Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 49 on 23 April 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

We are studying the 11th Anuvaka of Taittiriya Upanishad which is beautifully titled as Shishya Anushasana. Instructing the disciples or Convocation Address. This forms the essence of the entire Dharmashastra of the whole world for all time to come. Because these are the only things whether you take the Ten Commandments or Buddha's teachings, the essence of this is that you are divine and at this moment you do not know that you are divine. But life is an opportunity to manifest that potential divinity. But in order to manifest them fully and in the right way, one has to follow certain instructions. Life is often compared to a game and every game that we know has certain specific laws and this Dharma or the instructions how to live life is followed by two commandments. Do these and never ever even think of doing them. And we have got how these beautiful instructions are being given to the students who are just about to enter the life. So far we have seen that stick to truth, speak the truth and practice righteousness as far as you know. Then everyone has to be looked upon as God. Never neglect to study the scriptures because scriptures alone can tell us what is beyond our sense organs. Then how to practice through life. Part of that is that one has to share with others what one earns righteously. Thus go on how to even practice charity. Then we also have seen that certain qualities are there. The teachers who are giving these instructions, they do not know what is called jealousy, what is called malice. Sometimes students have to travel hundreds of maybe thousands of miles in order to be instructed by these teachers. So while they are taking leave of him, he knows that most of them may not be able to come again and therefore he says that how you can lead your own life at your own place. But then at every place and especially if our punya karma, dharma karma earned in the past lives is great, we are bound to come across great people. So people will be there, great people. Much more superior even than what you have observed in us. So when you see them and if they happen to visit you, then offer them a seat, see that their tiredness is gone, their hunger and thirst are quenched and then sit down. Don't go on opening your mouth because you can learn much more by paying attention to what they are going to say. Whether you go and visit them at their homes, respect them as if you are respecting God himself. We have seen mother has to be looked upon as God, father has to be looked upon as God, Acharya has to be looked upon as God but in the end everyone else also has to be looked upon as God. Therefore the teacher is telling there are so many people, we are nothing. That reminds me of M. Also somebody might have praised M. Sir, you are doing so many things, you are distributing, suffering so much, undergoing so much of troubles because many times M was busy even when he was young. After Sir Ramakrishna's passing away, he was dedicated to writing or rather expounding what he had noted down very briefly, expanding the short notes that he had taken and then he was a householder. Naturally he had the same ups and downs like anybody else and some of his children happened to die also and he has to earn his own money and besides that he has to meet the brother disciples and visit Belur Math etc. So many things he was busy from morning till evening but whenever visitors come Sir Ramakrishna instructed him, first of all offer either a sweet or at least a glass of water and then talk about. Then somebody praised him seeing his life. He said he recollected somebody, I do not remember some western servant and he said when he was asked, you possess so much of knowledge, says I am collecting a bit of water from the sea, I sit by the side of the sea and if any thirsty persons come, I happen to give a little bit of water, first of all what I give is very little, second it is there from the ocean, I only borrow it, I only give taking it from other people, that humility. Only thing is I have to change that sea from the sea to a sweet river water. Anyway M used to say I am like that but Thakur had given me, I am only sharing to the extent of how I understand it. He used to talk continuously till late at night and his talks have been collected and recorded by one of his devoted devotee, just like M, he used to sit and note down. He must have been also endowed a tremendous amount of memory, not like M but to a great extent and he had published quite voluminous books in 16 volumes, that is the conversations with M and now in many languages, in Bengali, in Hindi etc., they have been translated and they are still doing it and on their website, many of them are just free gifts, anybody can access them, Shreema Bhavan, something like that is their website, say marvellous service. So what we are doing, there may be so many great people, even greater than our Gurus, it doesn't matter, it is not a comparison but when we meet such people, one's own Guru is instructing, then show them respect as due to God and listen to them and we have seen the nobility of character, absence of malice, absence of jealousy