Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Ch.1.2 Lecture 13 on 07 March 2026
Full Transcript (Not Corrected)
Lecture on the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: First Chapter, Second Brāhmaṇa (Agni Brāhmaṇa)
Opening Invocation
OM PŪRṆAMADAḤ PŪRṆAMIDAM PŪRṆĀT PŪRṆAMUDACYATE PŪRṆASYA PŪRṆAMĀDĀYA PŪRṆAMEVA VAŚIṢYATE OM ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTI ŚĀNTIH
OM
That Brahman is infinite, and this universe is also infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite universe, it remains as the infinite Brahman alone.
OM Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all.
Introduction and Review of Previous Brāhmaṇas
We are studying the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad in the first three Brāhmaṇas. I hope you remember that "Brāhmaṇa" means a section. The very first chapter, or indeed every chapter, of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad has several sections, and each section is called a Brāhmaṇa. We have taken up the first two Brāhmaṇas. These are very important.
I must emphasise that I am not going through every mantra. Only the very essential points and essential mantras will be taken up, and this will be both shorter and more useful than going through so many mantras. Why so? Because there are so many Upāsanās, and as I have reminded you many times, these Upāsanās are ancient Upāsanās. In those days, how the teachers explained to their students and how their students were directed to contemplate — we do not know.
The Transformation of the Vedic Gods
The old Vedic Gods have been transformed into three main modern deities. They are called Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Śakti. Whether we talk of Gaṇeśa or Vighneśvara, or Kārttikeya, or Sūrya Devatā, or Agni Devatā — they are all somehow related to these three main deities.
The Method and Purpose of Upāsanā
The methodology of Upāsanā remains the same, as I had already explained with the help of certain illustrations. Upāsanā means that by contemplating unbrokenly and continuously, one's idea — "I am so and so" — is transformed into "I am Īśvara," "I am Hiraṇyagarbha." It starts with Virāṭ: "I am Virāṭ," "I am the Universal." Then, "I am Hiraṇyagarbha." Then, "I am Īśvara." All these three together are called Saguṇa Brahma.
"I am Saguṇa Brahma" — and only human effort can go that far. After that, something automatically happens. When the person who succeeds in thinking "I am the Saguṇa Brahma" — and Saguṇa Brahma is a Vedāntic term — in the language of the devotees, we can call Saguṇa Brahma by various names: Ekaṃ Sat Viprāḥ Bahudhā Vadanti — as Rāma, as Kṛṣṇa, as Gaṇeśa, as Pārvatī, as Durgā, as Kālī — by any blessed name, it does not matter.
And that is also the right concept that we have: God is everywhere, God is everything, God knows everything, and God is capable of doing anything He wants. For His devotees — and a devotee is one who empties his heart and makes himself the very servant of God, so to say — God bestows upon him, removes the last barrier, and makes him attain Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi. Whatever be the Upāsanā or contemplation, this is the goal and this is the end. This is called Mukti.
Recap of the First Brāhmaṇa: The Aśvamedha Yajña
With this introduction, let us go further. In the very first mantra, we saw that kings used to perform a great Yajña called the Aśvamedha Yajña or Yāga, where a horse is let out and when it returns, the king gains mastery over all those people whose territories it has traversed. Then only can he perform this Yajña, and it is very expensive, time-consuming, and requires many people. The result? Such a great king, through this ritual called the Aśvamedha Yajña, attains Brahma Loka.
But there are many other people who would also like to attain that same Brahma Loka. How do they attain it? Instead of doing a physical Yajña or Yāga or sacrifice, if they go on doing the same thing mentally through contemplation — which is called Upāsanā — they can also attain to Brahma Loka. Upāsanā is a mental contemplation. It has nothing to do with the physical. In modern Pūjā it is called Mānasa Pūjā — mental worship. The purpose of worship and Upāsanā is the same; the process is also the same.
The Nature of Brahma Loka and the Desire for Unbroken Happiness
Through Upāsanā, one can also attain Brahma Loka. Only then does the person become truly awakened. Even the happiness of Brahma Loka is temporary — it comes to an end. But by that time, the person understands: "I do not wish to have broken happiness. I want unbroken happiness." And in order to enjoy unbroken happiness, a person has to be, has to be conscious. That is why God is defined as Sat — to be; Cit — to be completely conscious; and Ānanda — to feel that "I am not deriving happiness from something else; I am of the very nature of happiness."
From the very beginning, no ordinary person can have any idea about Brahman. But we can have some idea about Brahma Loka. How do we get this idea? That is why in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad we get a very elaborate, though sample-like, analysis of Ānanda. From here a person attains to Gandharva Loka, then Deva Loka, then Bṛhaspati Loka, then Prajāpati Loka, then Brahma Loka. I have only described very briefly — there were eleven descriptions in all.
The Purpose of Upāsanā: Avalambana and the Elevation of the Mind
The purpose of the Aśva Upāsanā, or meditation on the horse, is that the Aśva is only what we call a support — avalambana. Some support must be there. Just as I gave the example of a small stone shaped in a particular way being called a Śālagrāma or Śiva Liṅga — to look upon this ordinary stone not as an ordinary stone but as representing Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Śiva — that is called Upāsanā. To see something very, very great in something very small — that is called Upāsanā. And as a result, the person's mind becomes great.
That is why we say: whatever we think, that is what we become. If we think we are small, we will become small — if not already small. But if we think about God, then we will become God.
Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa contemplated on Hanumān and became Hanumān even physically. He contemplated upon Rādhā and became Rādhā even physically. He contemplated upon Rāma and became one with Rāma. He contemplated upon Kṛṣṇa and became one with Kṛṣṇa. He contemplated upon Gopāla and became one with Gopāla. He contemplated upon Kālī and became one with Kālī. That is why we call him Sarva Deva Devī Svarūpa — that means he had become Brahman. And Brahman can be called by various names, as Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa teaches — so simple and yet so profound.
He gives the analogy of a lake or a big pond. Some people call the same substance "water"; some call it pānī or jal; some call it aqua — but they all mean the same thing. Some call it "Allāh," some call it "Hari," some call it "Divine Mother," but the substance is the same.
So the purpose of Upāsanā is to slowly lift a Sādhaka endowed with Śraddhā — gradually, step by step — to that identity with Brahman. But the highest such step — not the roof, but the step — is called Brahma Loka.
Gist of What Has Been Seen So Far
This is just the gist of what we have seen. We have also seen that the Upaniṣad starts with a big mantra describing how every part of the horse is comparable to some aspect of the universe. Just as in this universe we see five most important elements — space, air, fire, water, and earth — everything is a combination of these five elements. Time, space, and causation: that is what is called the mind; that is what is called the universe. The rest is a combination of all these things.
That is the purpose of this Upāsanā. Whoever contemplates upon it attains the result stated in the second mantra. The first chapter has several Brāhmaṇas, but the first Brāhmaṇa or section has only two mantras, and it presents a contemplation upon this entire universe.
By contemplating upon the horse as Virāṭ — as the Universal — we become universal. No longer do we say, "I am an individual," but we become an individual. Svāmī Vivekānanda used to make a joke: "You call yourself an individual — but are you really an individual? What is the meaning of the word 'individual'? That which is indivisible. But you are in several pieces; you are not really an individual. You have to become an individual — undivided." That is what is called Virāṭ.
And slowly, from the physical universal to the mental universal, to the causal universal — which is called Iśvara — and the combination of these three is called Saguṇa Brahma. The purpose of every Upāsanā is to take one to the last step, which is called Brahma Loka, which is also called Saguṇa Brahma.
