View source for Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 104 Ch3.6 on 13 May 2026

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 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
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== Recap: Bhṛgu's Quest and the Teaching of Varuṇa ==
In our last class, we came up to the realisation of Bhṛgu. Bhṛgu understood the direction given by his guru, or father, Varuṇa: find out what is the ultimate cause — not the proximate cause. From where does everything in this world come? Who is the very first cause of this entire creation? Who is it that sustains? And unto whom does everything go back? That final cause is one without a second — eternal. Find out, means realise, and do not stop. Arise, awake, stop not till the goal is reached.

The same fact is expressed in our mythologies through their own symbolic, allegorical language, wherein it is said Brahmā is the creator, Viṣṇu is the sustainer, and Śiva is the being who takes us back into the causeless cause. That is why Kāśī is considered the most holy place, because everywhere Śiva gives a new opportunity — a new birth for us to progress. Every day is a new birth. Every second is a new year in that sense, because what happened in the past we cannot undo. But what we can do during this present moment — that is a new year.
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== Why Kāśī Is a Sacred Place ==
Let us discuss some important points here. One of the things I promised in my last class was: why is Kāśī such a wonderful place?

It is said that those who have practised tremendous austerities in several lives ultimately have to come to Kāśī, or they have to establish Kāśī in their own hearts — wherever Śiva is established — with the firm desire: "I do not wish to come back. I wish to have liberation, mukti." For them, the heart itself becomes Kāśī.

But it is also a fact, supported by the statements of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, Swāmījī, and innumerable people, that those who are fortunate will give up their body in Kāśī. One important doubt might come here: when we look at the lives of people living in Kāśī, many of them are likely to die there, yet they do not seem to be particularly desirous of mukti. But we have to understand: God's grace is unconditional. First, we do not know what type of puṇyam, or merit, these people have acquired in their past births.

Kāśī is a very special place. So let us pray: either we die in Kāśī, or we establish Lord Śiva in Kāśī — in our own hearts — so that our own heart becomes like Vṛndāvana. Just as the Vaiṣṇava, through contemplation of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, makes one's own heart as Vṛndāvana, one can also make the same heart as Kāśī.
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== The Sixth Anuvāka: Ānanda Brahma ==

=== Bhṛgu's Progression Through the Kośas ===
Continuing now — Bhṛgu had come to the Annamaya Kośa and must have realised that even this Annamaya Kośa has differences. How do we know? The mantra itself gives the hints. There are three types, or degrees, of happiness: Priya, Moda, and Pramoda. But one has to go beyond all limitations. However high the limitation, that is not the final destination. Anything that limits is not a destination — it is the pathway.

That is why we have seen in this very Taittirīya Upaniṣad the very definition of Brahman: ''Satyam'' — that means there would be no change in Satyam — pure existence, pure consciousness, pure bliss. And that pure bliss is called ''Anantam'', infinity. So: truth, pure consciousness, and infinity. Nobody would say there is something beyond the infinite.

There are some peculiar names. One Sannyāsī is named Turīyātītānanda — we know Rāmakṛṣṇa's disciple Swāmī Turīyānanda, but somebody has gone beyond him: Turīyātītānanda — there is some ānanda which is even beyond Turīya. Anyway, any number of ''atītas'' we can add; it makes no difference. You add anything to infinity — it remains as infinity.

=== The Method of Neti Neti ===
So, we are in the sixth Anuvāka. Bhṛgu understood through Tapasyā the teachings of his Guru, who taught through his own realisation — personal realisation — that ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi'', I am everything. ''Ekam sad eva, saumya'' — there is only Sat. There is no ''ekam eva dvitīyam'' — no second.

The teacher understood, and taught Bhṛgu through the process of ''Neti Neti''. I did not emphasise that phrase Neti Neti before, because we have to start from where we are standing. Where are we standing? We are standing completely identified with the body.

Neti Neti is a very positive method. How? Rāmakṛṣṇa illustrated it thus: one midnight, a servant needed to wake up his master. He entered the room and it was pitch dark. He went on touching various things — he had never entered the room before and did not know where the bed was. But he knew: the master is here. So he went on touching various things, and had the very positive realisation: "This is not my master. This is not my master." So that Neti Neti — "not this, not this" — is a very positive method. We all use it. If you are searching for something and you look into the drawer of a table and find it is not there — that means it is somewhere.

So ultimately, Neti Neti has to lead to Iti Iti. The servant at last touches the bed and says, "I am very near to the master." And then he touches the master: ''Iti'' — "this is the master." Like that, Neti Neti means it is not a negative way; it is a highly positive way.

