Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 04 on 12 June 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Taittiriya Upanishad on Wednesdays. Of course, Chandogya Upanishad on both Saturday and Sunday. So we were in the introduction part of it. And before we proceed, dive into the Upanishad itself, I said let us remind ourselves very important fundamentals before we even begin to study. It is very important. So, first of all, our scriptures are called Vedas and every Veda is divided into four. Four Vedas are there. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharvana Veda. And these Vedas speak of four desirable ends. We have to be aware in the usage of the words. Desired is not the right word. Desirable, that which ultimately leads to the highest bliss, highest good welfare, that is called desirable. But what is the problem? Each one of us, we do not need to be told to desire. The very life itself is based upon desire. As Holy Mother says, if any person gives up hopes, desires, then the body itself will not survive. So desirable goals are there. What are they? Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. And life is divided by our Vedas into four parts so that we can progress towards these highest goals. So, these are called learning stage, Brahmacharya Ashrama. Experiencing after experimenting, called the householder's life, Brahastha Ashrama. And slowly withdrawing and developing the power to contemplate is called Vanaprastha Ashrama. And lastly, these three merge in complete total identity with the Supreme Reality called the Sanyasa Ashrama. So also, every Veda, all the four Vedas are again divided into four parts corresponding to these four stages of evolution. The first stage is meant only, what is called Guru Kula Vasa, that is called Samhita. The second part is called Brahmana. How to experiment in the right way as directed by the scriptures and experiencing the fruits. And that gives us the benefit. Two benefits are given. One is we get the results if any of the Vedic rituals is done in the right way. And secondly, it instills a deep faith called Shraddha. There is no substitute to this Sanskrit word Shraddha and it possesses us. But very briefly, what is the difference between faith and Shraddha? What we possess is called faith. And what possesses us, like madness possesses a person, a ghost possesses a person, and what possesses us does not give us any freedom to do what we like but takes us to the place where it wants us to go. That is called Shraddha. So this is the second result. The first result is the fulfilment of every desire possible. Any desire, Artha, Kama, Dharma, Shraddha, every desire can be fulfilled. And all this is detailed in the first part of the Vedas called Karmakanda ritualistic part. And the first part is only to prepare us and make us fit so that we can enter into the second part. Now, the Vedas speak these four Purusharthas. That is Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. So accordingly, the Vedas are also divided. And we have to understand that our whole life, until we turn towards God, until we realise God actually, there are three types of activities. Now, whether we want to live a worldly life or a spiritual life, these are the only two options. And they are completely opposite to each other. One can be in the world. Be very careful in understanding this statement. World is where we stay, whether we are worldly or spiritual. The world can be an appropriate instrument to give us what we desire. But whether we would like to be worldly or spiritual, they do not go together. I want both. I want to be worldly. I want to be also spiritual. I want to be selfless and also selfish. I want to have both light and darkness. That is not going to be possible. At one point of time, we have to give up. To be in the world, as Sri Ramakrishna says, is absolutely fine. But to be worldly is not fine. Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful analogy similes like Kalidasa. It is fine for a boat to be in the water. But the water should not be in the boat. That is the distinction. So, whether we want worldly happiness and everybody wants happiness only or whether we want spiritual happiness, all our efforts are only to be happy. That is the final conclusion. We don't want to suffer. We want to be happy all the time. So, for that, we have to work and do activities. So, all activities are divided into three. And here I am presuming you are also attending the Saturday and Sunday classes where I am interchangeably trying to bring this very important part of this. So, there are three types of activities – mental, verbal and spiritual. We have what is called actions – physical, verbal or oral and mental. Any action done must fall into these categories. And then there are also three types of activities. So, three types of activities and the three types of goals for which activities are done. Everybody does it automatically. What is it? First of all, we want our body and mind to be absolutely fine. This is the first condition. Even if I have everything but the body is not okay and still worse, mind is not okay. It is totally useless. Then what am I going to do? It is like possessing a car, for example. But if there are no roads, what are we going to do? Even the Formula 1 car, there must be appropriate roads so that we can