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Taitreya Upanishad, Class 45Chapter 3, Anuvakha 3, Shloka # 1:
Brghu understood that prana is Brahman; because it is fromprana alone that all living beings are born; having been bornfrom it, they live by it and (in the end) on departing, theygo towards prana and become one with it. Having known that, heagain approached his father Varuna saying: “O Revered Sir,instruct me about Brahman”. He, Varuna, told him: “Desire toknow Brahman by tapas, tapas is Brahman.” He performed tapasand having performed tapas….
Continuing his teaching Swamiji said, in Brghuvalli studentBrghu has approached his father to give him Brahmavidya.Instead of teaching him completely Varuna gave him two clues.One clue was Brahma Upalabdi Karanani through Pancha MahaKosha Viveka and second clue was Brahma Lakshanam, adefinition of Brahman, as Srishti, Sthithi, Laya Karanam.
Brghu then meditated on Pancha Kosha Viveka. Then he went toannamaya kosha. He discovered annam as the substratum of thiskosha or that it is anna brahmana. Discovering annam is notthe ultimate cause he was not satisfied. He found annam wasonly a intermediary karanam and not the moola karanam. He wentto his father and Varuna told him to continue with his Tapasand that he was moving in the right direction.
Brghu then went to Prana Maya Kosha. He found Samashti Pranaand discovered Pranam Brahma. Here too, he found, Prana is notthe ultimate cause.
Sruthi Pramanam says Prana is self-born. It is born; hence itis not the ultimate cause. Prana is subject to modificationshence it is Karyam. Anything subject to modification is aproduct; as such it is subject to six fold modifications. Oneof them is janma or birth; and, birth is a change. Thereforehe concluded that Prana is a product, hence it is not an
ultimate cause.
Brghu them went to his father, again. Father tells him tocontinue his tapas with the two clues he has provided him.
Ch 3, Anuvakaha 4, Shloka # 1:
He knew that mind was Brahman; for, it is from the mind thatthese living beings are produced. Being born from it, they alllive by it; and on departing, they enter into the mind andbecome one with it. Having known that, he again approached hisfather, Varuna, saying: “O Venerable One, teach me Brahman.Tapas is Brahman.” Brghu performed tapas and having performedtapas…..
From Pranamaya kosha Brghu went to Manomaya Kosha. He appliedthe definition of Brahman and found every manomaya comes fromsamashti manaha. Anna maya is Vyashti karyam, while annam isSamashti Karanam. The suffix maya conveys karyam. Thus theword Swarnamayam means Swarna Karyam.
That mind fulfills definition of Brahman. He finds SamashtiBrahman is cause of each Manomaya. He was excited briefly.
Manaha, mind, means subtler form of matter.
Sometimes people define mind as flow of thought. This idea isnot accepted by Vedas. As per Vedas, mind is a substance; anintangible material or a sukshma drvayam where in thoughtsrise and subside, but the mind, the material itself, remainsas is. Mind continues even in sushupti state. In susuhupti, ifmind goes away, then you will not wake up. Thought is afunction of mind and subtle matter, mind, continues. LaterBrghu discovers and finds mind is not ultimate cause. He findsmind too is a karyam, a product.
Sruthi Pramanam and logic support this contention. Even totalmind, Hiranyagarbha, is subject to birth. Hence it is akaryam.
Logic says Mind is a product as it has modifications. So, onceagain Brghu rushes back to his father. Varuna sends him backto continue with his tapas.
Ch 3, Anuvakaha 5, Shloka #1:
He understood that knowledge is Brahman, because it is byknowledge that all living beings are born; having been born,by knowledge they live, and having departed, into knowledgealone they enter. Having known that, he approached his father,Varuna to know the Truth further and said, “ revered Sir,teach me Brahman.” He, Varuna, told him. “ By tapas seek thouto know Brahman. Tapas is Brahman.” He performed tapas andhaving performed tapas….
Brghu goes to the next layer of Vignanamaya kosha. Hediscovers Samashti Vignana is cause of all vignanamaya koshas.So, Vignana is Brahman. Vignana is still more subtle matterthan mind.
Thus flow of our activity can be depicted as: GyanaShakti>Ichha Shakti>Kriya Shakti.
Gyanam is knowledge of things is the first level. It iskaranam for Ichha.
Ichha is grosser. Ichha Shakti makes me active. It is karanamfor kriya.
Vignanamaya (gyana shakti) activates Mano maya (Ichha Shakti),which activates Pranamaya (Kriya Shakti).
In the word Hiranyagarbha, the garbha (womb) containsHiranyam (unfading knowledge). Samashti Vigyanam is Hiranyagarbha. He thought it was Brahman but was again disappointed.He found it too was not the ultimate cause. Vignanamaya isalso subject to change. Being dissatisfied he goes back to hisfather. Varuna sends him back saying continue with your tapasor enquiry.
Ch 3, Anuvakaha 6, Shloka # 1:
He knew that Bliss was Brahman, for, from Bliss all thesebeings are produced, by Bliss do these things live. They go toBliss on departing and become one with it—this is theknowledge learnt by Bhrgu and taught by Varuna. This isestablished in the supreme space-in the excellent cavity ofthe heart. He who knows thus becomes one with Brahman. Hebecomes the possessor (assimilator) of food and the eater(enjoyer) of it. He becomes great in progeny, cattle and gainsthe splendor of true brahmana-hood. Indeed, he becomes greatthrough fame and renown.
Brghu skips ananda maya kosha and goes staright to ananda.Ananda does not mean kosha but ananda atma. In chapter 2,ananda was equated to Atma. Here ananda is equated to Brahman.Therefore,
Ananda=Atma=Brahman.
Therefore Atma and Brahman are one and same ananda. Anandadoes not refer to any experience, as it is Brahman, the jagatkaranam. Therefore Brahman alone is source of all beings; theyall go back to ananda.
If ananda is considered an experience, remember anandanormally means joy, it means this experience is an impermanentone as such it is a product. Any product is a karyam; hence itcannot be a karanam. So ananda, here, means Chaitanyam. Whyuse the word ananda? It means ananta tatvam. Here it does notmean happiness. Happiness is a fleeting experience.
Thus:
Ananda=Purnatvam=Ananta Tatvam.
It is the chaitanya tatvam or principle of existence. Anandais sat chid atmanaha.
Previously when talking about consciousness I have said it is:
Not a part or property of the body.1.An independent entity pervading the body.2.One that survives the fall of the body.3.
Existence has same four properties stated above. Existence isa noun and not an adjective. We normally think happiness is anadjective. Here Vedanta says happiness is not a part, propertyof the body. It pervades the body and makes the body happy.The surviving happiness is not accessible as there is nomedium for expression after the body is gone. So, this ananda,a noun, is non experiential; it is my own Self.
Brghu liked this even after re-thinking on it. He foundconsciousness is the ultimate cause. Sruthi and Logic bothsupport this contention.
Sruthi: Consciousness is not a product.
Logic: If consciousness were also subject to change it wouldhave been subject to birth. But it is a witness to allchanges. It, itself, is not born. It is nirvikara, hence itnot a product. So, it is the ultimate cause.
Thus, Ananda=Brahman=Atma=Aham.
I am Ananda Brahman.
Brghu did not go back to his father. Brghu was totallysatisfied. Teacher and student dialogue is over.
Upanishad says, the wisdom is that I, ananda, am Brahman. I,Brahman, am Jagat Kranam. So, everything is based on me. I amchaitanyam. This knowledge is called Barghavi vidya and VaruniVidya.
Because Brghu received this knowledge it is known as Barghavi.
Because Varuna gave this knowledge it is known as Varuni.
This wisdom started with annamaya kosha and culminated in
sakshi chaitanyam. Where is sakshi chaitanyam located? It islocated in Hridaya aksharam.
Then Upanishad says just as Brghu got this knowledge, anyonewho goes through pancha maha kosha viveka can also get thisknowledge. There is only one way of getting settled in life.This wisdom alone will do it. This is also Jivan mukti. Notonly will he get the spiritual benefit; he will also getmaterial benefits. He will get plenty of annam. Wisdom willkeep his body healthy and in good shape. He will become greatin the world through good children. The word prjaya in contextof a sanyasi means disciples and not children. He will getplenty of wealth to spread the divine message. His personalitywill be great. He will be a famous teacher as well. With thisPancha Kosha Viveka part is over.
Take away:
The word ananda means ananta tatvam. Here it does not meanhappiness.
With Best Wishes,
Ram Ramaswamy
Bhagawat Geeta, Class 113 :Chapter 8, Verses 8 to 12Shloka # 8:
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगािमना।परमं पुरुषं िदव्यं याित पार्थानुिचन्तयन्।।8.8।।
O Arjuna! Steadily thinking with an unswerving mind,disciplined in the yoga of repeated practice, one proceeds tothe supreme, divine Spirit.
