Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 52 on 14 May 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMIMUHURUMUHUHUH OM SHANNOMITRASHYAM VARUNAH SHANNO BHAVATVARIYAMAH SHANNAYINDRO BRIHASPATHE SHANNO VISHNURUKRAMAH NAMO BRAMHANE NAMASTEVAYO TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAMHASE TVAMEVA PRATYAKSHAM BRAMHA VADISHYAMI RITAM VADISHYAMI SATYAM VADISHYAMI TANMAM AVATO TAD VAKTARAM AVATO AVATO MAM AVATO VAKTARAM OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HARI 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. Entered into the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad, which is very aptly titled as Ananda Valli, Brahma Valli, Brahmananda Valli. Why three names? Because a beautiful description of progressively higher and higher experience of Ananda, bliss, through progress in spiritual life, which is enumerated as reaching upper lokas, higher lokas. Higher loka is nothing but experience of higher quality and quantity of bliss. So that is why it is called Ananda Valli. And it gives a most marvellous definition of Brahman. Brahman means God. Brahman means Allah. Brahman means Nirvana. Brahman is the supreme reality. And what is that supreme reality? And what is only the changing temporary reality? So through three definitions, satyam, jnanam, anantam, and a most brilliant commentary was written by our great Shankaracharya. So nobody can surpass this definition of what is God. So many quarrels and fights that we get today are because of wrong understanding about God. So it describes vividly, only through the knowledge of God or Brahman one attains the highest. One knows one's own true nature as identical with Brahman. Or even if you take the meaning, one is in the presence of God like in Vaikuntha or Kailasa or Paradise, whatever it is. So we should know what is the nature of that God. And we must also try to, if we want to be nearer to God or one with God, we have to be like God. Two unlikes cannot be united at any rate. That is why a beautiful description of Brahman, definition of Brahman is found nowhere to be found, such a beautiful definition. That is why it is called Brahma Valli. And combine these two. One who realizes I am Brahman attains to the highest bliss and unbroken bliss, eternal and infinite bliss. That is why it is also called Brahmananda Valli. And this has got, there are three versions. One, the Shanti Patha, Peace Chant, will be like the first chapter, Shanno Mitraha, Shambhurnaha. Second will be only Sahana Bhavato, Sahana Bhunavato. And the third will be, combine both. So different teachers take different approaches. I would like to take the second approach, Sahana Bhavato, which we will chant now. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Hari, Om. May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both, the fruit of knowledge. May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge. May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill feeling toward each other. So as we have seen, the first chapter which we completed two classes back, it is called Sikshavalli and through that chapter, through various Upasanas, not only Upasanas but transforming one's life through a moral and spiritual way of life, one becomes a fit aspirant also called Adhikari for receiving knowledge about Brahman. Until that time, the person, even if he is told even billions of times, he will not be able to enter it. So then in this particular chapter, so first of all, certain questions have been put and what is that question? First of all, you know, before we do anything, we have a particular purpose in mind, a desire in mind. I want to be happy. I am not happy. I want to be happy. How can I be happy? I like a particular sweet as an example, if I can obtain it and eat it. So first of all, what does a person gain by the realization of God or Brahman? And then what do you mean by God or Brahman? Definition of Brahman, as I said, unparalleled definition of Brahman is given here. And then where is that Brahman? Where can I go to find out that Brahman and how to realize him? Then this realization must come through what we know. There is a beautiful process. Nobody can tell us anything if we don't have some knowledge. So this process of transferring knowledge from a higher person to a lower person, from a teacher to a student, it always follows a peculiar process called from the known to the unknown. It means I must have some foundational knowledge, however inadequate it is, and another person can convey to me what he knows only through what I know so far. This is a very important point we have to keep in mind. So that is why in this very first Anuvaka or section, that is second chapter, which is called Brahmananda Valli, it has got nine Anuvakas, nine sections. As we have seen in Siksha Valli also, there are twelve Anuvakas are there and here there are nine Anuvakas are there. So these questions are given and how does the Upanishad give? First of all, it says what is it that we know? We know this world. I know that I am the body, I am the mind and I know you are also the body, you are also the mind. Whatever we see, first thing we see is the physical aspect of it through the five sense organs. Then every mind is a closed book to us. Most of the time our own mind is a closed book to us, not to speak of anything. Even our own mind, 99% of our mind is a closed book even for us, not to speak of other person's mind. So that is why the very first thing is, turn the torch light towards our own mind. That's what Holy Mother meant. Stop finding fault, stop looking at the other person and trying to misunderstand him. Turn the torch, the same sharp look out inside, then you will