? ''Bhagavan Saha'', what did he do? He took ''Apaha''. That is what is going to be said in the second ''mantra'' of the third section, which we started just now. 

''so.apo.abhyatapattAbhyo.abhitaptAbhyo mUrtirajAyata . yA vai sA mUrtirajAyatAnna.n vai tat.h .. 2..''

''Saha, Eswaraha Apaha, Abhyatapat.'' So, he deeply thought on waters. Here, water means don't think water means it is one of the what is called ''Pancha Bhutas.'' By that, we have to understand ''Pancha Bhutas'', because the whole world is nothing but ''Pancha Bhutas.'' How do we know? Because we call it all the time ''Prapancha Prakrishta Rupena Pancha''. That is all the ''Pancha Bhutas'' are especially intensely with the combination is manifesting. Whatever we see is a manifestation of the ''Pancha Bhutas'' called ''Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Apaha'', and ''Pruthvi''. That ''Apaha'' is taken here. So, the Lord has meditated on the ''Pancha Bhutas'', and then out of the ''Pancha Bhutas,'' he created not only the human bodies, which is called ''Adhyatmika'', but ''Adhibhautika. F''irst ''Adhidaivika'', then ''Adhyatmika''. Now, what is remaining? ''Adhibhautika''. That is called ''Annam'', here. So, he first made what is called universal, ''Virat Purusha. Purusha'' means here all the ''Pancha Bhutas'', before their manifestation, all of them combined, and remaining with all their potentialities in an un-manifested form, is called this ''Annam''. And then, from there, the ''Sukshma Pancha Bhuta''s called ''Tanmatras'', food for the mind, all the four faculties of the mind. Something has to be cogitated. What is this? What is this? Even to say, "What is this?" there must be something. "Oh, I think it is this. It is this." To remember that, one must have experienced. And then, what is called ''Buddhi''? To determine, "Yes, it is not that. It is not this. But it is exactly this." That is the function of the ''Buddhi''. And behind all these three, "I want to know. I remember having seen, and this is that, definitely." What is called ''Ahankara,'' plus the forms and shapes for the eye, the sounds, and ''Shabdas, Sprasha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha'', that we are all experiencing, that is the combined form, the cosmic form, the universal form. That is what he then created. And then, that has to become grossified in the form of individual sounds. Still universal, remember? Individual sounds, individual sights, individual smells, individual tastes, individual touches. That is being said in the third ''mantra'' of this, the third section of the first chapter.

''tadenatsRiShTaM parA~NtyajighA.nsattadvAchA.ajighRikShat.h'' 

''tannAshaknodvAchA grahItum.h .'' 

''sa yaddhainadvAchA.agrahaiShyadabhivyAhRitya haivAnnamatrapsyat.h .. 3..''

A little bit involved Sanskrit language, not too difficult but a little challenging, especially for beginners. However, here is the beautiful English translation by Swami Nikhilanandaji:

So, ''Ishwara'' created food, and then the food so created, we should flee away. He sought to grasp it with speech. That is to say, the ''devata'' called speech ''vag devata, agni devata,'' wanted to grasp it, but he was not able to grasp it. If indeed he had grasped it with speech, one would then have been satisfied by merely uttering the word food. I will explain to you what it means; food means s''habda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, gandha'', and we have to remember there are five sense organs. We have to extrapolate each.

Suppose there is physical food because, for the physical gross body, physical food is necessary. Let us take that example: God created, actually, food. What is food? Energy. Another name for energy is called food. That food has to be cooked most of the time; some need not be cooked. Fruits need not be cooked; some vegetables need not be cooked—salads, leaves, roots, etc. Tomatoes, for example, need not be cooked. So, some cooked food, some uncooked food, but whether they are cooked with external fire or not, they have to be cooked inside. That is why ''jatar agni'' is very necessary. God also created that ''agni''; that is why He entered through the mouth, one in the form of speech, another in the form of digestion.