and then having instructed him, then now the disciple is maybe far away or for whatever reason, he may not be able to contact the Guru, so there may be some doubts because doubts are part and parcel of our human life. So in this next instruction, we are going to get it. First let me read the original mantra. Because the scriptures, very often they tell, very briefly, even many people do not know how to understand them. Even today, it is difficult to understand. So the disciple, the Guru might not have even touched that subject. So vast is the Vedic knowledge. Suppose this disciple had a doubt, Atha, in case, Yadi Te Karma Vichaikecha, here Karma means the ritualistic part. Every Hindu is supposed to perform certain things. As you know, Hinduism divides people into four categories, Brahmanaha, Kshatriyaaha, Vaishyaaha and Shudraaha. And the fourth class, Shudra, whom Swamiji called Narayanas, whom Mahatma Gandhi called Hari, that is, all are given only Haridasas, Haris, people belong to Harijana, not to Shudras. Such accepting them, these three upper classes, Vaishyas, Kshatriyas and of course Brahmanas, they are called Dvija, second time born. They are specially given instruction by endowing them with what we call a sacred thread and as soon as they receive the specific Gayatri Mantra appropriate to one's caste, etc., then as if they are reborn spiritually, that's why they are called from that time onwards second time born, Dvijas. But as soon as they take the sacred thread, the sacred thread is to remind them that we have to lead a spiritual life, sacred life. That doesn't mean abandoning the worldly life but slowly spiritualizing everyday life. As Swami Ashokanandji says, wrote a book, Spiritualizing Everyday Life. Every moment is an opportunity to spiritualize and I also discussed earlier that if a person's hands are moving, that is called he is performing Vesper service. If his legs are moving, he is going round the Sanctum Sanctorum, going round and round the chosen deity and if he is speaking Girayaha, that is called hymning the Divine Lord. So if he is doing whatever he is doing, including sleep, if he is sleeping, it is called Nidra Samadhi Stithi. Whatever I do, it is worship. What is this worship business? That when a person has no other motive but to please the Divine Lord, whatever he does, that is called spiritual practice. There is a beautiful story. In South India, there is a temple near Tirupati. Now what happened there, it is called Sri Kalahasti. There was an emblem of Shiva, Shiva Linga. Now there was a hunter and he was absolutely illiterate. So he wanted to worship. He must have seen, I have to bathe the Lord. I have to offer him water. But he was so poor perhaps, sometimes he used to collect water, taking big leaves and making a small utensil like shape and bringing and once he could not get anything. So he just filled his whole mouth with sufficient amount of water. He came there and just discharged that water from his mouth over the Shiva Linga. And if any Brahmins, any ordinary people witness such a kind of thing, they would call, fie upon you, you defiled Lord Shiva. Idiots cannot be found better than these people. Because who can defile the Divine Lord? But Shiva accepted it with tremendous happiness. Why? Because he is doing with the greatest devotion. When somebody offers with greatest devotion, even when mother chews, sometimes animals' behavior we can see, the mother chews tough meat and then vomits it and then the babies go scramble and then eat. So that is Maha Prasada. We are also doing it. We offer to God and we expect that God is accepting, mentally of course, and then we accept it as Maha Prasadam and then we find ourselves purified. So Shiva only, God only looks at the bhava, the feeling, the emotion, the devotion, not anything else. Anyway, why all this introduction? There are so many great people will be there and you should gladly go there and just as you honor me, so you have to honor even them more than you honor me. Because they may be great people. Sammarsinaha means very wise people. Brahmanaha and what type of wise persons they are. So they have to be visited and then observe how they are behaving, for what purpose. If there is a doubt with regard to certain ritual, whether I am following it or not. Or with regard to your way of life. So if there is any doubt for whatever reason, whenever it comes, what should you do? Because you will be troubled and you cannot contact me, but immediately visit. Wise people, people who have discrimination, dispassion, etc. means there. There means where nearer, where you are staying, nearer to you and they must be brahmanaha. Not jatik brahmana, not caste brahmana, but quality, guna brahmana. Whoever is there, do not hesitate because they represent Brahman himself and then he is also giving certain clues how to understand yuktaaha. That means they are themselves following all the rituals just as you received instruction and you are supposed to do. They are also completely, totally devoted and they will be doing it. And then ayuktaaha. Ayuktaaha, beautiful word. They are not influenced by money or by outside influence or a wicked gunda or leader. No, you must listen to me. You will have to do things like