travel. Destination. Then the road itself will not do. A proper destination is necessary. So, what are the destinations? So, first of all, we want to enjoy whatever is available in this world. So, that is the one. But this has got two parts again. What is it? That we also want to possess everything. We want food, we want clothing and whatever conduces to the welfare of the happiness of the body and mind. Good friends and safety, security, good health facilities, everything we want. Any object because our body and mind are instruments. For what purpose? We want to possess things. And we also want two types of things. We want the best that is available in this world but we are also quite knowledgeable that anybody who is born is going to die. Therefore, we not only want happiness in this world but most people believe in this concept of the other world. After death also, there is another world. Most people believe in it. Every religion insists upon it including misunderstood Buddhism. Many people think that Buddha taught only complete annihilation. Nothing can be further from truth. He taught that do not be caught in these small happinesses but there is a state that is what he called Nirvana. Eternal, infinite bliss can be obtained. And if we want to be happy, we have to be alive, we have to exist and we have to be aware that we are alive. So these are the three types of activities, three types of strivings, three types of obtaining results. This we have seen. But then after many births, each one of us discovers there are three defects in this world and in the other world also. What are the three defects? First of all, every happiness comes with a mixture of unhappiness. Second, everything is unsatisfactory. It will not give us complete satisfaction at any given time even while giving happiness also. This is okay but if the other one is there, it would have been better. That is the second problem, what is called defect. And the third defect is that every experience that we have in this or the other world binds us. So this goes on for a long time. Then what happens? Slowly it is an evolution. Many times I told you we are all standing on an evolutionary escalator. Whether we want it or not, it is slowly taking us and life's experiences are only to make us awake and proceed towards this evolutionary development. First worldly then spiritual. So at some point man wakes up and then he says that I am not getting what I want. Is there any way for the complete fulfilment of my worldly desires either in this world or in the other world, higher world? Then he understands that the only way is we have to follow a guide and that guide is called Veda. Usually the teachings of these Vedas are scripture. It could be Bible, it could be Koran, etc. It will come through an enlightened person who travelled already that path. And when we discover, we require a scripture to teach. Even there are Guru doesn't always mean only spiritual Guru. Even in this world, how to prosper? We need Gurus. Whether it is financial Gurus, computer Gurus or pickpocket Gurus, whatever Gurus, we require teachers. A teacher is one who has the skill and who has the ability to convey that skill to a disciple. So when a person goes on following the first part of the Vedas called Karmakanda, then certain results will come. The outcome comes in the form of four parts. So four results will come. First of all, when we follow any Vedic ritual or the direction, the teaching of the Vedas, first, instantaneous satisfaction. Secondly, it will produce a Samskara, a deep what is called habit. Since this gave me happiness, I must do it. And the third result that comes is as a result of following the scriptures, a person tries to avoid what is not right and follow only what is right. Then what happens to that person? He will obtain the result. And then finally, it also slowly clears away all the dirt and dust or impurities of the mind. So four results. Let us keep in mind clearly. First, it gives instantaneous satisfaction. You do a Puja properly and you get a satisfaction, I have done this properly. Or you feed a hungry person and you get immediate satisfaction. Seeing the other person satisfied, you feel I have done something good. Very good, instantaneous result. And that instantaneous satisfaction strengthens our desire. Let me repeat it. That is called strengthening of the Samskara. That is how our Samskara has become stronger and stronger. A good person goes on becoming a better and better person. And a worse person, the psychology also works in the other way round. So a wicked person, evil person becomes more and more evil. A good person becomes better and better. But here we are talking about the scriptures. Third, every Karma, every action gives us the result. So if we are following the scriptures and we have to presume that it will give us only good results, it is called Punya. Reducing the sin and increasing the virtue. That would be the result of every good action. And many times the result of these good actions will come only after a long time. Which is that more happiness comes. Immediate happiness, strengthening of the Samskara and a very higher type of happiness. And then following the scriptures does something really miraculous. It also purifies our mind. This is called Chitta Shuddhi. And when the mind becomes pure, what do we mean by that? Our