So first, God created food. Why did God create food first, and why do we call it ''annam''? Because remember, we have to be alive. To be alive, what is the first necessity? Food. Don't eat food, remember the story in the Chandogya Upanishad, and the teacher was expounding the greatness, sacredness of food. The disciple probably was not able to grasp it, and the disciple already memorized a lot of the ''Vedic'' texts. In those days, distraction was less; material was less, and therefore they had very concentrated minds, earnest minds. They could memorize plenty of things. So the teacher told the disciple, 'Student, now fast for 15 days.' And he fasted.

Then the teacher asked him, 'Now, you recite all the ''Vedas''.' Nothing comes out because energy is not there, memory is not there. That means it is there inside but not coming out. If you don't eat, input-output also will not be there. So he was not able to do it. Then the teacher told him, 'Now, you eat food for 15 days because he has to make up for 15 days.' So slowly, slowly, slowly started increasing day by day, and then by the 15th day, his health became normal as it was before fasting. And then, 'Now you recite,' and he could do it ''gada gada gada gada'' like that he could recite. And then he explained, 'Did you see? Food, you could recite; no food, you could not recite it.' So everything depends upon food. That is why food is the first one. So food was created, but as if these other organs, that means ''devatas'', remember, all sense organs are also ''devatas''. So I am using the word ''devata'' interchangeably. That means all the sense organs; they thought, 'This is food for us.' So every organ, that is the eye wanted to eat the food, but the food ran away. Why did it run away? Even today, we see food running away. Some foods helplessly come to you; some foods run away. For example, you are the food for the tiger, and the tiger is coming towards you, and you have not yet been seen by the tiger. What will you do? The moment you see, you run away. Why? Food is afraid that I will be eaten by this tiger. So every dog sees a chicken; a cat sees a chicken. What does it do?

I am giving this example because, in front of my eyes, I saw an evening at Ulsore Bangalore Ashrama. Suddenly, a cat jumped in front of me. Before I could even realize it, it seized a small chicken, and within a minute, it simply cracked its neck like anything. I thought of... I was doing woosh woosh like that, but it did not affect them. So that fellow was crying and trying to fly away, but it could not do it. You understand now; food wants to run away. What does it mean, running away? That the food, yes, some foods want to run away, but some foods helplessly come to it. That is not the point. What is the point? For each sense organ, there is a specific type of food. For the tongue, what we call ''annam'', that is absolutely fine. Remember this word ''annam'' is generously used for all the sense organs. So all the other sense organs, they have ''annam'', specialized ''annam''. For example, for the ear, it is the ''shabda''; for the eyes, it is the ''rupa''; for the ''twak'' or skin, it is the ''sparsha''; for the mouth, it is the taste; for the nose, it is the smell, ''gandha''. ''Shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, ganda''. So each food is suitable for that particular sense organ, and if that sense organ tries to take any other type of food that is not meant for its specialty, it simply will not be able to do it. This is what the ''Aitareya Upanishad'' wants to convey to us and then tells us also something very beautiful.

If the eye can be satisfied by seeing the food, that means if our stomach can fill by the eye seeing the food, then all that it needs to do is look at it. And that is what we wish everybody else to do, actually. We don't want to share our food, and then we say just look at it, appreciate it, and get away from here. And that is what we are telling the ''devatas,'' woe be unto any ''devata''; you offer him first-class sweets, and he says, 'My darling devotee has offered this to me. He wants me to eat it. Next day onwards, he will not get anything.' So the food wanted to run away means every organ has its specific food. Only when that specific food is offered, that will be able to go inside that, experience that, enjoy that, have some experience of that or wanting it more or wanting not to want it more, that. This goes on, and once you understand this, so the food wished to flee away here.