So Bhṛgu had understood that in order to progress through this path of Neti Neti: Annamaya Kośa — ''na iti''. Prāṇamaya — same. Manomaya — same. Vijñānamaya — same. Ānandamaya — no, this is also not Brahman. Why? Because there are degrees of experience.

=== The Three Degrees of Happiness: Priya, Moda, and Pramoda ===
''Priya'': when we are thinking of a past experience — something very dear to us. It could be an object, living or non-living. When we think of it, we know it is dear because it gives us happiness.

''Moda'': when we obtain it, when we are in the presence of it — directly seeing or hearing that object very near to us. Just as a frightened child hears the voice of the mother very near and immediately starts smiling: "My mother is here; I have nothing to worry." That is Moda — when the person is near to that which is dear.

''Pramoda'': when the person experiences it directly — becomes one with it. When that experience is over, the person is separated from that unity, and then must begin again: "How can I get that?" He obtains it — that is Moda. Then he becomes one with it — that is Pramoda.

These three degrees come one after the other, and we cannot eliminate any of them. They are varying. That which varies in degrees and differences cannot be the final Brahman. In the ocean of Brahman, there is neither rise nor fall. This idea has been so beautifully expressed by Swāmījī in his poem called Samādhi:

''Bhujhe prāṇ, bhujhe jāār'' — whoever has experienced it, he only knows it. Others cannot even guess. We can guess something in duality, but we cannot guess what is non-duality.

The nearest analogy is our experience of deep sleep, which unfortunately we have to express as: ''Nākinchit aveḍiṣam'' — "I did not know anything; I experienced it." That means: not that I did not experience — I cannot express it. In fact, no experience can be described accurately, one hundred percent. One always gives a comparative degree. "How is this sweet? Well, you have experienced the other sweet — but this is much better." That is how one can convey something through one's own experience. But it remains a guess-work.

That is why Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's teachings are so precious. He says: even one grain of sugar — you heard about it, but you do not have correct knowledge. Somebody brings it and puts it in your palm — there is knowledge, but it has no resemblance to what it actually is. When you touch one grain of sugar to your tongue — that is experience. Now you know one hundred percent how sugar tastes.
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== The Mantra: Ānanda Brahma ==
So Bhṛgu understood: ''Ānandaṃ Brahmeti vyajānāt.''<blockquote>''Ānandadhyeva khalvimāni bhūtāni jāyante. Ānandena jātāni jīvanti. Ānandaṃ prayanti abhisaṃviśantīti.''

''Saiṣā bhārgavī vāruṇī vidyā. Parame vyoman pratiṣṭhitā. Sa ya evaṃ veda pratitiṣṭhati. Annavān annādo bhavati. Mahān bhavati. Prajayā paśubhiḥ. Brahma varcasena. Mahān kīrtyā.''</blockquote>This particular mantra can be divided into three parts.

=== First Part: Ānanda as the Source, Sustainer, and End of All Creation ===
The first part is the answer Bhṛgu experienced. From where does the entire creation come? From Ānanda — not Ānandamaya Kośa, but Ānanda itself. And Ānanda and Brahman, Ānanda and Ātmā, Ānanda and I — they are one and the same. ''Ānandaḥ asmi'' — I am Saccidānanda. Three in one, one in three.

=== Second Part: The Certification of the Vidyā ===
Then the Upaniṣad's real teachings come to an end, and the teacher says: ''Saiṣā bhārgavī vāruṇī vidyā'' — this particular teaching of the Upaniṣad in this third chapter is called Bhārgavī because Bhṛgu had been taught, and Bhṛgu certifies, "I realised it." And it was taught by Varuṇa, so it is called Vāruṇī.

Since it is proven — like a student of science following the professor's instructions, experimenting everything, and getting absolutely the same result — this is a certified Vidyā. Bhārgavī means Bhṛgu's proof of what was promised to him by the teacher, and which he experienced. That is why it is called Bhārgavī Vāruṇī Vidyā.

=== Third Part: Parame Vyoman Pratiṣṭhitā — Established in the Supreme Ākāśa ===
''Parame vyoman pratiṣṭhitā.'' Parama means supreme, Vyoma means space. It is there, continuously shining, in the heart of everybody — in this body called Brahmapurī. And just like Bhṛgu, if anybody knows "I am not any of these Pañca Kośas, but I am that Parabrahman shining in the form of Paramavyomana" — the highest, the greatest Ākāśa, called Cidākāśa, pure consciousness — that person, having given up identity with the Pañca Kośas, becomes firmly identified with that Paramavyoman, which is another name for Brahman.