understanding becomes pure. Our buddhi, the capacity to understand things in the right way, because we are following the scriptures of any religion, it becomes more and more clear. Then we understand that everything in this world is dissatisfactory. It has got these three types of defects which you remember. Every happiness comes along with unhappiness and everything only ends in dissatisfaction and everything binds. And then this person also at that point discovers there is a higher life, there is an eternal life, there is an infinite life. And that is what is indicated in most of the Shanti Mantras and one of the Shanti Mantras. So what does it mean? That we came from that infinite perfect being and this world is also none other than that same world. So we get that we are perfect even though we are not aware of it and we have never become imperfect. Not that we have to become perfect. We forgot we are perfect. We think we are imperfect. So we have to become perfect. But in this world nothing can make us perfect. We don't become perfect. We just discover, the memory comes back, I am perfect. So then what happens? This first part of the Vedas becomes completely meaningless, irrelevant. And then the person says, I have given up the world. Have I something to follow on? Yes. The second part of the scripture that is called pure spiritual life, Nanakandam. And then one approaches, how can I progress? So there are guides. There are people like mountaineer guides. Many a time, many a time, these guides have climbed to the peak. I am going only for the first time. They know the good side, the defective side and the problems and they can give us expert guidance and they themselves come along with us. So this person turns to a teacher. He must turn. And the Vedas, the scriptures are crystal clear. Without a teacher, it is not possible. So it is possible to have a desire. We have to prepare through all these preparatory stages. What we discussed, we become Adhikaris, that is we become fit. So the ultimate purpose of the first part of the Vedas is to equip us so that we can become absolute instruments to take up the second part of the inquiry, that is to know who I am. And then the Veda, it tells us. Because intellectually, without a Guru also, we can study the Vedas. And what do the Vedas say? They say, and it shocks us, may shock us, Tattvamasi, you are not going to go to God, you are God. And for many religions, it is an offence. How many realized souls, especially in Islam, those who declared, I am Allah, I am that supreme reality, have been burnt, have been tortured, have been murdered, have been killed in endless ways. But fortunately in Hinduism, the weirder you are, the more respect, oh my Guru is so great, I can't understand him at all. This is a good thing. So Hinduism never tortured any great saint because that tolerance is there. That is the speciality of Hinduism and Buddhism, etc. So these declarations of the Vedas, that Tattvamasi, you are that supreme reality, this goes directly against our experience. But how to understand really? Then I also get the intelligence by God's grace, that is Saguna Brahma Upasana, because all the rituals are meant only for pleasing the Lord, the supreme reality, in His benign aspect, which is called the personal Brahman, Saguna Brahma, who listens to our prayers, bestows His grace. She is manifesting in the form of intelligence, right knowledge, etc. Then it also dawns upon us. I require an expert guide. So nobody can go to God directly. But if you teach me, then what happens? So I will teach you, but I will come to you in the form of a teacher. So this person approaches a teacher and has acquired all the qualifications. And this is beautifully indicated in the Upanishads. So a disciple, how should he approach a Guru? With firewood on his head, means in his hands, but usually they carry. And what is the symbolism? You carry some dried firewood and that will also be light. If you carry wet firewood, then you will have to suffer. What is the symbolism? This firewood helps one to make fire. But what for fire is evoked in the olden types of Ashramas for the purpose of Homa, Yagna, Yaga? What is the symbolism? Symbolism is, I am ready, O Guru, O Teacher, to burn my own opinions, to humble myself, to get rid of my selfishness, because I am trying to surrender myself to You. And this is beautifully indicated in the Bhagavad Gita. How one should approach? Tad viddhi pranipatena. Pranipata means complete faith in the teacher. That is called true surrender. Not bowing down, simply touching the feet. Pariprasnena. But you have to please Him to ask the questions. Why? Because you think, this person is going to give me something extraordinarily valuable, which is not available in this world. And therefore, I have to surrender myself first. Then I have to please Him. Seva means service. Service means what? I have to please Him. And the Guru, you prepare first class food and you think that the Guru will be pleased. No! He doesn't require all those things. He is not a slave to food or other objects of the enjoyment. But He understands. You show your humility, selflessness, faith, etc. That is called service. And then you ask appropriate questions. So if you want to study chemistry, don't ask, what is the best book in the world on music, on zoology. No! You straight go to the