Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 06 on 26 June 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Taittiriya Upanishad. So before entering into the text proper, certain preliminaries we were discussing. And as I mentioned, I was interspersing, interchanging with the Chandogya Upanishad also because both we have started only recently and any Upanishad requires certain preliminaries. And in our last class, I have been discussing about what is called Shraddha. That is the most important topic in the whole world. The whole sadhana is only to obtain Shraddha. Why is it so? Because in our day to day life, whatever we do depends upon what we think is real. We will never do, even if we wish, anything that we know is not real. Rarely we sit and analyze that why we do certain things. Only what we consider to be real, our actions, our reactions, both depend upon. I am just giving you the importance of this point. Suppose somebody is pretending. Very often, you know, parents pretend as if they are very, very angry with the baby and go on making faces and like that. But the more the parents do that, the more the baby starts laughing because it understands these people want to play. It is not real. But if it is real, then the opposite reaction will come. Everything that we do depends upon what we think to be real. Whether that what we think to be real is really real or it is absolutely false, just the opposite of reality, that's a totally different issue. But everybody only does whatever we think to be real. So, to consider something as real, then only real reaction will come. From what we think to be wrong, unreal reaction will come. Every drama is nothing but pretense, as if. And that is why we are able to enjoy it. If anybody goes to a cinema, movie, and then thinks it is real, then people will not survive long. Some people may even have heart attacks, especially nowadays. But we enjoy hugely because it is make-believe. Everybody, the director knows it is make-believe. We also know it is make-believe. And in make-believe, we can make anything happen. Impossible can happen. And that is exactly the definition of Maya. So, in this make-believe, there is birth, there is growth, there is death, there is tragedy, there is happiness, there is unhappiness, there are heavens, there are hells. These are all make-believes. And why are we enjoying all those things? Really speaking, we are going to enjoy all those things. The whole purpose of every scripture is to educate us. What we think is real is nothing but mythia. But after some development in spiritual life, spiritual progress, then we understand. And then the scriptures use a new word for that. This is called Leela. Then usually this word Leela, only after reaching the roof, one knows everything is made up of the roof and not separate from the roof. As Ramakrishna would say, he is habituated to speak like that. So, this is after realization of Brahman. Then when the person comes back into this old body-mind complex, he is called Jeevan Mukta. And what he does or what happens in his life is called Leela. That is why in South India, there is a temple called Sri Ranganatha Temple. Ranga means a stage for drama. And then everything is Leela. That is why he is not lying down. He is not standing up. He is half reclined. That is a beautiful concept, Leela. And this is what Sri Ramakrishna wants to say that the whole universe is nothing but the Leela. Instead of using very horrible words like Maya and Mithya, Sri Ramakrishna prefers the word Leela. This is her Leela, her will. Then Sri Ramakrishna says, this is the Divine Mother's will. We should not equate it with what we call, we understand our will. It has to be equated with Leela. Because if it is real, it is a horrible thing. But it appears to be real. It is never real. Now what is all this topic? It is in relationship in the context of Shraddha. What is Shraddha? The very definition of Shraddha is without having direct knowledge, then we start to have deep faith. Even as I said, that word faith is a very weak word. So this is nothing but pure faith. What is this faith? It is called Shraddha. What is this Shraddha? As if we know that God is real. Life is continuous. There is no death. There are other universes to perform our Leelas. And we know that there are other experiences. Afterlife also is there. But we do not have that knowledge. These sense organs cannot give that knowledge. That is why Shraddha is needed. And Sri Ramakrishna has a lot to say about it. And Swami Vivekananda has clarified what Sri Ramakrishna really meant. I will come to that right now. So what is Shraddha? Shraddha is indirect knowledge. So when we have some knowledge, direct knowledge, we act, we react, we think, we wish, or we want to run away. Because we think we know it is real. We know it is real. So Shraddha means we know God exists. We know there is life after. We know our Karmapala is going to fructify. We know. But we don't get that knowledge like we see a tree, etc. But through the scriptures. A baby doesn't know anything. Sri Ramakrishna gives an example. A mother says to the baby, there is a bogeyman in that other room. Don't ever enter. He will take you away. And the baby has absolute faith. She never doubts the mother's words. But what is the bogey person