The Limits of Self-Effort and the Role of Grace
Once a person goes to Brahma Loka, further effort is not possible. Because effort — any effort, every effort — belongs only to the limited. But if we want to identify ourselves with the unlimited, we just cease to have any action. Actually, that is what happens. As we progress, all our efforts become less and less and less.
This is expressed in yogic language very beautifully: a billion, billion, trillion thoughts become a billion thoughts; a billion thoughts become a million thoughts; a million thoughts become a thousand thoughts; a thousand thoughts become a hundred thoughts; a hundred thoughts become twenty, then five, then three, then two, and finally one. That is called Savikalpa Samādhi — one single thought, continuing. That is as far as self-effort goes.
After that, it progresses toward infinity, but that is not desirable either. Another thought would be needed to remove that thought, and a third thought to remove the second thought. But God removes even that last thought. We go beyond the gross, the subtle, and the causal. That is what we have to understand.
All the mountains, all the rivers, every created being — living or non-living — some samples are given, and that is all we need to know. The Aśva is only an excuse to make this contemplation. That is very important for us to understand. That is all.
The Second Section: Agni Brāhmaṇa
Now we enter into the second section, or second Brāhmaṇam. It is called the Agni Brāhmaṇam.
The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — I hope you remember — wants to talk about creation. According to the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, the Ātman manifested as space; space manifested as air; air became grossified as fire; fire became grossified into water; and water became grossified as earth (Pṛthvī). The whole universe that we experience is a culmination and combination of all these five elements.
When we come to the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, we have seen that only three elements are taken: Agni, Āpaḥ, and Pṛthvī. Now in this Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, comparing it with the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the first is fire; fire gave birth to waters; and water gave birth to earth — three elements, and three colours have also been given. We have discussed this elaborately: everything in this world consists of three colours, and even scientists have made the same discovery.
But in this particular place in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, the first creation is waters. That means water is the cause: Brahman becomes waters, waters give birth to fire, and fire gives birth to Pṛthvī. This is how it is described here.
Do Not Be Confused by Different Accounts of Creation
Now, do not go on getting confused because different Upaniṣads seem to say different things. The real purpose of the Upaniṣad is not to talk about creation. We think there is a creation, and creation is absolutely real so far as we are concerned. The teachers come down to our level.
There was a prince who used to think that a living snake had entered his stomach and was slowly growing. His stomach became bloated, and he was always fearful. Most people tried to cure him but could not. Then one clever man said, "I will easily cure him." He gave the prince a strong laxative at night, and the prince had a great purge. Immediately, that man had an assistant bring out a dead snake from outside and place it in the toilet. As soon as the prince came out, the man displayed it and said, "My medicine has worked. You have discharged that snake. Now you are free." It is all a psychological process. In fact, most of our diseases, according to psychologists, are only because of our psychological fears. People can even have a heart attack if they are terrified of something excessively.
The Real Purpose of Describing Creation
The point is: the purpose of describing creation is not to say that creation is real. It is to take us step by step. This creation is an effect. Every effect must have a cause. That cause will have its own cause. That third cause will have a fourth cause. But we must come to the highest cause, which is itself causeless — in other words, it is eternal. And that which is eternal can only be infinite, and that which is infinite can only be eternal. Another name for it is Brahman.
Just to distinguish it from confusion with Brahma (the creator), one extra "n" is added. Actually, in Advaita Vedānta, we do not use the word with "um" — it is simply Brahma, short. Tamil names will have that extended ending — but it is only Brahma.
Agni as the Subject of the Second Brāhmaṇa
So in this second Brāhmaṇa, there is actually a praise of Agni. Now, to praise someone, that person must be existing. So if you find somebody who is really great, who is very popular and very famous, naturally curiosity arises: Who is his father? When was he born? How long did he live? What did he do? All these questions come. For that purpose, people go on publishing biographies — short ones if they are not admirers, long ones if they are.