And whoever knows this — not only Bhṛgu, not only Bhṛgu's father, but millions of realised souls, and in future also so many people will realise it — they too certify: ''Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi''. Ask them, "Who are you?" — they mean: "I am Brahman." That is all.
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== The Results of This Realisation ==

=== For the Jīvanmukta ===
What is the result? A person who knows "I am Brahman" has no place for any desire, because desire means lack of Ānanda. But here is a person who has become Ānanda Svarūpa — he cannot have any desires. A realised person will have no unfulfilled desires.

But what about a Jīvanmukta — a person liberated while living? Everything that is necessary will be supplied. As we have in the Bhagavad Gītā: if somebody totally relies upon the Divine — like a child relies upon the mother unconsciously — that is a very important point to understand. We the grown-ups, when we hear "you must be like a child," understand it as: "I have a mother, I pray, I rely upon her — total dependence upon the divine mother." But look at a child. Does the child think: "I am a child and I am helpless; somebody needs to take care of me; my mother is there to take care of me"? The child simply cries, and wherever the mother is, she comes running. So such a person becomes so totally identified — "I am the child of the mother."

The Jīvanmukta's body-mind may undergo some undesirable experiences from our viewpoint. But if you ask the Jīvanmukta himself — ask Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, ask Ramaṇa Maharṣi — they know. But what they answer, we cannot understand — unless we become like them.

=== Annādo Bhavati: Abundance and the Capacity to Enjoy ===
''Annavān annādo bhavati'' — he will be endowed with whatever is necessary — however much is necessary. Not only that, he gets everything needed, and the capacity to enjoy it. As one commentator puts it: abundant food, tasty food, plenty of food — but his digestive fire, ''Vaiśvānara agni'', also blazes forth, so he can digest everything. That means he is capable not only of obtaining, but of truly enjoying also.

=== Prajā, Paśu, and Brahma Varcas ===
''Prajayā paśubhiḥ'' — if he is a Gṛhastha, he gets good children. But ''Prajā'' also means not necessarily children, but good disciples. And in those days, cows and animals were called Godhanam — wealth in the form of cows — because they need plenty of milk, butter, buttermilk, and curds for Homa purposes.

''Brahma varcasena'' — because there are people who realise like Varuṇa, such a person's face will be shining with Brahma Varcas. That is why so many portraits show halos around the heads of great beings — to indicate that their knowledge is spiritual knowledge.

''Mahān kīrtyā'' — they become great, well-known people. Not necessarily always, of course — there are so many Jīvanmuktas in this world whom nobody knows about. It is believed in Kāśī that there are living realised souls, but they are very difficult to find. So ''Kīrti'' means great name and fame — not necessarily always.
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== The Deeper Significance: Why Ānanda Is the Cause of Creation ==

=== Bliss as the Basis of the Divine Play ===
Bhṛgu realised that bliss is Brahman — not Priya, Moda, or Pramoda. And from bliss, these beings are rarely born. The whole creation comes out of bliss, because God wants to play with himself. Play is always bliss. If you are playing and are not blissful, that is not a play — that is a life-and-death situation. But when you play with joy, winning and losing do not trouble you — "sometimes I win, sometimes you win, sometimes I lose" — and you are not worried about it.

Swāmī Vivekānanda expresses this beautifully: who enjoys a great painting? Neither the seller nor the buyer, but the person who has no intention of either buying or selling — purely for the sake of enjoyment.

=== The Vaiṣṇava Teaching: Viraha and Milan ===
In the Vaiṣṇava Padāvalī there are two themes: sometimes Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are separated — they love each other and want to be united — but that separation is a willing, conscious separation, to enjoy the union all the more. That ''viraha'', that tremendous longing, is also part of the Līlā. And then Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Saṃyoga — ''milan'', unity — is there.

Even that separation is only to enjoy the union all the more. Every sukha that we experience has this separation and union. When we are separated from food, we become hungry — that is separation. When we are united with food, there is joy. The greater the separation, the greater will be the joy. The more hungry we are, the more enjoyment there will be.

=== Birth and Death as Divine Play ===
What we see — this birth and death — is nothing but a divine play of both these elements: separation as well as union. Only a Jīvanmukta can understand it truly, at all times.