Continuing his teaching Swamiji said, Sri Krishna answeringthe seventh question of Arjuna, from the fifth shloka onwards,is dealing with topic of remembering God at time of death. Heis also dealing with Saguna Ishwara Upasanam or meditating ongod with attributes. This Upasaka is a nishkama upasaka whosegoal in life is spiritual and who has acquired Vairagyam.
And this Nishkama upasaka can take to two different courses oflife, one is practising Nishkama upasana for sometime, andthereafter switching over the sadhdana to the vedantavicharah; or nirguna ishvara gyanam in form of sravanam,mananam and nidhidhyasanam. By performing this upasana oneobtains Jivan mukti. This topic of nishkama upasana is howeverfurther elaborated in chapter # 9.
Another path for an Upasaka is where he or she continues inSaguna Upasana. Here Upasaka feels he is not qualified enough;or an appropriate acharya was not available to him or due tohis poor health etc. So, due to some obstacles he is not ableto perform Nirguna Upasana. So, he continues in SagunaUpasana. Sri Krishna says, since this upasaka values Ishwaraparpthihi he too remembers god at time of death. He, however,after his death goes to Brahma Loka where he enters intoNirguna Ishwara Upasana. In Brahma Loka he obtains Gyanam andthis gyanam is called Krama Mukti. This Krama Mukti is thetopic of the current Chapter 8.
How can a person remember god at time of death when my controlover my fading senses is weak? Sri Krishna says it will becomeeffortless if your devotion enters and permeates yoursubconscious mind. So, at time of death, even if conscious
mind does not think, subconscious mind will certainly think ofgod. Swamiji repeated his favorite phrase in this context:
Watch your thoughts; they become the words;
Watch your words, they become your actions;
Watch your action, they become your habit;
Watch your habit; they become your character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
So therefore an alert life from now itself is called abyhasayoga. And with a mind which is strengthened by abhyasa yoga,and therefore with an undistracted mind, when a personremembers the Lord, he will attain krama mukthi.
Shloka # 9:
किवं पुराणमनुशािसतारमणोरणीयांसमनुस्मरेद्यः।सर्वस्य धातारमिचन्त्यरूपमािदत्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्।।8.9।।
Whosoever remembers the wise, ancient Ruler,subtler thansubtle, the Upholder of all (things),imponderable of form,resplendent like the sun beyond darkness.
So here Krishna talks about the attributes of the Lord who isremembered by the Nishkama upasaka at the time of death. Eachword in the shloka is an attribute describing God. Eightattributes are mentioned. So, here, it looks like the NishkamaUpasaka appears to be in touch with scriptures.
The word Kapi means total mind or omniscient.
The word Puranam means ancient one; one never created; thecreator.
The word Anusashithanam: One who gives karma phalam to Jivas
according to laws of karma, including moral laws.
The word Anoh aniyamsam means the one who is subtler than eventhe subtlest atom; which means the one who is not availablefor any sense organs or any sensory perception. So the one whois beyond shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa and gandha. So, fromthis, it is very clear, that a physical form that we attributeto the Lord is only symbolic, like a national flag; the flagis not India; but the flag represents India. Similarly, theform-full God represents the formless reality; the formlessbeauty; the formless immortality; the formless peace; theformless security, in fact everything that we seek in lifethat is symbolized as God. These are the things that we seek,peace, we seek, security we seek, fullness we seek, all theseare abstract goals; and these abstract goals are concretelysymbolized as the physical God; and therefore anoh aniyamsam,whose real nature is formlessness.
The word Sarvasya Dhataram means the one who is thesubstratum; the support of the entire creation; being the verycause of the creation; just as ocean is the very substratumfor all the waves and bubbles, they all rise in the ocean,rest in the ocean, and resolve in the ocean. Similarly, theLord is vishva-adharam and in vedantic context, we use theword, sadrupam; sattha; the one who is the very existenceprinciple.
In Chandogya Upanishad, the Lord is presented as the veryexistence principle, which supports all. But to understand theexistence principle, we require a subtle intellect andtherefore we symbolize the ‘sat’ in a particular form; butexistence has no form at all. Therefore sarvasya dhataram;
The word Achintya rupam means one who is incomprehensible,one, who cannot be objectified.
Mind can only study attributes. It cannot study one withoutattributes; just as a car cannot move in the ocean or a ship
on the land; the Mind is not meant for a field withoutattributes.
God is the subject that objectifies everything; so he can’t beobjectified. But God is temporarily objectified in thephysical formed god. By stepping through every attribute onereaches the attribute-less god.
For those people who cannot conceive of the attribute-lesstruth, the Upanishad comes down and presents the attributedGod. By stepping through every attribute one reaches theattribute-less god; therefore achintyarupam
The word Adityavarnam means One who is like the sun. In KathoUpanishad it says one sun illuminates everything. Just as oneSun illumines everything, God is that one consciousness,because of which we are conscious of everything else;therefore adityavarnam is the one who is all-illuminingconsciousness.
Tamasaha Parastat means one who is unaffected by darkness. Thedifference between sunlight and atma jyoti is that sunlightcan’t illuminate darkness. Swami Chinmayananda used to tell astory: somebody told Sun God: There is a beautiful girl, MissDarkness; so you can get married to her. Therefore the Sun Goddecided he should meet Miss Darkness; so he asked, where isMiss Darkness; they told him it is on the other side of theearth; so the Sun started running after Miss Darkness. The Sunis still going round and round; that is why we have sunriseand sunset;
Sun can illumine everything, but he can never illuminedarkness; that is the limitation of the Sun. Consciousness is,however, a superior light, which can illumine the Darkness aswell. Thus, think, how do you know if it is dark? Because youknow it is dark. It is not affected by darkness.
Such a nishkama upasaka meditates upon god including at timeof death. Swamiji said this shloka is grammatically incomplete
as such we have to add that: he obtains god or krama mukti.
Shloka # 10:
प्रयाणकाले मनसाऽचलेनभक्त्या युक्तो योगबलेन चैव।भ्रुवोर्मध्ये प्राणमावेश्य सम्यक्स तं परं पुरुषमुपैित िदव्यम्।।8.10।।
At the hour of departure whoso with steady mind, and withdevotion and the power of Yoga, sustains aright the life forcebetween the brows ( and remembers), reaches the Spiritsupreme, divine.
Here Sri Krishna talks of how the Nishkama Upasaka remembersgod at time of death. This process is detailed in KathoUpanishad.
At time of death the pancha prana’s are withdrawn to Hridayam;then they are directed to Sushumna Nadi that opens at the topof the head; then Brahmarandram launches prana through shuklagathi to take it to Brahma Loka.
For all these things, he has to prepare. Therefore, he has tobring the prana to a place between the eyebrows; whichrepresents sushumna nadi, because it is supposed to travelthrough the middle of the head and directly behind the brudeshaha.
How can I withdraw prana, at time of death? Sri Krishna saysif a person wants karma mukti, he must not only be a greatupasaka but a great yogi as well. A yogi well versed inashtanga yoga so that he can control prana. There are yogiswho can control involuntary muscles. So Sri Krishna says,upasaka must be a yogi to obtain karma mukti.
To obtain jivan mukti one need not be a great yogi. Bystrength of yoga one can withdraw prana and direct it. He alsoenjoys a mind, which is very steady and undistracted at time
of death. This is possible through the discipline of yoga.
He must be totally devoted to Me. This devotion is powered byyoga by which he can direct the mind towards the Lord.
By such upasana he obtains lord himself. What type of Lord?One who is param purusham divyam or the highest, limitless andis of the nature of consciousness. This leads him to karmamukti.
Shloka # 11:
यदक्षरं वेदिवदो वदन्ितिवशन्ित यद्यतयो वीतरागाः।यिदच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्िततत्ते पदं संग्रहेण प्रवक्ष्ये।।8.11।।
That Imperishable which the Veda-knowers set forth, whichascetics,devoid of attachments, enter, and seeking which, theylive a life of continence-that goal, briefly, I shall declareto you.
Here, Sri Krishna talks of glories of god.
All Vedic learners learn that the aksharam or ultimate realityis the only source of fullness, happiness etc. Committedseekers reach this ultimate reality.
The word Yataha means Sanyasi, who single-mindedly pursuespiritual goal. Sanyasi need not be an external sanyasi; it isanyone who has turned away from finite goals of life. Theyunderstand that everything is Apara Prakriti; that they arenot permanent, that they cannot give emotional security. So,they have turned to the infinite. They lead a life ofBrahmacharya or committed to study of scriptures.
Word Brahmacharya is Brahma, meaning scriptures and Charyameaning dwelling in them.
Sri Krishna says I shall briefly define the nature of this
Ishwara. However, he does so, only in shlokas 20, 21 and 22.
Shloka # 12:
सर्वद्वारािण संयम्य मनो हृिद िनरुध्य च।मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्िथतो योगधारणाम्।।8.12।।
Controlling all gateways of the senses, confining the mind inthe heart, fixing the life breath in the crown and intent onthe maintenance of Yoga.