Here, Agni is eulogised. Why Agni? Because our very living itself is only because of Agni. Think of it — fire. Even your computer: ṭhaṇḍā ho gayā — if it is not going to work, it must be fiery. Your rocket — America was able to do so many things recently — it is all fireworks. And Dīpāvalī: we have small fireworks, but they have big fireworks. The difference is that there, fire can kill numberless people.
Agni as the Source of All Life
The point here is that Agni is eulogised — uplifted as a great person. Why does the Upaniṣad want to do that? Not water, not earth, but fire — because it is our sun that is the very embodiment of our own selves. We are all small, infinitely small, manifestations of the sun only. Because we are what we eat, and what we eat is a piece of the sun.
If you are eating for breakfast a hamburger, or toast, or a piece of bread, or anything — it is a piece of the sun. Food is a piece of the sun. And "the sun" means light and heat, and that heat portion is Agni — fire. Wherever there is fire, you can immediately see it from a great distance. And if you go near, you can feel the heat. Light and heat — this is the very cause of this entire creation.
So the Upaniṣad, as I mentioned earlier, wants to praise Agni as part of the contemplation on Agni. From that Agni, the entire creation has come. And as I mentioned — do not go on getting confused. The Taittirīya Upaniṣad says something which caused creation; the Chāndogya Upaniṣad says something else. Actually, even the Chāndogya Upaniṣad says first there is only Agni, and it produced waters, and waters produced food or Pṛthvī, and the entire creation is nothing but a combination of those three elements.
The Real Goal: Return to the Cause
As I mentioned just now, in this peculiar formulation, water is the cause of fire. But actually, everything is the cause of everything else — that is the truth. Anyway, this Sṛṣṭi — whether it is logical or illogical, and in which order it has to be presented — that is not the point at all. The point here is that this Sṛṣṭi is an ālambana, a support. From here, slowly, like the young ones of the Homā bird, we have to climb back to the very cause of everything, which is Brahma. That is the real purpose.
Now, if we study the Upaniṣad without the commentary of Śaṅkarācārya, this is how we have to understand. These are the essential points: Sṛṣṭi is not important in itself. But because we think it is real, the Upaniṣad does not say it is unreal. The definition of the Upaniṣad of the word "unreality" is: seeing a big thing as a small thing — that is called unreal. That which is a small piece, that which is ever-changing, that which is always dependent upon something else — that is called unreality.
But in the end, the same Upaniṣad says: once you understand that everything is the manifestation — not creation, but manifestation — of Brahman, then you see a cow: that is Brahman. You see a dog: that is Brahman. You see a learned Brāhmaṇa: that is also Brahman. You see an eater of the flesh of a dog: he is also Brahman. You see an elephant: that is Brahman. You see a mosquito: that is also Brahman. Everything is Brahman. You see a mountain: that is also Brahman. Both the living and the non-living, the small and the big — no such distinction — everything is nothing but Brahman.
But this universal vision — that everything is Brahman — is possible only after reaching the cause. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa explains: this is not the roof. A man goes on climbing until he reaches the roof. And then, once he has the knowledge of the roof, when he comes down, the staircase is made of the same material as the roof, and all the steps are also made of the same material. All the rooms are made of the same material. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is articulating the same Upaniṣadic teachings in his own simple words.
Śaṅkarācārya's Ghaṭa Bhāṣyam
Here in this second section, Śaṅkarācārya wants to make a point. What is that? The very first mantra of the second section begins with a very peculiar statement — like what we get in the Bible: "God created the world out of nothing." Now, no rational person would ever accept that, because nothing can be created out of nothing. If something is to be created, there must be something — it must be something. No logical, rational thinking person can ever accept such a statement.
The commentators on the Bible itself explain: "God had no other material; He is everything; therefore He Himself is the creator." But there are some peculiarities of those scholars that I will not go into.
What the Upaniṣads tell us is that for every product — every Kārya, every effect — there must be three causes: the material cause, the intelligent cause, and the instrumental cause. Therefore, since there is nothing else excepting Brahman, the logical conclusion is that He must be the material cause, He must be the intelligent cause, and He must be the instrumental cause.
To make us understand that point, practically every Upaniṣad gives the example of the dream. When any one of us enters the state of dreaming, we see exactly as in the waking state. Who is the intelligent cause? Myself. What is the material? My own mind. And my thoughts are the instrumental cause. My intention — there is always an intention. Because my dream and your dream would not be the same. A child dreams that lots and lots of lozenges are hanging just in front of him, but unfortunately out of reach. A poor man dreams that lots and lots of money-bags are hanging in front of him. Our desires are not different — only according to our growing knowledge do we think that this is more important, and after some time something else is more important, and after some time something else again. That is all.
The same baby does the same thing. So what is the point? The point is that Brahman alone — one without a second — if the statement of the Upaniṣad holds true that this entire universe had come out of Brahman, then in this world we see, as an example, a pot (ghaṭa). A pot must have these three causes: what is the material cause? Clay. What is the instrumental cause? The potter's wheel. What is the intelligent cause? The potter, who decides how big, how small, and what shape the pot should be.
So we see that everything must have a cause. Every effect must have a cause. Whatever we experience is an effect. And every cause must be of three types: material, intelligent, and instrumental. But before creation, only Brahman alone is — nothing else exists. Therefore, naturally, where are the three causes? And Advaita Vedānta proclaims loudly: He is the intelligent cause, He is the material cause, and He is the instrumental cause.
Why Did God Create at All? The Question of Līlā
Though it is not strictly necessary for us, because you are such intelligent listeners, I will tell you: why does God want to create all these things at all? Was He bored? For that, they say: no, nobody knows about it. There is no answer for it. That is why, when there is no answer, it is called Līlā. But why does He want Līlā? Why do I attend a drama? Because I am bored. So you cannot give the same argument to God. That is His will. You should not question what you cannot understand, because nobody can understand it and nobody can answer it. Therefore it is irrelevant why He did it.
But what is relevant is that we are limited — severely limited — and if you elect some bad president, that limitation will become even worse. How to get out of this limitation? That desire is expressed in the form of: "Is there a way out?" Yes, there is a way out. There is a beautiful saying: if there is a desire, there must be an object corresponding to that desire. If I want to become God, there must be a God — otherwise, the theory holds, such a desire would never arise. Do you ever desire to fly like a bird? Yes — and that is why you created the aeroplane. So that is the truth about it.
The Ghaṭa Bhāṣyam: Overview
Now, what am I going to talk about here? It is a hymn — a praise of Agni Devatā, or Brahman in the form of Agni. If we just read the Upaniṣad without a commentary, we get the translation alone. But Śaṅkarācārya wants to write a big commentary, and therein the word ghaṭa (pot) is used several times — many, many times. The Sanskrit word for pot is ghaṭa, and therefore this commentary is popularly known as the Ghaṭa Bhāṣyam.
The First Mantra of the Second Section
Why did this whole topic come up? So the Agni Brāhmaṇa — the second section of the first chapter of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad — the first mantra says:
Naiva iha kiñcana āsīt — "In the beginning, that is to say before creation, there was nothing whatsoever in this universe. By death, indeed, all this was covered — by hunger. For hunger is really death. 'Let me have a mind,' was his desire. And he created the mind. Then he moved about, worshipping himself."
Why was he worshipping himself? Because there was nobody else excepting himself.
"From him, thus worshipping, water was produced."
In fact, this applies to all of us. From birth to death, whom are we worshipping? Are you worshipping your mother and father? Yes. Why? Because they will give you food. For whom? For you. Why are you worshipping God? Because God will give you so many things — the four Puruṣārthas: Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa — everything He will give. It is all self-worship only. That is why one Svāmī advised me: "Be selfish." He was stating one of the greatest truths in spiritual life.
"Then he moved about, worshipping himself. From him, thus worshipping, water was produced. Verily, death thought: while I was worshipping, water was produced. That is why the artha (fire used in the horse sacrifice) is so called. Surely, happiness comes to him who knows how the fire came to be called artha."
This is the first mantra of the seven mantras which we find in this second section.
The Problem of Naiva Iha Kiñcana Āsīt — Nothing Was There Before Creation
I am not going further except where absolutely necessary. Now, this Upaniṣad begins this topic — the Sṛṣṭi topic — with the statement naiva iha kiñcana nāsīt: a tremendous statement that nothing was there before creation. This statement creates a big problem for all of us.
When we say nothing was there before creation, it looks as if the Upaniṣad is talking of the Śūnyavāda, because there are some philosophers whose philosophy holds exactly the same thing: there was nothing, and then somehow creation started. They cannot explain it because there is no cause-and-effect relationship there. This is one of the Buddhist schools of philosophy called Śūnyavāda — śūnya means absolutely nothing.
As I mentioned, the Bible also says God created out of nothing. Everything comes out of nothing, and whatever comes out of nothing goes back into — what? Nothing. Because every effect must go back to its own cause — there is no doubt about it.
Śaṅkarācārya's Refutation via the Ghaṭa Example
Now, Śaṅkarācārya takes the example of a pot (ghaṭa). He analyses various theories of creation that existed at his time — by various schools of philosophy and various Ācāryas — and he dismisses them all as wrong. What does he want to say?
There must be a cause. And not only must there be a cause — that cause alone is the effect also. Let me simplify it for you.
You see a lump of clay. What do you see? You take it out, put your fingers in, spread it all over — do you see a pot? You don't see a pot at all. What do you see? A shapeless, formless lump of clay — that is all. It is formless.
Then what happens? You mix some water, make it into a thick paste, keep it on a wheel, shape it there, bake it, and then it becomes a pot. So now the question is: was the pot there, existing before, in that clay? One school of philosophy says there is clay, but there is no pot. But there are even bolder schools of philosophy — at least they think so. They say not only is there no pot, there is no clay either. Nothing — that is the śūnyavāda. Nothing is there.
Śaṅkarācārya wants to prove that only a madcap — and madcaps are not considered Ācāryas — can think like that. So this is called the Ghaṭa Bhāṣyam.
The Chain of Causes and the Causeless Cause
If you see an effect, there is no doubt — you must accept that there is a cause. And in this world, what is our experience? What we call the cause of any effect that we see is not the final cause.
For example: what is the cause of the pot? Clay. But clay itself is an effect of something else — it is a combination of earth (pṛthvī) and water. So there are two causes. What is the cause of water? What is the cause of mud, pṛthvī? And then where has that come from? From water — and water is itself an effect. Where has water come from? From fire. And from where has fire come? From air — you know, when you go on churning, you produce fire. And that is another example: can you bring out butter out of nothing? That is one of the peculiar examples Śaṅkarācārya gives. If you can produce butter without milk, then you can produce butter out of anything — even out of water. Then you would not need to buy any milk at all.
So every cause must have its specific cause. What is the cause of yourself? Your parents. What is their cause? Their parents. Go on like that. Finally, you must come to a causeless cause — a final cause, which is eternal. "Eternal" means it does not change. That which does not change does not have any other cause. So it is special.
And then there are some wonderful ideas about what is called cognition and recognition. Everything is a piece of thought — beautiful ideas. They are not strictly necessary for our spiritual progress, but they certainly stimulate our intellect.
Conclusion
This we will take up in our next class and proceed further.
Closing Prayer
Om Jānānāṃ Śāradāṃ Devīṃ Rāmakṛṣṇaṃ Jagadgurum
Pada Padme Tayo Śṛtvā Praṇamāmi Muhur Muhuh
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti.
Jai Ramakrishna!