Paramahamsa Upanishad Lecture 01 on 02 March 2024

Summary

Paramahamsa Upanishad, which belongs to the Shukla Yajur Veda. The lecture begins by explaining the meaning of the title "Paramahamsa" and its connection to the famous title of Sri Ramakrishna - "Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa."

The word "Hamsa" when uttered fast becomes "Soham" which means "I am That" - denoting the universal Self or Brahman. A "Paramahamsa" is a fully realized soul who has realized their identity with the supreme Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna himself explained that he did not practice any particular austerities to become a Paramahamsa, but it was a natural state of bodilessness or complete non-identification with the body.

The lecture then provides an introduction to the Upanishads and Vedas. The Vedas are considered the storehouse of spiritual knowledge that cannot be obtained through the senses or mind alone. This transcendental knowledge was compiled by the sage Krishna Dwaipayana, also known as Vyasa or Vedavyasa.

The four Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva - were divided into multiple branches or shakhas by Vyasa, with each shakha associated with an Upanishad. It is estimated that there were originally 1180 shakhas and hence 1180 Upanishads, but many were lost over time. Only 108 Upanishads are considered authentic now, of which Adi Shankaracharya commented on 10 or 11 principal Upanishads.

The Upanishads are further classified based on their philosophical leanings - 27 general Upanishads, 14 Shaiva, 8 Shakta, 14 Vaishnava, 20 Yoga and 17 Sannyasa Upanishads like the Paramahamsa Upanishad. The goal of the Upanishads is to impart knowledge of the true Self and lead one to spiritual liberation.

The lecture explains the four stages (ashramas) of human life - the student (brahmachari), householder (grihastha), forest-dweller (vanaprastha) and renunciant (sannyasi) stages. These stages align with the four pursuits (purushartha) of life - dharma, artha, kama and moksha. The Vedas are similarly divided into Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads corresponding to these four stages.

The meaning of the word 'Upanishad' is explored, deriving from the root 'sad' meaning 'to loosen, destroy and lead near.' So an Upanishad is that knowledge which loosens the bonds of ignorance, destroys it completely and leads one towards realizing their true Self.

The Paramahamsa Upanishad being studied is a minor Upanishad belonging to the Sannyasa class. As the name suggests, it deals with the exalted state of a Paramahamsa or fully enlightened being. Though short with only 4 mantras, each mantra is quite elaborate.

The Upanishad takes the form of a dialogue, which was the traditional mode of imparting this knowledge, exemplified in texts like the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. A dialogue allows the teacher to cater the teachings to the level of understanding of each student.

The lecture underscores that a true disciple is one who has complete faith in the teacher and diligently practices the teachings, transcending a merely academic interest.

The Paramahamsa Upanishad, in its opening and concluding mantras, emphasizes the supreme reality of Brahman and describes the characteristics of a Paramahamsa - one who has realized their identity with Brahman while being embodied (jivanmukta). The goal of studying this Upanishad is to awaken to one's true divine nature, just like the ancient rishis (seers) who became realized after countless births and spiritual practice.

Human effort alone cannot grant this realization - it requires the grace of a living guru who can guide the seeker based on their level of evolution. The Upanishads were realized and expressed by such enlightened rishis for the spiritual upliftment of humanity.

Narada is introduced as Brahma's "mind-born" son, famous in the Puranas as the greatest devotee who glorified Lord Vishnu. Narada is described as a knower of Brahman who dedicated his life to initiating worthy souls into the highest knowledge of the Self. The name "Narada" itself means "one who gives the knowledge of the Self."

The Paramahamsa Upanishad takes the form of a dialogue where Narada asks a single question to Brahma about how to attain the state of a Paramahamsa or fully realized being. Brahma's reply comprises the four elaborate mantras of the Upanishad.

This structure is compared to the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna's entire teachings are an answer to Arjuna's basic question about overcoming his delusion and suffering. Just as Arjuna surrendered to Krishna, Narada approaches Brahma with the same reverence as a disciple.

The lecture underscores that true discipleship requires complete faith in the guru and diligent practice of the teachings, going beyond mere academic interest. It cites examples like the sage Valmiki, who transformed from being a highway robber through sincere spiritual pursuit.