there? Sometimes you may say, cannot say Ramakrishna, you give better examples. What is bogeyman? What does bogeyman do? He will harm the baby. What does this room contain? There is some equipment which can be highly dangerous to the life of the baby. The purpose is to protect the baby. So there is faith. And Sri Ramakrishna gives many, many examples for that. But important, what is Shraddha? Indirect knowledge as if we know. But we have no direct knowledge. It comes to us through the scripture, through the Guru, through our well-wishers. Even in this world also. When Einstein says something, this is what we call authority. When an authoritarian says, and we believe because we have faith in him that he knows what he is talking about. So to have that, when the Upanishads say that everything that we experience is not real, rather, what does, this is also a very interesting word, you must bear with me because so much of misconception has accumulated in our brains. Especially, unable to understand the real purport of the scriptures, we go on misunderstanding something for something else. Maya, Mithya. Even from the Advaita point of view, what does Advaita want to say about Maya? It is not that there is really something. This world is Mithya. This world is Maya. It doesn't mean that there is an illusoriness. What Advaita really means is that everything that we are experiencing is none other than God. God in everything. As we know, Swami Vivekananda had given beautiful talks on Jnana Yoga and they are all based on different statements of the Upanishads. In case you do not know, you have to understand this one. Every chapter, especially the chapters on Maya, I think there are three marvelous explanations on this Maya. So here, there is one chapter called Everything is God. This is taken from the Isavasya Upanishad, the very first mantra of the Isavasya Upanishad. Everything is enveloped by God. Isavasya idam sarvam. But it doesn't mean, we should never misunderstand, some object is covered with a piece of cloth. Like that, what is the problem with this illustration? So there is an object and a cloth is covering it. So we only see the cloth. We mistake it for the cloth. But we do not really see. There are two objects. A real object and which is completely covered up by the cloth. That is not the meaning. That means everything is God. God is everything. Nothing else exists excepting God. This is the real meaning of Maya. Maya means out externally. There is not an illusory world. The illusion exists in our minds. That's why many times I try to emphasize this point. When we hear that classical example, mistaking a rope for a snake, the rope has never become a snake. Throughout past, present, future, there is only that rope. But because of certain fears, certain ideas, past experiences in our lives, we are immediately mistaking. Mistaking. Mistake means what? This is the real meaning of it. So instead of seeing it as it is, as a rope, we only see, each one of us, we only see. So an owl, it is very fond of hunting snakes. So if an owl sees, it is not going to swoop down and then, Oh, how lucky I am. So I got a snake. It will not even just blink at that object. Why? It sees a useless piece of rope there, which is no good at all. But only at the same time, we who are frightened of snakes, we imagine, our imagination is the Ajnana. Our imagination is the delusion. Our imagination is the Maya. This is the most important point. We have to understand it here. So when the Upanishad says that everything is Brahman, that is the first statement. Second statement is, if everything is Brahman, and you are part of everything, you are Brahman. That is the second statement. Third, what is the third statement? Brahman is only one. There is nothing else. There is nothing else. That is the third statement. So, oh, that means, what I am thinking that there is many, many things are there. Everything is Brahman. Now that has to be completely removed. This is a very interesting methodology, Prakriya, called Adhyaropa Apavada Prakriya. What does it mean? Adhyaropa means, just like a rope is covered up with a wrong idea, so Brahman is covered up with, Brahman who is not born, here is covered up with born, Brahman who is of pure knowledge, pure consciousness, is covered up by, what is called, completely covered up with accepting a little bit of knowledge. Brahman who is Ananda Swarupa is only we get occasional glimpses of what is called Sukha. This is called Maya, Mithya, etc. Problem is not out, external or internal. It is our brain or our mind rather, misunderstanding the truth. But gradually, through all this Shravana, Manana, Nidhidhyasana, then Karmakanda, then Pramana, Shadpramana, and then slowly to Shadlinga, the Guru is slowly, what is he doing? He is not giving Brahman knowledge to the disciple. He is removing the incapacity of the mind, usually called Chitta Shuddhi, right capacity to understand rightly. That is the whole Sadhana, is not to get Brahman, but to remove the idea that this world is there. Instead of Brahman, we are seeing at the world. Remove that world. This is what Lord Bhagwan Buddha is again and again emphasizing. The Self does not exist. And we who read his Upanishads, we mistake what is the meaning of Self he is referring to and what is the meaning of