God’s nature is formless. It is difficult to conceive thisformless god, hence scriptures created alambanam, a concretesymbol. And this alampanaṁ or symbol is of two types; one iscalled prathima alampanam, and the other is called pratheekaalampanam; prathima alampanaṁ is a symbol, which has got allthe limbs or organs like a head, hands, legs etc. where theLord is personified.
Thus, Sri Rama’s picture is a pratima alambanam. Pratikaalambanam, like a shiva linga does not have limbs. Even aflame can be a pratika alambanam even as turmeric powder toois one used to denote Ganesha.
One can choose whichever alambanam suits him or her.
Omkara is also an alambanam. Katho Upanishad says when youvisualize god in Omkara it is Omkara upasana. It is a well-known upasana. It is discussed in several Upanishads. So, SriKrishna also borrows it here in shloka’s # 12 and 13respectively.
When Sri Krishna talks of Omkara upasana, it is just one ofthe choices, among several upasanas. The goal here is that oneshould have a concrete symbol for the abstract god to meditateupon. Then, one should withdraw from one’s sense organs attime of death and bring mind to one’s heart where god isvisualized. Shankaracharya says: “at time of death all yamadutha’s are coming and threatening me and criticizing me for
wasting my life. At that time when I am frightened, I ambooking you now itself; you should come into my heart anddance in my heart so that Yama duthas run away.” This poem isknown as Shivashankara ashtakam.
So, having withdrawn mind and having placed it in the heart,prana should be withdrawn and brought to top of head. At thattime mind should be focused. This comes from long practice.This is Omkara Upasana.
Ram Ramaswamy
Taitreya Upanishad, Class 44Ch 3, Anuvakaha 1, Shlokas 3:
To him (Bhrgu) he (Varuna) again said: that from which thesebeings are born; that by which, having been born, these beingslive and continue to exist; and that into which, whendeparting, they all enter; that seekest thou to know. That isBrahman.” He Bhrgu performed penance; and after having donepenance….
Continuing his teaching, Swamiji said, we are in anuvakaha #1of Brghuvalli (Ch 3) in which the student Bhrgu approached hisfather Varuna and asked him for Brahma Vidya. Varuna taughthim Brahma Upalabdi dwarani that provide clues to recognizeBrahman through Pancha Maha Koshas. He also provided him thedefinition of Brahman as Brahma lakshanam consisting of Jagat,
Srishti, Sthithi, Laya Karanam. Such a definition is a knownas Tataksha Lakshanam. He said, Brahman is the cause ofcreation, sustenance, and destruction of the universe. Inchapter 2, a different definition was given as: Satyam, Gyanamand Anantam. This definition is called swarupa lakshanam, adirect definition. The definition in chapter 2, the directone, point’s to Brahman’s nature while the second definitionis revealed in relation to Universe. Karanam is a relativedefinition and can be understood only through Karya prapancha.This is called indirect definition or Tatkshaya definition.
Srishti Sthithi Laya karanam is upadana karanam. Nimithakaranam is intelligent cause while upadana karanam is thematerial cause. The difference between intelligent cause andmaterial cause is that intelligent cause is only responsiblefor production of creation as such it is also known as Srishtikaranam or Srishti matra karanam. Citing an example, while acarpenter produces furniture he is not responsible formaintenance and survival of furniture.
Material cause is required for production of product but evensurvival of product depends on this material cause. Thus,without wood as material cause, furniture can’t survive andwithout gold, ornament can’t survive. So, material cause issrishti and sthiti karanam. Not only is material causeresponsible for sthithi karanam it also absorbs all destroyedproducts. Upon destruction all destroyed products are againabsorbed in material cause alone. Thus, all melted gold goesback into gold, wave goes back into water etc. It is theswallowing, resolving cause or Laya Karanam as well.
Thus, material cause, Upadana karanam, is Srishti Sthithi LayaKaranam. Here Brahman is defined as Upadana karanam or SrishtiLaya Karanam.
In chapter 2, Brahma has been defined as Gyanam (as in satyam,gyanam anantam,) the consciousness principle. ConsciousnessBrahman is material cause of universe. Thus, the material
cause is consciousness itself. No other philosophy or religionhas come to this unique conclusion. Ultimate stuff or contentof the universe is consciousness. Cause of the tangible worldis this intangible Consciousness.
Another important point here is, when we say Brahman isultimate cause of universe, it means Brahman is it’s karanam.Here Karanam does not mean in its literal sense. This iscalled Gauna (secondary) Pragya. Citing an illustrativeexample of this: When we say a person is a pillar of theorganization it means, he is like a pillar in some aspects butnot so, in some other aspects. This is known as Sadharmyam(common feature) Vaidharmyam (uncommon feature).
When we call him a pillar it means he supports theorganization. It also means he supports like a pillar only inthe supporting aspect alone .He, however is not an insentientmatter, like a regular pillar. A normal pillar does not movefrom place to place, but this person does move. So, here tooBrahman is the karanam, it is only a substance, while karyamis always nama and rupa alone.
Therefore Brahman is the only substance available, all therest, such as Akasha, Vayu, Lokas are all just nama and rupaalone. None of them have substantiality of their own.
In such cases which aspects to take and which aspects toreject? When something is called karanam, it means it can bemodified. Thus, wood changes to furniture under a carpenter;gold changes to an ornament under a gold smith; a seed growsinto a tree; food changes into flesh, bone, blood and thusinto a body. Generally karanam conveys vikaraha or change.With reference to Brahman, we should not take themodifications part attributed to Brahman; thus inertness ofpillar is not extended to man, only the supporting part isextended. Similarly any modification is not extended toBrahman.
Brahman is nirvikaram. So, Brahman is called the changelesscause of creation. Vivartha Upadana karanam is Brahman.Brahman is the ultimate substance of Creation, but it is not achanging substance.
Wood can change; hence it is called Parinami upadana karanam.Brahman however does not change. This is the difference.
(Note: Maya undergoes change to create the world hence it iscalled the pariNAmi upAdAna kAraNam; meaning a cause, whichchanges, to produce effects. Atma does not undergo any changeto manifest the world and hence is called vivarta upAdAnakAraNam; meaning a cause that does not undergo change toproduce effect.)
Therefore, knowing Brahman is the ultimate changeless materialcause of the universe and having got the clues of pancha mahakoshas, keeping all this in mind, Brghu had to do his homework. He had to meditate on this Brahman.
Brghu is going to go in the direction of Pancha Kosha Viveka.This chapter will go through this viveka although in anabbreviated manner, as this topic has been elaborated upon inCH 2.
Chapter 3, Anuvakha 2, Shloka # 1:
Brghu learnt that food is Brahman because it is from food thatall beings are born; by food, when born, do they live andhaving departed, into food they enter. Having known that, heapproached his father Varuna, and said: Revered Sir, teach meBrahman. Varuna told him:” By deep thinking (tapas) seek thouto know Brahman. Tapas is Brahman.”He performed tapas andhaving performed tapas…
Brghu took up annamaya kosha for study. He wanted to findSrishti, Sthithi, Laya Karanam of annmaya kosha. He foundannam or gross matter as the cause of the kosha.
Thus, earth converts to food that converts to Purusha orannamya kosha. Annam is material cause of body. Annam entersfather’s body via his seed and enters mother’s body via heregg. Seed and egg come together and create a body or a being.
Body survives due to annam. At death body, buried or cremated,goes back to earth as fertilizer. We then become food for thenext generation. Thus Srishti, Sthithi, Laya Karanam is forall beings. Brghu thus understood Annam Brahma.
Brahman also means all pervading. All annamaya koshas are bornout of annam. They survive due to annam. Word Prayanti is apresent participle or in Sanskrit known as Shatru pratyantha.Prayanti means “while dying”; it is not a verb. So all beingswhile dying merge into annam. So, annam is Laya karanam.
Having done the homework Brghu was happy. However, onrechecking he found he had not arrived at Brahman. The problemdiscovered by Brghu was:
While annam is srishti, sthithi, laya karanam it is not theultimate karanam. Brahman, by definition is the ultimate(mula) karanam while annam is only an intermediary karanam.
Upon enquiring, using different pramanams, we find annamitself is a product. Pramanas used were:
Shruti pramanam. It says annam is matter.1.Yukti pramanam or Logic: Anything subject to change is a2.product. How do we know this? If anything changes, itshould have six fold modifications. Thus, birth offurniture is a modification of wood. Anything with sixfold changes means it has birth, which is a change.Gross food is Sa-vikaram, hence it is a product as suchit can’t be the ultimate cause as well.
(Note: Tatva bodha: Gross body undergoes sixmodifications like asthi (existence), Jayathe (birth),vardhathe (growth), viparinamathe (maturity), apaksheeyathe
(decay) and vinashyathi (Death).
Ultimate cause, (mula karanam), does not have any cause.