The potential for divine realization exists in all beings, irrespective of their background, religion or way of life - be it evil people, good people, householders, monks, believers or non-believers. The evolutionary process gradually prepares and unveils this innate divine potential within each soul.

The opening and concluding mantras of the Upanishad emphasize the supreme, infinite reality of Brahman, describing its nature and its relationship with the universe. As a "Sannyasa Upanishad", it deals exclusively with the life and state of total renunciation or monasticism.

However, the lecture clarifies that "Sannyasa" implies mental renunciation and non-attachment, not necessarily outward monastic renunciation. There are many spiritual aspirants who attain realization while leading a normal household life, being "mental Sannyasins."

It cites the example of Sri Ramakrishna, who could recognize God-realized souls even in madmen and ordinary people, as realization makes one the greatest in whatever state they choose to be - be it a scholar, householder, child or even an inert being.

The king Janaka is highlighted as the "Videha" - one who is completely disidentified from the body and mind, realizing his true nature as the pure, eternal, blissful Brahman consciousness.

For such realization, the Upanishad stresses that one must first have the sincere desire and make efforts to develop the requisite qualities if lacking. It underscores the gradual process of spiritual evolution - from evil to virtuous, from virtuous to realized, and from realized to being able to help liberate others.

The lecture explains the meaning of "Hamsa" as the divine mind that can separate truth from untruth, real from unreal - drinking the "milk of truth". A "Paramahamsa" is one whose mind has achieved this state of discrimination.

Lord Brahma then expounds to Narada the formidable characteristics of a Paramahamsa yogi. Such a yogi:

Has mastered the essence of the Vedas and is ever absorbed in thoughts of God

Is eternally pure, untainted by attachments to family, friends, rituals etc.

Is completely unaffected by dualities like heat/cold, pleasure/pain, respect/disrespect

Has transcended negative qualities like slander, pride, jealousy, deceit, lust, anger, etc.

Remains eternally calm, unchanging and undisturbed

Abides in the highest reality of Brahman, declaring "I am Brahman"

This summation prefaces the detailed exposition on the state of a Paramahamsa that comprises the main teachings of the Upanishad's four mantras.

The lecture concludes by highlighting that mere human effort is not enough for such realization - it requires the grace of a living guru who can guide the seeker based on their spiritual evolution, just as the ancient rishis received and expressed these teachings for humanity's upliftment.