this. No, no, no, no. They will not be influenced. What they think proper, that's what they do. And just I have to recollect for your sake. Once somebody had, one of the relatives of Sri Ramakrishna borrowed some money from somebody. It is only word of mouth. So I will return to you. And he was not in a mood to return. The other person, he caught hold of this person to whom he had lent money. And fortunately for him, Sri Ramakrishna was present when his relative had borrowed the money. And that relative had complete faith in Sri Ramakrishna. So he said, look here, if you do not return my money, then I will take you to court and I will cite your uncle as the witness. And Sri Ramakrishna immediately told his relative, if I am taken to court, I will tell the truth that you had borrowed the money and so better you settle it. I don't know whether that fellow was unwilling to return or unable to return. But anyway, it is a marvelous incident. And then we also have to recollect because of this topic. Once Holy Mother was traveling by bullock cart and it was night and then all night the bullock cart has to travel and Sri Ramakrishna had to be offered food and they cooked the food. Rice is ready. And then above, when they were about to take it, the rice out. Suddenly the pot gave away and then all the rice had fallen right on the dirt road. What to do? Can it be offered to Sri Ramakrishna? Holy Mother, very practical woman she was. Immediately she gathered all that rice which was not touched by mud and dirt, offered it to Sri Ramakrishna, said today you ordained it should be like this. So you better accept it yourself because of your own ordinance and then of course they all got satisfied with whatever they could get. But correct solution to that problem. Otherwise, suppose Holy Mother was not there, imagine you were there. Then you will be suffering from vair sankata. If you don't offer, you feel guilty. If you offer also, you feel guilty. It is a dirty thing. How many people had walked here? How many people must have? Especially Indians, they spit everywhere. Especially illiterate people, servants, they spit everywhere. If you come to Varanasi, you will understand what I am talking about. So such kind of places, of course never cook. If you cook, be ready to face all these things. So great wise people, they take decision depending on the practicality of the matter. Of course, they would not deviate these rules every time but when it is absolutely necessary. So pritta vichakitsa, regarding your conduct of life or any doubt about any particular ritual that you have to do and then your mind is troubling you, what should you do? E tatra brahmanaha sammarshinaha. Wise brahmanas, not wise, worldly wise, spiritual wise. Yuktaha, ayuktaha. Yuktaha means they themselves are totally devoted to the practice of these rules. Ayuktaha, they are not influenced. Even if somebody threatens their life, they are not ready to give up what they know to be the right thing. Fearless type of people. Alokshaha, loksha means cruelty, kroora. But roksha is lakara and rakara in Sanskrit grammar. Pralayo abhedaha. So there is no difference between la and ra under certain circumstances. Not that you cannot go on using it intermittently whenever you like. So loksha means roksha. Roksha means hard-hearted, cruel type of people. But these people are na lokshaha, a lokshaha. Very kind people, very God-aware people. Not only that, dharmakamasya ho, their whole life they are pursuing dharma. Dharma means what? We have given two meanings to dharma earlier. If they are brahmins and they are following a particular type of life, follow that type of life. So that is one meaning. This is what is called follow your duty, do your duty and thereby you worship God. That is why Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad Gita that whatever be your duty, you put it into practice and through that svakarmanatam abhyarcha siddhim vindati manavaha. But the other meaning of dharma is we are really potentially divine. So life is meant for manifesting that potential dharma. That is the real meaning of dharma. That is why dharmakshetra, this body is to be cultivated, this life is a vast field where we can cultivate dharma so that we reap ultimately the fruit called moksha. So these brahmanas who are yuktaha, they themselves are practicing like you, better than you. Aayuktaha, they do not deviate out of fear or out of expecting some loss. Remember the father of Shri Ramakrishna, Shudhiram, even though he was threatened he will lose everything, says I will not utter a single lie, I will not be subject to falsehood. Aloksaha, absolutely kind, compassionate, dharmakamaha, at the same time their highest pursuit is only dharma. And then we have to understand, according to Hinduism, dharma, artha, kama and moksha. So if we follow dharma, artha, kama, they follow automatically because dharma creates punyam, that is merit, virtue. And automatically, according to my definition, punyam is the ability to squeeze happiness whatever may be the circumstances. And papa or what we call a vice is the automatic ability under even the greatest circumstances, best circumstances, a person, he desires to suffer only because of his mental makeup. But these people