Self we are trying to misunderstand his words. He is not talking about Atman. He is talking about what we call this Mithya. So when the Upanishad is telling us, so definitely it is telling us here that you are Brahman. Shraddha is required. And then about this Shraddha, a lot of beautiful concepts are there. And last class I have cited, I chanted actually, some of these Shraddha Suptam, Medha Suptam, Shraddha Suptam. Both are necessary. So Medha Suptam purifies our intellect and Shraddha Suptam, it purifies means throws out all the dirt, makes a space for Shraddha to enter into it. And as I mentioned earlier, when we take the help of a great saintly soul, illiterate but wise, all-knowing person like Swami Advaitananda, so he says you always pray to the Nama before doing Nama, that is doing Japam. First of all to make frustrations not only to the Namini but to the Nama itself because there is Nama and Namini are completely one and the same. So when the Upanishad says you are Brahman, tremendous Shraddha is required to be open-minded and then that Shraddha slowly is seeping in through all these qualities. An Adhikari is ready. Then he has faith by this time. What my Guru says is absolute truth. See, we have to understand, I am giving these examples. It is deviating, not really deviating. In the Katha Upanishad, we see that Najiketa's father he was claiming that he wants to go to heaven about which he read in the Karmakanda and he was doing what the Karmakanda prescribes but he was also doing what the Karmakanda proscribes. I hope you understand the difference between prescription and proscription. Prescription means you must and proscription means you should not go anywhere near. So give up everything but that is completely removed here. He is giving away things which are totally useless. That is a very sinful act. So that is how we have to understand these things. So here when the Guru says the scriptural word Tattva Masi, so we have to question not the Guru, not the scripture but ourselves. That is where Shraddha comes in and says what Guru says scripture says Then what is wrong with me? Why is it telling that? And through various examples it gives us. So in this context I will first give quotations from Swami Vivekananda, sorry Sri Ramakrishna first. So let us remember Shraddha is but indirect knowledge. Sri Ramakrishna says when a mother tells her child do not enter into that room. There is a bogey man. The child never doubts it. So Sri Ramakrishna repeatedly emphasizes importance of faith. As I said this English word faith is not a very strong word. So by saying God cannot be realized without childlike faith and now connected with the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Unless a man dies and is reborn he will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. So when a person is reborn how is he reborn? As a child. That is called faith. And if you have the faith of the volume of a mustard seed if you tell to a mountain you move hence and then immediately it moves. That is the tremendous power of faith. And so many stories are there. So Sri Ramakrishna was giving a story. By the way just to remind you Sri Ramakrishna was Rama Sri Ramakrishna was Krishna Sri Ramakrishna was Jesus Christ Sri Ramakrishna was Buddha all the past incarnations. How do we know? Because all of them were seen to have entered into his body when he meditated upon them. So Sri Ramakrishna is telling that there was a householder who was a great devotee of God but he was not a great spiritual person. So once he had to go out he has a 5 or 6 years old son and he taught to his son what to do and once he had to go out he told him see that God eats and then went away. So what father meant is put this food in front of the God and then close your eyes and go to sleep for 15-20 minutes after that thank you God for sanctifying this food and bring the whole thing out and if we don't see, if we see less of what we have offered we know that who is the thief. That was what he meant. So this boy he really thought that God comes down sits down and eats. So he offered it and praying now you please come like he used to come when my father was worshipping but he was not coming. Then the boy started weeping what does my father say that you have not offered food to God he will beat me up. So seeing his innocent faith God appeared smiled, came down unfortunately he ate the whole plate and the boy was very happy after if the boy had seen God who would not be happy he would be happy. So he took out the empty plate and the family asked where is prasadam? God had eaten everything and then they came inside and saw a boy could not have eaten so much of course Ram Krishna doesn't continue what happened afterwards this is called real real faith. So he used to tell this, repeat this story many times. Hearing this a devotee was asking sir is there then no help for such worldly person? Master certainly there is. From time to time he should live in the company of holy men and from time to time going to solitude to meditate on God. Furthermore he should practice discrimination and pray to God O Lord give me faith and devotion and then Ram Krishna continues he says I have not continuously taken the quotations I mixed up the sayings of Ram Krishna brought them into one place for our