So, Brghu was disappointed that he did not identify theultimate cause. Citing a story in this context, Anjaneyasearching for Sita in Ravana’s palace saw Mandodari; thinkingshe was Sita, he jumped with joy. Seeing Mandodari sleeping;confusing her as Sita, he was disappointed that sita wouldsleep in Ravana’s palace. Similarly Brghu was alsodisappointed.
Brghu does not know what to do? So he goes back to his fatherto clear his dissatisfaction. He tells Varuna, “ Please teachme Brahma the mula Karanam”. Then Varuna said, “ I haveexplained Brahma Upalabdi Dwarani and Swarupa lakshanam. Ihave nothing more to add. But you are seeking in the rightdirection. May you seek to find Brahman through Tapas. Tapahere means Brahma Gyana Sadhana.
Explaining the word tapas; it is like saying, money iseverything; but you can’t eat money; however, money can getyou every thing you need. Similarly tapas too is a sadhana toobtain Brahman. So, Brghu went back to his tapas.
Commenting on Varuna’s comment to Brghu, swamiji said, oneshould remember the phrase,” When all doors to a solution areclosed, remember all doors are not closed”.
Chapter 3, Anuvakha 3, Shloka # 1:
Brghu understood that prana is Brahman; because it is fromprana alone that all living beings are born; having been bornfrom it, they live by it and (in the end) on departing, theygo towards prana and become one with it.. Having known that,he again approached his father Varuna saying: “O Revered Sir,instruct me about Brahman”. He, Varuna, told him: “Desire toknow Brahman by tapas, tapas is Brahman.” He performed tapasand having performed tapas….
His father gave him another clue. Keeping pranamaya kosha, hefound samashti prana is cause of all beings or prana mayakosha. So, Prana Tatvam, subtler cause, is Brahman.
Thus from gross material one comes to its elements then tomolecules; then to atoms; then to subatomic particles andlastly to energy; the subtlest of them all.
Prana is a nonphysical, intangible entity. So Brghu is happy.All individual prama maya koshas are born out of prana. Theysustain due to prana; and at death, they go back to prana. Atthat point prana merges into samashti prana.
Having discovered this Brghu was happy at first but then hediscovered this too was not the mula karanam. So, he goes backto his father with his doubts.
Take away:
Ultimate stuff or content of the universe is consciousness.Cause of the tangible world is this intangible Consciousness.
With Best Wishes,
Ram Ramaswamy
Bhgawat Geeta Class 112,Chapter 8: Verses 5 to 8Shloka # 5:
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।यः प्रयाित स मद्भावं याित नास्त्यत्र संशयः।।8.5।।
At the end, whoso departs giving up his body, and rememberingMe alone, proceeds to My status; of this there is no doubt.
Continuing his teaching Swamiji said, based upon the last twoshlokas of chapter 7 Arjuna raises his seven questionsreflected in Shlokas 1 and 2 of this chapter # 8. In shloka’s# 3 and 4 Sri Krishna answers the first six questions.
From the fifth shloka onwards, Sri Krishna answers the seventhquestion elaborately on the topic of remembrance of god attime of death. This topic is going to be answered in the restof the chapter # 8. And, by way of answering this question,Sri Krishna is also dealing with Saguna Ishwara Upasanam ormeditating upon a god with attributes. Every dhyana shloka, beit on Rama, Krishna, Devi etc., describe the respective god’sattributes. Saguna Upasana can be classified into two types asSaguna and Nishkama. Saguna upasana is for worldly benefits orother than spiritual benefits, or for artha and kama in thislife or next. Miraculous powers also come from such anupasana.
Nishkama upasana is for spiritual growth or obtaining requiredqualifications and opportunity for moksha. And this nishkamasaguna upasana itself can be divided into two types. In one,person practices Nishkama upasana for acquiring all thequalifications for entering into nirguna gyanam. Because wehave seen in the 7th chapter that saguna ishwara is not theultimate reality. Saguna Ishwara is only an empiricalvyavaharika satyam or it is also mithya; only the nirgunaIshwara also called para prakrithi in chapter 7, that alone isthe ultimate reality; and we have to come to the ultimatenirguna Ishwara.
Thus one can start with Saguna Upasana and the come to nirgunaupasana. Nirguna upasana will lead person to nirguna upasanagyanam. This gyanam will result in Sadyo mukti or jivan mukti.Sadyo mukti is instant liberation.
Alternative method:
Saguna Upasana leads to nirguna Upasana. However person is notable to go to nirguna Ishwara. Switching from a god withattributes to a god without attributes is difficult. NirgunaIshwara enquiry requires a very subtle mind.
So, if the mind is not ready for nirguna ishwara it will notappeal to that person. Then what should that person do? Nodoubt, he wants moksha; no doubt he wants to become one withGod; he does not have interest in any other material goal; heis a nishama purushah; he is a mumukshu purushah; but his mindis not ready for nirguna vicharah.
Sri Krishna offers a solution. He says such a person shouldcontinue his Saguna Upasana alone in this life. He should makesure it is a nishkama mumukshu upasana. At time of death hewill remember only that which he values most in his or herlife. He will remember saguna Ishwara. He won’t getliberation. But because of his intense desire he will go toBrahma Loka. There he will get ideal condition for NirgunaIshwara Gyanam. Brahmaji himself will impart this knowledgeand thus he will attain liberation. This is called KramaMukti. Therefore a Nishkama upasaka can follow either path.Chapter 8 focuses on Krama Mukti.
Shloka # 5:
The word Yaha in shloka means nishkama saguna upasaka. Supposehe dies and his jiva travels. It is sukshma shariram.Remembering Me alone (saguna Ishwara) he will certainly getkarma mukti; of this there is no doubt. Mad Bhava means kramamukti.
Shloka # 6:
यं यं वािप स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्।तं तमेवैित कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभािवतः।।8.6।।
Remembering whatever being one gives up the body at the end,that very being one reaches, O Arjuna! ever confirming to thatbeing.
Suppose a person does not remember god at time of death, whathappens to him?
Sri Krishna says, his next janma will depend upon what hethinks at time of death. As the
famous proverb goes; “As a person thinks, so a personbecomes”. It is a very very powerful law, which is a fact; itis not a law applicable only after death; but it is a
law applicable within this life itself, as a person thinks, sohe becomes.
In this context, Swamiji reminded us of a beautiful proverbwhich he likes:
Watch your thoughts; they become the words;
Watch your words, they become your actions;
Watch your action, they become your habit;
Watch your habit; they become your character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Your destiny is already determined by the thoughts youentertain. Sri Krishna says this rule also applies to nextlife. Jada Bharata story in Bhagawatham says he got attachedto a small deer. His obsession over the deer came up at thetime of his death when he was worried as to who would lookafter his deer. Because of this obsession at time of death, hewas born again as a deer.
And this important lesson Krishna imparts in this shloka.Suppose a person drops the physical body at the time of death;remembering various objects in his mind, any particular
object, any particular goal in mind, remembering, then, hewill certainly attain only such a birth which is in keepingwith the person’s thought process. So, Arjuna, remember thisis the most important law.
The question comes up if there is a loophole at time of deaththat one can get around it regarding thinking about god? SriKrishna says you never know when death will come to you.Thoughts of a person are based upon: his will power andVasanas (habits, samskaras, impressions). Thoughts in mind aredecided by will power or vasana. There is a constant clashbetween the two. As we grow older vasana becomes morepowerful, powered by many years of thinking. Our subconsciousmind is saturated with vasanas while our will becomes weaker.At time of death it is very difficult to control thought. So,Sri Krishna says, saturate your vasanas with spiritualthoughts. So preparation for this should start this verymoment. Rehearsal for death should start right now.
Sri Krishna discussed this topic although many will not likeit. He says constant practice makes subconscious mind divineoriented.
Citing story of Appaya Diskhitar a great devotee, he wanted tofind out about subconscious mind. He wanted to find out fromour dreams. He drank milk made from erruka tree called errukammilk. Drinking this milk throws one off balance. He tolddisciples to write down whatever he said when he was not inhis senses after drinking this milk. His thought came out asthe Unmat- stotram out of his mouth uttered during his dream.It was a great hymn to the Lord Shiva.
Shloka # 7:
तस्मात्सर्वेषु कालेषु मामनुस्मर युध्य च।मय्यर्िपतमनोबुद्िधर्मामेवैष्यस्यसंशयम्।।8.7।।
Therefore, at all times, remember Me and fight. Dedicatingmind and intellect to Me, rid of all doubts, you will reach
Me, indeed.
So Arjuna, my advice to you is, may you always remember Me.
If I remember god all the time when will I have time for mynormal duties? Should I become a Sanyasi? How to remember godall the time?
Sri Krishna says, don’t drop your responsibilities. Continuewith them. But you also have to fight, Arjuna. He means Arjunashould fulfill his duties as well. How can I do two jobs atthe same time; remembering you and fighting?
Conscious mind cannot do two jobs simultaneously. Even whenconscious mind is working on a job, in subconscious mind mypriority should be clear. Subconscious mind can have Ishwarachintana, while conscious mind can perform work. It is likea tampura sruthi in background. While singing, tamura srutiwill still be maintained.