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So from today, we are starting a new Upanishad. Every Upanishad is marvelous, but some Upanishads deal with particular subjects. Today's Upanishad is called Paramahamsa Upanishad. We are all familiar with the title of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Every realized soul is called a Paramahamsa. This word Hamsa, if it is uttered fast, then it ends up in Soham. I am that Saha Aham. I am that Paramah. I am, we are always using, but in the sense of Jeeva. I am the body, I am the mind, etc. etc. I am happy, I am unhappy, I am enthusiastic, I am lifeless. Not death I am talking about. No energy, I am weak, I am strong. All these are characteristics of a bound soul. We are always telling that one. But no, with every breath, the speciality of the Soham is, this Soham, which is the reversal of Hamsa, is 24 hours from birth to death. Going on, breathing in So and breathing out Aham. So Aham, Soham, Soham, Soham, Soham, Hamso. So Paramahamsa means Paramatma. That is why Swami Vivekananda, at the bottom of the Ramakrishna orders motto, Tanno Hamsaha Prachodayat. We find it. May that Paramatma protect us. How does Paramatma protect us? By making us one with Him. So this particular Upanishad is called Paramahamsa Upanishad. There is some speciality in this Upanishad. Before that, a small general introduction. Even though every time we start an Upanishad, I give more or less the same introduction. But just to remind ourselves, as we all know that there have been countless number of sages, rishis. A rishi is called a mantra drashta. Here mantra has nothing to do with the mantra that we get. Mantra means a great truth. And by repeating that truth, in course of time, we become truth. Then we become freed. That is why the very definition of mantra is Mananat Trayate Iti Mantraha. So the meaning of Gayatri also, Gayantam Trayate Iti Gayatri. The person who is singing that particular mantra, he will be saved. And whoever repeats the mantra given by the guru or chosen by the father or mother, that saves us. A rishi is one who discovers a small bit of the infinite truth. And that is why so many rishis, so many discoveries, so many mantras and the expression of these rishis have become a vast storehouse of knowledge. And by that time, several thousand years back, there was a great soul who had enormous intellect, enormous memory, enormous capacity. His name was Krishna Dwaipayana. He decided, by God's will, to collect all the existing spiritual knowledge, I think every other type of knowledge also, and classify it and divide it. And he had four disciples and to each one of them, he gave one part of the Veda. The very word Veda has a very special name. Veda means right knowledge, but not any right knowledge. We can have right knowledge of any object. Here is a mango tree, I have right knowledge about it. Here is chemistry, I have right knowledge about chemistry, etc. But this knowledge is derived purely with the aid of sunlight, our sense organs, our mind, of course, aided by what we call reflected consciousness, Chidabhasa. This is called worldly knowledge. But beyond this sensory knowledge, there is a spiritual knowledge. And this spiritual knowledge has been divided by our Rishis into three categories. Life after death and other worlds other than the physical cosmology that we know of, all the galaxies, etc. And what is the true nature of each one of us. This knowledge can never be obtained by our senses, by our mind. It can be only got from the experience of a realized sage and their expression upon their realization of who they are has been taken down, has been heard. So that is coming through teacher-student relationship, unbroken lineage. It is called Shruti Sampradaya. And even today that knowledge is coming to us. So this Krishna Dwaipayana, Dweepam means island, born in an island, so he was there, called Dwaipayana. He was very black, so he was called Krishna. There are three famous Krishnas are there. Raupati was called Krishna, Bhagawan Krishna himself, and this great personage called Vedavyasa. Because he collected what Maximuller had done in the 19th century and Maximuller could only do what was already collected and written on palm leaves, etc. But Vedavyasa, at that time, there were no writing materials, so he had to put everything. How did he write Mahabharata, etc.? Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ashtadasha Puranas... He did not really... it was not a written form. He passed it on to very great people. And those people had tremendous memories, but they had limited tremendous memories. So each one could receive a small bit, retain it, pass it to their students. But in the course of time, the capacity of hearing and retaining and passing it on started diminishing. In geometrical proportions. And so this Veda, Vedic knowledge was divided into four Vedas. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharvana Veda. But again, there was some problem with the Yajur Veda. So there we find two recensions, Black Yajur Veda and White Yajur Veda. So we can practically say there are five Vedas there, but usually it is taken for granted as four Vedas. Veda means what? That knowledge which cannot be obtained through the aid of our sense organs and mind. And that alone should be considered. Why? Because whatever knowledge we can get through the sense organs, if we strive hard, that is why scientists are discovering great scientific truths, technicians are turning them into practical gadgets, practical gadgets and politicians, even all of us are getting the benefit of using them and more misusing than using them. So every Veda is again further divided into four parts called Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad. And these four advocate a particular specialized subject matter. And Hindu sages have divided the life of every human being, not merely Hindus, but anybody, into four stages of evolution. Learning stage, experimenting and experiencing stage, withdrawing stage and surrendering totally to God. Four stages are there. For what purpose? Every stage of the life has got a definite goal called Purushartha. So learn Dharma, that is, learn what is life and how it should be lived, what should be done, what must be avoided. And after learning, put it into practice. That is called the householder's life, student's life, householder's life. And after experiencing, one becomes awakened. What I am seeking, I am not able to get in the external world. In fact, it is not there neither externally nor internally. It is me. The whole evolution of human life is only in search of true knowledge of me, I. Who am I? As Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi says, that is the final quest, today or tomorrow. Everybody has to come to this stage. Then this householder's life is meant for experimenting and thereby mind becomes purified. Right understanding comes by facing problems, happiness and unhappiness, good and evil, life and death, riches and poverty, heat and cold, victory and defeat, profit and loss, everything. And then the person becomes wiser. To become wiser, more wise, that is the goal of evolution. And then the person wants to find out, who am I? I have searched for myself in the whole world. I could not find myself. So I must now search within my own heart. Search for my own self. This is called the third stage of life called vanaprasthashyama or the stage where deep contemplation or upasana becomes the norm. And then after some time, the person knows what is his goal, what is his nature and totally dedicates his life, that is called complete detachment from every object in this world, including body and mind, which is specified as sannyasashrama or moksha. So dharma, arthakama, upasana and moksha. And then samhita, brahmana, aranyaka and upanishad. Dharma, arthakama and moksha. Brahmachari ashrama, grihasthashyama, vanaprasthashyama and sannyasashyama. So this is the broad, beautiful division. Sooner or later, everybody, not that Hindus only will come, though Hindus pronounced it after understanding, because we are all potentially divine. We have to reach that particular stage only. So what did Veda Vyasa do? Veda means that divine knowledge, atindriya jnanam. Vyasa means editor who collected, classified and passed it on to his own disciples. So what happened? These four Vedas, the disciples received, four disciples, they in turn tried to pass it on. But in the course of time, the capacity of the peoples had become less and less. So many because of selfishness, because of what we call copyright problem, because people have become only we will pass it to our own children. Many, many parts of the Vedas were lost. But it is said in the traditional view that Vyasa had classified the four Vedas into 1180 branches, shakhas and each of the shakha is associated with an Upanishad. Because every shakha ends with an Upanishad. Hence, we can safely anticipate that there are 1180 Upanishads. But hundreds of them have been lost. So according to this view, for each Veda, there must have been a specified number of Upanishads. And then finally, there is one Upanishad called Muktika Upanishad. And it had collected what it has got, what has been available and what has been taught at that time. But the Upanishads are only 108. Out of that, Bhagavan Shankaracharya had chosen some people say 10. And some people add one more called Shethashvatara. So either 10 or 11. He commented, for us, we belong to Shankaracharya Sampradaya tradition. So we accept 108 Upanishads. Then there are also what is called, as I mentioned earlier, Shukla Yajur Veda, White Yajur Veda. There are 19 Upanishads. And this Paramahamsa Upanishad belongs to the Shukla Yajur Veda. And just a general information, there are 27 Upanishads known as Samanya Upanishads. Because they deal with the teachings of spirituality in a general way, not in a specific way. Then there are some Upanishads, really speaking 14, which extol Shiva as Paramatma. They are called Shaiva Upanishads. Then there are 8 Upanishads which extol the Divine Mother. So they are called Shakta Upanishads. Then there are 14 Upanishads again praising Lord Vishnu as Paramatma. They are called Vaishnava Upanishads. There are 14. Then among other Upanishads, there are 20 Upanishads which deal in a specific way with the yoga system, what we now call Patanjali Yoga, Yama Niyama, etc. Breathing technique, Pranayama, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, etc. 20 Yoga Upanishads. But there are 17 special Upanishads dealing purely with Sanyasa Ashrama. They are called Sanyasa Upanishads, which are said to be 17. And this Paramahamsa Upanishad is one of them. What is the meaning of the word Veda? That knowledge which we cannot obtain in this world. That means through the senses and the mind. That super sensory knowledge which means that there is God or highest reality. There is no death. After death, the soul again takes up another body. It can be in other worlds which are not provable by any of our laboratory instruments. Either heavenly world or hellish world according to one's own karma, dharma or adharma. So there are such worlds. And there are denizens, citizens living in those worlds. But finally, the Vedas tell us that all this is only temporary residence. Like we go on a holiday and we enjoy for some time, and then we come out. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, a man had lost his job and he did something wrong. He was put in jail, and after some time, he was released. Again, he started searching. Like that, you go to heaven or you go to hell. After some time, one will be sent back onto this earth. This is why this is called Karmakshetra, a field of activity where we earn either virtue or vice. Everybody has to come. But the greatest benefit of life on this earth as human beings is that in this, it is very easy for us. And in fact, some people claim that it is only through human life one can realize God. Not possible for the gods, not possible of course for those who are in hell, etc. What is the meaning of the word Upanishad? Shankaracharya had given three meanings. That which loosens our ignorance, that which destroys our ignorance, or that which takes us to the knowledge of who we are. That is the meaning of the Upanishad. How did he derive it? Says there is a root word, Upanishad, to which are added two prefixes. I hope you know what is a prefix. If we add something in front of the word, it becomes a prefix. If it is added at the end of the word, it becomes suffix. For example, post office. If we say post, it is an office, but it is a special office that is called post office. So mental hospital. It is a hospital, but it is a mental hospital. Mental is a prefix to specify. So this word Upanishad, Upa is one prefix, Ni is another prefix, and Sadh is the root of the word. So what is the meaning of Sadh? Sadh means what we are really and where are we now? So we are bound, but there is a knowledge. Why are we bound? Because of ignorance. Ignorance is the opposite of right knowledge. So how to get right knowledge? There is a right knowledge. And that right knowledge, what does it do? Ni means completely. It destroys ignorance. But then what does it do? It loosens. First it loosens, then it destroys. And then what does it do? Upa means near. That is why you say Upa Adhyaya, that which takes us nearer to study. Upa Asana, that which takes us nearer to God, called Upasana. Upa is a prefix. So Asana here means what? Not a seat. Here Asana means a deity. That which takes us nearer and nearer and still nearer to our chosen deity. And then even that chosen deity is only a thought. That who is nearest to us? Our own self. So that knowledge which takes us nearest to our own self. That means pure self-knowledge to realize I am not the body-mind, I am Paramatma. That is the meaning of this Upa. But before it can take us, it must destroy, remove the cover-up, remove the covering, remove the obstruction. That word Ni, Nisesh, annihilate, loosen, annihilate and lead us to our own self. That is the meaning of the word Upanishad. And we have chosen this Paramahamsa Upanishad. This Upanishad belongs to Shuklai Jirveda, as I told you. And it is a very short Upanishad, having just four mantras. But do not be misled. Each mantra is quite big, a big paragraph. And each mantra is quite long. And this Paramahamsa Upanishad is counted as one of the minor Upanishads. And this Paramahamsa Upanishad is also classified as one of the Sannyasa Upanishads. Why so? Because the very word Paramahamsa is never applied to any householder or Brahmachari or Vanaprastha, only to a Sannyasin, to a monk, either male or female, who has completely dedicated his life to the realization of his own true nature. Therefore, when he realizes, he becomes Paramahamsa. Let us remember what I said at the beginning. Hamsa reversed becomes Soham. Paramahamsa Soham means I am Brahman. So this Upanishad is in the form of a dialogue. As I mentioned earlier, most of the Upanishads come in the form of the dialogue, Prashna Upanishad itself. Prashna means question, answer. There must be some students to question, someone to answer. Kata Upanishad is a dialogue between Yamadharma Raja and Naciketa. Practically, every Upanishad is only a dialogue. The whole Brihadaranyaka is a dialogue between, we can say, Yajnavalkya and so many other learned people, which includes his own darling wife, Maitreyi. The whole Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, which is nothing but pure Upanishad, it is nothing but in the form of questions, either overtly expressed or just in the mind of the people. Sri Ramakrishna could read the minds of the people. So he was answering. He will never speak without any purpose. He can gauge the condition of the people who come near him. He could understand who can receive his teachings and who is not ready to receive his teachings. And when he finds such people, it is a very polite way of saying, go and see the buildings, go and see the gardens, which translated into modern American language is get the hell out of here. So mostly dialogue. Why dialogue? It is not an interaction like a lecturer and a student. But it is intimate conversation between mother and child, between teacher and student. And only the teacher will tell what is understandable, because a teacher is one who is capable of coming to the level of his students and of each student and teach them appropriately. So that is called a dialogue. So this is called Paramahamsa Upanishad. In Indian tradition, especially spiritual tradition, Paramahamsa