Food means what we call ''annam'' meant for our bodily nourishment. So what happened, that this ''vacha'', the speech, wanted to. The ''vak devata'' wanted to enjoy it. It ran away. Ran away means what? It could not experience it. Not that the food ran away; food cannot run away, but it cannot be experienced. ''Tat na asak naha vacha rahitum'', so the ''vak devata'' could not receive it, could not keep it with him. So what happened that if indeed if the ''vak'' or the speech ''devata'' could have grasped it, the food and then enjoyed it, what would have happened? The physical food that we are referring, by saying ''rasagulla'' my stomach would be filled with ''rasagullas''. By seeing ''rasagulla'' if the eye can catch it, by ''rasagulla'' will fill my stomach; every sense organ will do it in that way. This is what the ''rishi,'' Aitareya ''Rishi'', wants to convey to us. And I think without Shankaracharya's help, we would not have been able to receive it.

Now this is the meaning that Anandagiri also clarifies. Food means the object suitable for every sense organ to experience it, that is, ''Shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa, ganda''. etc. Now it goes on and asks ''tat pranena ajigriksha''; I am not going to read out everything. ''Prana'' or breath sought to grasp this food, but he was not able to grasp it with the breath. If indeed the breath had grasped it by breathing it, one would have been satisfied by merely smelling the food. ''Tat chakshusha ajigriksha'', the eye tried to make it its own. ''Ta na ashatnaha'', that is, it could not do that. ''Chakshusha grahetu nashatnaha'', by grasping that food, physical food, what we call ''annam'', by the eye, it was not possible. Supposing it was possible by just looking, if indeed anybody had grasped it with the eye, one would have been satisfied by merely seeing the food.

So also, ''tat shrotrena'', by merely hearing it with the ear, one would then have been satisfied. ''Tat tvacha'', if it is possible by just touching the food, one would have been able to be satisfied. And by thinking about it,...I am eating food; yes, in dreams, it is possible, but when we are dreaming, we don't think we are dreaming. We think exactly like in the waking state; food is there, and hands bring it. I put it on the plate, and then I spread it with some pickle, etc., and I go on eating it. That's what we think. So the mind was unable to be satisfied with that, could not catch the food because that is not its food. So what is the food of the thoughts? Not physical gross food. If indeed he means here ''Adishthatru Devata'' had grasped it with the mind, one would then have been satisfied by merely thinking of food. For ''devatas'', that's okay. In a dream, it's okay. For the physical body, not possible. So if one can grasp it with the procreative organ, what is called the reproductive organ, then by just grasping it, then without doing anything. What is the function of it? Emitting. Emitting means discharging. Then the food by just discharging it would have been happy. The person, the ''jivatma'', would have been happy. No, it is not possible.

But what is the correct sense organ which can grasp it? ''Tat apanena ajraksha. Apana'' means one of the functions of the ''prana''. What is the ''prana? Apana, vyana, udana, samana''. What is the function of the ''apana''? Whatever comes near to push it down. When we are taking a breath, then that ''prana vayu'' is pushed down into the stomach. When we are drinking tea or coffee, to push it down. When we are eating solid food, to push it down. So pushing things down is the special function of ''apana vayu'', and it was able. That means through the mouth, this ''apana vayu'', once you put it in the mouth and this ''apana vayu'' comes, this is my right kind of food, and it grasps it and then takes it inside. ''Tat saisho annasya graho edvayu ho'', and what is called ''apana vayu va esha edvayu ho.'' So a ''devata'', that means a ''jivatma,'' started to grasp it with the ''apana'', and he grasped it. This grasper of food is what is called ''vayu'' or ''apana'' function. This ''vayu'' is what lives on food, and that helps us to take in the food. And then there are other functions of the ''prana''; some function is digestion, some function to extract the energy, and then to distribute it equally to wherever it is necessary. For example, if you are running, more energy is needed by the legs. If you are heatedly arguing, you require a tremendous amount of heat, and heat is nothing but energy, and to produce at that moment. Otherwise, a feeble voice; however fiery your speech, feeble voice the lion of ''Vedanta'' roars. If you say like that, you won't be able to hear if you are deaf. So every organ, because that is not its food, as I mentioned earlier.