find plenty of defects are there. So find out and then try to remove them and when we complete removing them, what remains is a pure Brahman and this trying to find out and removing our own defects which collectively is called a Jnana or ignorance because all these qualities are the result of ignorance only. Once we remove the effects, automatically the cause also will disappear. So a description is given, who am I? So first find out where from this body has come. Similarly find out where from the mind has come and once I know from where I have come, then we can also apply the same process to what I am saying, whether it be living or non-living, other human beings, other living beings or what we call inert things like the mountains, the rivers, the trees, the forests, etc., etc., not according to Hinduism. According to Hinduism, everything is living only, everything is Brahman only. But according to modern scientists, a sharp division is made as living as well as non-living. So everything that we perceive right now that it has all come from God through the process and that process is called creation. And what is the purpose of this process? Just to tell us that once you know what is the effect, what is an effect is nothing but manifestation of a cause through names, forms and qualities. And with this analogy, it is Brahman is the cause and everything else that we perceive including the mind or the three bodies to be more precise, the gross body, the subtle body and the causal body. That means everything that is known as creation is nothing but pure effect of cause and that cause is called God, Brahman. And so cause cannot be different from the effect, effects cannot be different from the cause. Cause can be only one, effects can be many. This is a point we have to note down. Effects are many, cause is only one. So the final one cause of this entire creation that was, that is and that would be is none other than Brahman. So through this process, what is the Rishi trying to, the teacher trying to tell us that since you are an effect of Brahman or God, you are in other words none other than God himself, Brahman himself. And then how do I know? I gradually through certain process of action called Sadhana or spiritual practice, how can I merge the grossest causes into their subtler causes and later on those subtler causes into the causal causes and later on that final causal state also into the original state. The one root cause of all causes which is in other words Brahman. So when the process is the cause becoming the effect, that is called involution. And when the same process is we are going back towards the, from the manifold to that one, that process is called evolution. And the whole creation is nothing but Brahman manifesting himself or itself into this entire universe and then slowly going back. And for this purpose, so Brahman is defined, most precise definition, the details we will enter into a little bit later on. But I am just summarizing so that we have a bird's eye view of this entire second chapter and especially the first section. Brahman is defined because that is the goal. And unless we know the goal, we will not be enthused to progress further. That is what we need to understand. So if I don't know what is it that I want, I cannot act at all. So only when I know I am hungry, I require food, that is the remedy. So I make effort how to get the food, suitable food, likeable food, etc., etc. This is the process. So Brahman is defined as Satyam Gnanam Anantam Brahma. As I said, it is the most wonderful definition. Now I will just give you very brief what is called explanation and then it will be easier actually for us to go into a little more details. Satyam. So three words are used. Satyam, Gnanam, Anantam, Brahma. And each of these words have their own meaning. Satyam has a meaning, then Gnanam has a meaning, Anantam also has got a meaning. So thus we have to understand Satyam is Brahman, Gnanam is Brahman, Anantam is also Brahman. Naturally, the question comes, why use three words? Because this Brahman has to be defined clearly. So when we study these three words and they yield, each one of these words yield two meanings, two definitions of our understanding at our present level of evolution. So let us take very briefly what is Satyam. Now before we enter into that, we also have to understand what are the definitions given by Vedanta Shastra itself. Because if we do not understand the definition, then the explanation will fall only on deaf ears. So Satyam is the very first word and all these are interrelated and yet they have their own meaning and yet they all help us to understand God better. Satyam. There are, as I said, two types of Satyams. So the very first thing that we need to understand is what is the definition of Satyam. Many times we have heard through these talks that is Trikala Abadhitam Satyam, that which doesn't change. Change means time actually. So the past is a change, present is a change, future is a change. But see the magic of it. So when the past at some point of time was future and at other point of time it was present. For example, now I am speaking with you, this is what I call present time. But one hour before, just to make the point clear, it could be one second before also that was past and now it is present and there is a second which has not yet come but which will come very soon. So time means change and that which changes, you cannot call it Satyam. Trikala Abadhitam Satyam, that which never changes, that means that which is beyond all time, that is called Satyam. And as I said, there are two understandings of this word Satyam. Say what is it that we see? I see a tree and you ask even a