are in the in pursuit of dharma, ultimately what they want is moksha. Such people, observe them or ask them, how they behave under such circumstances where you are. You just imitate, imitation of Christ. What did you do? What do you need to do? Find out. Because those people must have had earlier the same type of dilemma that you have now and they must have followed wise ancestors who are following in their time and they have become great because people recognize good people wherever they are there. So we have to understand. But the teacher who is giving this instruction, he also gives details, he must have told details. Dharma kama syo ho. So how do we know what is dharma? There are three sources are there for to know what is dharma. And one source we already have found out, that is called Srishtacharya. I will come to that. The first one is those who study scriptures, Vedas, Bible, Koran or Tripitaka, whatever, Shruti, that is the Vedas. These are the basic texts. They are manifestation of God's own knowledge and therefore that would be the source of dharma. Source means criteria, pramana, valid proof and then also we have to understand. It is not the rituals that are important. Sriram Krishna's teachings are so profound. I also mentioned it under other circumstances. What is the point of doing elaborate worship? Sometimes many hours of worship is there, especially Durga Puja or whole night Kali Puja, etc. So some mistakes can be made. That is not the point. The point is what is your motive. So if a person understands clearly I love God, I want God, I want to realize Him, I want to know and be with Him or I want to become one with Him. Depending upon what words you use, it is the same thing that you don't want separation from God and about God, how to reach God and how to live life. All the rules and regulations of this given called life, they are to be found in the Shruti. Based upon Shruti, because Shruti doesn't tell us every possible occasion what a person should do. It only gives a general direction, most often not a specific direction. But based upon life's experiences, there were so many Rishis and they understood the general trend, what the Shruti, the scriptures want to tell and they made them easier for people to understand. For example, there are what is called Puranas, Bhagavatam, Ramayanam, Mahabharata. These are the most important sources of Dharma to all Hindus and in Islam, they call it by a particular name, I forgot the name, that is the legends, the events that when Muhammad was there and so many of his companions, they must be having some doubts, etc. How did Muhammad, how did his disciples, his followers behaved under such circumstances and they gave more importance to that than what later on the Muslim scholars or Mullahs want to interpret in a particular way. That is called tradition. So that tradition is very much alive in these Shruti texts, secondary texts. So this Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ramayanam. What is Dharma? So who was Rama? Dharma personified is called Rama because every one of his actions, thoughts and talk, words, it never deviates Dharma. So as if it is an embodiment of Dharma only. So this is Smriti text. Of course, there is specifically how a person must conduct certain rituals, etc. These are called Dharma Shastra, Smriti Shastra. For example, Manu Smriti, Apastamba Dharma Sutras, etc. There are hundreds of such texts are there throughout the centuries, but sometimes these people have gone to extraordinary length and causing so much of grief, so much of torture. For example, Sati. Nowhere we find in the Vedas, if a husband dies, one has to also enter into the fire. Then why not men also? If women cannot live without men, men also should not live without women, their wives. So they should also enter if a wife happens to die. But you see, because it is male-oriented society, they have created convenient laws for the sake of themselves. And what immense harm these writers of the Dharma Shastras have rendered to women and masses. That was the greatest discovery of Swami Vivekananda. Anyway, there are so many Dharma Shastras. Very good things are also there. Especially there is one book. It is called Manu Smriti. It is all based upon Vedas, but wonderful truths are given there. So these sages took many of the incidents that happen in human lives and then they, under those circumstances, because the world is nothing but the same drama going on, same words being uttered, same scenes everywhere. Only thing is we do not remember. That's why we think everything is new. But they took these difficult theories, analysed them and then formulated them in the form of like Aesop's fables, like Amarachitra Katha, so that even an ordinary person can grasp very easily. But the greatest guide is sincere, wholehearted prayer to God. That is what we will have to understand. So that is the second source of how to know what is Dharma. But of course, the very first source is Sista Acharaha, the behaviour, the way and life of great people. How Sri Ramakrishna lived, how Holy Mother lived, Swami Vivekananda lived, Shankaracharya lived, Ramanujacharya lived, Madhvacharya lived. So many saints like Tulasidas, Mirabai or Saint Francis, Saint