Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 11 on 31 July 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Taittiriya Upanishad. The first section starts with SIKSAM YAKHYA SIYAMAHA VARNASVARAHA MATRABALAM SAMASAMTANAHA ITTYUKTAHA SIKSADHYAYAHA The first word is SIKSHA and therefore this section is called SIKSHA VALI. The first letter C is a Vedic mistake. It should be short. Instead of C it should be C. SIKSHA VALI. VALI means a section or a chapter. So Taittiriya as we have seen has got three chapters and all the three chapters start with a particular word and therefore the name of the chapters also are after the first words. It starts in the first chapter SIKSHA YAKHYA SIYAMAHA therefore SIKSHA VALI. BRAHMA VIDHA APNAVATI PARAM therefore BRAHMA VALI. BHRIGUR VAI VARUNOHU VARUNAHI therefore BHRIG VALI and this first chapter is only dealing how to pronounce properly and Shankaracharya has written a very beautiful commentary on this. Now there are some disciples of Shankaracharya. As we know four disciples were there and one of them was very brilliant. So he was supposed to have written a VARTIKA. You know there are some words we use. TIKA means very brief comments. So for example ANANDAGIRI TIKA on most of the Shankaracharya's Bhashyams. TIKA means a small note if some words in the commentary of Shankaracharya are not properly or what. ANANDAGIRI is by the way one of the Sanyasa names. His name was ANANDA. So like TOTA plus PURI, ANANDA plus GIRI is ANANDAGIRI. He had written TIKAs on most of the Upanishads. In fact all of the Upanishads. TIKA is a brief elucidation or explanation of certain words or concepts. But it will be very brief. That means the person has accepted the commentary of Shankaracharya and he thinks everything is very clear and really not so because he was learned. For him it becomes very clear. But for people like us, for example, Nyaya proposes several types of ABHAVA. ABHAVA means absence or non-existence. And there are four types of non-existence. PRAK ABHAVA, PRADHVAMSA ABHAVA, ANYONYA ABHAVA etc. And if any ordinary person were to understand that, he will understand nothing. So there are people, Shankaracharya himself has brought out these things, that elaborate explanation and that is called BHASHYAM. What is a BHASHYAM? As opposed to TIKA, a brief note, but BHASHYAM contains three parts. First part is, you know, language changes, many words are antique and therefore the meanings of the words for the later generation are not very clear like our any other old language. Telugu for example. So if you want to read what is called pure Telugu book and understand it, even Brahma perhaps cannot understand. So also every language. So he has to explain every word, crystal clear meaning and then in the particular order in which the UPANISHAD occurs, he cannot take one word first, last word second, middle word third, like that. He must explain every word, meaning of the word and then the COGENCY. What does the sentence mean? A sentence after all means a combination of words conveying definitive and particular meaning. That is the first part only. Second part, he must explain to people like us whom he takes for granted. It is difficult for lay people to understand and with regard to UPANISHADS, whether they are Sannyasins or lay people, householders, we are all lay people only. So he will try to explain how it must be understood quite elaborately at times. This is the second part. What is the first part? Explanation of certain words correctly. Second part, explaining what does the RISHI or the person from whom the UPANISHAD is coming very properly. Third part is, which is totally irrelevant for us but in a way, it also explains so many things. So trying to establish one's own opinion or one's own philosophy, trying to demolish the opposite philosophies. For example, every Advaitin wants to counter Dvaita and of course the other five schools of Indian philosophy like MIMAMSA, NYAYA VYASASHIKA, YOGA, SANKHYA, etc. So this is called BHASHYAM. And then there is something called VARTIKAM. This is a marvellous thing. So the one disciple many times of either in this case Shankaracharya, there was one disciple called Sureshwaracharya and he has written very very elaborate commentary and there if the disciple thinks my guru either has not understood properly with all due respect but at the same time it requires correction and if something is left unsaid, something is badly said and something which requires a little more explanation other than the TIKKA or brief notation like ANANDAGIRI TIKKA, they are all dealt with in this particular type of explanation called VARTIKAM. So there is a beautiful Sanskrit definition of what is this VARTIKAM. I know Sureshwaracharya had written especially on this TAITIRIYA UPANISHAD that is called TAITIRIYA VARTIKAM and also on the BRHADARANYAKAM. So the Sureshwara himself has defined what is called a VARTIKAM. What does he say? There are very wise people and they are very familiar with this type of commentary called VARTIKAM and they define. So Sureshwaracharya is humble enough to say I am not saying this but there are so many people and they have defined it. I am only understanding what they have defined, how they defined and I am putting it in my own words perhaps. So what is it? UPTA. The BHASHYAKARA has clearly mentioned there but it may not bring out the complete meaning. So he told this, he explained it but it requires further elucidation. That is one. ANUKTA may be either deliberately or the BHASHYAKARA forgot about it and he did not say it. Therefore, it requires