heart of the matter and you ask, what is the way I can become a good chemist? This is the right way of asking. Most people don't even know what to ask and they ask questions, which are completely unintelligible to them. So even when the Guru speaks, they express, you have answered, removed all our doubts, but nothing had gone into their heads at all. So even to wash the brains of the people, there are two types of brains, unwashable and washable brains. So one should have that washable brain so that the Guru can wash. That is the symbolism of Samyut Pani. Even though my direct experience of the world shows me a completely different understanding of what the Veda teaches, scripture teaches, your teaching, but I have that faith in you. I am ready to burn my understanding and I am ready to replace your understanding into my brain. So this is the meaning of Samyut Pani. So nobody should take, even in the ordinary things also, self-enquiry. Who am I? What is God? How can I reach God? You will be making the greatest mistake. And then the Guru tells, you will not reach Brahman. You will not have God-realization. It is not possible and whatever you do, it is not necessary. Then what is necessary? To discover the fact that you are what you are seeking. So they give an example. Karna in the Mahabharata thought that he was the son of a charioteer, Sudaputra. My father is a charioteer. My mother is called Radha. Nothing to do with Radha Krishna. This is in the Mahabharata. Until on the eve of this Kurukshetra war, Kunti, his real mother, goes and calls him. He comes and at night she reveals, my son, you are my son. You are not the charioteer's son. Until then everybody looked down upon him as the son belonging to an inferior caste. But this revelation did not make him Kunti's son. It only revealed to him what was hidden to him and instantaneously he understood. He bowed down to his mother and then she also explained why she had to abandon him. Karna was a very great character in Mahabharata. But the point is, very wonderful things we have to learn from this Mahabharata. That itself is a tremendous revelation, Mahabharata. Of course, the Bhagavad Gita, which is the essence of all scriptures, occurs only in the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata. So, what is important here for us is that we do not realise Brahman, but we realise that we are Brahman. This goes contrary to our experience. So, we must have tremendous Shraddha, faith that Guru is right, scripture is right, then there is something wrong with me. So, he has to sit and then he has to, after acquiring the necessary qualifications, become a yogya, fit, adhikari, means fit disciple. To receive that teaching, he will have to proceed. Swami Vivekananda makes a marvellous statement in his Bhakti Yoga. He says, I am going to read out this one. So, without a Guru, is it possible to progress not only in spiritual life, but even in worldly life? It would be far, far easier and certain if we can take to a right teacher. And Swamiji, in his Bhakti Yoga, he says, this is what he says, but this, the shaping of our own destinies does not preclude our receiving help from outside. Nay, in the vast majority of cases, such help is absolutely necessary. This quickening impulse cannot be derived from books. The soul can only receive impulses from another soul and from nothing else. The person from whose soul such impulse comes is called the Guru, the teacher. And the person to whose soul the impulse is conveyed is called the Seshya, the student. The soul from which this guidance proceeds must possess the power of transmitting it as it were to another. And in the second place, the soul to which it is transmitted must be fit to receive it. The person from whose soul such impulse comes is called the Guru, the teacher. And the person to whose soul the impulse is conveyed is called the Seshya, the student. To convey such an impulse to any soul, in the first place, the soul from which it proceeds must possess the power of transmitting it as it were to another. The Guru, in other words, must have the capacity and that knowledge to transmit. And in the second place, the soul to which it is transmitted must be fit to receive it. The seed must be a living seed and the field must be ready ploughed. And when both these conditions are fulfilled, a wonderful growth of genuine religion takes place and then Swamiji proceeds to enumerate. What are the qualifications of a teacher? This is called Avarijnaha, Akamahataha, Shrotriyaha. In regard to the teacher, Swami Vivekananda says, we must see that he knows the spirit of the scriptures. The second condition necessary in the teacher is sinlessness. The question is often asked. Why should we look into the character and personality of a teacher? We have only to judge what he says and take that up. The third condition is in regard to the motive. The teacher must not teach with any ulterior selfish motive. It is highly risky to engage in self-enquiry without the help of a teacher. But I will just revert back. Swami Vivekananda says, first of all, the person who is what we call the Guru or the teacher, he must know the spirit of the scriptures. What is Swami Vivekananda trying to convey? That his teachings must never go against the spirit of the scriptures. There are so many religions and they are completely misinterpreted, bringing