Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 38 on 05 February 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayo Sritva Pranamami Muhurum Ohoho Om Shanno Mitrashyam Varunaha Shanno Bhavatvaryama Shanno Indro Brihaspate Shanno Vishnu Rukramaha Namo Brahmane Namastevayo Tvameva Pratyaksham Brahmase Tvameva Pratyaksham Brahmavadishyami Ritam Vadishyami Satyam Vadishyami Tanmam Avatu Tadvaktaram Avatu Avatu Mam Avatu Bhaktaram Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hare Om Om May Mitra be blissful to us. May Varuna be blissful to us. May Aryama be blissful to us. May Indra and Brihaspati be blissful to us. May Vishnu of long strides be blissful to us. Salutations to Brahman. Salutations to you, O Vayu. You indeed are the visible Brahman. You alone I shall call the direct Brahman. I shall call you righteousness. I shall call you truth. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. Om Peace Peace Peace be unto all. In our last class, we were studying the 11th Anuvaka of Taittiriya Upanishad, which is very aptly titled Sishya Anushasanam. Towards the end of this particular section, we see that Etat Anushasanam. These are the instructions on how to live a life, how a human being, wherever he is, can live a life. Next, Esa Adesaha. This is a commandment. Why? As I explained before, a doctor doesn't request, though he might politely put in language, not to offend, because we take offense. And that is the root cause of our illness, sickness. So very nice words he will tell, please do this and that. But it is a commandment. The lights, street lights are commandments. And certain things are commandments. We should not disturb the neighbors, etc. But if we do not obey them, even if nobody is controlling us, karma phala will come. So we have to be careful. So Esa Adesaha. And this is an adesha. And Esa Upadesaha. What is Upadesha? The word Upadesha has a very special meaning. If someone is lost somewhere, what you call nowadays in modern cars, bikes, etc., so there is GPS. So Upadesha is Upa, that which takes you nearer what you want. And what do we want? We want to be ourselves. But we do not say that. We are ignorant of that. Say, I don't want to die. I don't want to be unhappy or suffering. Always I want to be very healthy and happy. But for that, I have to be conscious. Yes, I am alive and I am also quite happy. So this is what everybody's conscious and unconscious desire. Every desire is, in other words, to be God. In other words, everyone, the desire of any being, living being, be it an amoeba, mosquito or the highest spiritually progressive soul, I want to be myself because Jeevatma and Paramatma are not separate at all. So that instruction which takes us nearer to what we are seeking, what is sought, that is called Upadesha and not what authorities are. Do you have to teach me? So Upanishad, in this section itself, Esha, Veda, Upanishad. This is the Vedana Shastra. I am not giving the instructions. Veda is giving. Upanishad is giving in the form of etc. Parallel to that, we can see in the Brihadaranyaka, having taught to his beloved disciple at the end. He says, So Maitreyi, Maitreyi here is not his wife, but is apt, Adhikari, Sampanna, disciple, Sishya and then is telling, this Atman, I have expounded to you. There is nothing else but this Atman and what is the goal? You must realize that you are that Atman. Seeing, not seeing, becoming one with Atman. That is the Upanishad and that Pratyaya which we said, Tvapratyaya is you must do. It is a commandment. Kartavyaha, you must do this. Bodhavyaha, you must understand like this. Gantavyaha, you should be able to reach this particular harbor of peace etc. So it is the teaching. What does Shri Ramakrishna say? God realization is the only goal of life. Why is it so? Because in your ignorance, what we call God is none other than our own true self. So this is called Sishya Anushasana. This is the special meaning of Anushasana, it is Adesha, it is Upadesha and it is not me or anybody telling you. It is Bhagawan Brahma himself in the form of the scriptures telling, who was telling, speaking through Shri Ramakrishna. He never said even one single time, I am telling you. No. He said my mother speaks through me. God is speaking through me. Of course, you have to understand there is no difference between Shri Ramakrishna who identified himself with Paramatma, not the body-mind complex and the Divine Mother or Brahman or one and the same exactly. I have given you a big background and in this the very essence of Dharmashastra. But this is not a completely new teaching. We have already seen in the previous Anuvaka how it is said Satya Dharma and then everything that is told here is put rephrased in a most wonderful manner. Since we have gone through all of these things, it will not do any harm even if we study it a