convenience. Ram Krishna says once a person has faith he has achieved everything there is nothing greater than. This is one of the Upanishadic statements and all our sadhana is to obtain that faith and Swami Brahmanandaji had compared this faith. Do you know what he has compared it to? Faith, true faith is like the dawn just before the sunrise as soon as we see the faith, the dawn the whole eastern horizon has become turned pinkish. We know the sunrise is not far off. The God realization is not far off then the Ram Krishna is continuing. As I said this is not from one page from different pages. You must have heard about the tremendous power of faith it is said in the Purana that Rama who was God himself embodiment of absolute Brahman had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon but Hanuman trusting in Rama's name cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side he had no need of a bridge at all and in Kannada there is a beautiful song quite a number of times I quoted by a great saint called Purandar Dasa and then he says I don't want you I don't want your powers I don't need any one of them if I have your name that will do everything I will get everything Now a very important part faith and self surrender for God realization Ram Krishna used to say that two things are necessary for the realization of God faith and self surrender and they go together. If I know God exists then I cannot but help surrender myself to Him. Now we are surrendering actually our whole life from morning till evening is nothing but pure practice of self surrender. Early in the morning I get up and then I surrender myself to a cup of hot cup and thereafter I surrender myself to some music, surrender myself after brushing the teeth it's what is called the Kalikala Bhagavatam the newspaper or headlines in the computer like that whole day I have faith in the whole world in everything but not in God. Ram Krishna says that faith and Shraddha and self surrender when Ram Krishna uses the word faith we have to understand he meant Shraddha faith and self surrender they go together. You see God and you don't surrender yourself or you think first let me think I am seeing God what am I supposed to do? No you see a truck coming towards you and then you think now what am I supposed to do? Will you do that? Instantaneously you want to get out but if you see the opposite something which can give you tremendous amount of happiness then you won't think twice you will just run towards that. So Ram Krishna used to say faith and faith brings self surrender so he says if a man has faith in God then even if he has committed the most heinous sins such as killing a cow, a brahmin and a woman he will certainly be saved through his faith let him only say to him O Lord I will not repeat such an action and he need not be afraid of anything. Actually the saying of Ram Krishna is a summarization of Bhagwan Krishna's words in the Gita There are so many things are there but I will just remind you because I expect you to remember this after reading the Gospel of Sri Ram Krishna The faith of Vibheshana in Sri Rama. So once a man he was shipwrecked and he landed on Sri Lanka. The what is called people of Sri Lanka Rakshasas wanted to swallow him up after a long time their mouth started watering but somehow Vibheshana came to know because the lion's share has to be offered to the head of the place and then immediately he prostrated before the man and next day he said even I cannot protect you, you better cross or go to India and then how to cross? There was no boat so he wrote something now I hope you remember that he was crossing so nicely then suddenly in the midway he got a doubt what is it that he gave me one small slip let me see what it is and then he opened unfortunately and only one single word is written Rama and then oh only this doubt had come and then immediately he sunk. Now look at it a great sadhu had come to Panchavati he had a big book Sri Ramakrishna opened it on every page he was seeing only Rama one word Rama what a contrast between this story and this sadhu's real incident so now Swami Vekananda marvelous things he tells because whatever came from the mouth of Swami Vekananda is Veda whatever came from the mouth of Sri Ramakrishna is Veda whatever came from the mouth of Holy Mother is Veda whatever comes from the mouths of any realized soul is nothing but pure that is called Veda so Swami Vekananda says losing faith in oneself means losing faith in God. This marvelous equation of Shraddha in faith in oneself and faith in God are absolutely same because that is the truth and it requires elaboration which I am not going to have this but it is a marvelous statement we have to meditate upon it just as we meditate upon the teachings of any Upanishad faith, faith, faith in faith, faith in God this is the secret of greatness and then he says if you have faith in all the 330 millions of your mythological gods and in all the gods which foreigners have now and then introduced into your midst like Jesus like Allah etc and still you have no faith in yourselves there is no salvation for you. Have faith in yourself you people look it is a very important quotation you people were once the Vedic Rishis only you have come in different forms now that's all. You people were once the Vedic Rishis don't doubt having been Vedic Rishis I have never attained salvation. What means we are the lineage children of the Vedic Rishis the history of the world then he says these are all nuggets of gold or diamond I should say. The history of the world is the history of a few men who had but faith in them and that faith calls out the divinity within and then he says an instance of Shraddha can be found in the life of Najiketa to preach the doctrine of Shraddha or genuine faith is the mission of my life there are so many but these are very essential nuggets so how does one develop Shraddha we have already discussed it that with great sincerity it you pray or you recite Medha Suktam and Shraddha Suktam this Shraddha Suktam is found in Big Veda 10th Mandala Sukta number 151 now very briefly there are many thoughts about this Shraddha what are the implications of Shraddha suppose a person has developed quite a good amount of Shraddha I would not say 100% because 100% Shraddha is direct realization of Brahman so a good deal of Shraddha when a person has that means a surrender to Shraddha that means Shraddha is guiding him this is how we have to understand from the Kathopanishad Shraddha Avivesha Shraddha Possessed Najiketa there are at least I can see 7 implications a man endowed with Shraddha as a new concept of truth reality that is called Brahman and as soon as he has this concept because of Shraddha he wants to attain what is this new concept previously this world is real now it becomes just the opposite Brahman is the reality and this world is nothing but Brahman that is the first thing that happens that is why when Najiketa was possessed by this Shraddha he was prepared to go to Yamadharma Raja very symbolic story but what it means is very briefly that when a man knows this world or what this world can give and by this world means not only our earthly world but including up to Brahma Loka is absolutely delusory states of enjoyment when a man knows Brahman is of infinite joy then he will not hesitate to give up within a second anybody will do that automatically without thinking so he wants to attain that is why the symbolism of Najiketa going to Yamadharma Raja is I want to die to this world I want to become reborn in the kingdom of heaven which is complete identity with Brahman that is the first implication second Shraddha will not allow a person's mind a devotee's aspirant's mind to deviate till he reaches the goal Shri Ram Krishna gives the example a child is playing and then he forgot completely after sometime he was tired he was hungry and he kicks the whole lot that is the symbol what does it mean it means I had enough of this world and I want to go back to where I belong my real parents are there so it will not allow aspirant's mind to deviate because anything that is unreal is the most dangerous thing in this world even us the moment you come to know that you bought a fake rolled gold watch immediately that fellow has cheated you you want to get back even that one pound you have lost because it is not worth even one pound of course you will not find that fellow it is not so easy to find so the mind will not allow will not allow us to deviate if it really believes that I am cheated that is the second third Shraddha endows every aspirant with the strength to overcome any obstacle in the way and reach the goal and the ideal of human life is self-realization because something strange happens for a man of Shraddha he says what is called Bhagawan God alone the automatic next step is I only want God I don't want anything else this is the fourth step in the self-surrender teaching of Sri Ramanujan so third one endows him with the strength to overcome any obstacle because every obstacle is only a passing thought in the mind no reality and then fourth Shraddha will allow make a man sacrifice everything nothing can stop him so I am clinging to this one of course I believe God is there but this attachment to my mother, to my family to money to bank balance these are all simply stupidities when a person understands all these are nothing but a magic then he will not a person is ready to discard, sacrifice we can't even call it sacrifice because it is something very precious and real when we give up, that is called sacrifice and to give up something very fake something, we don't require any sacrifice, very naturally that is the fourth implication infinite enthusiasm a person endowed with strength never feels depression or discouragement or restlessness come in the way of his goal his work, until he reaches that one, he will not take rest because he knows that tremendous enthusiasm you just look at the lives of Ram Krishna, Holy Mother Swamiji, direct disciples any saint the first thing you notice is unflagging enthusiasm it never knows oh, it was alright for half an hour let me be depressed you will never get such a thing sixth, very important Shraddha will never allow any person's memory to be overshadowed even for a second, if we have Shraddha then the memory is made equivalent, equated with Shraddha if I have Shraddha, memory will be automatic because truth will never allow us to forget about it and the last implication Shraddha will make a person always joyful even a million obstacles do not deter his joy and his work these are only a few of the implications of Shraddha so in other words, a person will never stop, that is why Swamiji's mantra arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached these are the seven implications don't think there are only seven every blessed quality that we require they have come as soon as Shraddha comes, they also come, they cannot stay apart from Shraddha and Shri Ramakrishna again faith in the Guru's words you should depend on his instructions do your duties in the world holding fast to his words do your duties in the world holding fast to his words like a person whirling round and round and holding fast to the pillar and Shri Ramakrishna finally says what can one not achieve through simple faith therefore I say even though my Guru frequents a grog shop still to me with the embodiment of eternal bliss I heard many devotees expressing, so we thought our Guru was like that but slowly I see faults that is not Guru's fault in the Guru it is fault in your mind all the cobwebs are in your mind only that is why many times I have emphasized as soon as we choose a Guru you should say my Guru is none other than God you should never give up that faith then what about if he is not good whether he is good or not that is his business not your business if you think he is your God, your God will always be with you and even a, simply I am saying, even a false Guru can never be false towards a real disciple Ekalavya's story amply illustrates it even though the Guru discarded him, rejected him he says my Guru, you are my Guru I have chosen you and that is it so Sri Ramakrishna continues a man must have some kind of faith before he undertakes a work this is a echo of what I tried to describe to you earlier, that is to say if a person doesn't have faith in what he is doing so it flags now and then he will stop he may always stop also but if a man has faith there is a great end it is not like chasing a rainbow, but it is chasing God chasing the reality a Mithya totally depends upon the Satyam even a, what is called illusory snake will only lead us to illusory, what is called real rope, that is why this is an analogy, we have to understand very deeply by meditating upon it, this is everyday we are doing, you look at a photograph of, nobody had seen Rama accepting invasions, nobody had seen Krishna and did anybody see Sri Ramakrishna really only they saw his body and mind so we depict a photo, a picture and keep it there and then we prostrate, is it a snake or is it a rope but this snake will ultimately help us to catch hold of the real rope, how does it happen I am not saying my commentary is correct, but I want to derive a little bit of fun with you so you go on seeing the snake first it creates fear, afterwards you see that it is not doing anything wrong, so slowly your fear becomes abated and then after sometime you approach nearer and nearer and then you touch it and then you wake up, oh I thought this is a snake but what I am touching is nothing but pure piece of rope so an illusory something can always take us to the real and in beautiful technical words this is called Upasana, Upasana or meditation or contemplation is nothing but taking the something which is limited and through that attaining to the unlimited Sri Ramakrishna is telling a man must have some kind of faith before he undertakes any work because a man cannot continue this work without having faith that this is going to lead me to a great result and then he gives of course so many stories a man once he came to know that the jar of gold is hidden underneath and then he doesn't know whether it is real or true or untrue but he has faith because he heard from a person who is a reliable person and these are called reliable person called Guru, Guru is a reliable person that is the definition and then slowly he digs it takes a long time and almost he is in despair and then the iron rod with which he is digging it strikes something hard and then he peers and then he sees the lid of a box and then his heart leaps in joy and slowly he goes down and then he removes all the dirt and dust and then he breaks open and then he beholds but the moment the instrument touches gives a peculiar sound like that his heart leaps in joy Ramakrishna says that is how man progresses slowly slowly so it is very important to have this Shraddha and there is a way to obtain this Shraddha so Ramakrishna says one should have such burning faith in God that one can say what I repeated the name of God and can sin still cling to me how can I be a sinner anymore how can I be in bondage anymore so this is the great thing I have dealt practically the whole 50 minutes on Shraddha because it is the ultimate goal of Jigri Shraddha is to remove the impurities that is called Chitta Shuddhi all Shraddha is meant only for Chitta Shuddhi not to obtain God because he is called already obtained he is there everywhere he is me he is you he is everybody so with this the preliminaries are over from next class onwards we will enter into the what is called Taittiriya Upanishad and then we will deal with the Shanti Patha every Upanishad has its own beautiful Shanti Pathas I will stop here for today Om Jananeem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Salitva Pranamaame Mohor Moho May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti Ramakrishna