Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 107 on 31 May 2025

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU OM APYAYANTUM AMANGANIVAKPRANASYAKSHUH SHROTRAMADHU BALAMINDRIYANICHA SARVANI SARVAM BRAHMAHU PANISHADAM MAHAM BRAHMANIRAKURIYAM MAMA BRAHMANIRAKARO ANIRAKARANAM ASTVANIRAKARANAM ME ASTU TADATMANI NIRATE YAUPANISHADSU DHARMAH TE MAI SANTU TE MAI SANTU OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HA RE HE OM May my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears, as also strength and all the organs become well developed. Everything is the Brahman revealed in the Upanishads. May I not deny Brahman. May not Brahman deny me. Let there be no spurning of me by Brahman. Let there be no rejection of Brahman by me. May all the virtues that are spoken of in the Upanishads repose in me. I am engaged in the pursuit of the Self. May they repose in me. OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL In our last class we have completed the 6th section of the 8th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. From the 1st section to the 6th section. What is it? The process of Upasana. And if a person follows from his Guru these teachings of the Upanishads, then he should be able to attain at least Krama Mukti. And how does a person attain this Krama Mukti? What happens not only at the time of death but throughout our life. In the Tantric as well as Yogic scriptures we always talk about different states of consciousness. They are simply called Chakras. And 7 Chakras are there within every Prani because each soul is potentially Divine. These 7 Chakras are 7 ascending states of consciousness. Usually what we call a Samsaric Purusha, a worldly person, only the 3 states, 3 that means possessions, attachment to the body or identity with the body, identity with the external possessions and identity with the mind is usually seen in each one of us. How do we know? Because if we lose some money or some car or something else, if the thieves come and take away certain objects, we feel terribly hurt as if we have lost a part of ourselves. That is called complete identity with the external possessions. Similarly, whenever we have either happiness or unhappiness, we go on saying, I am happy and I am unhappy. And that is the result of our body coming into contact with various objects. For example, when I am enjoying my favourite sweet, then I feel happy. Who feels happy? The body feels happy. But the body actually doesn't know. It's only an instrument. But still, the body is absolutely necessary for the mind to have that experience. So we say, I am very happy. Similarly, if something not very pleasant is experienced by the body, we say, I am unhappy. That is also not accepted. When it comes to the mind, I am honoured, I am dishonoured. Nobody knows me. Everybody knows other people much better than they know me. And what I desire, I did not get. I could not get. And what I don't desire, they come aplenty all the time, more and more. When a person undergoes these kinds of experiences, Sukha and Dukha, and ultimately Sukha and Dukha are the judgmental values, whatever may be our experiences. But the point is, our identity with the possessions externally, our identity with the body, our identity with the mind. This is what we need to understand. But after a long experience of very painful, suffering life, finally man awakens. Is there any way I can be happy and I need not pay anything? That is called the beginning of spiritual life. So, so long as a man identifies himself, then he will be, his mind will be moving along these three nadis, three pathways, Ida, Pingala and occasionally Sushumna. But a time will come when his mind is thinking of higher things. Then he goes to the Anahata Chakra. That is, he perceives something beyond what we usually perceive. That is, there is a God, there is a creator, there is divine and that has some characteristics and if I can attain Him, I will also be enjoying. So that is how this person also, slowly he moves to Anahata. From Anahata, he goes to Vishuddha Throat Chakra. Then he goes to the Agna Chakra. Final Chakra, we all know is Sahasrara Chakra. So that description of the nadis, nadis are very subtle channels, not small channels but subtle channels which cannot be perceived, experienced through any of the five sense organs. They are the pathways how our consciousness along with prana moves up and up. So a person who practices this Saguna Brahma Upasana, as mentioned, our body is called a Brahma Puri, within that there is a heart with Pundarekam, within that there is a spiritual space and that spiritual space is nothing but a supreme reality called Brahman or Ishwara, God by whatever name a person chooses to call it and through gradual meditation, one progresses towards