thousand times. You know why? Because in our state of deep ignorance, if we neglect to follow now, the evolutionary process will not allow us to bypass and reach our goal. Before we reach our goal, we have to practice these things. Then we become Adhikaris, fit people. Adhikari means not persons with power. Adhikari means Yogya Purusha, Adhikari Purusha. Satya Sadhana Chaturstaya Sampanna Purusha. So what is the very first thing that it comes? I will just read out the mantra. As I said, this whole section can be divided into four mantras and each mantra again subdivided and some of the teachings are re-emphasized. We will see about it as we go on. First, I will read out the first part of this mantra. Having taught the Vedas, the teacher instructs the pupil. When the pupil or student has completed his Guru Kula Vasa, what did he learn? Two things he learned. First of all, what is life and what is the goal and how to reach the goal and what to avoid in order to progress fast and that is what Swami Vivekananda put in four sentences. Each soul is potentially divine etc. etc. You must be familiar with it by now. So he is giving the instructions and what happens after departing and this process of departing is a big ceremony in Hindu Samskaras and this is called Samavartana Samskara. Samavartana means he returns after bidding tearful farewell to the teacher as well as fellow pupils definitely during his stay. He must have become closer to some people. So then he has to leave everybody because in our life, we are so close to our parents. But the moment we grow up, even for study, we go to foreign countries, anywhere it can be and then often we settle down there and we get married there itself and then people grow up. Children become citizens of that country and here parents are there. So we do not know when this goodbye we ourselves say or parents, family members can say goodbye at any time by the fact of death. So we will have to take all these things. That is why Lakshmi we do not know when we have to take farewell. But here is the student who has learnt a lot of things that has hopefully and the final convocation address like university students leaving the university. Universities invite some experienced great person who is well known in the society to tell them this is how I led my life and this is how I became popular or great in my field and these are very precious lessons for us to learn. But for us spiritual students, we have to look to Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Swamiji and other great souls, direct disciples and wherever there is greatness, I always recommend Saint Francis of Assisi and the book Imitation of Christ, one of the most precious books and Ramana Maharshi from South India. He teaches what he lives and he lives by what he teaches. So we will see those things. So this is the condition. Having taught the Vedas, when the people is about to depart from the Gurukula and from that stage, first ashrama called Brahmacharya ashrama, most likely he will step into the second ashrama called Grihastha ashrama or Garhastiya ashrama. So this is a blueprint and as I mentioned umpteen number of times, this blueprint is not only for Hindu students but it is for any intelligent and truth-seeking human being. If a person is not truth-seeking, his intelligence is not good intelligence because truth-seeking and sharp intelligence or Dhiyaha or Medha go together. Only a person who knows, who discriminates, then I suffered very much and I don't want to suffer. What is the way out? This is the way out. So then the teaching starts and that is all the teacher can do. Afterwards the teacher will say I have taught you to the best of my ability. Now you go and put into practice. Now the onus, the responsibility is upon you. So having taught the Vedas, the teacher thus instructs the people. Instructs on what? How life should be led and the emphasis is what? To realize the whole gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. We can, I have summarized into five commandments, Adesha. First God realization, the only goal of life. That is the goal. How to realize it? First you seek the company of the holy, Satsanga. Cultivate holy company, Satsanga and I have written and most of you perhaps have got that. I write up on this. Second, always you must go what is called into solitude. That is the third instruction. First the goal and then second one cultivate holy company and if you have cultivated you want to Shramana. You had Shramana from Satsanga and you want to think deeply about it. So go into solitude either external as Sri Ramakrishna put it so beautifully. If you have some suitable place which is absolutely undisturbing solitude, go there. If you can't then find out in your own house, the quietest corner and if you don't find that then close your eyes, try to isolate