So Bhṛgu understood: because of that bliss, the entire creation has come out. And then the entire creation lives only because of the expectation of bliss. As we have seen in the Taittirīya itself: who can live if a person thinks "I am never going to be happy"? Even one moment's separation from bliss is itself a death-throw. So we live in the hope of experiencing that bliss. And when this birth ends in death, we have learned some lessons, progressed in life, and we move further.

So ultimately, a time will come — and that end means: if this birth ends, we have progressed. Do not countervail time. Just as we cannot counter time in deep sleep — which is nothing but bliss — it is for the sake of bliss that Brahman manifests. Brahman, as it were, lives for his own bliss. Brahman again re-enters into himself. This is Nityā and Līlā. It is difficult to understand with our limited intellect.
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== Summary of the Sixth Anuvāka ==
Simply put: ''Ahaṃ Ānanda Svarūpa, Saccidānanda Svarūpa. Ahaṃ Ātmā. Ahaṃ Brahmā.'' That is what Bhṛgu understood.

Finally: I myself have become this creation. I manifest as the creation, continue this play, and again take it back — like a spider throws out threads, keeps them for some time, and withdraws. This was the realisation of Bhṛgu. This is the wisdom taught by Varuṇa and learned by Bhṛgu.

''Parame vyomani pratiṣṭhitā'' — it is established in the supreme Ākāśa in the heart. And anyone who knows this — whether in the past, present, or future, in any country, any religion, any culture — will be established in his own nature, which is the bliss of Brahman.
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== The Process of Pañcakośa Viveka: Neti Neti Leading to Iti Iti ==
That is the essence of this sixth Anuvāka. And we have also said: this knowledge, this process of knowing, is called Neti Neti. That means first, Iti Iti — "I am sacred. My body is sacred. My mind is sacred. Everybody's body is sacred. Everybody's mind is sacred. And the whole universe is my body — Virāṭ. I am Virāṭ."

As soon as he understands "I am Virāṭ," another story opens in front of him. His vision beholds something — the cause — and he says: "Oh, that is even greater bliss." So he will be experiencing the bliss of Virāṭ. Then he sees there is a higher bliss — this is a limited bliss. There is a subtler, more pervading bliss. He moves on to the next Kośa. So from Kośa to Kośa — ever expanding, ever subtler, and more blissful — until he even transcends the Ānandamaya Kośa itself.

This knowledge is the final realisation: ''Ahaṃ Brahma.'' Then what does he realise? ''Mayy eva sakalaṃ jātam, mayy sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam'' — as the Kaivalya Upaniṣad says: everything is born in me, everything is established in me, there is nothing separate from me. ''Mayy sarvaṃ layaṃ yāti'' — everything comes back unto me. ''Tat brahma advayam asmi ahaṃ'' — I am that ''Satyam Jñānam Anantam Brahma.''

As we discussed: Varuṇa taught — so it is called Vāruṇī Vidyā. And Bhṛgu realised — so anybody who follows Bhṛgu in the same footsteps, the same way, following it like a scientific experiment, attains to the highest. Thereafter, there would be no limitation for him.
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== Transition: The Upāsanās of the Seventh Through Tenth Anuvākas ==

=== The Principle of Karma Yoga ===
What happens to a person who has not yet realised "I am Brahman" but is progressing? He obtains abundant food — food meaning enjoyable things. Whatever a person desires, he will get it. Because the capacity to not only obtain but to enjoy is also provided. And if he is a Gṛhastha, he gets good children or good disciples. He will be endowed with Brahma virtues, and ''Mahān kīrtyā'' — sooner or later he becomes greatly renowned.

So with this, the process of discriminating between the five sheaths — Pañcakośa Viveka Prakriyā — is complete.

Now, how to follow Bhṛgu? What did Bhṛgu do? He did Tapasyā. What do I mean by that? Intense austerity — which means he had been practising all the Sādhanā. ''Sādhanā karnā cāhiye, manava bhajan karnā cāhiye.''

So now, from the seventh section of this third chapter until the tenth section, certain Upāsanās and contemplations are included, and all of them can be called Karma Yoga. What is Karma Yoga? Transforming our action into a positive, helpful, spiritual discipline — that is called Karma Yoga. Karma means action — every action that we do, whether breathing, sitting, lying down, eating, or walking — nothing is excepted; everything is included. Everything that we do is transformed into the highest spiritual practice. This is what Brother Lawrence calls "the practice of the presence of God."

=== What Is Upāsanā? ===
Upāsanā means slowly developing a spiritual attitude towards everything — towards every action, whether it is physical or mental. There is nothing truly called a "spiritual action" separate from the physical or mental — all spiritual actions are nothing but pure contemplations. How do we regulate our life? That is called Upāsanā, that is called Karma Yoga.

