Taittiriya Upanishad Lecture 60 on 09 July 2025

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

ओम् जननीम् शरदाम् देविम् रामक्रिष्णम् जगत् गुर्म् पादपद्मे तयोः स्रित्वाः प्रणमामिमुहुरुमु

ओम् सहनावभतु सहनावभुनक्तु सहवीर्यम् करवावहे तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तुमाविद्विशावहे

ओम् शन्ति, शन्ति, शन्ति, हर्ही ओम्

Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍhāṁ deveṁ rāmakriṣṇam jagad-gurum

pādapadmetayosritvā pranamāmi-muhurumuhu

Oṁ śannau mitraśyaṁ varuṇah, śannau bhavatvaryama,

śannau indro-bhrihaspate, śannau viṣṇuru-kramah,

namo brahmaṇe namaste vāyo tvameva pratyakṣaṁ brahmaśe,

tvameva pratyakṣaṁ brahma vadhiṣyāmi, ritaṁ vadhiṣyāmi, satyam vadhiṣyāmi,

tan māmavatu tad-bhaktāramavatu, avatu mām, avatu bhaktāram.

Oṁ śānti, śānti, śānti, harih, Oṁ,

Oṁ. May Mitra be blissful to us, may Varuna be blissful to us, may Ariyama 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, over you.

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.

Oṁ, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

We are studying the first anuvākāa section of the second chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad called Brahmavalli, Ānandavalli or Brahmā plus Ānanda combined as Brahmānandavalli.

And what have we studied so far? Let us recollect. That's why I take time to even recollect quite a few minutes. So that we will not miss the connection between what we studied and what we are going to study. So what did we study so far? In this particularly second chapter, first, Brahman is the only reality. Satyam jñānam anantam brahmā. That is to say, Brahman is Satyam. That means the only reality. To recognize, to know anything in this world, we require knowledge or consciousness. And that is called jñānam. And Brahman being the mōla kāraṇa, root cause, is everywhere. Just as clay is pervading every product and therefore it is anantam. Satyam jñānam anantam brahmā. Brahman is the only reality. And so if that is the truth and we do not know that truth, what is the goal of life? To know that I am not this body or mind, but I am Brahman. And what does one gain by realizing this Brahman? One who knows that I am Brahman, he attains the supreme. He experiences every bliss, every happiness experienced by everything, anything. Because ananda means unbroken, infinite bliss beyond happiness and unhappiness. Now where is this Brahman? In order to realize I am Brahman, I have to do some spiritual practice. So where is this Brahman? He is everywhere. There is no doubt. Everything is Brahman only. But that knowledge comes only after realization. First of all we have to realize, as Sri Ramakrishna says, first go to the roof, then you will know what is the roof, then you will know the whole house. Everything is made up of the same material as the roof. So for that purpose the Brahman, because of our ignorance, is everywhere. But not available at the beginning to know that Brahman is everywhere. He should be contemplated, he should be found out within one's own heart in the dharakasha, that is in the heart's space, chidakasha. Yo veda nihitam, that which is deeply hidden, gohaya in one's own heart in the form of chidakasha. In order to show that Brahman is the Self of all. The scripture now wants to describe how the entire universe is born, is sustained and merges back in Brahman. So where is that Brahman?

Sarvam kalvidam brahma. Everything is Brahman only. So this universe that we are experiencing right now, but as what? As changing, as limited, as many. Is it also Brahman? Yes. Why does this doubt come? Because the description by the scripture says Brahman is one, Brahman is unchanging, Brahman is unlimited. So that which is changing is called asatyam or anritam, that which is limited is called antam or shantam, that which is many, it is not ekam, it is anekam. Naturally that is what we are experiencing. So doubt comes. You say Brahman is satyam jnanam anantam, but everything that is opposite to these three descriptions is what I am experiencing. Therefore how do you equate that one? For that this Srishti prakriya is going to be described. So how can this universe which is changing, which is limited, which seems to be many, each one separate in itself, and that is very true, I cannot be you, you cannot be me, even two hairs on our bodies are not equal, completely different, though they may look alike. So how do you say it is Brahman which is one without a second, which is infinite, which is unchanging, that is the definition of satyam. How can this universe be Brahman? Because of its manifestation, this universe is nothing but a manifestation of Brahman only. How do we understand this process? By knowing Brahman as jagat karnam. Just as when we look at a pot, we cannot understand that its karnam is clay. We have to first of all question ourselves. Whatever I see is not everything. There are so many things which I am not able to understand, but without which the pot cannot exist. Its existence for example, and it is changing, but within every effect, in this example the pot, there is something which is unchanging. You can break the pot, or if that example is difficult to imagine, imagine wax. So out of wax you can shape and reshape and do anything. Or while you are preparing chapatis, you take that dough, you can make it round, you can make it triangular, you can make it square, whichever way you want, you can make it. And if you don't like one form, you can again mix it back and then bring another form. But one thing that is not changing is the very dough. Dough with a name form has different names. This is chapati, that is poori, this is parotta, etc. So that is why we are clogged. As it were, our eyes are blind. We don't see what is there. Existence, pure existence which is unchanging. And whenever we look at an object, how do we know it is an object? Because we know it. That knowing is possible because of consciousness. That consciousness without which we cannot have any knowledge, that is called jnanam. The existent part of any object is called satyam. The knowing part of any object is called consciousness. And every root cause. So clay, out of clay we can make any number of pots. But every pot contains only that clay, nothing but clay. Only clay with particular form, particular name, for particular purpose is called small pot, big pot, small wave, big wave, etc. So therefore, if we look deeply into any object, that satyam, jnanam, anantam is revealed. And to make that knowledge our own, we have to do this upasana.

So to see that this world is nothing but Brahman, to make us understand, then like you know, like the example, a prince is lost. Some thieves kidnapped him, brought him up. And he thought growing up that my parents are these. But when he grew up, somebody recognizes him because of something he is wearing around his neck, which fortunately the kidnappers did not remove. And this boy was very fond of that. And then he said, you are not the son of these people and you can create a big story about it. So he arrested them and then he questioned them and they admitted, we only kidnapped. And the prince was restored back. He recognized his real parents. Like that, we thought, I am the child of these parents. No, these are not our parents. We belong to God and Brahman is our only parent. And just like clay is pervading every effect, so Brahman is pervading. And unlike Brahman, there is no object in this world which can do these things. In fact, just the opposite. Every object in this world is Andhrutam, all the time changing. And every change brings a change in our understanding of that object. And every object is limited, Desha, Kaala, Usthu, Parichcheda. But once we understand that the root cause in this example is clay and that never changes, that is the only existence and that is the only knowledge. This is clay. This pot is clay. That pot also is clay. Any pot is only clay and that is called Gnanam. And then we say this clay alone is everywhere. So sarva karna karna. Whether it is clay, whether it is gold, whether it is wood, these are all causes of these limited objects in the physical world. But if we go, what is the cause of the wood? What is the cause of the clay? What is the cause of the gold, silver, iron, whatever? Finally we land in Brahman, pure existence, pure knowledge and infinity. That alone is the highest one. So for that purpose, the Srishti Prakriya, how this universe, seemingly totally opposite to what Brahman is, appears to be. So we are suffering, we are born, every millisecond is a change. Time means change. Kala means change. So Brahman is the jagat karanam and as Brahman this world is also unchanging. The moment we recognize that a pot is nothing but clay, as clay it never changes and that knowledge is permanent and the effect also is permanent. Once we know something is permanent, permanent means it never changes and it is infinite because everything has come from infinity. Poornat poornam udhachate. So Brahman is the cause. Now these are the fundamental principles of Vedanta.

In this world two types of causes are posited. Two ways of two causes. For any object there must be two causes. One is the material cause, another is the intelligent cause. Upadharana means material. If we take the pot as an example, clay is the material cause but clay cannot make itself into a pot. There must be some intelligent being cause which is in this case is called a potter or a carpenter or a goldsmith or a silversmith or a blacksmith, whatever. But before creation these differences were not there. Only after creation we see differences. So then okay Brahman is material cause. Then as we said material cause doesn't have the intelligence to manifest itself. Therefore we require another cause and that is called intelligent cause and to understand these beautiful teachings we require an example. So you go to bed after dinner and you create an entire dream world which is absolutely real so long as the dream lasts. So upon waking up you ask yourself who is the creator? Karana, myself. Who is the material? Myself only. Who is the upadharana karana? Material cause, myself. Who is the intelligent cause? Myself only. Like that Brahman is both the intelligent cause and material cause. That's why it is called abhinna, nimitta, upadharana, karana, two types of causes. Now the next point we have to understand how does this unchanging Brahman which is one can become many? That means if we accept Brahman as both the causes, material as well as the intelligent cause. So in this world if you take any example, the same example we used just now, take a pot. So pot, what is the material cause of the pot? Clay. What is the intelligent cause of the pot? A potter. The potter is different, the clay is different but we are saying here that their Brahman is abhinna. That is one and the same Brahman is both the intelligent as well as material cause. But now the question comes from our viewpoint that this world is changing. It has come from unchanging Brahman. So how is it possible? That is the understanding.

So two types of, two ways of understanding what is called creation or srishti prakriya, the process of creation is understood. So two types of philosophy has emerged. One accepted by all the dualists, another is accepted by only advaitins. What do the dualists, what do they say? Parinama vada. Their understanding is just like milk becomes changed into yogurt or curds, so everything, the Brahman becomes changeful, the unchanging Brahman becomes changeful and that change is very real. It is not mithya. That is what all the dualists say. This is called parinama vada. The theory, Brahman remains as Brahman and at the same time changes into the multiplicity. In other words, Brahman, the one unchanging Brahman through the process of creation remains both unchanging and also changing at the same time. This is called parinama vada, transformational theory and most people believe it. And the advaitins, the non-dualists, in contrast they say, no, this is only seeming, not real. The example we know that in semi-darkness, a rope is mistaken as a snake. And in this process also, I have already discussed this, most of you, perhaps you remember, we have to understand, there are two elements are there in this, one unchanging element and the second seemingly changing element. Just to remind you what we have discussed, you should have remembered it, but in case you don't, suppose you take this rope, what do we say? There is a rope and when in semi-darkness we perceive the same rope, what do we say? There is a snake. Now there are two elements in this statement. There is a rope, there is a snake, there is a, is common to both the rope and the snake. That doesn't change. The existence part does not change. But the rope part appears, really doesn't change, appears to be changing and that is the specialty of this, what is called vivarta vada. Vivarta is not a fact, it appears not real. That is the second point. The third point is where does this change appear? Even when I am looking at the snake, thinking that it is a snake, actually the change doesn't occur in the rope or in the snake, it occurs in my brain. The problem is not out there, the problem is in, in my brain. How do we know? As soon as we bring light, then we see it as it is, completely as it is. So why do we mistake? Because of semi-darkness. That is very, very important word. Semi-darkness is very important. So Brahman has a power, that is called maya shakti. Just as we have a power, that is called nidra shakti. During nidra, sleep, we create our own dream world. So Bhagawan also is creating His dream world because His dream is universal, it is called maya. Our dream is individual, so it is called avidya, maya and avidya. You don't need to bother, but we have to understand clearly, this is what is involved in vivartavada or seemingly appearance theory. So just like our dream, and this maya shakti or Brahman has two powers, and first point we have to understand is, this maya shakti is inseparable from Brahman, Brahman itself. Otherwise it becomes dualistic theory, there is Brahman and there is maya, and therefore there are two, therefore it is not advaita, it is udvaita, it is duality, not non-duality. For that purpose our understanding is, our advaita explains it as Brahman and maya shakti are inseparable, just like Shiva and Parvati, Shiva and shakti are inseparable. This maya shakti, how does it function? It has two powers, one is called avarna shakti, that which first of all it covers the truth, secondly vikshepa shakti, it projects something else. First it covers the truth, then it projects as if that is the truth. Just like first the rope is covered, that is called, or rope portion is covered, that is called avarna shakti, the covering power, and it makes, this power makes that after covering the rope part of it as snake. That is called vikshepa, or projecting power. This is the background, if we keep, then we can understand.

So the Upanishad now details the Srishti Prakarnam. So Upanishad explains that how does this, how did this creative process start? Says, Upanishad is telling, every Upanishad is telling, Taittiriya is telling even more beautifully, and we are only discussing this Taittiriya. So Brahman became transformed as space, space as air, air as fire, fire as water, water as earth. Everything that we experience as the world, jagat, is nothing but culmination of combination. How does it do? First of all, Brahman manifests, and we have to remember, we are studying Shankara Bhashya, whatever I am talking, it is all only I am putting in English language as much as possible, as clearly as possible, is only re-intro, rephrasing Shankara's Bhashya in understandable English language. So first of all, Brahman manifests himself as the pancha-sokshma-bhutas, five subtle elements, and then these five subtle elements, same elements, but they are called tanmatras in Sanskrit. Tanmatra means so subtle, we cannot experience, we can experience their effects, but not themselves. So they become gross now, from each element it becomes grossified. Subtle akasha becomes gross akasha, subtle vayu becomes gross vayu, like that all the five subtle elements become five gross elements. But there happens something very peculiar phenomena called panchikarna, they get mixed up. So each element divides itself into one-half, fifty percent, and the other fifty percent divides itself into four, twelve and half, and each twelve and half goes and mixes with the remaining four elements. So like that, every element has fifty percent of itself, and the other, all the other four elements, another fifty percent, twelve and half, twelve and half, twelve and half, twelve and half. So this is how it is called panchikarna, and so that is from where a combination of both these things, both the what is called mixed up gross elements, unmixed subtle elements, and from that the whole thing has come. And every of these gross elements manifests itself as succeedingly, first the space has got one quality, so the first, the atman has no quality, atman manifests as akasha or space, space has got one quality, and space grossifies gradually. So the subtler than the subtlest, anuranyan becomes a little bit gross, and what we call gross at that stage is very very subtle, and that subtle element is called akasha or space, it has one quality. Later on, because of this panchikarna, that space becomes manifest as air, and each element has its own special quality, so akasha has one quality, because it is subtlest, which is called sound, shabda, then akasha manifests as or grossifies itself into vayu. Now vayu has got two qualities, because it is coming from space, it has got shabda, and its own special quality called sparsha, touch, shabda, sparsha. And we have to imagine this grossified vayu or air, that means air has got both space element and also air element, now manifesting as agni. So agni now has inherited from its grandparents two qualities, shabda, sparsha, and its own quality called form, roopa, then fire became waters, that is the fourth element. So its waters has inherited from its great great grandparent, grandparent, parent, three qualities, shabda, sparsha, rasa, and rasa, shabda, sparsha, roopa, and then its own quality called rasa or taste. And then these waters, it manifests, grossifies further into our experienceable earth, everything that is physical, and it inherits four qualities plus its own quality called smell, shabda, sparsha, roopa, rasa, gandha. And the whole creation consists of both these things, the subtle plus the gross elements in this form. So that is what panchikarna really means, so akasha in the subtlest, it has only one quality called sound, and it manifests as vayu, it has two qualities, inherited the sound plus its own quality called touch, sparsha. So Agni has inherited two qualities plus its own special quality as Agni, that is called form, roopa, and then the water has inherited three qualities and has its own quality called taste, and the prithvi or earth inherits four qualities from its parental lineage and it has its own quality called gandha. So that is why when we do aratrikam, as per service, we offer five elements indicating these five. So the whole universe now we have to understand is a combination of these five elements.

Another way of understanding this is this whole universe is manifesting in three forms, adhyatmika that is one's own individual body-mind, adhibhautika and what one experiences through one's own body and mind that is the external as well as the internal world, and adhidaivika, one who creates, who sustains and who takes back this body-mind complex, this whole universe back into, so the creation is coming out of, these are called the rulers, the adhidaivika. Adhidaivika is individual body-mind, adhibhautika is the entire external and internal world experienceable, adhidaivika is that from which the body-mind comes, which is sustained and which is taken back. We will discuss these points because this is a marvellous theory. So these are another way of looking. One way of looking is these five elements combined, they are manifesting as this entire creation, both external and internal, or even to be more precise as three bodies, the gross body, subtle body and causal body is the outcome of these five elements called the space, air, fire, water and earth. Another way of looking at it is this triangular method called adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. Even if one of these elements, if I am not there, world will not be there, God also will not be there. If I am there, God is there, but physical world is not there, then I cannot recognise neither God nor the world. God is there, but neither this world is there nor I am there. So that is completely, nobody can recognise that God because to recognise that God the body-mind complex is necessary and this experienceable quality is necessary. So this is another way of looking at it. Even if one of these elements in this adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika is missing, entire creation disappears. All the three make this creation and even if one is missing, creation will be missing and that is what is so far we have discussed. So again let us remember what is the purpose of this description of this process of creation or rather manifestation to make us understand. So I came from my parents, my parents came from their parents and everybody's parents finally end up with one parent and that is called Ishwara, Saguna Brahma and the Saguna Brahma came or manifestation of the Nirguna Brahma or what is called Brahman. So therefore like clay is only manifesting as the very pot and there is no object called pot, there is only something called clay. Brahman alone exists, nothing else exists. That is the purpose. But that should be not intellectual knowledge but realisation. With this background let us go into this one.

So this is how the description comes in the very first section of the second chapter of Brahmananda Valli. So from these gross elements, the Osha Dayaha, gross elements means what? All the five combined because every element, everything in this creation, even if you take a small tree as an example, the tree has got all the five elements and it is the resultant of the combination of five elements. And continuously it is being sustained by these five elements and when the time comes for it to change into its natural state or from where it came, it goes back into the five elements. So simple example, a human being, take the human being as an example. So a human being, every human being but every living creature but here as an example, a human being is made up of the five elements. So he is a combination, the resultant of the combination of the five elements. So what is the first element? He has what is called, is made up of prithvi. Prithvi is herein is called annam or food, peculiar word, not only what we eat but it means everything that we experience is food only through all the five sense organs. So our parents have eaten food and they have become combined and in a very special way and they produced two separate elements, shukra and shonita and the combination of that is the result which we call me, my body and mind. So the parents also are a combination of five elements. So I am born of the combination of five elements of my parents. So for I am also, because whatever is the cause, the effect will have same qualities, so I am also made up of five elements. I came out of these five elements and those five elements alone sustain me so long as I am living. So what are those five elements? My parents ate food and so I am born of food and parents drank water, so I also have to drink water. Parents are sustained by a particular type of temperature. I am also, I also am sustained only if it is too hot then I will not exist, if it is too cold I will not exist. The right combination for every animal, the polar bear, different combination. We are different combinations. So we require these three elements and then we have to breathe. We have to breathe oxygen and plants have to breathe carbon dioxide. So there is a give and take, sharing element is there, but air is necessary and once this body comes into, then it has to grow, it has to move. Growth means movement from small to big, from small to tall and not only that we have to move and so if we have to move, space is necessary and then life requires not only mere living, consciousness is needed. So that Atman divides itself into two, one as the five elements, another as consciousness, as reflected in this combination of the five elements called Chidabhasa. So Chidabhasa plus five elements is what we call this creation. That is what is being said here.