Clare, etc., innumerable saints. Every religion had produced uncountable number of saints. Even now they are producing, only people may not recognise. So wherever there is a saint, that he is called Sistacharya, following the will of God. In this connection, I remember something very important. Nagamahasaya was one of the greatest disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Though Sri Ramakrishna had forbidden him to become a monk, sanyasi, but we have to understand that very few sanyasins can be compared to Nagamahasaya. Even Swamiji respected him so much. Anyway, Sri Ramakrishna advised him, no, I want you to be a householder because I want to leave you as an ideal householder. How a householder should live? Then Nagamahasaya, he felt fear. I don't know, there are so many what is called ditches where a householder can fall. So many temptations will come. But how can I keep my mind on God? Even though he could not have lived without God, even before he asked this question of Sri Ramakrishna. Then Sri Ramakrishna answered, cultivate holy company. Then Nagamahasaya, immediately very intelligent, I am a dull person. I will not know who is a holy man, who is not a holy person. How do you know? Immediately Sri Ramakrishna told him a marvelous truth. He said, you don't worry. You don't need to go anywhere in search of holy people. They themselves will come to you and then you will understand. Holy people will come to you. Now Nagamahasaya was very happy. Ever since that time, anybody visited him. Sri Ramakrishna told him, holy persons will visit you. You need not go anywhere. So whoever came, he treated them as a holy person. Some of them he knew, most of them he did not know. Later on he might know. But then this is an instruction. Anybody who comes to you, you treat him as a holy person. And who is holier than God, treat him as God. And that was the life ideal of Nagamahasaya. Anyway, third source is Sistachara. So find out a route if wholeheartedly, sincerely you seek holy company. As Sri Ramakrishna says, God is Kalpataru. He will supply you with the holy people. So it is a wonderful thing that you can do. These great people are the embodiments of Veda itself, Shruti itself. So we can learn directly or indirectly from the lives of these saints. That is why study of the lives of saints is even more important than studying the teachings. Because the teachings you will find will be the same. That's what Sri Ramakrishna meant when he said all jackals howl exactly in the same way. That means they only tell God exists. Life is meant to realize God. So live in such a way that gradually you will be nearing God and ultimately one day you will be with Him. Or you will be Him. But the lives, different circumstances, very interesting incidents will be there. So study, not read and then learn how we have to behave. So if there is any conflict between the Smriti and the Shruti, of course we have to pay attention to the Shruti only. But then you know human beings are human. That's why in English there is a saying, to err is human. No human being is 100% perfect, including Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vaikunanda. I would say, I think Holy Mother is absolutely perfect in comparison to both of these. So this applies to Rishis, applies to Acharyas, applies to Bhaktas, applies to even Avataras. Only God is perfect. But once a person incarnates, even God incarnates. And there is a beautiful saying in Bengali. Once God falls into the meshes of these five Bhutas, that is the five elements, the net of the five of Maya, then He also has to weep like Rama had to weep, etc. So only the Lord is perfect. But anybody, any embodiment will not be perfect. So now find out what are the defects in Sri Ramakrishna's life and etc. So we have to be very careful not to find faults because sometimes these people behave in a peculiar way and we don't know why they behave. If you remember, once a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna had seen him sitting there and eating in many dishes. He did not know why this holy man required so many dishes. Sri Ramakrishna had to open his mouth and explain, it's not because of greediness. This is how I keep my mind down at your level, at a lower level, so that I can be an instrument of teaching what the Divine Mother wants me to teach. So we have no right to look to find fault with them. If we want to find fault, even we can find fault with God also. But we don't know why some people, they appear to be very defective. I will give you some examples also. Sometimes these questions can bother us and blessed are we if they do not bother us. That indicates ignorance is bliss. So why is the Dhruvahasa Rishi always fuming? He said the anger is waiting at the tip of his nose and even though Vishwamitra was a great sage, why did he lose self-control even after 1000 years of hard austerity? So why did Yudhishthira, who was called incarnation of Dharma, gamble his wife, his brothers, not to speak of his kingdom, even though he was a manifestation of Dharma? Why did this same Yudhishthira lie in a battlefield, lied to his own Guru, leading to his Guru's death? Ashwathama hataha. He shouted loudly so that the whole Kurukshetra can hear, but he whispered