child, is that tree real or unreal? He says, what are you talking about? If I see a picture, that living tree is not the picture. But if I see a living tree, that is the truth. And he is right because this is called Vyavaharika Satya, that is transactional truth. And if we have to live our life, if we have to breathe, we have to eat, we have to speak, we have to sleep, whatever activity we are doing in this world with this body-mind, it is all true and there also we discriminate between what is true, what is not true. This medicine is a real product, it is not a fake. So this person tells lies but the other person, he tells truth. Like that we go on distinguishing various shades of truth also. But we take it for granted. So I was, I am and I will be even though I am changing. This is called Vyavaharika Satyam. But this definition doesn't accord with the definition given by the truth. What is that? Trikala Abadhitam. How do we understand this Vyavaharika Satyam, transactional truth? I can understand, you can understand. But how do we understand? You see, every person goes through three states of experience. Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti. So when a person is in the waking state, you ask him, what state are you in now? And he says, I am in the waking state. Not only that, he says, I am the waker. Okay. Then he goes into dream state. And if you have to ask him in what state you are, he should say, I am in a dream state, I am the dreamer, I am not the waker. Of course, we understand it only upon waking up. But a real person, a real Gnani, he knows it. And then comes the third state when we are in the deep sleep state. There, people, many people think that we do not, we are not conscious, we do not identify ourselves just as we identify with the waking state. But that is completely wrong. Nobody claims somebody else came and slept, his very statement, each one of our own statements. I slept. Nobody says, even for a billy second, somebody has come and slept for me. Throughout, I went to bed at 11 o'clock and we woke up at 6 o'clock and I only slept like a log, like a piece of stone. So, unconsciously, he is standing. And as I mentioned, in Sushupti state, we are aware of in which state we are. But unfortunately, there is no external object in that state. That is why we say that I do not have remembrance of any object. That is correct. I know nothing means there is no object of which I am aware in that particular state. But I am in that state. That is correct. I gave the example also. If a man has a house with three rooms, A, B, C, and if he is moving from A to B to C, and if someone were to ask him in which room you are, first he says, I am in room number A, after some time in room number B, after some time in room number C, after some time again in room number A, etc. So, it is crystal clear to us. With this example, we have to understand. So, there is a person. He is in the waking state. Same person has moved into the second room called the dream state. And the same person moved into the third room called the Sushupti or deep sleep state. And then again he wakes up. So, this life after life, God knows how many millions of lives. So, everybody is going through the same experience. What is changing? The room is changing. What is changing? The state of experience is changing. Waking is changing into dream. Dream is changing into deep sleep. Deep sleep is again changing into waking state. And the truth of every state is totally opposite to the other two states. So, the experience is changing. But the experiencer like this person in room number A or B or C is the same person. And he says, I am. And he never says, I am not. I am in the room A, room B, room C. So, everything he says, I. Rooms are changing. Person is not changing. Like that, there is a state what is called bearing witness, Sakshi. So, I was the person in the waking. I was the person in the dream. I was the person in the deep sleep. So, I am not changing. That unchanging Sakshi, that alone, whether in the past, present and future. And when we apply this time table to our states of experience, always these three will work together. All the three will work all the time. For example, now I am listening to this talk. What is the state? Waking state. And after some time, I may doze off. So, that would be coming in the future. After that, I will lie down on the bed and I will go into the third state. And then when tomorrow, all these states become past tense. I was awake. I was dreaming. I was in deep sleep, etc., etc. But that I which is bearing witness, without there is no past, there is no present, there is no future, that is called Kaala Atitha. Three Kaala Atitha. That is the definition of Satyam. That is Brahman. That is called consciousness. So, who is undergoing these changes? The body-mind complex. But the witness, Sakshi, it is not undergoing. I was a small boy, baby, then I was a young person, then middle-aged person, then old person, etc., etc. But by chance, by God's grace, if somebody gets even knowledge of the past lives, then he says, I was another person in last birth, in another place, speaking another language, eating some other types of food, etc., etc. There is a beautiful incident. Once Holy Mother came to Varanasi and she was taken to Sarnath and she saw several Westerners, probably Americans or British people, admiring all the Buddhistic architecture and Holy Mother made a peculiar remark. She said, these people, they were the persons who created all these things at one point of time in their past lives. But now, as if somebody had made it because they have forgotten. Forgotten but not lost. So, at some point of time, all the memories of the past life might come out. So, this is what we need to understand here clearly. So, there are two types of Sathyams. One is changing Sathyam, which is called transactional Sathyam. Another type is called Sakshi. That Sakshi is not changing. Trikala Abadhitam Sakshi and that is the real definition. So, we have to accept at this moment both the transactional truth, Yavaharika Sathyam and also Paramarthika Sathyam and move slowly from the Yavaharika to the Paramarthika through the process of negation called Neti Neti, etc. So, this is a very important point. Two types of truth. So, Brahman is not a changing truth but the ever witness pure consciousness otherwise called Sakshi and we are all that. Now, Gnanam. Two types of Gnanam are there. What are the two types of Gnanam? So, one is I see a tree, I have knowledge of the tree. This is called the limited knowledge. Just like Sathyam is a limited Sathyam and this limited Sathyam is limited by what? The limitations according to Vedanta are divided into three categories. Desha Parichcheda, Kaala Parichcheda, Postu Parichcheda. Let me give you a brief meaning of these three so that it will be easier for us to proceed. So, in this first definition of Sathyam. So, you see I am telling 10 years back I was in America. So, one day I was in New York. So, that time was different and that place was different. So, another time I was in San Francisco. At the same time a person cannot be both at New York and San Francisco. So, the time changes and the space also changes and the body also changes since that was 10 years back. Now, many grey hairs are showing, popping up all over my head etc. So, every one of these two types of Sathyam, two types of Gnanam and two types of Anantam, they are all two types and why do you call? One is that which is not limited by anything. Another is completely limited by time, space and object. If it is time, it is called Kaala Parichcheda. Kaala means time, Parichcheda means limitation and space limitation is called Desha Parichcheda. That is I cannot be at two places at the same time. If I am here right now, I can't be anywhere else. But at some other time, I can be in some other place. So, time and space limitations. But what is Vastu Parichcheda? If I am a male human being, I cannot be a female human being. I cannot be a chair, I cannot be a dog, I cannot be anything else excepting what I am now. That means I am an object, the table is an object, a tree is an object, a dog is an object. So, every object has got its own special definition. So, I can never be another object. I can be only my own, me only as an object. So, every object is different from every other object. I cannot be even one other object excepting what I am. This is called severe limitation, objective limitation. So, sugar is sweet, sweetness is the intrinsic nature of sugar and bitterness is the intrinsic nature of let us say a gold, bitter gold. So, bitter gold cannot be sugar, sweet sugar and sweet sugar cannot be bitter gold and therefore they are limiting each other and that is what makes our experience of manyness, many objects. So, nobody can be at the same time at some other place, nobody can be at different places at the same time and nobody can be anybody other than what one is completely different from every other object, not only that. So, me as a baby, me as an adult or adolescent, me as a youth, me as a middle person, middle aged person and me as an old person, they are also not the same. I cannot be a baby and young person at the same time. This is called Vastu Parichcheda. So, everything in this world is limited. So, that limitation is what makes the difference between the absolute truth and the relative truth. In absolute truth, it is beyond time, space and causation. So, we can understand it with regard to Sathyam. We can understand it with regard to Gnana. Two types of knowledge are there. Limited knowledge. I may know everything about science. I may know nothing about cooking or somebody else vice versa. So, every person knows something. Every person doesn't know many, many, many other things. So, Gnanam is limited. That is one type of limitation. Second type of limitation, even if you apply Desha Kaal Vastu limitations, we can say supposing there is a poor country and there is a person and that poor country is called Desha. That person cannot get all the opportunities to educate himself. Similarly, the person growing up in that poor country at the same time cannot be anywhere else. So, even among them, even among those people living even in that poorest country, maybe potential Einstein's might be there. Some of them might manifest their intelligence. Some of them may not. So, you see, there is a differentiation not only within the object but in comparison with other objects. So, all kinds of differences in our Vedanta scripture is codified as three types of differences. So, Desha Parichcheda, Kaala Parichcheda, Vastu Parichcheda is one definition of three limitations. But there is another type of different limitations that is called differences. So, Vijatiya Bheda, Sajatiya Bheda and Swagata Bheda. What does it mean? Supposing there are two trees. One is an apple tree, another is a mango tree. They are totally different species. This is called different species and one species cannot be the other species. Then supposing there are two mango trees or apple trees, both belong to the same species. But one may yield sweet fruits, another may yield bitter fruits. So, one is stronger, another is weaker. So, there will be difference in every single way, billions of differences between even the two species, between any given two human beings. There will be heaven and hell difference. One is a Brahma Jnani, another is a Brahma Jnani. So, that is called Sajatiya Bheda. Same species but enormous difference. Another Swagata Bheda, even in the same person. So, my hand is different from my leg. My leg is different from the eye. Each part of the body has its own special functions. So, you see how wonderful this analysis is there. These differences is what makes even knowledge also different and therefore, this is called relative knowledge. And another difference Vedanta points out to us is, supposing I say, I know this tree. So, I am the knower of this knowledge called tree. The tree is the object of my knowledge. I am called Kartha. The tree is called Karma, object and then there is an instrument. My eye has to be opened. It must have the ability to see and through that instrument, I see that object and I get knowledge according to my capacity. Somebody else may see something totally different. When Sri Ramakrishna looked at people, his knowledge is totally different of the people. Then when I look at the same people, every one of us have severe limitations of how we understand even other people and I may not understand even my own self. So, this Kartha, the knower is separate. The known is separate and the instrument of knowledge is separate and the resultant knowledge that is also separate. That is why two types of knowledge, changing knowledge or limited knowledge is what we are all having. When I see a tree for example or another person, what is my knowledge? That is a tree and that is a human being. Then Sri Ramakrishna or any knower of Brahman looks at the same two objects. Sri Ramakrishna says that is also Brahman. This is also Brahman. Everything is Brahman. So, there are two types of truth, changing truth and unchanging truth. Two types of knowledge, limited knowledge and pure knowledge. So, what is that pure knowledge? I am pure consciousness. I am the Purna Gnanam, Shuddha Gnanam. That is the unchanging consciousness like light. You throw the light upon a person, the person becomes revealed. Throw the same light upon a book, the book becomes revealed. Whatever object is getting that light, that becomes revealed. But the light is only one. It never changes. So, that unchanging light in a comparable way is called pure consciousness or Shuddha Chaitanyam and everything else is nothing but, all Gnanam is nothing but limited consciousness. That is to say, when I look at a tree, then that knowledge comes to me in the form of a thought and that thought is illumined by the Chidavasa or reflected consciousness. So, reflected consciousness and the interaction that I have with myself or with the external world, that produces Vritti Gnanam or knowledge in the form of thoughts and even that thought is impossible without that reflected consciousness. So, if for some reason there is no object, that reflected consciousness will not be revealed to us. But that reflected consciousness of whose reflection that is the pure consciousness, that is called Chit, not Chidavasa, but Chit. So, that is called that first meaning of the word Gnanam, pure consciousness. Details we will see later on. Then what about the Anantam, infinity? Are there two types of infinities? Yes, that everything that we see, supposing we are looking at our life. So, this life has been going on and on and on and on. Can you imagine how big is this cosmos? Impossible even for the greatest scientist. Why? Because all the experience of this cosmos comes only through our limited brain and limited mind. When the instrument is limited, the experience that we get is also limited. When the experience becomes limited, the knowledge we get is also limited. So, but that we know at the background that there are infinite universes are there or it is infinite beyond my comprehension. We have to take it, that definition, whatever is beyond my comprehension, that is our idea of infinity. But what is true infinity? So, that which is beyond the limitations of time, space and causation, that is called true infinity, Anantam. So, these three words each can be understood in two ways, relative way and absolute way. So, in this second chapter, first section, Brahman is defined as that truth, Sathyam, that is changeless something and that is pure consciousness and it is beyond limitations of time, space and causation. Therefore, it is infinite and that is the meaning. So, even we have got these three ideas, relative truth, relative knowledge and relative infinity. So, this is how Sathyam, Gnanam, Anantam, each can be divided into two types. What we are experiencing is that which is changing, that which is limited and therefore, that which is inadequate, creating what is called duality and that is why Bhagavan, Brahman, is never changing, unchanging, that is called Nityatvam and all-pervading, that is called Anantatvam and it is the purest knowledge, I am. I am plus something, no, I am, whereas in our case, I am a mosquito, I am mice, I am man, that after I am Aham, where there is no addition, that is Brahman, where there is an addition, that is what is called this creation. So, even these thoughts that I have expressed today require tremendous amount of intellect even to understand but slowly, slowly, we will understand. What we have to do after Shravanam, deep Mananam has to be done and why should we do it? Because that which is limited, that is not Sukham, as we have seen in the seventh chapter of the Chandogya Pankshat, Nalpe Sukham Asti, Alpe Sukham Na Asti and we are all seeking to be eternal, to be immortal through that famous three prayers, Abhyaroha Mantras, these beautiful ideas, we will slowly discuss in our next class. May Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Shri Ramakrishna