Him. But all these spiritual disciplines which help us to move forward towards God are described from the first to sixth section and if the person is very sincere, has faith in Guru's words and slowly is progressing and when he understands or God understands this person, he has progressed a lot. So he should come to me. So it is said symbolically that his Jivatma departs through the highest nadi in the form of Sushumna Nadi, breaking open the top of the head called Brahmanandra and then it goes to the, here graphically described as to the, through the rays of the sun as if he becomes a ray and the rays of the sun become a bridge between Aditya Devata and Jivatma and then he goes there and then the sun, Surya Devata, Aditya Mandala acts like a doorway leading to Brahma Loka and in the Brahma Loka, he completes his remaining sadhana and along with Brahma, he goes or merges in Nirguna Brahma. That's what we have discussed but as I mentioned earlier, a Brahma Jnani, a person who knows I am Brahman doesn't depart. He can't depart because departure always indicates movement within space from spot point A to point B but Brahman being everywhere, Brahman being all the time, there is no question of whether he is living, living time or dead time or after death. Such things, such concepts are ridiculous. A person who knows I am Brahman, such a person is called Jivan Mukta. So until the sixth section, we have discussed but there are some people who are not happy with Krama Mukti. They want Sadyo Mukti. They want to become Jivan Muktas. Sadyo Mukti means the moment knowledge dawns, he knows I am Brahman. So even he is not called Jivan Mukta by himself, we are calling him Jivan Mukta because through God's will, God enters into that particular channel or body-mind of that Sadhaka and then for some purpose, there must be a purpose even if we do not know it. If you remember, Ramakrishna saw a gaul, gaulish looking madcap at Lakshanaswar. There was nobody else who could recognize but Ramakrishna recognized, Prithu, this is an Oira Brahman. Subsequent actions of that man prove conclusively what Ramakrishna had said. You can go through that incident. I am only mentioning for this purpose. Is any good being done? Is any service being done? Similarly, among the direct disciples, Ramakrishna accepting a little bit of giving initiation or leading an ideal life, Poornachandra Ghosh or Swami Niranjanananda or Swami Yogananda, did they have any significant role in the Avatara Leela of Sairam Krishna? But my understanding is they serve a purpose. We do not know what that purpose is because we are such utter fools. Unless we see a person either talking or doing something, even then we cannot judge whether why he is acting that way, speaking that way. A baby being scolded by mother, a baby's dreams are completely shattered. I thought my mother loved me so much. She was always cooing me, my honey, my baby, my darling, my sweet honeycomb, like that. But suddenly she is showering so many slaps. But later on the baby understands, for my good it is happening. So a Jeevan Muktha, whether we see any obvious action outside or not, it serves a great purpose and one of the great purposes Swami Vivekananda outlines. There are a certain type of Jeevan Mukthas whom the world never, even as an inkling, they live in some place, nobody can recognize them. But they are continuously, by their very breath, Pranarpana Jagatatharana Krintana Kalidur, they are sending such tremendous thoughts of spirituality. We can never know what is happening and what he is doing. Neither he is interested in knowing nor we are interested in knowing. But those who are struggling, they know. There are some vibrations from where they come, how they inspire, how they uphold our thoughts on a higher level. It is all a matter of inspiration without knowing where from it is coming. But it is enough for us to understand. It's all the manifestation of God's grace only. So these first to sixth sections, what is called Upasana and one who becomes perfect in that Upasana, he goes to Brahma Loka. Usually it is described as breaking open the top of the head, Brahma Randhra and then he reaches Brahma Loka. It is unnecessary for us to go to debate whether these are really true or the Shastra has gone irrational, etc. But he reaches Brahma Loka and he completes his Sadhana and then he becomes one, never again to return. But here there are some people, rare people, who want to attain to this. A very interesting incident happened in the life of Shri Ramakrishna. At that time, Sharath, future Swami Sharadananda, started visiting Dakshineshwar temple. One day, Shri Ramakrishna asked him, what do you want? He said, I want Sarvatma Bhava. I want to see Brahman everywhere. Shri Ramakrishna said, but that is the last word and