misery to billions of people even today. Because the Gurus or the teachers think that their authority, they know better than God because every scripture is a word of God. There is no doubt about it. But the proper interpretation, a person who is selfish, worldly and power monger, utterly cruel, such a person dominates nowadays as a teacher and they try to propagate and make other people also get spoiled. And millions are spoiled that way. But the ultimate result will be terrible suffering. That is the condition of anybody who misbehaves in this world. So now the second condition, a teacher is sinless. When a person is a spiritual person, it is needless to say that he can commit any sin. And much less, when a person realizes God, he is that person, that individual, I, is completely replaced by God's I. And therefore, even if he wants, he will never be able to do anything wrong. Sri Ramakrishna's life is a perfect example of this thing. So he used to say, an expert dancer cannot take a false step, even if in fun, he wants to take a false step. It is impossible for him because he has practiced that right way for such a long time, life after life. It is impossible for him to take a wrong step. And there are many incidents out there. So a person who is a realized soul or even who is progressing, he must not accumulate things. One day, Ramakrishna went to Nahabath, where Holy Mother used to stay. He had finished his food and he used to take a bit of spice to cleanse his mouth after taking food. And Holy Mother knew it and sometimes he used to chew a little bit. So she tied a little bit of these spices for him to go to his room. Straight he will go to his room. But then she tied it to the corner of his wearing cloth. And immediately he started the distance between Holy Mother's where Holy Mother was living and this room where Sri Ramakrishna was living. It is only a few yards that's all. But instead of going to his room, his feet were carrying him to Ganges. And he was helplessly moving towards the Ganges shouting, Mother, you want me to drown? You want me to drown in the Ganges? Holy Mother heard it and immediately sent for Hriday. Hriday came and then he forcibly took him there. Later on Sri Ramakrishna said, see I have taken a vow as a Sanyasi, as a monk, I will never accumulate because God will provide me all the time. But here unconsciously, without thinking, Holy Mother had tied a little bit, just a tiny weeny bit. But the Divine Mother doesn't allow him to even accumulate that much. I remember the first Christian who was supposed to have renounced the world, he was called Saint Paul. Not Jesus Christ's disciple but Saint Paul. So he came before even Saint Anthony the Great. Now what happened, Saint Anthony heard about Saint Paul who was living in the Egyptian desert in some caves and he decided to visit him. And then he went and met somehow. Many stories are there. A lion, Saint Anthony was seeking in which cave, there are thousands of caves were there, where is this man hiding? A lion came in front of him and guided him to that cave and Saint Paul received Saint Anthony the Great with great joy. Now how was this Saint Paul living? He used to get everyday a bird, something like a kite, used to carry one piece of bread to him. But that day it brought two pieces. So this is how Swami, you know that there are many such incidents in the life of Swamiji. In North India, near the Himalayas, he climbed a tree saying that I want some food, hot food. And then a devotee was made awake and he quickly prepared what we call hot Khichdi, came running and then shot Swamiji because his Ishta Devata had to show him exactly on which tree this man was hiding. So one should rely totally upon God. That is the idea. So for such a person who is possessed by God, he can never take a wrong step. That is why he can never be sinless. But then the third condition is you should not have any motive including, I am a great Guru, my disciple must always obey me, etc. etc. That inflates the ego. Whatever I say, that must be done. No, you should not have any motive. I will give you. If you are fit, you will do it. So it is highly risky to engage in what is called self-enquiry all by oneself. And there is an incident that comes to my mind. Once there was a monastic disciple of Swami Brahmanandaji. He used to be there in what we now call Rishikesh. And he used to feel that I experience Samadhi because he sincerely tried to practice meditation and scriptural study, etc. for many years. He was convinced. He used to experience Samadhi. And then he also started telling, I do experience Samadhi. And many people started believing it because he was really leading a most wonderful spiritual life. Very sincere type. And once Swami Brahmanandaji happened to be in Kankal, Haridwar. That is a few miles from Rishikesh. And then one day, of course, the disciple came to see his Guru. And then later on, Swami Brahmanandaji was telling to others, I looked at his eyes and then he had some kind of spiritual experience. No doubt about it, but it is far from Samadhi. And this is how he remarked. Many aspirants become misled by their own understanding of what is called Samadhi or self-knowledge, etc. So without the aid, right direction of a teacher, it is highly risky. And a Guru can help a person even avoid so many obstructions because he