Citing another example Swamiji says, it is like when one getsdown at a platform in a railway station to buy food. Theperson keeps one eye and ear tuned to any signal as todeparture of the train. So, in life one should continue hisnormal activities while keeping mind alert to the divine aswell. Our emotional personality should be focused on God.Learn to emotionally depend upon god rather than on mortals.Remember, a mortal will leave you one day as such areundependable. Love everyone but depend on saguna Ishwara. TheThyagaraja Krithis are all about talking to God.
May you be rationally be convinced; because the physicalpersonal God symbolizes the truth; symbolizes immortality;symbolizes love; symbolizes compassion; symbolizes steadiness.Therefore the physical form we do not say is the ultimatetruth; but the physical form represents the highest reality;and that is called the intellectual conviction. Until youunderstand this abstract truth till then you depend on sagunaIshwara.
This lifestyle will lead you to Me without doubt.
Shloka # 8:
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगािमना।परमं पुरुषं िदव्यं याित पार्थानुिचन्तयन्।।8.8।।
O Arjuna! Steadily thinking with an unswerving mind,disciplined in the yoga of repeated practice, one proceeds tothe supreme, divine Spirit.
At time of death an Upasaka remembers God, the highest realityPurushaha.
Purushah, the word has two meanings. One meaning is the onewho resides in the heart of everyone; and other is theindweller of all. Puri or pure, means the body, shete meansdwells, resides. Puarayati: one who fills whole world;Vidhyam: Chaitanya swarupam.
So Saguna upasaka remembers such a god with the strength ofregular practice. It is a mind that is undistracted; with sucha mind he remembers Me. Math prodigy Ramanujam at time ofdeath, was asked for his
car’s number. He said it is a number with two cube roots. Hewas able to do so because of what he valued. So, when youvalue God, you will remember him and merge into him. Mergehere means Krama mukti.
Take away:
Your destiny is already determined by the thoughts you1.entertain.At time of death one will remember only that which he2.values most in his or her life.Watch your thoughts; they become the words;3.
Watch your words, they become your actions;
Watch your action, they become your habit;
Watch your habit; they become your character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.
Ram Ramaswamy
Taitreya Upanishad, Class 43Chapter 3 or Brghuvalli:
Chapter 3 preview:
Starting with his preview of Chapter 3, Swamiji said,Brahmavidya teaching was completed in Brahmanandavalli orchapter 2. Now the Upanishad focuses on some allied topics.Brahmavidya is not the focus anymore but it is discussed withother topics. The other topics are: Gyana Sadhanani orpreparatory disciplines through which Gyana Vidhya occurs andremains in a person.
Two types of preparatory disciplines are indicated:
Remotely connected to knowledge.1.Directly connected to knowledge or sakshat sadhanani or2.Vedanta vakya vichara. This is an important sadhana asit leads to knowledge and is also known as PramanaVichara. Pancha Kosha vichara is highlighted here. Theword Tapas is used again and again in this Upanishad inevery section. Tapas, here means Vedanta vakya vicharaor pancha kosha vichara. It is a direct means of self-knowledge. Although tapa also means penance andausterities, in this chapter it means Vichara.
Secondary disciplines, indirectly connected ones, are a fewupsanas or meditations, for integrating the mind. Upasanascan’t give direct knowledge. Vedanta vichara alone can giveknowledge. Thus, Anjaneya upasana cannot give this knowledge.Anjaneya will bless upsaka with proper guru or the devatahimself may also become his guru, if a guru is not found. Theupasana devata can be any god including Anjaneya.
Vrthas or vows are also discussed. Four vrthas or austeritiesare discussed. Vrthas, upsanas and vichara are all GyanaSadhanani. Vichara is a direct source of knowledge while Vrthaand upsanas are indirect sources of knowledge.
Another topic in this chapter is Gyana Phalam. The benefit isthat one will attain knowledge and its resulting benefits.This topic was also discussed in chapter 1 or shikshavalli. Ifso, why discus it again? If a person studies Vedanta and stilldoes not get knowledge, Upanishad wants to tell us that it ishis own preparation that was not adequate.
To err is human but to put blame on another is even morehuman. If shastra’s do not bless him with pramanam; Ishwara,Guru and shastra are not the problem. The problem is with thestudent who has not prepared enough for it. He probably doesnot know the sadhana chatushtaya sampathi. Shankaracharya asksstudents to check for their sadhana chatushtaya sampathiperiodically during study of Vedanta vichara. Hence thischapter repeats importance of preparation.
Chapter 3, Shantipatha, Shloka #1:
Om, May he protect us both. May He help us both to enjoy thefruits of scriptural study. May we both exert together to findthe true meaning of the sacred text. May our studies make usbrilliant. May we never quarrel with each other.
The shanti patha is repeated as before. It is chanted bystudent and teacher in every class. It says:
It asks for an ideal relation with guru. Citing an1.example, without good relationship between husband andwife a family can’t be functional. Similarly shishyamust have shrdha and bhakti for Guru. Guru too must havecompassion for student.It is necessary for enough effort to be placed by both2.the student and teacher.The teaching must culminate in Gyana prapthihi.3.Gyana phalam praptihi. The gyanam must be internalized4.and transforming.
All four should happen to me. If there are any karmicobstacles, please remove them, is the prayer.
Ch 3, Anuvakaha 1, Shloka 2:
Bhrgu, the well known son of Varuna, approached his father,Varuna and requested, “ O revered Sir, teach me Brahman.”Varuna said, thus, to him (Bhrgu),” Food, Prana, the eyes, theears, the mind and the speech are Brahman.”
Starting chapter 3, swamiji said this Chapter is in prose.This is a Brahmano Upanishad; hence, it is in prose. MantroUpanishads are in poetry. Chapter 3 is divided into paragraphscalled anuvakahas. Chapter 3 has 10 anuvakahas. First word ofshloka 2, anuvakaha 1,chapter 3, is Brighu, hence the chapteris named Brighuvalli.
It begins with introduction of guru and shishya. It is a gurushishya dialogue. Vedantic teaching is always in a gurushishya discussion format. This is to discourage learningVedanta by self-study. In Taittirya Upanishad, in the firsttwo chapters, there was no guru or shishya, although laterchapters did. In this chapter the Guru is the father andshishya, the son.
When son is interested in knowledge and father is a wise manthis, a guru-shishya relationship can happen and it is seenhappening here.
Once upon a time there was a great sage called Bhrgu. Even SriKrishna acknowledges him in chapter 10 of the Gita. Brghu wasborn twice. First as manas-putra, son of Brahma and a secondtime, as son of Varuna. Thus, Varuni Brghu is son of Varuna.
What did this Brghu do? He approached his father Varuna. Whythe emphasis on how son approaches father in Upanishad? Othersons also approach their fathers for many other things;however here son approaches father for brahma vidya in aproper manner. He does so with shrdha and bhakti. He addresseshis father not as father but as, O Lord, May you teach meBrahman. Swamiji says, in Upanayana ceremony too the fatherbecomes a guru. The formal mode of address by studentindicates an evolved student; one who has Vairgyam,mumukshatvam and sadhana chatushtaya sampathihi. Heunderstands Brahma Gyanam can occur only through Guruupadesha. He is an advanced student.
Father certainly knows the condition of his son. He thentaught the following to his son. He gives clues to panchakosha viveka. The clues are:
Annam: Annamaya kosha.
Pranam: Pancha pranas
Vacham: Pancha Karmendriyani
All these together, Prana and vacha are pranamaya kosha.
Chakshu and stotram: Eye and ear are both gyanendriyas.
Manaha: the mind.
Mind with gyanendriyas is Manomaya kosha.
Vijnanamaya and anandamaya koshas, we have to supply.
First clue as per Shankaracharya is Brahma Upalabdi Dwarani toBrahma Gyanam.
Later he defines Brahman as shown in chapter 2 as Satyam,gyanam and anantam. This Brahman is also called swarupalakshanam or a short or direct definition.
Ch 3, Anuvakaha 1, Shlokas 3:
To him (Bhrgu) he (Varuna) again said: that from which thesebeings are born; that by which, having been born, these beingslive and continue to exist; and that into which, whendeparting, they all enter; that seekest thou to know. That isBrahman.” He Bhrgu performed penance; and after having donepenance….
Now an indirect definition is also given. This is one reasonwhy Taittiriya Upanishad is so important. In this importantmantra it says, Brahman is Jagat, srishti, sthithi and layakaranam. Vyasa in bhagavatham also gives the same definition.
Yataha in shloka means Brahman. Sthiti karanam means cause ofpreservation; Prayanti means destruction or all beings areresolved in Brahman; It also means Brahman is Laya karanam.Jatani means having been born. Jivanti means live.
Explaining further swamiji says:
Srishti: Brahma
Sthiti: Vishnu
Laya: Shiva
Brahma, Vishnu and shiva are all names for one Brahman alone.It does not mean that there are many Gods. They are threefunctional names of one Brahman. Furthermore, we have, in ourconfusion, even started comparing them by creating names ofshaivism and vaishnavism. Vedanta does not consider any one ofthe trinity superior; they are all one Brahman. Vedantins arecalled smarthas, who are neither shaivas nor vaishnavas.Wearing Vibhuti on forehead does not mean one is a shaiva.Scriptures say if anyone compares gods and grades them they
will get an upset stomach. So, all are one Brahman. ThereforeBrahman alone is srishti, sthiti and laya karanam. May youknow him through tapas, keeping the clues in mind. Thus Brghustarted his teaching.
When we talk of self-enquiry, it is enquiry into Guru vakya orshastra vakya or it’s vichara. Many people miss this and startself-enquiry through a questioning approach of, who am I? Thisindependent enquiry without a guru is not in Vedic tradition.Vedic enquiry is always inquiry with guru shastra vakya. Atmavichara is guru shatra vichara. It is also known as pramanavichara. Rejecting Guru and shastras; and practicing self-enquiry does not lead to Vedantic knowledge.
The word tapaha means enquiry based on Brahma Lakshanani andtwo of them were discussed: Brahma Upalabdi Dwarani andSwarupa lakshanam
The student, Brghu, having contemplated on the teaching nowcomes back with some of his doubts.
With Best Wishes,
Ram Ramaswamy
Baghawat Geeta, Class 111:Chapter 8, Verses 1 to 5Starting chapter 8, Swamiji said, this chapter is primarilybased upon the last two shlokas of chapter 7. In Chapter 7, inthe last two shlokas, Sri Krishna introduced some technicalterms without explaining them. They were: Karma, Brahma,
Adhyatmam, Adhibhutam, Adhidaivam, and Adhiyajnam. He alsomentioned remembering god at the time of death.
The last one naturally creates a curiosity in Arjuna’s mind asto why Sri Krishna should talk about Ishwara smaranam at thetime of death. He feels there must be some significance to it.Arjuna, in fact, has a total of seven questions. They areregarding the six technical terms and remembering god at timeof death. Chapter 8 is dedicated to answering these sevenquestions. In answering these seven questions Sri Krishna alsointroduces saguna ishwara dhyanam. Here, Sri Krishnahighlights Sadhana Upasana. In the middle of the Gita upasanais discussed. So, the chapter begins with Arjunas questions.
Shloka # 1:
िकं तद्ब्रह्म िकमध्यात्मं िकं कर्म पुरुषोत्तम।अिधभूतं च िकं प्रोक्तमिधदैवं िकमुच्यते।।8.1।।
Arjuna asked the following questions:
What is Brahman?1.What is Adhyatmam?2.What is Karma? While dictionary meaning of word is3.action, what does it mean here?What is adhibhutam?4.What is adhidaivam?5.
Please answer these five questions.
Shloka # 2:
अिधयज्ञः कथं कोऽत्र देहेऽस्िमन्मधुसूदन।प्रयाणकाले च कथं ज्ञेयोऽिस िनयतात्मिभः।।8.2।।
Arjuna continues, O Madhusudhana, Please answer:
Who or what is Adhiyagna?6.
6.b. How does Adhiyagna reside in the body; a side question.
7.a. What is significance of remembering god at time of death?
7.b. How can one remember god at time of death?
Even living beings can’t remember god, how can I remember godat time of death when all my faculties are fading? Is there atechnique? Please teach me Sri Krishna?
How are You to be remembered by committed people, byintegrated people and by people with self-control?
There must be a tremendous control over the mind required toremember the Lord at the time of death; therefore how canself-controlled people remember God at the time of death? Thisis the 7th question regarding antahkala smaranam.
In the shloka, in the word Madhusudhana, Madhu also meanskarmaphalam. Therefore, Madhusudhana is destroyer of allkarmas or one who gives mokhsa.
Shloka # 3:
अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते।भूतभावोद्भवकरो िवसर्गः कर्मसंज्िञतः।।8.3।।
What is that Brahman? What is the inner self? What is work? Ohighest spirit! What is said to be the elements? What is saidto be the divinities?
Sri Krishna now answers the questions.
Q 1.What is Brahman?
The imperishable principle aksharam paramam (the highest) iscalled Brahman.
Why use paramam? Without it the word aksharam can also meanalphabet or a letter. So Brahman is the most supreme aksharamor the ultimate imperishable. The word Kshas meansimperishable. In Mandukya Upanishad too, Brahman is calledaksharam. What is this imperishable principle? Consciousness
is the only entity that is not perishable. Matter is subjectto decay and death. AP (apara prakriti) is perishable while PP(para prakriti) or Chaitanya tatvam is not. The very wordBrahma means brihat tamatva or a superlatively big entity. SriKrishna does not elaborate on Brahman as he has described itas Para Prakriti in chapter 7, shloka’s 4-10.
Chapter 8 is also called Aksharam Brahma Yoga as the teachingstarts with it.
Q 2. What is Adhyatmam?
The all-pervading consciousness also exists in the individualbody as well. Within body it is called Adhyatmam (obtainingwithin body). Samashti consciousness is called Brahman whilesame consciousness in a body is called Adhyatmam or inneressence consciousness. Adhyatmam is Jivatma while Brahman isParamatma. Consciousness is the same; two different words areused, because of two different terms of reference. Citing anexample, a man is, from wife’s point of view, a husband; froma child’s point of view, a father; a mother’s point of view, ason.
How can one and the same person be called father, son,grandfather, husband, brother etc? This is called shabdaprakriti nimittam. It means, the point of reference, when itdiffers the name also differs.
Thus, consciousness is called paramatma; consciousness is alsocalled jivatma, depending upon macro and micro point ofreference. This answers second question.
Q 3. What is karma?
Visarga in shloka means all activities of human beings who areresponsible for future creation. This is karma. Scriptures saycreation is not an accident. It is an incident caused byprevious factors (karmas). My physical body is a result of mypast karmas. Individual birth is due to individual’s karmas.
Humanities’ birth is due to karma of humanity.
In shloka bhutabhava means the insistence of living beings;udbhavakaraha means that which brings about, sobhutabhavodbhavakaraha means that which brings about theexistence of every living being.
My karma determines my parentage, my bothers, my sisters, myplace of birth etc. My parents got me due to their karma. Itis same with a guru and shishya as well.
And therefore what is karma? Srishti karanam is Karma.
So present creation is a result of past creation. Futurecreations will be a result of this creation. Creation did notcome up as a wish of god. He is not responsible for creation.I have asked for it by my good bad and mixed actions. That iswhy there are 14 Lokas to fulfill all karmas.
We do such terrible action, necessitating a narakaenvironment; and we also do wonderful actions necessitating awonderful heaven; and we also manage to mix up necessitatingmanushya loka. Thus everything is karma ordered and thereforekarma is defined as srishti karanam. That is presented here asbhuta bhava udbhavakarah and visargah means action. My owncontribution; is called karmasamjnitah. So with this threequestions are answered.
Shloka # 4:
अिधभूतं क्षरो भावः पुरुषश्चािधदैवतम्।अिधयज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर।।8.4।।
“Elements” constitute perishable existence; the divinities arethe Spirit. Thou, best of men! in the body I alone am relatedto sacrifices.
Q 4. What is Adhibhutam?
Any object that is experienced is perishable. All elements,
the sun, moon, stars, rivers etc are all physical bodies andare, as such, perishable. The material world is known asadhibhutam.
Q 5. What is adhidaivam?
It is Hiranyagarbha or total consciousness with total mindand thus total knowledge with a subtle body. And thathiranyagarbha alone is called a presiding deity from thestandpoint of every organ, so the presiding deity of the eyeis surya devatha; and the presiding deity of the ears is digdevatha. Thus we have presiding deities for every organ; allthese presiding deities put together is called hiranyagarbha;that hiranyagarbha is called adhi daivam.
Q.6: What is adhiyagna?
I myself, or God himself, am adhidavam. What is Ishwara? Asper Tatvabodha, it is consciousness associated with Karanaprapancha. The whole universe in potential form is Shakti orMaya. Shakti plus consciousness is Ishwara.
Sri Krishna says I am that Ishwara. I am the seed of theuniverse. And they say after the pralaya, when everything isdestroyed, it is said that then on a banana leaf Sri Krishnafloats.
What does the water and the banana leaf represent? It isnothing but the seed form of the universe, and Sri Krishnarepresents the consciousness principle; Consciousness pluspotential universe is called Ishwara. In scientific termsconsciousness plus basic energy is Ishwara. So with this, the6th question is also answered.
Where does Ishwara reside?
Sri Krishna answers: O Arjuna, Lord resides in every body. Inchapter’s 10 and 18 respectively, Sri Krishna refers to thisfact. He is called Narayana since he resides in every being.
Explaining the word Narayana, naram means all the livingbeings. Naram means jeeva samuhaha; and ayanam means theresidence; So, Narayanam means every living being is theresidence of the Lord.
Every human is a residence of God. He is in pragya rupam ineach of us (Tatva bodha).
Why is he called Adiyagnaha?
Adhiyagnah means residing in the heart; because god isassociated with every action you take. How is he associated? Lord is associated with our yagnas, our poojas. He is thereceiver of the pooja, as we saw in the 7th chapter. Any poojadone by anyone I receive and for the pooja, I give the karmaphalam. Therefore
as the receiver of the pooja and as the giver of the result, Iremain in the heart of everyone.
So, do not worry that your good actions are not registered. Itis all registered and according to the laws of karma it willalso give results.
For a Daivic person every result is due to karma phalam. I amreaping results of my own actions. Non-remembrance of actiondoes not mean non-performance. I have to pay the price for myactions through Adhiyagnaha or Karmaphaladata.
Shloka # 5:
अन्तकाले च मामेव स्मरन्मुक्त्वा कलेवरम्।यः प्रयाित स मद्भावं याित नास्त्यत्र संशयः।।8.5।।
At the end, whoso departs giving up his body, and rememberingMe alone, proceeds to My status; of this there is no doubt.
In Shlokas 3 and 4 Sri Krishna has answered all six questions.Now he answers question # 7. The answer to this question iselaborately discussed till shloka # 28. In this answer he is
introducing Ishwara Upasana as well. Ishwara, here is SagunaIshwara. This god can be meditated upon. This Saguna Ishwaraupasana gives two results depending on one’s motive andattitude.
Thus we have:
1) Sakama Saguna Ishwara upasana and
2) Nishkama Saguna Ishwara Upasana.
Saguna Upasana is for material benefits in this world, heavenor in another birth. It can also bestow miraculous powers.Many upsakas are sidhas. Upasana gives some peopleextraordinary powers. Such siddhas say, on a given day thedeity enters them and he (siddha) is able to predict eventsand suggest parihara. Hundreds of sidhis are enumerated in thepuranas, in bhagavatham, related to knowing the past, knowingthe future etc., Countless sidhis are mentioned; all are theresult of Sakama Saguna Ishwara Upasanam.
Nishkama Saguna Ishwara Upasana: This upasana does not resultin material benefits. It provides spiritual benefits.
Thus, one devotee prays: Oh Lord I am remembering you not forartha; not for kama; not for punyam; I am not interested inanyone of them; because I know they are all perishable innature. I have got only one goal; and that is the spiritualgoal called moksha or in religious language, God himself is mygoal. I want to attain oneness with you.
This upsana requires Vairagyam. This Nishkama Upasana has twodirections:
One practices the upasana for a long time. He then1.becomes qualified for Gyanam. Gaining this gyanam inthis life itself, he attains moksha, which is calledsadyo mukthih.
Note: sadyo mukti means Infallible knowledge about one’s own
identity with Brahman.
A person continues in saguna upasana but is not able to2.come to nirguna upasana. He continues saguna upasana. Attime of death he asks for moksha. He then goes to Brahmaloka and gets gyanam there. This is Krama mukti.
Take away:
Thus we have presiding deities for every organ; all1.these presiding deities put together is calledhiranyagarbha; that hiranyagarbha is called adhi daivam.The material world is known as adhibhutam.2.And therefore what is karma? Srishti karanam is Karma.3.Thus, present creation is a result of past creation.Scriptures say creation is not an accident. It is an4.incident caused by previous factors (karmas).
Ram Ramaswamy
Taitreya Upanishad, Class 42:Summary of Brahmanandavalli
Greetings All,1.
Swamiji said, today, I am giving you a summary of theBrahmanandavalli chapter. It is the main chapter of theUpanishad giving us the vedantic teaching. Chapters 1 and 3are considered preparatory chapters dealing with preparatorydisciplines only. Preparatory disciplines are also importantin understanding Brahmanandavalli. In my summary, I am goingto discuss it topic by topic.
Brahmanandavalli has nine sections or anuvakahas. It begins
with Sutrabhaga, a capsule like aphorism, or capturing in anutshell. A vrithi bhaga or a short note comments upon thissutra. The Vrithi bhaga is further elaborated upon inVyakhyana bhaga. Thus, Sutra, Vrithi and Vyakhyana are threebhagas of Brahmanandavalli.
Sutra Vrithi: The sutra says the knower of Brahman attains thehighest. The highest can be moksha or Brahman. This leads tothree questions?
What is Brahman?1.What is the method of knowing Brahman?2.What is meant by, attaining the highest?3.
All three topics are dealt with in the Vrithi Bhaga.
Regarding what is Brahman the Upanishad says it is1.Satyam, Gyanam and Anantam. Satyam here means pureexistence; a noun and as a substance. Gyanam here meanspure consciousness as an entity in itself or as asubstance. Anantam means infinite or limitless as anadjective. So, this limitless existence consciousness,this substance, is called Brahman.Regarding method of knowing Brahman, the Upanishad says,2.it is to be recognized in one’s own mind. It is known as“I” the witness of presence and absence of thought inthe mind and as non-different from myself or as AhamBrahma Asmi.Regarding, what is meant by attaining the highest, the3.Upanishad says, it is attainment of all pleasuressimultaneously. It is simultaneous fulfillment of allpleasures. Swamiji says, enlightened means mind becomeslightened.
With this Vrithi bhaga is over in anuvakaha # 1. VyakhyanaBhaga was then discussed. It is an elaboration on the threetopics already discussed. The elaboration is performed infollowing manner:
The method of elaboration on srishti prakranam is used1.to define Brahman.Method of knowing Brahman is elaborated upon through2.pancha kosha viveka.Method of attaining the highest is elaborated upon3.through ananda mimamsa.
Srishti prakaranam: From creation of akasha to the body isdefinition of Brahman. It is clarified in two ways.
Brahman is presented as Karanam.1.World is presented as Karyam.2.
Karanam is that which exists before, during and aftercreation. Thus, clay exists before pot creation, after potcreation and after destruction of pot. Whatever remains in allthree states of existence is Satyam. Karyam does not exist inall three sates. It exists only in the present. Karyam, aproduct, does not exist separate from Karanam. World does notexist separate from Brahman. So, world is not a separatething. Thus, one cannot say, water and wave are separate;similarly there is no duality between Brahman and the world.Thus, world cannot limit Brahman as there is no world otherthan Brahman. Therefore, Brahman is limitless anantham.Srishti prakaranam thus shows Satyam and Anantam. Gyanam comeslater under pancha kosha viveka.
Pancha Kosha viveka: This topic is discussed from3.anuvakaha # 1 to anuvakaha # 5. Here the Upanishad takesthe student to finer states of mind. Mind is brought toits subtlest principle from the gross. In anandamaya,subtlest form of mind, mind enjoys calmness andfulfillment or priya, moda and pramoda. This is allananda maya kosha.
So, now, how does one get to atma?
Once mind becomes calm will atma rise? Answering, theUpanishad says, never look for atma. It is the onlooker, the
“I”, the witness of priya, moda and pramoda; that “I”, am theatma. Atmananda is the subject of experience. When is itavailable? It is available at all times say the shastras. Atmais ananda. This witness is called Brahman. It is a mahavakyam.With this pancha kosha viveka topic is over.
3.What is meant by the phalam or attaining the highest? Thisis discussed through ananda mimamsa topic in anuvakaha # 8.Anuvakaha 6 and 7 are discussed as side topics. Upanishadsays there are two types of anandas: Atmananda and Koshananda.
The features differentiating these two anandas are:
Koshananda is a reflection while atmananda is the1.original.Atmananda is a subject of experience. It is never an2.object. Whereas koshanada is always an object.Atmananda is not subject to gradation. Koshananda is3.graded as priya, moda and pramoda, as such subject togradation.Koshananda can be attained through sense objects as well4.as through Vairagyam or contentment.
For getting atmananda there is only one method; that is byknowing that it is the very nature of the seeker. One who hasall sense objects has koshananda. One who has vairagyam willalso obtain koshananda. However, it is only the one who hasgyanam that gets both atmananda and koshananda. One who hasgyanam has koshananda and Vairgyam. Vairagyam is essential forgyanam. Gyani, thus, enjoys atmananda and koshananda. This isknown as phala prapthihi.
Suppose this Gyani gets an opportunity for sense pleasures,does it make a difference to him? Swamiji says, it does notmake any difference to him. With this anuvakaha # 8, on phalamis over.
All three topics have been elaborated upon. Now Upanishadconcludes with an upasamhara. Conclusion is that Gyani is not
afraid of losing ananda. Gyani also goes through empathy andother emotional feelings. At time of sharing grief with othershe is still aware of his own ananda. So, he does not fear.
Incidentally, the Upanishad adds, Gyani does not dwell on hispast, his pre-gyanam days, and grieve. He does not feel hurtand guilt. Karta feels guilt while bhokta feels hurt. He seesthem as mithya; as such he does not have samsara. This ismoksha prapthihi. With this Vrithi and Vyakhyanam, both areover.