Sharath Maharaj replied, doesn't matter, I don't want anything less than that. And Shri Ramakrishna was highly pleased. He said, yes, you will get it by God's grace. And the later life conclusively proves his Sarvatma Bhava is beautiful. So, there are some people who want the highest, not after death, but still while living. Now, this is called Sadya Mukti. Once a person gets that complete knowledge, his Ajnana is totally destroyed. He thinks all the time, he knows, I am Brahman. So, he doesn't desire anything because he is extremely happy. Brahmananda, it's called. He has no desires and he is a paragon of every virtue and he dedicates his life for the good of the world. Even if the Jeevan Muktas appear to be irritated or angry, it is all for the good of the world because their individuality is completely submerged in God. They have taken total surrender to God and became one with Him. Now, for such kind of Upasakas who are ready, Adhikari Purusha, they are endowed with Sadhana, Chaturstaya Sampatthi, Viveka, Vairagya, Shamadama Dishatka Sampatthi and Mokshatva. Invariably, a Guru comes to them because like bee attracted when a lotus flower blooms, it need not send an invitation. This is a very beautiful saying of Shri Ramakrishna. What is the meaning of it? You be a lotus. You bloom fully. Once you bloom, if necessary, Guru will come. Gurus will come. Don't worry. When you are ready, the seed also will come. You are a field. You have cultivated very well. Field is ready. The seed must come and that is one meaning. Another meaning is if you have become perfect, like this perfect lotus, bloomed lotus flower, then you don't need to send an invitation. O Spiritual Seekers, wherever you are, come to me. I have travelled this path. This was what Swami Vivekananda proclaimed in the Parliament of Religions. I have come to give you the news of the other world of which you are struggling, you are wanting but you have no information about it. I am here to give that information to you. So this is the subject matter from the 7th to the 12th section of which chapter? 8th chapter. And there are three more chapters continuing different types of Upasanas, how a person can make himself more perfect. You may have a reasonable doubt that now a person will attain to the Nirguna Brahma. All these Upasanas, meditational techniques should have come much earlier but unfortunately the scripture tells so many things. And the arrangement is sometimes they are in the front, sometimes in the later, afterwards they come, beforewards they come. But in any case study of these scriptures are extremely useful. So now I will give a brief introduction to this 7th section of the 8th chapter. This is called Nirguna Brahma Gnanam or Sarvatma Bhava. So the 7th to 12th sections of the 8th chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad outline to us Prajapati's teachings to Indra about the real Self, Atman through a definitive exploration of consciousness through the states of waking, dream and deep sleep and then a transcendent state. Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti. Just like Mandukya Upanishad, you see how Gaudapada analyzes the waking state, the dream state, the deep sleep state but there is one who is undergoing all these things, who never changes. Satyam. And yet he goes through all these experiences through lot of spiritual practice and discipline and a person clearly understands that I am neither the waker nor the dreamer nor the sleeper but I am that Paramapurusha, Sakshi, Brahman that is Turiya. I am the Turiya. He understands. And the same subject matter comes here in the teachings of Prajapati to his disciples Indra and only Indra because Virochana drops off at the very first step itself. Probably after 32 years of being deprived of food and other things he said enough is enough and he just stayed for one or two classes. We will come to that and as usual every Upanishad whether there is mentioned a name of the Guru and disciple or disciples but definitely it is a teaching. Nobody sits on a rock and says I am going to proclaim this teaching to you. There must be some persons. So using a dialogue between Prajapati and Indra representing the Gods and let Virochana attends only as I said the first class only. That's all. So this section illustrates the progressive realization of the Atman emphasizing the realization of the Atman, its immortality, fearlessness and universal nature. This narrative emphasizes the necessity of disciplined spiritual practice particularly observance of Brahmacharya to transcend both bodily and mental limitations in order to attain liberation. We have seen in the last but one chapter that is to say in the fifth Brahmacharya includes every other type of spiritual discipline like Satyam, Tapaha and Dhanam etc. So that is what is meant. You observe these things. So this is where the story goes like this. So Prajapati's proclamation and the quest for the Atman by the demons and Gods also. Prajapati in a celestial assembly proclaims the nature of the Atman. What does he proclaim? This Atman is free from evil. It is unaging, deathless, sorrowless, no shoka, vishoka, ashoka, free from hunger and thirst. There is no thirst, no pipasa, with true desire Satyakama and true will Satya Sankalpa and one who realizes, understands as knowledge of this Brahman or Atman is what I am that Brahman as proclaimed by Prajapati and who was Prajapati? Brahma himself. Mundaka Upanishad specially same thing here also the Atmans. So one who realizes this Atman as I am the Atman he becomes Satyakamaha Satya Sankalpaha and such a Siddha. Siddha means perfected person who knows I am the Atman. His desires are instantly fulfilled unrestricted by space or time, unlimited by time or space and its knowers that is the knower of the Atman gain mastery over all the worlds and fulfill all wishes. This was the proclamation. So Prajapati urges investigation that means first you believe then do sadhana then obtain the knowledge of the Atman and what do I get? A promising immense infinite rewards. Everything is gained and I have to pass a remark here because you are very good students. You may think before realization there will be always a desire. What is the desire? I want to be happy. In fact all the desires are classified into three categories as I mentioned umpteen number of times. Let me never die. Let me live eternally. Let me never be ignorant. Let me always be all-knowing. Let me never be unhappy even for a billy second. Let me be all the time full of happiness, bliss rather. Asat Oma, Tamas Oma, Mrutyor Ma. These are the prayers every prani consciously or unconsciously we have to do japam. We are doing it unconsciously. Now we have to do it consciously. This is a very important point. It is will not do to read a book and say oh I am in search of all these three. I want to become sat, I want to become chit and I want to become ananda but you have to remember I want to become atman and for that I have become an adhikari. I have to go through all these worldly experiences. Let them come, let them go. They do not affect me because I have nothing to do. They can neither contribute for my happiness and similarly for my unhappiness also. I am of the nature of infinity. I am sat, chit, ananda. Therefore there is nothing but this understanding comes as we gradually progress but for those people who are at the bottom of the stepping ladder what do I get if I realize Brahma. Many people asked this question in the west when Swami Vivekananda was lecturing and he answers. Every baby asks okay if I sit quietly or pray to God will I get a gingerbread. Yes yes you will get not one but many many gingerbreads. How many? Until you get disgusted and say I want no more gingerbreads because I am getting the happiness of not because I am disgusted of gingerbread but I am getting all the happiness. I am deriving from the gingerbread. I obtained it. I am obtaining it and I will obtain it. So this was the proclamation of Prajapati. Now where did he proclaim? In the court of celestial court and then both the gods and demons they heard this declaration. So both the gods and demons heard of this proclamation but are intrigued by the Atma's promised benefits. Intrigued because initially doubts will come. So there are only two types of people at that time the gods and the demons. So all the demons had a conference. So it doesn't mean every single person attends. No conference you will get any result if everybody is given a choice to speak up. That's why every wise government selects a few people who are little knowledgeable and they come to an agreement this is what we want to speak to somebody else. So like that they chose a few wise people or whom they thought wise people on both sides demon side and god side. So the gods some of the important prime minister, home minister, finance minister, defense minister and then they said yes this is wonderful. We are all suffering so much. If we come to know the Atman, khushi o khushi, bliss o bliss, we will be happy o happy and there are no more wars and probably the gods were thinking because like the Gauls, like the Goths, German uncivilized tribal people trying to conquer Rome. So these people they have elected. There is no point of electing. Only one person will go sit as the pupil disciple and they chose Indra from the god side. Similarly there was a conference and they chose Virochana probably a most what they call according to them very intelligent person like Pandavas had chosen Bhagavan Krishna. What a terrible mistake they have committed. Of all the persons they have chosen Krishna as their ambassador of peace. Did Krishna want peace? He was a past master in diplomacy. That is another glory of this avatar. So he went and at first he declined invitation of Duryodhana. They wanted to put him in his basket and immediately they all came to receive him. Highest honor and that honor goes to the head of everybody and then they invited Krishna. You are the greatest. We have arranged a first class dinner at the royal palace. All the most important world leaders will be there. Krishna was a billion times more intelligent than all of them. He immediately understood. He said look here I am coming as an ambassador of peace. If I eat your food my mind will be swayed in your favor and I will definitely I can attend. Of course that invitation never came after what had happened. He ran away immediately. Tomorrow I will meet convey what Pandavas had asked me to convey. He went to Vidura's house. Vidura saw he ran. He knew his wife was even greater devotee than Vidura and in her ecstatic state she was overwhelmed. She was peeling I hope ripe bananas surely and throwing all the banana in the waste paper basket and feeding Bhagavan Krishna with the outer skin and happily he was unconscious of it enjoying it. My understanding is probably he was tired of eating these bananas for a long time. He said every time I throw they throw the outer skin and feed me. Now let me see why these monkeys who are my friends are after this. Anyway that was the height of a devotion bhakti of Vidura's wife. Vidura was a wise man. So next day he appeared. Why am I narrating this? Because it is Bhagavat Sankalpa, will of the divine that this war should take place and Arjuna asked in the 11th chapter. I cannot recognize you in this Vishwaroopa universal form. Who are you? I am time and the time has come to destroy a larger portion of this world. That's why he says to Arjuna you think that without you a war cannot take place because Arjuna was giving a big lecture to Bhagavan Krishna in the last half of the first chapter and the 10 shlokas in the second chapter for that marvelous university lecture of Arjuna to Bhagavan Krishna. Why war is so undesirable? Anyway here the peace and what he said he was addressing apparently in polite terms but in a very hard piercing intentional Lakshayartha. You give them half the kingdom. If you are not agreeable to that give them at least one half of the half, one fourth. Even if you are not willing to give, give them five villages so that all the can be in their own special village and they will be quite happy with that. But it is not probably Duryodhana would have agreed for that suggestion because war can be avoided, death toll can be avoided and he could go on enjoying uninterruptedly. Do you think that Krishna wants Duryodhana? So the more Krishna was speaking otherwise there would be inevitably this war and in that war Krishna was telling you are a dead person if there is a war. Your brothers are toast if there is a war. Now these words in spite of producing fear they produced fear's reaction. I am not going to yield even that much of land which the edge of a sharp needle can hold. That means I will give nothing to them. I would rather fight and die. Who gave that idea? Bhagavan Krishna only. How do we know? Because when the war was almost at the end Duryodhana was lying with his thighs broken. Some wise acer went and asked him Duryodhana did you not know that this would be the inevitable result from the very beginning? Duryodhana said yes I know fully well. Then why did you not agree to Krishna's that proposal of five villages? Then you know the greatest wisdom had come flowed through the mouth of Duryodhana. I know what is dharma absolutely no intention of following it. I know what is adharma but I am completely helpless in preventing or becoming better person and then he says that there is somebody within my heart and he is making me dance to his tune. Such tremendous wisdom Mahabharata has got and Mahabharata is nothing it is called Panchama Veda, the fifth Veda and far superior to all these four Vedas. Why is it? How is it superior? Because the very essence of all the four Vedas, all the hundreds of Upanishads is immortalized in the form of stories, moral, immoral, good stories, evil stories. Every story has got a lesson for us to learn but ultimately the very essence of all the Vedas which is nothing but Upanishads and the essence of all the Upanishads is nothing but Bhagavad Gita and that Bhagavad Gita we find in this very Mahabharata. That Vishnu Sahasranama which is the greatest beloved object of every Vaishnava that is also there in the Mahabharata and the Shiva Sahasranama, the thousand names of Shiva that is also in the Mahabharata and what are all the ashrama dharmas, how to live which is Ram Krishna holy mother had upheld through perfect living and that is also found especially in the Shanti Parva section of the Mahabharata. So I raised all these things because there is no other way excepting God's grace which will surely come if we are only having Sharanagati. So Prajapati's declaration if whatever desires you have all of them without exception will be fulfilled by the knowledge of Atma and both Gods and demons heard it both of them had chosen one one representation, the best representation the Gods had chosen Indra and the demons had chosen Virochana and then both of them without any information that both of them are what is called arch enemies without the knowledge of each other both of them in their own respective paths they approached only when they approached Prajapati they knew each other but there should be no enmity at this stage because they have to leave that enmity far behind. So the demons led by Virochana and similarly repute Virochana and Indra from the Gods both of them approached. How did they approach? Indra and Virochana unaware of each other's intentions travelled to Prajapati's abode as his humble disciples carrying Samitpani sacred firewood and then probably he asked Prajapati asked or probably he did not ask because after the declaration soon they have come he understood being by just of the persons he said my children we have to imagine and insert my children you are not yet ready for this teaching but you have to live 32 years of spiritual practice called Brahmacharya live with me practicing austerity and self-discipline without them without stating their purpose demonstrating their commitment to spiritual preparation they accepted immediately and 32 years have passed after that this story is very interesting Prajapati called them and said you have completed according to my direction 32 years of observing Brahmacharya and self-discipline tapas austerity and self-discipline whose purpose is to become an Adhikari Sadhana Chaitanya Sampanaha so you deserve to be so now you have to express your intention not that Prajapati did not know their intention but then each one of us have to declare this is the purpose for what I have come to you even though the Guru may know but he will still demand to do this so that is where actually the seventh section starts and the seventh section has got only four mantras and what beautiful mantras they are so what did he say before that we have to recollect what we studied earlier we studied then this one who is fully serene rising up from this body and reaching the highest light remains established in his true nature this is the self this is immortal this is beyond all fear this is Brahman where did we see it this very eighth chapter third section fourth mantra also to that who is that fully serene one or how easy to be known as one who rising up from this body and reaching the highest light remains established in his true nature what are the characteristics of that self in whose true nature he remains established and to make this very palatable so the following story is narrated by the Upanishad let us remember all stories like Ramayana and Mahabharata are for illustrating Vedic truths crystal clearly they are not stories they are allegories or parables metaphors remember Sri Ramakrishna teaching on Ramayana the allegory of Ramayana Sita Lakshmana Bharata sorry Sri Rama followed by Sita followed by Lakshmana or walking in the Dandakaranya and Lakshmana is compared to the Jeevatma always in love with Paramatma Sita is compared to the wailing power Mahamaya and the Bhakta knows by the grace of God until Mahamaya makes the way there is no way to see my God so he prays oh mother please make it possible for me to see my Paramatma and out of her infinite grace and her infinite grace comes only when we surrender to her properly and surrendering to her means developing the characteristics of the Gods and eliminating the characteristics of the demons which were beautifully described in the 16th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita Mahabharata also Swami Vivekananda said it is an allegorical story every Jeevatma is Arjuna every battlefield is Kurukshetra Arjuna only represents an enlightened awakened spiritual seeker and his body and mind are the chariots but he has to surrender these two to the Divine Lord say you please guide Oh mother you are the real owner you are the charioteer make me speak make me do make me dance whatever you wish me to do but one has to come to that state that is called practicing so the story has interesting parallels we will start from our next class Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padapadmetayo Saritva Pranamami Moho Moho May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Hey Ramakrishna