to be brought to make the meaning of the UPANISHAD more understandable. That is called ANUKTA. UPTA means that which is said. ANUKTA means that which is not expressed or said and the third one is DURUKTA. So you have said something, you commented something, it is said but it is DUHU That is you have not said it properly. I think your BUDDHI requires a little more refinement and then I am going to correct it and make it corrected because you are my Guru or you may be my Guru. It doesn't matter but without losing Guru Bhakti, Guru can be corrected and these three qualities in whichever is there that is called VARTIKA and you can understand if Bhashyam itself is so big and this VARTIKA runs into thousands of shlokas and it is not necessary for us by the grace of Shri Ram Krishna and Holy Mother, we can understand it properly. Now this first, as I mentioned earlier, first chapter of this TAITIRIYA UPANISHAD which is called SIKSHA VALI. It contains certain essences which I elaborated. I am just reminding you the very foundation of any culture. First not only physical culture but even spiritual culture. It requires what is called refinement of language and refinement of words. Not only that, how it has to be pronounced properly and this science of pronunciation is the very foundation of any cultured person not to speak of a cultured country. If you have noticed in earlier days, I am talking about more than 100 years back, so they used to teach classical literature with plenty of examples from earlier writers that this is how language has to be refined. That is why as I mentioned it is called SAMSKRUTA that is very finely refined and a person's so what is called refinement comes only from the refinement of language. That is why nowadays language is also used in psychiatric treatments, how a person pronounces and what type of words the person uses. I give an example but just to remind ourselves because this is the clue not to some people who are living in the past but to understand our own selves. I want to understand myself first. So I have to carefully observe what type of words I am using and how I am pronouncing things. That is why certain words are forbidden in cultured society. They should never bring up and whether it is western culture or Indian culture, the much importance is given by the leaders of the society that we should never use certain words because words are the outcome of our thoughts and words also can lead to thoughts. For example, if you use a very bad word and it can definitely bring out what is called bad thoughts. Of course, if we do not have bad thoughts, the word cannot produce. A baby for example, a parent is loudly shouting, you rascal there and the baby goes on smiling. For that, Sri Ramakrishna gives a beautiful example how profound is Sri Ramakrishna's words. There was a gentleman being shaved by a barber and the barber out of carelessness nicked the face of the person and automatically the word came damn and then the barber kept his knife down. What do you mean by damn? Explain to me whether you abused me. I hope you remember that story and then the barber was not happy with the explanation. Then he exclaimed, if the word damn means good, damn me, damn my father, damn my grandfather. If it means bad, damn you, damn your father, damn your grandfather and let you be damned your whole 14 generations. You see, what is Sri Ramakrishna trying to point out that words can be misunderstood. But our Vedas go 100 steps further and say if you mispronounce a single syllable, the opposite will be, the result will be completely opposite. We will come, I will briefly mention which I already have mentioned but the very important, the foundation for a culture is the language. Not only the meaning of the words, not only the construction of the sentences and the way one constructs it and after all if you study deeply what is poetry, certain experiences, certain sentiments beautifully put forward that you feel it will give very refined type of enjoyment or literature, prose or poetry and if it can be put in sing-song way, musical way, how much joy it gives. So that also is an indication what type of persons we are and if a large number of people and that is called society. What is a society? A collection of a large number of people. It need not be thousands in a group, in a village. If even 10-15 people are there or 4-5 families are there, that itself can become a society and they follow the footsteps of their fathers, forefathers and in that case what happens? The persons also, we are all what we call perfect in imitation. So we observe our parents or grandparents, what they used to do and most of our life is an imitation of what they did. But nowadays what is happening I mentioned and so I am mentioning here that even an old man is called a senior citizen. What is this fellow trying to escape from? If you call an old person what? Have I become old? What is the implication? The person is first of all rejected by younger people. You are an old fellow, you don't deserve our company. Secondly, old age reminds him that I am a discarded individual. Not only that, my body is subject to various ailments because old age brings on ailments. Even if a person is not sick but the very idea of old age, so very soon I may be subject to so many things. I will not be able to do what I want to do and especially I will not be able to enjoy. And more important, most of the people in the society will try to avoid me. Of course, with the great respect they will show me respect, they will call me senior citizen. What is wrong to call an old person? You are an old foggy. Suppose somebody calls us a woman, you are an old woman. That means you are not beautiful and a person measures, most of the persons measure themselves in terms of the body. So if I am not beautiful, I am not attractive and people will not pay attention to me. Even this lady may have grandchildren also. See how much is involved in the frank usage of words. We reject them but whom are we deluding ourselves? And this is a fact. Remember one simple fact. Every spiritual person knows thoroughly the inside and outside of his own mind. Any person who is unconscious of his own mind, that means his thoughts etc. Such a person, really speaking, such a person is not a spiritual person. We can call a person as a spiritual person only when he is thoroughly aware that this is what my character consists of, which includes a catalogue of every negative quality which is unspiritual. First be aware of it because like a doctor who without diagnosing will not be able to help regain the health of any person. This we know. First thing is test, examine, x-ray, find out and then try to diagnose properly and a right diagnosis is the foundation of right treatment and then of course, you know, whether it takes a short time, long time or a cure is not at all possible. That doesn't depend upon the doctor but it depends upon our Purva Janma Karma according to Hinduism. So how the letters, the pronunciation of the letters, a formation of the letters in a proper sequence which form the words and these words, they must be arranged in a particular way like a skillful garland maker, how he makes these garlands. If you observe carefully, one person makes a garland and the same garland another person makes. It can make a terrible difference between these two even though using the same flowers. So the skillfulness of a garland maker doesn't depend upon the flowers only but depends upon the buddhi, the skill. That is the difference between we, the ordinary people and the people who are poets, who are great writers, etc. What is the modern culture telling us? Use any words. In any way, even those words which provoke terrible type of negative qualities, asuri sampath and most of the societies are influenced by these things. I am giving you an example just to connect what is the usefulness of study of this, particularly this Taittiriya Upanishad because no other Upanishad treats of this subject so far as I know. This is the only Upanishad which seeks to how you lay the foundation of your whole future life by starting to recognize what are letters and how they are related, how they have to be pronounced, with what force or strength they have to be arranged together, when two vowels come into conjunction and what type of changes take place and then how to split a conjunction into the proper way. All these things are taken into consideration. Why am I taking such a long time to explain these things? Because our happiness, ultimately happiness is the only goal and then happy, if I want to be happy most of the time or if possible all the time, it depends upon two factors. First of all, if I want to be happy or if you want to be happy, I have to be alive, no dead person. About any dead thing, you can't say that person is very happy. He might have been, might not have been, but only about a living person we can say the person is happy. That is called Sat. And then not only that, if this person is sleeping, there is no difference between a person who is deeply asleep and a person who is dead, because both are completely unconscious, ignorant and an ignorant person, even if you are providing him with, let us say, a most tasty dish, if you inject into him or if you open his mouth and pour it into that, a rasagulla, then that person will not know, I am eating a rasagulla and this is very desirable and I especially love it, so it brings me great happiness. That awareness, I am not only alive, but I am enjoying my favorite objects, that should be there, otherwise the ananda will not come. So where there is sat, there would be chit and ananda. These three are inseparable and that is what is defined as pure existence, pure knowledge, pure bliss, sat, chit, ananda, satyam, jnanam, anantam, brahma. That is the best definition, nearest best definition of what is called brahma. So what are we talking about? That the very happiness of a person depends upon the culture of the person. Culture depends upon the cultivation of how to speak and speech, as we know, springs from thinking and it is both. Thinking produces words and words also greatly aim at thinking. So I am giving you an example, I gave you already, here is an old man. What is wrong with saying I am more than 60? Every person who is more than 60 should be proud to accept I am an old man and then only spiritual practice, spiritual progress will really start. If I don't accept what happens, then I am still young, there is a lot of time for me to practice spiritual disciplines or now let me be engaged in squeezing as much pleasure as possible from early objects. The very concept of youth is, we have long back forgotten, youth is meant for righteous living and this concept we get so beautifully in the 11th section of this first chapter called Sikshavalli. As I said, a blueprint not only for Hindus but for entire humanity, not only for the present but for people who are in the past, people who are present and people who will be coming in the future also. So these are the most marvellous subjects, that is why I am taking so much of time. So in this first chapter called Sikshavalli, what is the essence of it? How we can become fit instruments for the purpose of progressing in spiritual life and for that of course if we know the meanings of the words, then only we can understand what the Upanishad is going to tell. So even when I was thinking about this particular subject of which I am speaking now, even the gospel of Sairam Krishna, so many people are there, they cannot understand what Sairam Krishna is really aiming for. One simple example is, I will give two examples. Once a devotee of Sairam Krishna came and one of the body parts was very weak and Sairam Krishna told him, this person's, this part of the body is extremely weak, he will not make spiritual progress. And then the person got very depressed and he got angry also with him, so he left Sairam Krishna. A terrible determination has come into his mind, I will contradict Sairam Krishna, I will make this part very strong. So with tremendous willpower, he started going to the gymnasium and then practicing exercise as instructed, of course with some guidance he must have got and you know after several months or some few years, he came back to Sairam Krishna to prove that your words are not true. Then Sairam Krishna smilingly said, yes, now you are going to progress in spiritual life. What was Sairam Krishna's intention? If my teeth are paining, that is called toothache, toothache and toothache as we know, when we got toothache, our whole concentration is the greatest. Without involuntarily, we become very concentrated and you don't need anybody's help to develop concentration. Sairam Krishna's favorite example, also Swami Brahmananda and many other saints, that just as a person with toothache, whatever else he may be doing, he will be remembering his part of his mind will be continuously on that toothache. So if a person cultivates spiritual practice, whatever action he may be doing, but part of his mind will be on God only and that is absolutely true. As an example, he gave that one. Another example is, supposing somebody is blind, somebody is deaf, somebody is lame and then what happens, he will not be accepted in society as normal human being. This is a very common experience. You may politely speak to those persons, but you are continuously aware that this person is not a complete person and that person himself is acutely self-conscious that I am deaf or I am blind or I am lame. Sairam Krishna specifically tells how to behave. Never directly refer to a lame person that what made you so lame. Simply ask very politely, uncle, you seem your leg seems to be a little bit problematic, how did this happen? And that person will be very happy. He will explain properly. Otherwise, hey, you lame fellow, if you tell like that or you may not tell like that, but if you imply your words, then he will get offended. What happens? His whole awareness will be, I am a lame fellow. I am a blind fellow. I am a deaf fellow. I have got this defect. I have got that defect. That is why criticism hurts us. Even if we don't have any problem, we don't want to hear these defects. Criticism means others pointing out to our defects, weaknesses, etc. So, how even words have to be used so properly. Sairam Krishna's beautiful instruction. Never ask a lame fellow directly, you lame fellow, how did it happen? See, words make so much. It is there in the Sanskrit Subhashatam, which I do not remember. So, proper usage of words can bind, can bring friends, can bring love, can help us move forward. But words used harshly are with even feeling and here we are not talking about. Maybe we don't mean it, but if we use certain words, people will get very, very angry, upset and friendships become enemies, friends become enemies, etc. So, in this first chapter, the very foundation, how many letters are there and when they come out, you know they come out from our lung power and what is there in the lung? Air. And when this air is expelled by the power of the muscles and slowly it starts coming out through the sound box, beginning with the Kantha and then ending with the lips. Some letters do not require the, what is called opening of the or closing of the lips, but some letters can never be uttered. For example, try to keep your lips open and utter the most important word Om. You will never be able to do it. So, when the sound air is coming out to form certain words, letters, where are they touching? Are they touching the throat? Are they touching the middle of the throat? Are they touching the end that is with the lips, etc. Before it escapes into what is called understandable sounds, where are they touching? How our Rishis greatly observed these things. That is why they have formulated something called a separate scripture that is called Siksha Shastra and how to utter these things in the proper way and how much emphasis has given. In my last class I gave you, when we meet somebody after a long time, we enquire about the health and then we say, how are you? That is there is a way of saying. You don't shout, how are you? Like that. It's a way, particular way and loving way like a mother talking with the baby. You don't talk with the baby. In the same way, you talk with the servant. Same way, you talk with a neighbour, etc. It all depends upon the relationship and the entire branch of science called Siksha. Siksha means what? Training to recognise where this air is touching our sound box and only when it touches in the proper place, the air assumes an understandable sound and how beautifully these people observed and that is what we are going to see in the very first, what is called, in the second Anuvaka, Siksham, Yakhya, Syamaha, etc. Now before going further into this, if anybody wants to progress in spiritual life, Karma Yoga is necessary. Upasana Yoga is also necessary. I have to translate this Karma Yoga and Upasana Yoga in the context of even secular sciences. For example, a student, especially a PhD student, he has to do two things. First of all, he should be very familiar with the jargon, what we call Parito Shikha, Shabdas or technical jargon. Otherwise, it will be impossible. For example, if somebody wants to become a mathematics teacher or mathematician, what is plus, what is minus and then the higher a person goes, they use certain symbols, you know, and then you put a small superscript 2 like that or XX like that and when a child looks at them, it is garbled and we are also children because you just observe the blackboard of an advanced mathematician, you will understand what I mean. If you have got a headache, you are sure to get headache, which is not a bad news really. If you have a headache, rejoice. That proves definitely that there is a head without any doubt. So the very first, second Anuvaka or the second section, first section as we said is dealing with the Shanti Patha. Very, very important. We have dealt with the Shanti Patha, that is peace chant. What are the four purposes? I hope you remember. Otherwise, please go back to my last classes and then now the section second and the Sanskrit word for the section is called Anuvaka. So Dvitiyo Anuvakaha. Dvitiyam means second, Anuvaka means section in this first chapter called Siksha Dhyaya and this Taittiriya Upanishad as I mentioned earlier is extraordinarily pliant for chanting and there are certain how to chant these things. I told you there are Matras are there, signs are there where we have to raise the voice, where we have to lower the voice, where we have to keep the voice in between the higher and the lower. So when we see this one, difficult to describe but when we see something like an underline, underneath some letters, letter or letters, so that is called Anudatta. When we see a vertical sign on some letters, it is called Udatta and if there is no sign, that is called Swarita. Sometimes there would be two vertical lines, double vertical lines, that means two times you have to repeat A, A, etc. So I will just illustrate to you. Om. Siksham Vyakhyasya Maha. Two vertical lines. Sya. Sya Maha. If you take the harmonium, say there are seven notes are there, seven reeds are there, so let us say Ma, Pa, Dha but even that Pakara is only one, Makara is of two types and Dha is also two types. I am not going into the details but if you take, if it is even, then you use the, the note will be on Pa and if some letter, you see vertical line, then the Makara, the Dhakara should come there. Re is one note. If the dash will be underneath the letter, it will be called Anudatta, Na Udatta. Udatta, Anudatta and Swarita, these are three important words. This is how we have to pronounce and in this way, it will be a sing-song way but most important is every letter has to be uttered very practically. Sriksham Vyakhyasya Maha Varnasvaraha Matra Balam Sama Santanaha Ityukta Sriksha Dhyayaha Iti Dvitiyo Anuvakaha What is the meaning? Everything begins with Om. Om is called Mangala Sujaka, the most auspicious word even if we mispronounce something but that will correct everything. Om. Now, we will expound Sriksha or the science of pronunciation and it deals with what is called six ways, sound, pitch, quantity, force, modulation and combination and this is explained. This is the lesson we have to learn on pronunciation. So, what does it do? This is almost like what is called a great exercise. So, before we learn, for example, suppose there is a competition between two wrestlers. So, simply X, Y, Z, they will not go and say we will start wrestling. Both wrestlers must first of all fulfill certain conditions. What is there? Height, weight, etc. They have their own science and both of them must be quite strong. Second, third is only the foundation of the strength of both these people. Then they will have to, what I call, they are trained how to react even without thinking. Just as when you are driving and suddenly something dots in front of your car, you should not go on thinking. Automatically, your foot must touch it accidentally. I have seen many times, you also have done many times if you are driving. So, that kind of instinctive reaction and these people have to be trained until they are ready and only when the teacher thinks this person is ready to wrestle and then only that person will be allowed to wrestle with somebody else. So, there was a great wrestler called Muhammad Ali and he wrote a book, I am the greatest and in that astonishing facts have been outlined. If there is a major wrestling competition, then this trainer, the teacher, they also have their gurus. They, what is called, train these people for two months. They should not have any relationship with any opposite sex and their diet is strictly controlled. Why? Only then they will develop. Something called intuition, this fellow is going to, he just moved his left hand, he is going to punch me in such and such a place. I was astonished when I read it many years back. Now, what we need to understand is such a secular sport as the wrestling requires so much of training including the diet, the exercise and this, how this person had to observe continence, etc., etc. Just imagine if a person has to progress in spiritual life, what he needs to do is a marvellous subject. We will talk about in our next class.