Kunjaraha. An elephant named Ashwathama had died, but how he did, that is not the point. The point is he conveyed a wrong idea to his Guru and his Guru Pranacharya simply bowed down and said if my son had died, only son, there is no point in me doing all these things. Immediately he gave up the fight, sat down and immediately somebody went and cut off his head. So lie is a lie even though it is true. The whole point is don't find fault. So there are so many reasons are there which our ordinary intellect doesn't understand at all. Then look at Parashurama. Why did Parashurama cut off his mother's head at the commandment of his father Yamadagni, even though he was considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu? According to Hindu Puranas, Parashurama, Balarama and Sri Rama, all the three are incarnations of God and not only that, he challenged also Rama, that is his own avatar, when after he married Sita and he was going away. Why did Dronacharya, despite being such a great Acharya, ask for Ekalavya's thumb as Guru Dakshina? This Acharya never even knew that there was a disciple who was following him. He never taught him but he was very quick to demand Guru Dakshina when that disciple himself revealed that I am only your disciple. You only taught me. You should have better sense. Then why did Lord Rama, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, send away his wife Sita, who was purity of pure? And that too after testing through Agni Pariksha, why did he send? She was pregnant also to the forests. Then, you know, in search of Sita when he was going, he gave assurance to Sugriva that I am going to help you in killing your elder brother and so that you can regain the kingdom. How did he kill? From behind a bush. And so many people question the validity of the Ramayana basing upon this and there are so many instances in the Puranas. For example, in the Kurukshetra itself, Krishna Paramatma violated many rules at every step practically was doing and that too with a beautiful smile on his face. Especially when Karna was pleading that his chariot had sunk and then Krishna told Arjuna, this is the right time. Cut off the head of Karna. Knowing fully well, Karna was the eldest brother of Arjuna. Though, of course, at that time Arjuna did not know about it. But there was something very interesting, you know. So whenever I looked at Arjuna says later on, whenever I looked at the face of Karna, I start boiling with rage. This is the fellow who insulted my wife in front of all of us. I want to cut off. But when I look at his feet, immediately my heart melts like gold melted and falls on the ground. What happens? They resemble the feet of Karna resemble the feet of my mother Kunti. The moment I look at his head, I feel like cutting it off. The moment I look at his feet, then I feel I am remembered mother. Nobody can have no other person had this kind of feet excepting Karna. I don't know. I mean a great dilemma what to do, what not to do. So in the Kurukshetra war, every warrior died because of the this maya or leela of Lord Krishna. There also Krishna was incarnated. Every incarnation is for dharma stapana. I just want to remind you today what happens. So if we believe Krishna is a incarnation of God, not only an incarnation of God, among the incarnations, he was called purna avatara, perfect incarnation because he represented every aspect of life as an ideal, as a child, as a son, as a husband, as a friend, as a teacher, as a geetacharya, as a God. In every way, he fulfilled. For example, if you ask Rama, go and dance with so many gopis, he would never have. Oh, what a terrible thing you are talking about it. He will close his ears and run away from that place. If you want to make Rama run away from you for whatever reason, tell him to attend a night club, then he will see. So this dharma stapana. So do you think he doesn't have, he did not have the capacity to change the mind of Duryodhana? In a twinkling, he could have changed everything. But it was his wish that Duryodhana should never ever stop creating this war. So he used Duryodhana for creating this war so that in that excuse, lame excuse, he could annihilate practically every living person, youth in those days. So who are we to criticize? There must have been a deeper reason why these people behave because one thing you remember, if they are mahatmas, they are not doing it on their own. They are guided by the will of the divine and not only mahatmas, even ourselves also. We are guided by the will of the divine mother. So we have no right to criticize them because we are ignorant people. Our capacity to understand is very limited. So what should we do? Just see what good things they have done. As we have seen earlier, as the guru was advising, every student do not look at what faults we have, look only at what good things we have done, which you can easily understand. So do not follow the unethical behavior of ours for whatever reason because we are also human beings. To err is human. We are ordinary human beings. A guru is one who admits it very nicely. So as ordinary human beings, we have only one choice. Find out what is good and then follow them. May Ramakrishna holy mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.