everything and I can give you good advice. You can also purchase what is called ear sound blockers so that you don't hear all the sounds that are emanating both in the kitchen as well as in the toilet. In between shrine is located. I don't know why Hindus do that. Till now it remains a mystery to me and from both sides unimaginable, intolerable sounds will be emanating. So find out and then learn the art of closing your ears like Swami Shardananda. He said when I am writing, I tell my mind, don't listen what is outside. Just you focus upon what you are doing. So there was this incident. Some monks were talking loudly, laughing, probably joking and Golapana shouted like the librarian, shouting every second, banging his table with a hammer, keep silence. Then Shardanandaji was forced to hear it and he said don't say anything to them. I see they are very happy and as Saint Teresa of Avila remarked, a sad nun is a bad nun. A bad nun cannot be anybody but a sad nun. So a sad monk will be a bad monk. Shardanandaji was very happy. They were so happy. These monks, I told my mind, my ears do not listen excepting what is necessary. This is called conditioned hearing. So only what is necessary, I will be alert. Like we are alert when we have to go to an airport next day and catch the plane at 6 o'clock. Even at 3 o'clock we are alert when the alarm is sounding like that. So this is what the Convocation address, a beautiful blueprint. You believe in God, don't believe in God, don't worry. But you follow these instructions like the 10 commandments of the Old Testament, so of Moses, like that. Then what is the fun? No, I will come. It says, speak truth, practice truth. Not speak truth means what? I speak truth but that is not the definition. Practice truth. Dharmamchara. So always practice Dharma. But in order to remind us again and again, Swadhyayatma Pramadaha. Do not neglect to study first of all scriptures, secondly study even psychological books because often they lead us to greater insights. A good psychological book always acts like a beautiful mirror showing our own stuff which is inside. So first meaning is study the scriptures, they remind us who created us and how we are able to live and how some people are able to prosper and how people are progressing either in the secular world or not to speak of the spiritual world etc. Second meaning is, so you are studying the scriptures, am I following the scriptures, am I speaking the truth etc. Swadhyayatma Pramadaha. Very important and anybody who neglects this Swadhyayat either in the secular world or in spiritual world either in the Grihastha Ashrama or in Sanyasa Ashrama, they do it at their own peril. Then when you return and most of the people will be entering into the Grihastha Ashrama because that is the time when the nature exerts all the chemicals at full overproduction. That is they will have very natural desires to get married and to fulfil their desires to have progeny etc. So he says Acharyaya Priyam Dhanam Ahrutya that is one commandment. So when you go back, so you will have to repay. Your teacher has been maintaining you for all these years and your Guru Patni has been looking after you, a substitute mother who is looking after you in the absence of your own mother like your grandmother cooking for you and there no distinction is made. We will come to the details later on. So how is the Ashrama maintained, Gurukula maintained? Only by the generous donations of the pupils or the kings, rich people who are eager to send their own children and then maintain that institution. Then what should be done? Get married and after marriage is not meant for only animal pleasures. Prajatantam Ma Vyavatseshi. Do not neglect to produce some children because whatever values you have learned from us and those values have to be passed on to your own children and that is also one way of achieving immortality. Then Satyat Na Pramaditavyam. Earlier what he said Satyam Vada, positive language, speak truth, practice Dharma and do not neglect. Here Satyat Na Pramaditavyam. Never ever neglect truth. What is the truth? We will discuss later on but briefly it means that self-control, seek the truth. Am I healthy? Seek the truth. Am I strong? Seek the truth. Am I sane? Seek the truth and once we seek the truth then only the quest comes. There is a problem in any of these fields. So I must rectify it. I must correct it. Similarly, I know what is the truth but I have absolutely no desire to put it into practice. Therefore that is counterproductive. Dharma Na Pramaditavyam. One should never neglect practicing Dharma because this Dharma later on became Karma. So what does positive Karma do? Good Karma do? Produce Punyam. What does Punyam do? Increase our happiness in whichever place we happen to be and the opposite. If I do something wrong, so whatever we sow that