So Prithivyam Osadayaha, this earth, the grossest of the five elements, it manifests itself in the form of Osadi. Osha means fire, Dha means that which cools the fire. That means what? If I am suffering from the fire of hunger, eating or drinking, it cools. That is why it is called Osadi. So even fruit juice is Osadi. Root is Osadi. Leaf is Osadi. Bark is Osadi. Everything is food. Prithivya, that means earth itself is manifesting as food. And Osadi bhyo annam, this all the food. Osadi here means all the plants, plant kingdom. And this plant kingdom becomes food and because of this food, again same process like parents, they combine, they unite and then the offspring comes. So annapurushaha. So from the subtlest part of this annam, in the male called Shukram, in the female called Shonitam, when it is combined, it becomes Jeeva. Here purusha means Jeeva, every individual. And Sava, therefore, the Upanishad concludes, Sava esha purusha annarasamayaha. Therefore, whenever you look at any living creature, you have to think he is nothing but pure food. For that I give an example. If a mosquito sees you and you are food. If a tiger looks at me, I am food. But this is only one aspect of food. So if I look at a sweet, that is food. That is what should not confine ourselves. Food means only that which is experienced through the mouth as eatable. If I am looking a beautiful form, that is also made up of annam only. A beautiful flower, that is also made up of prithvi or annam. And that is also annam for my eye. If I hear beautiful sound, that is also made up of the five elements. So that is also annam for the ear. And if I have smelling fragrance, that is also annam for the sense organ called the nose, granendriya. If I touch something, for example, the air conditioner touches me and in the searing heat I experience so much of joy and that is the annam for the touch. So hearing, touching, seeing, tasting and smelling. Remember all the five elements. That is all nothing but food. So just to make us understand better, I give this. When a tiger looks at me, I am not a human being. I am pure food. And when a human being looks at a chicken, is not looking at a living bird, looking at tasty food, the whole world is nothing but food. And it is not only food for I am food to everything else. Everything else is food to me. Everything is food to everything. That is an important beautiful point we have to understand. So this physical body is referred to as annamaya purusha. Now we are stuck. I am the body. I am the mind. This is called Jeevatma. Jeevatma means reflected consciousness plus the mind plus the body. And every living creature has the same elements. Does amoeba as a karnasarira? Of course it goes to sleep. Whenever it sleeps, it is in that state. Whenever it dreams, even it dreams or it imagines how wonderful it is, I can get a beautiful mate or I can get tasty food because to a small limited extent it has its mind. Without mind life will not be there.

So there should be subtle elements, gross elements. Both these must be combined and they will become divided into gross, subtle and causal bodies. Please remember that. Plus reflected consciousness. Now this is where we are stuck. What are we stuck with? I am nothing but this body-mind complex. But unconscious prayer springs out asato ma sadgamaya because everything is changing. Body has birth. Birth is a change. Growth is a change. Old age is a change. Then slow declining is change. And finally this body falls. That is also a change. But I don't want to change. That unconscious desire of knowledge and Brahman becomes an unconscious desire. Lead me from death to immortality. Lead me from ignorance to knowledge. Lead me from temporary happiness to permanent happiness. So this progression from the gross to the subtle is called upasana. Upasana means contemplation. Contemplation means spiritual practice. Therefore the Upanishad introduces what is called pancha kosha viveka prakriya. Same thing is also done in mandukya through a process of what is called avastha traya viveka or prakriya. Here it is pancha kosha, discrimination of the five sheets which is the primary method of this section. So what is the point of this description? What is the purpose of this description? The purpose of this description is to first of all make us understand that I am not a purely physical body but just like a sword it is completely separate from the sheath. But suppose just imagine there is a sword, very valuable, most precious and it is encased in successively larger and larger sheaths. Very fine sheath, first a little grosser sheath, next still grosser, third, still grosser, fourth, very gross, five. Cover it from top to bottom. The sword is not visible at all and we think, oh this is an object, it looks like the sheath alone. So this physical body is the first sheath. So therefore the purpose of upasana is that you start where you stand and where do we stand? Complete identification with the individual body. So what should be done? Two steps we have to take. First, identify yourself with this body. Consider this body as Brahman. Consider this body as Brahman. Are we not considering this body as Brahman? When we say my body is real, therefore the entire world is real. Am I not saying that it is Brahman? No. What you are saying is that this is a means for my enjoyment. I want to eat means what? I don't say my body. I never say my body wants to eat. I have no desire for eating. We never say, I want to eat, I want to see, I want to smell, I want to hear, I want to touch. Even in the most ordinary actions there is that viveka, ignorantly, unconsciously going on. But make it conscious and say what is this I you are talking about? I want to eat. Whenever the body eats, does the body say I am eating? I am hearing? No. It is I who says I am eating and I am smelling etc. So now this process of upasana is called discrimination. The discrimination is make this body, treat this body as sacred Brahman. And how this effect, how this helps us and makes us progress in life, we will talk about in our next class.

Om Jananiam Sharadam Deviham Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padapadmei Tayosritva. Pranama Ami Mohur Mohur. May Sir Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.