By this, what we need to understand is no organ can grasp the food mentioned or particularly kept aside for that particular organ. That is what it is meant. One of our ''Swamis'' says that by hearing ''dosa, dosa masala dosa'' if you can be satisfied, you know what happens. Do you know what happens, really? Can you think the world's economy would have gone down long back? Why do I say that? Because what is the greatest business generating the greatest income in this world? Not sight, not sound, not smell, but it is the smell of the physical food. The food industry will never go down. That is why I think the ''Rishi'' also realized it.

He used that beautiful example of ''annam'', and then what is the advantage? By just hearing it or uttering it, you can change it to whatever you want: ''idli, dosa, paratha'', and anything you want, you tell, and it will come. No, every sense organ has its own specialized food. So beautiful, this is the concept. But as I said, why are all these descriptions coming? Because this is the clarity ''Vedanta'' wants to give. Every sense organ has its own function, and every function requires its own type of food. And every food is created for the function, sense organ, the controlling presiding deity, and the object of the experience of that particular sense organ. Everything, that is the subject, is God. The object is God. The experience is God. The ''Karta'', doer, is God. The ''Karma, Kriya,'' action, is God. The J''nanam,'' knowledge, is God. The ''Anandam'', bliss is God. Everything is God. That is what the ''Upanishad'' wants to tell us.

But there is a higher reason. All these experiences that are being described here are meant for the lower animals, not for evolved human beings, not certainly for the ''sadhakas'', not certainly for those who claim to be spiritual people. What is it? There is a special type of food. This ordinary food is good for those who are satisfied with ''dharma, artha'', and ''kama''. But for those who require a higher type of food, spiritual type of food, but through the very same sense organs, special type of food is also created by God, by the creator because he has to cater to all the creatures that he created. Who created worldly people? Only the ''Srishti Karta''. And who created spiritual people? Who makes people spiritual in the course of time by making them pass through insurmountable difficulties, etc.? It is only the divine Lord.

So, I will just give you a hint now, and as I said many times, we have to apply it to every sense organ. What is the food for the mouth? Of course, food is necessary, but what is ''satvika'' food? 

''Ayuh-sattva-balarogya-sukha-priti-vivardhanah rasyah snigdhah sthirahridyah aharah sattvika-priyah.''

That which promotes spiritual strength, spiritual vision, spiritual ''smriti'', memory, and full of ''satvika'' quality, that which improves our ''sattva guna'', that is the type of food for spiritual people. What does that mean? For all the sense organs:

"''Badram karnabhih shrunuyama devah'' 

''Badram pashyema akshabhiryajatra'' 

''Sthirair angaih tushtuvaamsastanuubhih'' 

''Vyashema devahitam yadayuh''"

Every sense organ can be employed with the same type of spiritual food. To think of God, to see God's form is the food for the spiritual person's eye. To take ''prasadam'' offered to God (''satvikaharam''), that is the food for the mouth. To hear sacred words, to talk about sacred words, etc. This is how we have to apply every sense organ. But even this spiritual food is also created by God because for every type: for a mosquito, created food; for a dog, dog's food; for a tiger, tiger's food; for every worldly human being, worldly food, which is called ''kamopa bhoga paramah etavat iti nishchitah''. For spiritual people, spiritual food. Through this we are discussing, ''Bhagavan'' has created. This creation is most suitable for evolution, and evolution means to realize that we came from God, we are going back to God. As a spiritual person, and all of us are spiritual people because we are attending this class, otherwise, we would not have attended. For us also, God created that food. So let us eat that special food, seek out that special food, and slowly move towards God. That is called our ''sthiti''. Finally, we become merged in God.

[[Category:Aitareya Upanishad]]