we are going to reap. So that is the entire concept of how to act is compressed into this one word Dharma. So speaking truth also is part of my Dharma. What does this Dharma do? What makes me myself that is called Dharma. So do not neglect both these. Part of the Dharma is Satyam and then comes marvelous truth. Kushalat Na Pramaditavyam. Never ever neglect your to be careful, to be intelligent, to be smart what we call it. Kushala means what? Your own welfare. So never ever neglect your own welfare. What does it mean? So in the departments of health, long life, dealings with others and earning money in every field of life, I must be absolutely diligent. I must be very intelligent. Then I will experience the results of my own activity. Bhutya Na Pramaditavyam. Here is another misnomer which has been completely destroyed by this. Bhuti means prosperity. Any householder who neglects how to be prosperous. How much prosperous? As much as possible. And what is the reason? The reason is the persons should be able to maintain the Brahmacharya Ashrama in those days. Vanaprastha Ashrama or in these days the old age homes etc. Old people not only that also Sanyasa Ashrama. The Grihastha Ashrama is the prop which maintains all the other Ashramas and for that money is necessary, skill is necessary. This word Bhuti doesn't mean only money, wealth but what it means is that the person whatever treasure he has. You are a doctor that is your treasure. You are a carpenter that's your treasure. You are a courier that is your treasure. You are a very nice cook that is a beautiful treasure. So in whichever you are a singer develop it because we can serve the society in every way. One person cannot be singer and doctor and cook everything put together. No. It's different people serve in different ways. That is what Holy Mother said those who have measure it out and those who do not then pray to God. Beautiful words. These are called Sutra. Upanishad Sathya's Bhutya Na Pramaditavyam and then again Swadhyaya Pravachanavyam Na Pramaditavyam is the second time. First time Swadhyaya Ma Pramadaha Swadhyaya Pravachanavyam Na Pramaditavyam It's a commandment. You should never neglect study and then teaching. You understand yourself. You also teach others what you have learned. This is how we pick up from what our ancestors have discovered and we stand on the platform of huge platform of whatever we have obtained with our very birth and then from there we proceed further and should add something more. This is what we call the simple gist but now I would like to go into a little more detail. Essence I have told you. Now first of all Acharya. Sishyam Anushasthi. Vedam Anocha Acharya Sishyam Anushasthi. Acharya. Who is an Acharya? There is a beautiful definition. Aache no techa shastrani. He who teaches. There are so many teachers and do you think every teacher is a good teacher? There is a third class teacher. They don't know how to teach. They may know. There are two types of people. They don't know. They want to teach. I have seen some people. Very interesting analysis. There are some people whose knowledge is very limited but excellent teachers. Excellent way of expression. There are very learned teachers. Absolutely dullest teachers. They know but they have no speciality that skillfulness in teaching to the students. Ram Krishna, Swamiji are called Jagat Gurus. So if Swamiji was talking with Einstein he will rise up to that level and speak and if he is speaking to a nursery or kindergarten child he will come to that level and he will teach. Swamiji helped so many of his fellow students how to pass the examination in the quickest manner possible. He was endowed with that gift even with birth because he was destined to be an Acharya, Jagadacharya. So he who not only knows but successfully teaches. Aache no techa shastrani. Exactly. With illustrations there are some Swamis. Not only they teach very well, their language is very well understood and they also bring examples to reinforce what they are teaching and they also at the appropriate time, appropriate incidents, some of the incidents that happened and how it can help us. So such an Acharya but he is not mere talker. Acharye sthapayethi api. He sees that he will make the students well established in Achara. That's why this word Achara and Acharya are synonymous words. So Acharya means the right way of life. That is called Achara and it is also related with Sampradaya that has been coming down from countless ages. Acharya sthapayethi. He says that the disciples they understand and they behave properly all the things that he has been going to teach. It is reminding them what he has been teaching throughout the moment the student enters into the curricula until the moment he leaves. The teacher's goal is to establish every one of his students as much as he could