What does Karma Yoga do? It transforms even the most innocent action — even breathing in and breathing out, Apāna and Prāṇa. Apāna means breathing in, Prāṇa means breathing out. Every action — and in the Bhagavad Gītā also we have seen — whether sitting, lying, sleeping, walking, or breathing in and breathing out — every action that was done, is done, or will be done, can be transformed into a Yoga. That is why Yoga means: that which transforms every action into the divine, or keeps us united with God. If it is through action, it is called Karma Yoga. If it is through emotion, it is called Bhakti. If it is through concentration, it is called Rāja Yoga. If it is through deep intellectual thinking, it is called Jñāna Yoga.
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== Anna and the Four Vratas: A Holistic Vision ==

=== Food as the Central Symbol ===
What is most important here is the word used: ''anna'' — food. And by food we have to understand not only physical food, but also mental food. A beginner, a seeker, has to pay attention to the way he lives. And most of the Sādhakas, willy-nilly, are householders. Do not think that only a married person is a householder — anybody who thinks "I am a body" is a householder, because this body is the house.

There are four Vratas. What is a Vrata? A vow — "I vow before God I would try to follow" — that is to say, "I would like to spiritualise four of my actions." The first is ''Annam''. Annam means what? This body. The body has come out of food. Our whole life, our whole body, is nothing but food — and food goes into food only after death. Dust unto dust. Not only that — even while living, this very body becomes food: we become food for the mosquito, for the flies, for good or bad bacteria.

=== Anna and Annāda: The Subject-Object Relationship ===
Food means enjoyment. For example: a young man looks at a young woman — the young man becomes the enjoyer, the young woman becomes the enjoyed, from the young man's point of view. But from the other's point of view, the young woman becomes the experiencer, and the young man becomes the experienced — ''Anna''. So Anna means: the object of enjoyment. ''Annāda'' means the enjoyer. Annāda is the subject; Anna is the object.

The whole universe is divided as Anna and Annāda. Two types of relationships are indicated here for us to acquire a holistic attitude:

First: everything is related to everything in this world. Second: everything is dependent upon everything else. Third: everything, if it is separated from this relationship, cannot survive alone.

This is how slowly we acquire our identity with everything — even for people who do not believe in God, this is a very important relationship.

=== The Supporter and the Supported ===
The first type of relationship is subject-object — enjoyer and enjoyed. The Upaniṣad wants to tell us that everything is an enjoyer, and everything is also the enjoyed. And based upon this, the second type of relationship is even more subtle: one is the support, another is the supported — the supporter-supported relationship.

For example: I have to depend — when I am a child, I am dependent upon my parents; they are the supporters, I am the supported. But when I grow up and my parents become old, I become the supporter and they become the supported. When I get married, I become the supporter; when I am a child, I am the supported; when I grow up and have my own children, I become the supporter again.

Everything in this world — husband and wife, parents and children, even enemies — can be divided as the supporter and supported, the subject and the object, the enjoyer and the enjoyed.

To put it simply: if somebody thinks "I am a subject," but there is no object — because if there is no object, there would be no subject; if there is no subject, there would be no object — either both exist together, or they disappear together. This is called the holistic attitude. This is a marvellous attitude, helping us understand: I am also supported, I am also supporter. Therefore, what is my relationship with the entire creation? I am both the enjoyer and the enjoyed. I am both the supporter and the supported.

Slowly, scientists are opening their eyes to this truth. We thought nature was dumb and we could do whatever we like — cut down forests, burn them, turn them into food-production factories. Now we understand that everything in this world is both the supporter and the supported. If tremendous deforestation takes place, the whole of nature becomes poisoned — which people nowadays call environmental pollution. And some thoughtless, selfish politicians do not want to accept it.

So the Upaniṣad is opening our eyes: Bhagavān becomes both the enjoyer and the enjoyed, the supporter and the supported. For that, the best example would be the dream state.
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== Closing Remarks and Preview of the Next Class ==
I will discuss in the next class: what is this dream example, in the light of this supporter-and-supported, subject-and-object relationship? Then we can go through these Upāsanās — that which takes us nearer to our true nature — and how the specific Upāsanās outlined in this Upaniṣad, from the seventh until the tenth section, show us how, without them, we cannot progress in spiritual life. And that is how Hinduism teaches, and how Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa interpreted these teachings. These are some of the subjects and points we will discuss in our next class.

== 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]]