is considered as the highest order of self-realized souls. Who is a Paramahamsa? Of course, we are going to get all the characteristics of who can be a Paramahamsa. Very soon, this whole Upanishad is devoted. Like in Bhagavad Gita, at the end of the second chapter, we get the characteristics of a person of realization or of Samadhi. At the end of the 12th chapter and from the middle of the 13th chapter and practically the whole of the 16th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is enumeration of the characteristics of a divine person or a spiritual aspirant or who can be called a spiritual aspirant and what characteristics he must possess. This is the subject matter. So what is the name of this Upanishad we are going to study? Paramahamsa Upanishad. Why is it so? Because what is our goal? To become a Paramahamsa, to become Paramatma, to know that we are divine, not potentially divine, that is for Sadhana, but we are divine. The teacher, the scripture tells us you are potentially divine. Like an ordinary teacher, he finds some people and says, you are a potential, there is a lot of potentiality in you to become a good singer, a good musician. So that is what is called potentiality. Develop the potentiality. But all potentialities are included in one potentiality that is called divinity. Divinity only manifests as the best of the musicians, best of the scientists, best of the monks, best of the householders, best men, best women, etc. And this is a beautiful conversation. But most important, as I mentioned earlier, Sri Ramakrishna, naturally, seeing his natural condition, we do not know who gave this title. It might be Totapuri himself. It can be Madhur Babu. There is a controversy even today. But this Paramahamsa, it is Sri Ramakrishna himself, tells in the Gospel, I have not practiced and become Paramahamsa, like leaving off my dress and roaming about naked. It is just the cloth slip off this body because I have nothing to do with the body. That is the condition of bodilessness. That is why you remember there was a great king. He was called Videha Janaka. Videha means body. Videha means not a dead person. Videha means a person who is completely devoid of identity with the body. And his daughter was supposed to be Sita Devi, Vaidehi. That's why we call her sometimes women's name. Vaidehi means Videha's daughter, offspring. So, this particular text, when we study, we will be able to appreciate Sri Ramakrishna, why he is called. We are all now calling Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. But why is he called Ramakrishna? Ramakrishna was his name. But Paramahamsa was a natural title that he got. And why did he get? And why did he get? So, this text describes that all-renouncing person called monks. But it need not be a monk. There are many householders who are natural Paramahamsas, realized souls. But this comes only after realization. They are also called Jeevan Muktas, liberated souls. That means while still body is functioning, mind is functioning, they are called Jeevan Muktas. And they might be called Videha Mukta only after the body drops off. So, this Upanishad, in its opening and concluding mantras, emphasizes the primacy of Brahman. It gives the description of Brahman. And you are that Brahman. And therefore, you must behave like that Brahman. For that, how do we know? Because these great Rishis, at one time, they were not Rishis. They were earnest students. In fact, they were not even students. They were, just like each one of us, running after the world. After many a birth, after experiencing ups and downs of many situations, at last, they understood. And we also wake up one day. Then we approach a proper teacher. And we surrender ourselves to that teacher. And with complete faith in his words, we start practicing. A disciple can be called a disciple only when he starts practicing with complete faith what his teacher really teaches. Until that time, it will be only an academic situation. So, this Upanishad has got, some people divide it into four chapters. But really, there is no need because there are only four mantras are there. But each mantra, as I said, is quite long. And who is the teacher? Brahma himself, whom we call. Not Brahman and Brahma. We have to note that difference because quite a number of people mistake it. Brahma is the creator. Vishnu is the maintainer. And Shiva, he is the, or Maheshwara, is the recycler. But Brahma, to distinguish from Brahma, so one, half Na, N, the letter N is there, Brahman, which is sometimes I feel, was he a Tamilian or something like that. So Narada, who was Narada? Brahma's own Manasa Putra. Who was Narada? Very famous in Puranas for his glorification of Lord Vishnu. He was the greatest devotee. And Sriram Krishna several times mentions Narada's name and says, he was one of the greatest knowers of Brahman and his whole life is dedicated. I will go roaming three worlds. Wherever I find somebody who is fit, then I will initiate that person into this great secret. So Naram Dadadheeti Naradaha. Naram means knowledge. What knowledge? Self-knowledge. What is self-knowledge? Who I am. Who you are. And there is no I am separate and you are separate. I am divine, you are divine. We are only using language. But in reality, there is absolutely no difference between your divinity and my divinity, your consciousness and my consciousness. So these four mantras, four mantrik, Paramahamsa Upanishad is a dialogue between, actually dialogue means it is not even a dialogue. Narada asks only once and the rest