into what he himself has been practicing. But svayam acharate. He himself will practice it. He will never teach anything which he himself never practiced. It is said in Swami Vivekananda's life. He very often took Raja Yoga classes in New York and other places and a number of people were very much interested. They used to come. Unfortunately for Swamiji meditation means the very word he hears the moment he hears meditation. He cannot restrain from going into deep meditation. So he will tell this is how you sit. Your backbone, your neck, your head should be in a straight line and then what should you do. Now gather all your mind. He was telling. Now you start thinking and then he will go into deep meditation and then the students at the beginning used to wait. Probably he is showing us after 5 minutes he will come. After 10 minutes, after 15 minutes, 2 hours passed, 3 hours passed. Swamiji was absorbed. Then they silently salute him and depart. And again and again he used to be reminded. So with great difficulty he has completed that Raja Yoga. So svayam acharate. He himself practices. Achare sthapayati. He sees that what benefits he got. He sees that the others also get the same benefits and of course the authority for his teachings is firmly rooted only in the scriptures. Achinoti cha shastrani. Achare sthapayatyapi svayam acharateya smat. Tasmad therefore such a person is entitled to be called Acharya Uchyate. So this is the definition. Look at the life of Holy Mother, at the life of say Ramakrishna. He said first you practice then only you will have a right to teach if it is God's will. So even if you are practicing everyone doesn't get the authority to teach. That is what he used to say. Get the authority. Obtain the authority from God. Only such words will be effective. Otherwise people will hear from one ear and then another ear. So he speaks very nicely. That is called Madhu Rakshasa. And then what is there? He is repeating like a parrot everything. He is getting bored and then it goes to the other ear. That is called Kaitaba. And two big Rakshasas are sitting at the very doors of both of our ears. So such an Acharya just before the pupil is going to the returning home, before entering into the next stage of life which is called Grihastha or Shama. And as I said this is a universal blueprint for everybody who desires his or her own good. What is the first thing? Satyam Vada and Satyameva Jayate Na Anrutam. It is beautiful on this our flag. Satyameva Jayate Na Anrutam. Anrutam means what? So what is Satyam? That is speak the truth and seek the truth and ultimately you will become truthful and that will bring you everything. What is the definition of Brahman? Satyam. Then only Gnanam. Then only Anantam. Satyam leads to infinity. Anantam. Satyam Vada. Speak the truth. Speak. What does speak mean? Speech doesn't mean that just speaking out. I know you are a lame fellow. I know you are a badmash. I know you are a unreliable person. No. That is not the truth. Truth means what? That Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful definition. We have three instruments. Thought, speech and action. Man Mukha Akhara. Make the mind and the speech and by proxy means the actions. When a person says then he always he says this person is an honest person. Righteous person. He speaks is a truthful person. What he speaks. Just now I remembered. I am not prepared for it but just the incident flashed into my mind. You know Madhur Babu's mother-in-law Rani Rashmani. She was married to one Rajachandra and the Rajachandra became was one of the very wealthy people and as soon as he married Rashmani the prosperity started growing more and more and he was a very very great person. He and Rashmani had done apart from their connection from Rashmani's connection with Sri Ramakrishna both of them have done laudable praiseworthy social service by constructing bridges, by constructing roads, by constructing Ghats, by helping poor people in so many ways and he was a very truthful person because Rani Rashmani was one of the Ashtasakhis, one of the eternal companions of the Divine Mother. How can her husband be like this? This Rajachandra once a British officer businessman he came to him and tearfully said my business is going to downhill and then you must help me if you give me money I will return it to you after I earn more profit from my business and Rajachandra he generously gave the word yes you come at this time I'll give you the money and then that British officer was planning to take this money from Rajachandra and flee to UK and Rajachandra came to know about it but he said I gave the word I'm not going what happens they let the Divine Mother because Mother Kali was there chosen deity let her look after I gave the word I'm not going to escape from it Satya Harishchandra and then the man came