himself had gone with the help of his own Guru long before. So it is like taking a mountaineering guide who knows the shortcuts, the obstacles and can safely guide one to the top of the mountain. But it is not enough to have qualifications of the Guru. You must have the qualifications of the disciple. Why are we talking about all these things? Because Upanishad presumes that we are approaching a Guru. Even in the very first chapter called Sikshadhyaya, many prayers are there where a person has to pray to God. So this is a marvellous prayer. We will come to that when the right time comes. A disciple also must have, must fulfil, like the teacher, three qualifications. What are they? Swami Vivekananda said, the conditions necessary for the taught. First of all, purity. Second, a real thirst after knowledge. And third, perseverance. Because many people become very, very disappointed. And then they say, probably there is nothing. Our teacher did not know what he was teaching. And he himself is completely ignorant. And I have been practising for such a long time. Nothing seems to help. No, he must have purity. Because pure teaching, pure knowledge can come only to a pure person. And he must have what Sri Ramakrishna calls Yakulata, a real thirst after knowledge. And whatever the teacher says, he must be persevering. A wonderful, marvellous example of this perseverance comes to us in the story of Shabari, a great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. It is a marvellous story. Most of you, I think you will know, but it is well to recollect even now. This is called a disciple possessing complete Shraddha, faith. There was a maid servant serving in a monastery. And she had a daughter, five years old. This maid servant suddenly died. Probably she was bitten by a poisonous snake. And this girl was left over. For some time, the inmates looked after her. But you know, these monks, they don't want to have this kind of burden. So when she grew up a little bit, probably five years or ten years, we don't know. Then they wanted to shift to another place. Many monks were living there. So one of them, they called this young girl, initiated her into Rama Mantra and said, My daughter, I am assuring you, Rama will come to you. He is your chosen deity. Do not move from this place. Stay here. Any time He can come and you will get liberation. And then they went away. And this lady had complete faith in the teacher. So every morning, she will go and collect some edible fruits and then come back. Whole day she will be waiting. Because the Guru did not tell when Rama is going to come. Days passed. Months passed. Years passed. She became almost 99 years old. She became bent. She became blind. But she never doubted her teacher's words. Even for a single second. Every day. Even at this stage, she will go nearby. She could not see properly. Probably she was suffering from cataract. I don't know. But she will collect some fruits. And in the last day of her life, Sri Rama came along with Lakshmana. And who can describe her joy. She did not say, Oh, you are coming after a long time. I have been waiting for you since almost 90 years. How cruel you are. How heartless you are. No. My teacher told me, you will come. I know his words will never fail. And I am waiting. And she offered the fruits which she gathered that day morning. But she did not know whether they were ripe or not. So she will bite a little bit. See whether it is fit to be given. And offer it to Sri Rama. And happily, he started accepting. So whatever is offered. Whether it is a flower, a bit of water. So he gladly said. And then she said, Lord, I don't want after seeing you to see this world again. Let me be looking at you and give up this body. And in his presence, this lady looking at her Ishta Devata, God. She became merged in him. And the wonder of wonders. Sri Ramachandra performed her absequies or the last rites all by him. What a great lady. This is called real Shraddha in the words of the Guru. So this Shraddha is very much necessary. How are we going to develop this Shraddha? For that, our Vedas, scriptures provide a way. There are two particular Sukthams. There is one Suktham which we have dealt on our Thursday classes. This is called Medha Suktham. And there is another that is called the very name Shraddha Suktham. That which by chanting faithfully with devotion generates Shraddha within each one of us. That is called Shraddha Suktham. One develops Shraddha not by prayer but by praying to God. By repeating one's Ishta Mantra and also offering prostrations completely. In this respect, Swami Adbhutanandaji says in his teachings. He says every Mantra is the name of God. So he says salute to Nama. Salute the name itself. The name of God. And the name of God will lead you to God. That is why this is a unique type of teaching. Not only salute God but salute the very name of the Goddess. So we should develop that Shraddha. We will talk. There are a few more things we will have to discuss. How the Guru is going to teach etc. Through what is called Pramanas etc. And whether his teaching is in accordance with the right teaching of the scriptures etc. How do we understand these fundamentals? We will be talking about. And as I mentioned I am intermixing Saturday and Sunday classes also along with this. So it will be better for you to go through both of them.