is Brahma's reply. And like Bhagavad Gita, of course, Arjuna puts two, three times we saw him questioning. But really speaking, only one question was there that a delusion had completely possessed me. I do not see any way I can get rid of this delusion without your grace. So I surrender myself to you. And then only Lord Krishna had opened his mouth and the whole Bhagavad Gita is nothing but an answer to one question. How am I going to get out of this delusion where I am suffering so much? Arjuna's distress and the distress has to be removed. It can be removed. How? There is no other way. Even if we get all the three worlds, distress will not change because all the three worlds are themselves the causes of bondage. Bondage means limitation. Time-wise limitation, space-wise limitation and object-wise limitation. So Narada asks one question and the rest of it in the form of the four mantras, the answer given by his own father. And we should not imagine father-son relationship. Remember, Taittiriya Upanishad third section is called Bhrigu Valli and there also there was a great realized soul and he was called Varuna and he had an enlightened son and he wanted to realize the highest reality, supreme reality called Brahman. So he approached and said, Bhagavan, please teach me Brahman. And the whole third section of the Taittiriya, in fact the whole second and third sections are only how to realize Brahman, that is how to know that there is no separate reality called Brahman, separate reality called God. I am God. I am Brahman. In other religious language, they don't use the word Brahman, they use the word God. But often they confine that God only to what we call Saguna Brahma, Srishti Kartha, the creator. No, here in India, we say there are two aspects, with activity and without activity. With activity, he is called the creator, sustainer and dissoluter. But without activity, the same one, that is to say, when our mind is seeking the cause of this world, we imagine him to be active, so we call him personal God. And when we understand by advancing in spiritual life, there is no creation, we address him as impersonal God. That is the distinction. So Lord Brahma's instruction to Narada's single question or query on the aspect, how can I become a Paramahamsa? That means, how can I realize my own Self? That is the subject matter of every Upanishad practically. And as I said, this is one of the Sanyas, 17 Sanyasa Upanishads. Sanyasa Upanishads deal exclusively with the life of an all-renouncing, either a monk or a nun, because every religion, that is to say, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism, only very rarely we find they are there. In Islam, they don't accept this. In Judaism, there are saints, but we don't accept this Sanyasa system. But in Islam, we get Sufis. There are several women who attain to that highest God realization. Rabia is one of the brightest examples. But in India, there are several like Andal, like Meravai, like Akka Mahadevi, like Holy Mother, but many of them may not be Sanyasins. They may be right mothers, wives, sisters, but living their life properly, they attain to the same state. So these are called mental Sanyasins, Sanyasinis. So many householders are also there. So this Paramahamsa Upanishad, in practically four mantras, is the teaching of how one can become a Paramahamsa. For that, if we want to become something, we must have some knowledge of the subject. For example, if you want to become a knower of chemistry, chemist, then you must have that desire, an initial knowledge. What is this chemistry? And how difficult it is? Do I have interest? Am I qualified so that I can persist? And what am I expecting? Am I likely to leave it off in the middle or some part of the way? All these questions have to be dealt with. But if a person is determined, I want to be a good cook, I want to be a chemist, I want to be a doctor, an engineer, an IT person or AI person, whatever a person wants to become, he must have a preliminary knowledge of what is the subject. And what do I gain by that? Is this what I am seeking? So, here also, a person who wants to become a realized soul and he has faith, there are so many people who are called Paramahamsa, Sanyasins. Everybody need not be called a Paramahamsa, but they can be a realized soul also. As we can see in the life of Sri Ramakrishna, several madcaps had come to Dakshineshwar and everybody recognized them as a madcap. But Sri Ramakrishna could see through that veil, this is a God-realized soul. And God-realized souls can be in many forms. He can be like an inert being, he can be like a child, he can be like a madcap, he can be like a ghoul, he can be one of the greatest scholars, he can be one of the greatest children, he can be one of the greatest householders, he can be anything he wants. After realization, he will be the greatest wherever he chooses to be. He becomes greatest in that field. Just to corroborate, this Janaka Maharaja, he was a king, but he was called Videha Janaka. Absolutely, there is no body identity. I am not the body, I am not the mind. Who are you? I am pure Brahman, Shuddha, Nitya, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, Brahman, Chaitanya. That is what he realized. So this realization can come to anybody, provided they fulfill the conditions. But we have to know, first of all, do I really want to? Secondly, have I the qualifications? And if I do not have, what other types of qualities or characters? What is my character? If it is an evil character, but somehow I have faith, I must become better. That is where the pure Shanti Mantra goes, दुर्जनः सज्जनो भूयात् सज्जनो शान्ति माप्नयात् शान्तो मुच्येत अकल्भिषात् मुक्तो अन्यान् विमो चयेत। It is a gradual process from evil to good, good to spiritual realization, and spiritual realization to helping other people, if it is God's will, so that they can also be helped. You can say, He is an authentic teacher. But I, once upon a time, have gone through all these pathways and I was worse than you. So, I can tell you how I have come out. For example, who was Valmiki? He was a highway robber. Indians or Indian parents, they hope that they give big wonderful names for their children. So, they gave this would-be highway robber Ratnakara, a treasure house of precious gems, meaning he will be one of the richest persons, prosperous person, wealthy person. But unfortunately, he turned out to be poorest person. And he could not do anything excepting robbing. That's why he became a highway robber. But the time had come for him because outside he was behaving like that, inside he was longing only for God. So, God also came in the form of some enlighters. प्राप्य पराण निबोधता नरदा Several other Rishis had come, initiated him and then he proved that I am an apt disciple. By entering into that stage of sadhana, he never came out. And a huge hill called Ant Hill grew around him. So, evil people, good people, householders or monks or what we call ordinary people, nastikas, astikas, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, anybody, provided they are sincere, each soul has a potential. That potentiality will not allow a person to simply keep quiet. But all the time that potentiality is preparing that personality to unveil, to manifest his own potential divinity. Evolution is the theory that is taking us to what we really are. Or in Shri Ramakrishna's words, taking us to that place from where we have come. मान चलो निजः निकेतने So, a little bit of background. A Upanishad in its opening and concluding mantras emphasizes the primacy of infiniteness of Brahma. In other words, describing what is Brahman, what is the nature of this universe and what is the relationship between Brahman and this universe. So, this is explained by Lord Brahma to Narada, his own Manasa Putra. That is why it is called Paramahamsa Upanishad. And in India, a few people are called Paramahamsa or Yuvrajikas. Hamsa means a divine man. So, it has a special capacity of separating what in the ordinary parlance water from milk and drinking only pure milk. But the inner meaning, the symbolical meaning is the mind which is capable of separating truth from untruth and holding on to that truth. Good from evil, real from the unreal. असतो मा सब्गमया तमसो मा जोतिर्गमया रुत्योर्मा अमृतंगमया So, this is all about Sanyasa. Sanyasa means total dedication to spiritual life. So, as I mentioned, it is not a particular type of a person who dresses in a particular way known as the fourth ashrama. That is called Sanyasa ashrama. There are some people who literally distinguish themselves. We have renounced the world. They are called Sanyasis or Sanyasinis. But really speaking, that makes no difference. It is a mental renunciation. Renunciation always belongs to the mind. Nothing to do with physical traits. But sometimes some type of lifestyles, they suit some people. There are some people, they like to be alone. They like to think about God. They would not like to be disturbed by anybody. But there are some people who would like to serve other people, etc., etc. But the important thing is this renunciation belongs to the highest spiritual quality belonging to the Antahkarana, to the mind. Nothing to do physically. So, Lord Brahma explains that attaining the stage of Paramahamsa Yogi is an arduous task. And such yogis are priority. The Paramahamsa Yogi is a man of Vedas. That means he knows the essence of the Vedas. And he always thinks about God. He is eternally pure. He is eternally pure. And not only such a yogi renounces family members, relatives, friends, everybody. Even he renounces sacred thread or in Sairam Krishna's words, he doesn't renounce, they renounce. They fall off. Sairam Krishna used to give a beautiful example. When the palm tree grows huge leaves, which was helping that tree to grow, they become dried up and fall off by themselves. Sairam Krishna as well as Bhagavan Krishna assert emphatically, you should not give up. But when the time comes, right time comes, they themselves will fall off you. And this Paramahamsa state is something that cannot be attained by force or by dress. But it has to naturally come. So all bond, all identities, all attachments fall off themselves. So some descriptions are given. Paramahamsa that type of mind is not affected by cold or heat, pleasure or pain, respect or disrespect. And his character is superb character. He doesn't waste his time in slander, pride, jealousy, deceit, arrogance, desire. He doesn't hate. He doesn't run after pleasures. He doesn't try to avoid pain. He is not a slave to lust, anger, greed, delusion. He doesn't excite himself. He doesn't feel indignant. He doesn't feel egotic. Egotism will not be there. He constantly abides in that eternally pure being. He is always calm and unchanging. Nothing can affect him. And Brahman is his highest abode. And by knowing, by realizing I am that Brahman, so he doesn't say I am trying to realize Brahman. He says I am Brahman. This central idea has been expanded which we will see in our next class. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.