thinking that he doesn't know my plans and then I will cheat him and Rajachandra received him very kindly and gave him the money and then knowing fully well he said saying goodbye to that one lakh of rupees which in those days was like a crore of rupees or even more I don't know nowadays that is called Satya and Hinduism has always emphasized so temporarily one may be under the trough of some suffering but in the end truth alone triumphs and that is the absolute truth Shudhiram is a man of truth and you may ask in the end what did you triumph you have lost everything no I have lost what is ephemeral and I have gained what is eternal he got avatara himself as his own son how many parents can tell like Vasudeva that we got the Divine Lord himself as our son and used to keep him and Shudhiram had many visions also so what is Satyam what you think what you speak out and what you express in the form of actions must accord there is called truthfulness but there are certain rules so one should speak the truth but one can also speak what is called white untruth white lie in order to for the welfare of the person like holy mother she used to tell only this much milk and I only boiled it a little bit you will be easily able to digest it and he was doing so Ramkrishna was doing only when he came to know the truth oh how can I digest so much of milk this is called what I call psychosomatic effect but the point is if it is necessary to make a person a better person you speak any number of untruths and finally that will be the truth so what is the definition whatever makes for the welfare of another person or another being it need not be only human beings it can be also even a surgeon he cuts off some limbs either hands or legs and he is not doing it out of cruelty he is doing it for the welfare of the person under the given circumstances that is the best option to keep this man alive and happy because one can be happy without even certain limbs we have to understand it probably even more so everything has its own double compensation speak the truth that is speak whatever is beneficial to the other person whatever is harmful whatever makes the other person go down doesn't help such a truth should not be spoken this is the definition of truth is not speaking whatever we have witnessed that is not the that which helps a person never allows him to go down that is called truth that is the real truth and in the Bhagavad Gita we also have got there is a what is called Kaika Satyam, Vaachika Satyam, Manasika Satyam also so we have to we have studied in the Bhagavad Gita remember it so Satyam Vada means what be true but there also two aspects are there be true to yourself first what is it that i want and what is it that i am thinking what is it i am talking what is it i am doing is it what i want how people i'm not talking about worldly people these scriptures are meant only for those who are likely to be earnest for people like me and you these are the truths given here and it is a marvelous truth very good instruction so what is it whatever benefits me that is Satyam the doctor a good doctor physician always tells you take this medicine you observe this diet you do this exercise and he's not telling for his fees he may be taking fees but he's doing whatever is good for us in India lots of doctors they found this mafia associations so one will be sending unnecessarily to the other clinic or you take that x-ray you go through that test etc etc but they do it what what is one thing if we anybody can afford to pay that fee they may be cheating you in the form of taking extra money but they always do some good no i want to harm this patient such doctors are very few in this world because if in course of time others will come to know and their business will not prosper at all so Satyam and that is what Sriram Krishna said anybody sticks to truth and then he will reach Bhagawan who is none other than truthfulness itself but above all we have to understand be truthful to yourself that is called finding your own faults not gloating about not floating about but go on finding out what are your defects after all study of the scriptures practice of spiritual disciplines are meant for what only for removing all the defects within ourselves do i have real faith in god do i have real faith in my guru do i have faith in the instructions he has given because along with doubt with god doubt about guru is bound to come and doubt about spiritual practices also will definitely come because that there is a cause and effect relationship so we have to find out and if we find some lacuna then we will have to try our level best to remove that lacuna that is called following the truth there are some more things which we will talk about in our next class may Sairam Krishna holy mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna