Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 110 on 08 June 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 We are studying the last, the fourth mantra of the seventh section of the eighth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. This chapter is very aptly called Prajapati Indra Samvada. In this chapter we get pure knowledge of the Brahman, nirguna, brahma, jnana. Earlier sections are meant as preparations as told earlier. This section has got four mantras and we have already discussed three mantras. So this is the last mantra in this particular seventh section. Prajapati declared that the Atman should be sought and desired to be understood. This Atman is further described as free from evil, free from old age, free from death, free from sorrow, free from hunger, free from thirst. Not only that, its desire is of the truth. Satya Kamaha and Satya Sankalpaha and its resolve is also of the truth. And then Prajapati declared further, he who has sought out, did sadhana, becomes an Adhikari, approaches a Guru, sits at his feet performing three actions. Pranipata, complete self-surrender, then Sevaya, through appropriate service that pleases the teacher and Pranipatena, Pariprasnena, asking appropriate questions pertaining to what he wants to attain. Then what happens, such a person becomes aware of Brahman and attains all the worlds and every desire of will be fulfilled. And as I said, discussed earlier that such a person will in fact cherish no desires, there is no other loka, there is nobody else, only he alone is there. And he remains swimming as if in the ocean of bliss. This was the declaration of the Prajapati in a great divine assemblage. Both the Gods and the demons heard and they wanted to get their desires fulfilled. We also pray to God for the fulfillment of our desires. So from among the Gods, Indra was chosen as a representative and from among the demons, Virochana was chosen. And both of them with Samitpani, firewood, symbolizing their complete surrender at the feet of the teacher and to surrender completely so that they have complete faith in the teachings. They receive the teachings with full faith, Shraddha, Paripoorna Shraddha and they will do Mananam and then they will transform their lives called Nidhidhyasanam. So they approached and they approached without knowing each other because they were living at different places and by nature they are arch enemies. As soon as they approached, Prajapati asked them that you are not yet ready, you will have to live for 32 years, doing what? Pranipata, learning Pranipata, learning how to do Seva, then they will have the appropriate questions because a real teacher will never allow his pupils to ask inappropriate, unnecessary, time-wasting questions. And they lived with Prajapati for 32 years observing Brahmacharya. Here Brahmacharya I mentioned, Pranipata, Seva and then Paripoorna. In other words, to become a fully qualified student, ready to receive, developing what yesterday we discussed, Karpoorabuddhi. The moment teacher says, immediately they understand. In Sri Ramakrishna's words, first class student or disciple. Now we are in, this is the essence of the three mantras gone earlier. Now we are entering into the fourth. Alright, so having completed 32 years, having somewhat purified, somewhat ready. Why do we say that? Because otherwise the very first teaching, the teacher would have taught everything. But he knew they were not ready, their minds are not pure, their hearts are not pure, their intellect is not pure and they do not have that grasping power. So step by step from wherever they are, he wanted to take them. So the fourth mantra goes like this, Tauha Prajapati Vacha. So he asked them, after 32 years, what for did you come? And they repeated verbatim what he declared, that whoever realizes that Atman, then all he will attain, whichever world he wants to and all his desires will be fulfilled, when? All the time. And how long he can stay in those worlds? Forever. How can he stay forever? Because that is called Brahmaloka. Brahmaloka means continuous abidance in one's own self, knowing fully well, I am Brahman. So then Prajapati just asked, what for did you come? And they expressed, so we want to realize that self about whom you declared with eightfold divine qualities, then Prajapati gave the lowest teaching. What is that lowest teaching? Tauha Prajapati Vacha. Prajapati started his teaching to these people who are fit only to hear this particular truth. And then he further declared, Anteshu Parikhyayata Itiha Vacha. Beautiful mantra, very very profound mantra, containing profound meaning. So I will first deal with this Sanskrit itself. Tauha, addressing them, Prajapati Vacha. Prajapati started teaching. Vacha means he said, he spoke, but here it means it is not ordinary conversation like between you and me or between people, but the teaching, I know what I am teaching, I know what you declared you want to have, but the very first step, first lesson, you have to start from there only. And this lesson is divided into four parts. We have to understand it with this background. I will give you a very brief introduction. What is that? First of all, you will have to understand that this what you experience in the waking state, that is called Akshi Purusha, that is called Vishwa. If you still remember, Mandukya Upanishad Karikas by Bhagavan Gaudapada. So we see, and eyes are very important, but actually eyes means the whole of the mind, which is combined with Chidabasa, reflected consciousness, but in this case, eyes are given very prominent part among all the instruments of knowledge. Why also, I will discuss later on. So he said that, look here, you go on looking, stand very nearby, let each of you stretch your eyes, open your eyes as wide as possible and carefully look into each other's eyes. You can also do that. You go to the very good mirror with good light and stand very near to your reflection. The nearer you are to the mirror, the nearer you will be to the reflection and focus your eyes, your sight on the eyes of your reflection. You will see your own reflection. I'm not talking about the reflection in the mirror, but I'm talking about a little bit of your reflection. The eyes act like a mirror, apart from the mirror. Similarly, the other person also will see you. This has a profound significance. I'll come to that. So Prajapati started his teaching, about whom you have come to seek, that Atman, that Brahman, that Brahman, means in the eye. Aksha means eye. Purushaha, that is a reflection of whatever you are. Prajapati or Brahma used the word Akshi Purushaha, but they did not understand. So whatever you see by looking into each other's eyes or anybody's eyes, that is the Atman you have come to seek, to be instructed by me. He spoke thus. He did not stop there, because that can lead to terrible misunderstanding. This Akshi Purushaha, this reflected Purushaha, that we can see in any number of reflections, but here particularly, look closely into the eye and a little bit of our own body is seen there. That is called Akshi Purushaha. That Amrutam, that is immortal. Abhayam, fearless. Abhayam means fear. Abhayam means what? Fearlessness. And if there is a second thing, anything, suppose there is a book on the table and suppose there is a small pen knife on the shelf, that is the second thing and it can injure, it can hurt, it can kill if the book falls on your head. So if you don't fall upon the book and then absorb it, it is as good as it falling upon, they say deaf ears, I am saying on your head. So Amrutam, immortal. Abhayam, fearless. Bhayam, fear, always comes if there is a second living, non-living, a small rock also. How big is a bullet? So if somebody takes a bullet and if it falls upon any one of us, it can hurt. In a few circumstances, it can kill also. But the same small bullet, if it is put in a gun, instantaneously it will acquire tremendous force and power and can kill. So that Akshay Purusha, that reflected Purusha, which we are capable of seeing as a reflection in any reflecting medium, but here specifically the eye, that is Amrutam Abhayam. Now I said it is a profound teaching. What is it? So what did they hear? This Indra and Virochana, what did they hear? Esa Akshani Purushaha Drishyate, Esa Atma, that Atma about whom I have declared that Akshay Purusha, that Atma is this reflection. That much only they understood. They neither understood what Prajapati declared, that is Vimrutyohu, Pijarah, Vishokaha, Ajigatsaha, Apipashaha and then so many Apahatapatma, Sathyasankalpasak, they completely forgot that one. So they said, oh that reflection we see, that is the Atman, oh that is the secret. We have been seeing that one definitely, but we never knew it was Atman and with this they are almost about to depart thinking that they have understood everything about the Atman. This is called impurity, is called not fit to receive this knowledge because their eightfold qualities of Atman do they apply to this reflected self, means our own bodies. First of all, it is not even our body, it is only a reflection of our body and then that should lead us, oh this is my body, that should be the knowledge and if we understand that is my body, this body what is it doing? Continuously dying. So the baby dies, the child emerges. Child dies, adolescent emerges. Adolescent dies, the youth emerges etc. etc. You can continue further, but if by looking into the reflected medium, I come to know that this body is the Atman, then how do these eightfold qualities, how do they fit? And here again, Prajapati is reminding them, etat amrutam, it is immortal. Immortal means no birth, no death. This body suffers from sixfold, what is called shadurmi, asti, jayate, vardate, viparinamate, then vinasyati, apakshiyate, vinasyati. How does it apply? It doesn't apply, but they did not have that thinking power. Abhayam, we are always frightened. I am hungry, I am frightened, I may not get food. I am thirsty, I may not get water. Somebody is threatening me, he might destroy me. Everything is fearful. I may not get what I want and I may lose what I have. Everything is a source of fear. Dvitiya, any second thing is a source of fear. Should not they have thought after 32 years of practicing ekagrata? No. That means they did not do real tapasya. How do we know? Because we know it because when Indra returned of those two, Virochana reached his place, happily preached that this body is the Atman. So, feed it, drink wonderful things, eat enjoyable things, eat, drink, make merry, try to be happy. Even if you have to borrow money, enjoy first. Because once this body is burned, there is no question of its returning back, which is an absolute truth. It is a truth because if we are merely bodies and if it is burned, there is no question of that body coming again. Every time a new body comes, not only after death, every millisecond some changes are taking place. So, that thoughtfulness was not there in both of them, especially in Virochana. But later on in Indra, we see that one. We will come to that story. But what is it? Whenever we look into each other's eyes, that is the superficial meaning. But if we go a little bit deeper, a baby is always looking for approval from the parents, from the teachers, from the other children. So, from birth to death, we are seeking and seeking and seeking. What are we seeking? Oh, you are wonderful, you are beautiful, you are very intelligent, you are very capable. So, even a food rug also is seeking. And the best food rug in the whole world, specially made by Arabian nations, Arabian carpet, flying carpet. So, there seems to be flying carpets. And every carpet that is put in a plane is a flying carpet only. No doubt about it. Because it is always flying from place to place. So, they should have thought. Then they wanted to clarify it. Okay, we accept your teaching. Whatever reflections we see, and definitely those reflections are definitely the Atman. We have no doubt about it. But just we want to be 100% certain. Because when I look, when we look into each other's eyes, there is a reflection. And a reflected something always indicates something which is there outside. So, that requires body, at least a bit of the body. The whole body cannot be reflected unless we are at sufficient distance. Only upper portion, maybe our head alone will be reflected there. Because the mirror of the eye is very small. But if it is a physical mirror, then it is possible. So, then they put this question. So, Bhagavan, redressing the Guru as Bhagavan. Many places we have seen. So, Shweta Ketu also says Bhagavan. Every teacher, he says Bhagavan. Even we see in the Taittiriya Upanishad, the third chapter, Bhagavan means your God. Because a Guru is a God-realized soul, is none other than Brahman. So, if you have, if you are standing in a still lake or on the banks of a lake, the banks of a huge pool of water or a huge vessel where is plenty of water, stand sufficiently, at least most of our bodies will be reflected. It is a reflecting medium. Any reflecting medium. If you are passing in Bangalore, there are so many granite stones, special granite stones and they polish it so that the very walls become perfect mirrors. And then, of course, there is a mirror. Everybody has mirrors, especially in the bathrooms, a full-sized mirror. So, these people wanted to find out both of them. Bhagavan, O Lord. So, if we see in the waters, whatever we see, means is reflected there and then means a beautiful, perfectly clean mirror. Katama eshayati. Katama is that also, the Atman which you described just now, like the reflection in the eye. That is, they wanted to be sure not only the reflection in the eye is Atman, but wherever we see a reflection in any reflectable medium, any pollution surface or any mirror or a large pool of still water, whatever, wherever we see our reflections, is that also equal to that Akshi Purusha? And then, what does Prajapati reply? Because he understood the dull-mindedness of both of them. Esha O, Eva, Eshu, Sarveshu, Anteshu, Parikhyayate. Prajapati, what did he do? He said thus. What did he say? Esha O. Esha means this Atman about whom I declared, endowed with those eightfold qualities, Eva. He alone, Sarveshu, Eshu, Anteshu, inside all these things that you just now mentioned, all these reflecting surfaces, Parikhyayate, Paridhrishyate, he who is seen as reflections, they are all that same Atman. No difference whether you see in the eye, whether you see in waters, whether you see in a beautiful, clean mirror, that which you see is the reflection. Now, we have to understand the inner meaning of this. So here, all of us are looking towards the world and I look, for example, a baby looks in the classroom, whether the teacher says, Oh, you are right. Your answer is correct. You are a very intelligent boy. So he wants. A sporting child, Oh, how nicely you played, how nicely you kicked the ball and when he comes home with examination results, Oh, you passed brilliantly. How wonderful. We are so proud. I will prepare for you, especially your favorite food. If the mother says like that, father looks very approvingly at him, then what happens? Our personality becomes confirmed that that is the Atman, that is me, me. They are appreciated. To be appreciated, there must be somebody. So why do we look into the mirror? We want approval of not only ourselves, actually not ourselves. We want approval of other people. How come? Because supposing there is nobody, I doubt how many of us look into the mirror every morning. We look into it because I want to appear as beautiful as possible, as spotless as possible, as well-dressed as possible. For what? If there is nobody, I don't want to, I don't care to dress. There is no person, partner to appreciate me. I can put any old cloth that will be absolutely fine. That is why when the wife is absent, you see the husbands. One shoe towards the North Pole, another shoe towards the South Pole, one shirt will be hanging in a corner, the socks will be somewhere else. So the pants will be somewhere else because there is nobody to appreciate or to criticize. But we are always looking for other people's appreciation confirming that we are somebody. So what is it that we are looking? First of all, we are looking at our physical body. It is beautiful, it is well-known, it is appreciable and everybody takes notice of it which confirms my egotism. Similarly, if I have intelligence, I also look for approval of other people. So we dress so that other people can approve. That is called nowadays fashion. It has become a passion now how we want even if it is making us suffer from cold or from heat. You know in South India, people wear English cloths, coats, boots, hats, tight boots because that is what we have learned from the British people. In Britain, it is a different geographical area, different climates. That is totally different. But here it is burningly hot. So a pure white cotton cloth and a dhoti or pyjamas would be more than adequate, more comfortable. That's why in Arab countries, Arab dress, you never find them or rarely find them with American or western dress. They are very comfortable there. So even if they are sweating, nobody can see inside. They cover themselves fully, men and women. So instead of that, in India we have become imitating monkeys. So what are we trying to reinforce our idea, I am the body, I am the mind and we want approval of the whole world and we want to enjoy the world for the sake of the body. So they did not understand. What did they not understand? He said that which is not born, that is not said but it is implied. That which is vimrutyu, deathless. What can have death? Only that which has birth. So that which is birthless, that which is deathless, that which does not feel hunger or thirst, that which doesn't feel any worry or any unhappiness, all these belong to the body and mind and the more we are body oriented, the more we are its effect upon the mind. So everything in this world is changing and that's satyam. How can this be satyam? We have seen satyam jnanam anantam brahma, that which never changes, that is satyam. That which is not subject to any limitation, that is called immortal. But did these people, two people understand? Two people means the whole world can be divided into two. One are the children of Indra, another are the children of Arjuna. If the father is like that, most likely the children will also be like that only. So now having seen, following the instructions, the reflection in the other's eye of ourselves and vice versa, they wanted to confirm that that reflection is the Atman, that is myself. How can my reflection be? Reflection is lifeless. Here it is amrutam, abhayam. Nobody is afraid of a reflection. We are afraid of some real bodies, real minds, but they have no thinking capacity. So whatever reflecting surfaces, when we look, what do we see? See the reflected form of whatever is in front, which is our physical body. Body of course is maintained, combined with the mind. So our what we call personality and this is abhayam, this is amrutam. How can it be? Every single second we are frightened who will come and kill us. We are frightened of old age, frightened of losing our good fortune, frightened of being hungry, being thirsty, being tired and being unhappy. We are frightened of everything in this world. Somehow we are trying to not to be afraid by trying to fulfill by eating, by drinking etc. They did not understand. So you see the whole world confirms that you are my son, not the potentially divine, you are the body and mind. Because when we are youth, we attract people. When we are beautiful, we attract people. When we are ugly, we keep people away etc. So a little bit of thought, that which is changing, body is changing, mind is changing, therefore it is not satyam, therefore it is not amruta and it is always frightened and therefore it is not abhaya. They should have understood. But what he said, this very one, this is your real self. This is immortal, this is fearless and this is called Brahman, this is called Atman. So initial teaching was the reflection is Atman. But what Prajapati has meant, that the seer inside the eye, the Aksha Purusha, the real Chaitanyam, that which is within the body and mind, that is the real Atman and that is free from evil, that is free from birth and death, that is free from fear, that is free from hunger, thirst, old age, death. But however, the peoples, both Indra and Virochana, mistook the reflected self and then whatever, that is their own body pointing out. So what does this teach us? This understanding of Indra and Virochana reflects a lack of pure intellect or the impurity of their minds. A true self was mistaken for the body or the reflected self. Until now, it was the story. Now, what Prajapati wanted to teach was that Chaitanya Swaroopam, because the eye cannot function without that reflected consciousness. The mind cannot function without that reflected consciousness. Any part of the body cannot function. Prana itself is a reflected consciousness only. That's why I told you earlier, where there is prana, there is reflected consciousness and vice versa. And where there is no prana, Chaitanyam is there. But the instrument to perceive that Chaitanyam is lacking because it is the prana, a peculiar manifestation of Brahman which enlivens the mind, all the five senses of knowledge, five senses of action. And where is this Chaitanyam? This Chaitanyam is neither a part or a quality of the Shariram. It is neither a part of the body nor a quality of the body. Chaitanyam is completely different, independent, separate, pervading the entire Shariram and making it function, manifesting. Chaitanyam is not limited to the Sharirams because even if the body is dead, Chaitanyam is not dead. Chaitanyam doesn't perish when this physical body is destroyed. It persists even after the body is dead. But the Chaitanyam exists even after death. But it cannot be experienced and understood not because it is absent but because the instrument which can reflect that Chaitanyam is not there. So that reflection in the eye of, in any reflected medium, that reflection by Prajapati is meant to be reflecting consciousness, not the reflecting body and mind. But these two pupils, they understood in completely opposite way. So the same Chaitanyam, so will it, does it not work with body, mind? Yes. When with the help of body, mind it works in this waking state, then that reflected consciousness plus body plus mind plus karana sharira or plus sthula sukshma karana shariras is called chidabhasa and is called vishwa. We have seen it in the Mandukya Upanishad. And the same reflected consciousness, chidabhasa, it detaches itself from the body but works with both the subtle body, sukshma sharira and causal body, karana sharira. It is called dream world, swapna prapancha. And the same reflected chidabhasa experiencing that third state called karana shariram where the projecting power is absent but the covering power is absent. So that is called prajna and even then it is bound because it is changing from one state to the other state and even though it is what is called chidabhasa is not changing, it is not aware of it. So this chidabhasa has two aspects. The identifying aspect when the chidabhasa says I am the waker, I am the dreamer, I am the sleeper. But there is a fourth state that is called turiyam, sakshi chaitanyam. So participating reflected consciousness, witnessing consciousness and this participating reflected consciousness is called either vishwa or taijasa or prajna depending upon which of the three states we are in. But divide of all this as pure unchanging reality, it is called sakshi chaitanyam. So all spiritual life is to go beyond these things and when this reflected consciousness is not reflecting anymore, not reflecting the sthula, sukshma, karana shariras, not thinking I am the vishwa, taijasa and prajna, not identifying with jagrat, svapna, sushupti, that is called turiya. So because of these upadis it is continuously thinking I am vishwa, I am taijasa and I am prajna. However pure consciousness sakshi chaitanyam is called turiyam and that is the truth. This is what Godopada Mandukya 7th mantra. Turiyam alone is satyam. Why is it called satyam? If you still connect the taittiriya upanishad satyam that means that which is not limited by time, space and object, that which is unlimited, that is that which never changes, never becomes changed due to time or space or another object, that is called satyam. That turiyam alone is satyam. Further from the jnana point of view, if we want to get any knowledge in this world then suppose there is a tree, so there must be pramathru, the knower, pramana, the instrument of knowledge, prameya and then that object about which we want to know and if all the three pramatha, pramana and prameya are working harmoniously then it results in a fourth limiting factor called prama. Prama means right knowledge. This is a tree and normally this is called triputi and so this turiyam is not limited by desha, kala or vastu and that is brahman and that is what Prajapati or Brahma the first born wanted to teach but these people they did not understand. So this akshi purusha refers to vishwa, swapna purusha refers to taijasa, swapna purusha is called prajna, turiyam is called uttama purusha, uttama purusha is chaitanyam and you understand sahasraseesha purushaha, sahasraksha, sahasrapat, sabhomim vishwato vrittva atyatishraddha shangulam that purusha sahasraseesha purushaha that is the paramatma that is the brahman that is called chaitanyam and he is not limited by vishwa, taijasa or prajna, jagrat, swapna or sushukti. So not only that, that vishwa that is called akshi purusha and this akshi purusha is available when in jagrat avastha and this taijasa purusha is available in swapna prapancha and this prajna purusha is available only in the sushukti avastha. So akshi purusha what you see that is the atman and what Prajapati meant is that reflected consciousness which alone makes it possible for all the body and minds to work for all the sense organs to work that is what I meant that pure turiya chaitanyam is what I meant that atman is what I meant that brahman is what I meant but these people understood totally differently. Now a question might come that why is it called akshi purusha because he is there not only in the eye, in the ears, in all the five sense organs, in all the organs of the action, in the mind, in the prana, the whole body mind complex is nothing but manifestation of brahman only. Why is it called akshi purusha? He could be called deha purusha, he could be called antaranga purusha but why is he called akshi purusha because if you really think about it what is the most important sense organ that gives yields most knowledge it is called akshi. So even if you are walking so the walking is done not by the eyes by the legs but the eyes they guide in this direction and there is a ditch there avoid it there is a stone there there are some thorns there be careful about it so that is why it is said is called akshi purusha because aksha that means seeing, seeing means knowing you see in English language we use this word suppose you are talking to somebody and he did not know at the beginning what you are talking and as you go on talking slowly he starts to understand what does he say I see he's not talking that he's seeing you who are talking he means he understands he means is that knowledge so among the most important instruments of knowledge the eyes are most important and every one of us have got two eyes and of these two eyes the dakshina, dakshina means that eye which we use more often this is a surprising fact we have got two hands, two legs, two eyes, two nostrils, two ears but then you know one of them is a little more powerful than the other one and through habit we see more through the right eye hear more through the right ear etc so dakshina akshi so this is called the right eye it doesn't mean just the physical eye it means whichever is the most appropriate adequate instrument for getting the greatest amount of knowledge and that is called akshi purusha but without consciousness without chaitanyam it's not possible to have at all that's why he's called akshi purusha and in the bruhadaranika this eye is beautifully described especially in the svayam jyoti brahmana jyoti rajyoti ujjvala hridi kandara that is why he said that one that which is reflected in the aksha in the eye akshi purusha and it is said in the we have also seen in kena so it is the consciousness which makes every dead body dead mind come to life and function but without that chaitanyam is not possible to have any type of knowledge so prajapati's teaching is you should have found out with who is the most important person who is giving you that knowledge that is the atman that is amrutam that is avayam but these people without any thought let alone deep thought they accepted it and then what did they do we have obtained the knowledge of the and both of them saluted him gratefully and they returned this subject we will talk about in our next class because all this is applicable to all of us om may ramakrishna holy mother and swami vekananda bless us all with bhakti jai ramakrishna