Anuvakaha # 6 and 7:
They are an aside of Brahmanandavalli. A student raised threequestions. The questions are known as anuprashnaha. Onequestion was an implied one while other two were explicit.
The questions were:
Is there a Brahman at all? Upanishad says, Brahman is1.not available for any transaction such as physical,emotional etc. What is proof of its existence? Somephilosophers such as Visishta advaita don’t accept ideaof a nirguna Brahman. This implied question wasanswered elaborately. Seven answers were given. Theyare:
Brahman is nimitha karanam1.Brahman is jivatma.2.Brahman is the material cause; Brahman is existent as3.universe.Brahman is Self Creator or Sukritam4.Brahman is ananda.5.Brahman is life principle.6.Brahman is Bhaya Abhaya Cheta.7.
The final answer is that Brahman exists.
Now for the two other explicit questions, the answer is an
implied one. The first answer is that the question is a wrongone to begin with. There is no question of attaining Brahman.Brahman is not an object to attain. Brahman is “I” myself(wise or ignorant person). So there is no reaching Brahman. Iam Brahman. So long as I am ignorant, I feel a notionaldistance. Thus, one feels one has not attained Brahman. Inwise person this notional distance does not exist. He does notcrave for Brahman. There is no reaching Brahman for him.Therefore, wise person has “as though” attained Brahman.
Take away:
Brahman is not an object to attain. Brahman is “I”1.myself (one with wisdom or ignorant one). So there is noreaching Brahman. I am Brahman. So long as I amignorant, I feel a notional distance. Thus, one feels “as though” one has not attained Brahman. In wise personthis notional distance does not exist. There is noreaching Brahman for him. Therefore, wise person has “asthough” attained Brahman.So, this limitless existence consciousness, this2.substance, is called Brahman.It (Brahman) is known as “I” the witness of presence and3.absence of thought in the mind and as non-different frommyself or as Aham Brahma Asmi.The Upanishad says, never look for atma. It is the4.onlooker, the “I”, the witness of priya, moda andpramoda.
With Best Wishes,
Ram Ramaswamy
Baghawat Geeta, Class 110:Chapter 7 SummaryGreetings All,
Providing the summary swamiji said, chapter 7 is a turningpoint in the Gita teaching. In the first six chapters, threetopics were dealt with: jiva svarupam; prayathnah; and karmayogah;
Jiva svarupam means the essential nature of the individual.The individual is neither the perishable body, nor thechanging mind, but the changeless consciousness is the natureof the individual. This was discussed in chapters 2, 3, 4 and6 respectively.
Prayathnah: Then Krishna highlighted the role of individualeffort, so that we do not have a dangerous fatalisticapproach. One of the pitfalls of the human pursuit or humanlife is the tendency to become fatalistic. Especially when weface problems. When we face failures; we conclude that nothingis in our hands; someone controls everything; we are onlypuppets in the hands of someone. This is a dangerousfatalistic approach to life and it is spiritually fatal.Therefore Sri Krishna gives a strong warning in the first sixchapters. Never take to this fatalistic approach; it is notthat everything is pre-determined; you have control over yourfuture; you can take charge of your life; Sri Krishna does notsay I have got total control. Krishna says I am not totallyhelpless. Krishna does not say I have total control; Krishnaonly says I am not totally helpless; I do have a contributoryrole in deciding my future and therefore take charge of yourlife. You are responsible for your future; this is called jivaprayathna; “ You are responsible for your future” is anassertion of free will.
Karma Yoga: The third topic was karma yoga as a very importantspiritual sadhana for one’s spiritual growth. This karma yogasadhana also was highlighted up to the end of the 6th chapter.
From chapter 7 onwards three new topics are introduced.
Ishwara swarupamIshwara anugraha; God’s grace supports our efforts. Itis discussed up to chapter 12.Upasana sadhana or meditation on god in any form orsaguna dhyanam.
Summary of chaper # 7:
Shlokas 1-3:
Sri Krishna introduces the subject matter in the first threeshlokas. Ishwara swarupa gyanam is discussed and it breaksinto Saguna Ishwara gyanam and Nirguna Ishwara gyanam alsoknown as Vigyanam. Then he glorifies this knowledge. It is arare valuable knowledge, a liberating knowledge. It providesemotional and intellectual fulfillment.
Shloka 4-12:
The main topic of this chapter and following five chapters isdiscussed, that is Ishwara swarupam.
First he defines what is God? God is a principle consisting ofPP (Para prakriti) and AP (Apara prakriti)
What are the common and uncommon features between PP and AP?
AP and PP are both eternal principles. AP is also never1.created or creatable. Consider the fact that sciencecan’t create even an ounce of matter. Combination of APand PP is called Ishwara.This Ishwara (AP+PP) is cause of entire universe. This2.Ishwara has evolved and manifested as universe.Therefore Ishwara does not create the world and dump it
down. Ishwara himself evolves into world as UpadanaKaranam.
Then Sri Krishna derives a corollary. If Ishwara is cause andthe world the effect then there is no world separate from God.God himself is manifesting as world. Thus, world is also God,only in a different configuration. Citing example gold iscause and ornaments the effect. Then there are no ornamentsseparate from gold. Ornament is not substantial; gold aloneis. The word ornament does not indicate a new substance; itjust means another manifestation of gold. It indicates only aconfiguration difference. Like ice, water and steam, all threeare H2O; the difference is in configuration of states. So,Arjuna, don’t look down on this world as it is also my ownavatara.
If Sri Krishna, Rama is avatara, this world is also an avataraavailable to us at all times. It is vishwarupa avatara if youremember that god alone is appearing as world. It is a divineworld. Look at world also as divine. This is called shivamayamor vishnumayam jagat.
If world is a manifestation of god, it should consist of PPand AP. What is PP and AP? Whatever you experience is AP. Theworld, body, mind are all AP. That is why bio-chemistry ispossible; all are chemicals only; outside it is known aschemistry, the same chemicals inside the body are known asbio-chemistry; That is the only difference; outside chemistry;inside bio-chemistry. So world is apara prakriti; body isapara prakriti; even mind is apara prakriti; because mind isalso subtle matter only; that is why change in body chemistrycan often affect your psychological condition as well.
Then, where do I find PP? Sri Krishna says you don’t have tosearch for it. He says, the experiencer of the world, body andmind, “I” the observer, the conscious principle, is PP. Whenthe consciousness obtains before the creation evolves, it iscalled paramatma. When the very same consciousness is
available, after the creation, in our body, the very sameconsciousness is called jivatma; Consciousness is ever thesame. So this is the Ishwara svarupam, discussed in shlokas 4to 12.
Shloka 13-19:
Then from shloka 13 to 19, Sri Krishna deals with the topic ofsamsara karanam; and samsara pariharaha; dealing with thecause of human misery; the cause of human worries; humananxieties and human fears. In simple language he diagnoses thedisease of samsara and also provides the required remedy forit
The cause of samsara is that when god is available as AP(matter) and PP (spirit) we humans tend to run after AP. Welean on AP for security, happiness and fulfillment.Unfortunately we are dependent on material aspect of god thatcan change. So, it will never remain steady and same. Itfluctuates. First you work for status (yoga) then you work for“quo” (kshema). Leaning on an insecure thing will not give mesecurity. Expecting security from AP is called samsara. AP isonly for fun, enjoyment, gains etc. But when you wantemotional security turn to PP. There is no need to reject AP.
A beautifully decorated cardboard box, you can keep it fordecoration, just don’t sit on it. Similarly use apara prakritifor sport; use para prakriti for fulfillment and security. Itis this that people don’t realize and are trapped.
What is the remedy? Sri Krishna says surrender to Me. Bhaktiis the remedy. Now this statement can cause confusion. Inchapter’s 2 and 4 it says Gyanam alone is the remedy forsamsara; now here it says bhakti is the remedy. Is there acontradiction? Teacher should not teach a contradiction.Reality is that Bhakti is not one particular sadhana. It is aseries of sadhanas that culminate in gyanam. When this happensit is called Gyana rupa bhakti?? What are the sadhanas that
make up bhakti? These sadhanas are discussed in chapter 12.So, when we say bhakti is the remedy it means bhakticulminating in gyanam. So, a bhakta goes through variousstages and reaches gyanam. Such a person is called a gyanabhakta.
So bhakthi has to go through various stages; and ultimatelybhaktha should get knowledge, and that bhaktha is called Gyanibhaktha. The other bhakthas who are in the process of thejourney, they are called either artha bhaktha; artharthibhaktha, Jignasu bhakthas, they are all only in the process,they will not be free from samsara; Arta bhaktha is samsari;artarthi bhaktha is samsari and jignasu bhatha is also asamsari.
Sri Krishna talks about five levels of bhakti in chapter 12.This chapter will also discuss various sadhanas to be followedby a bhakta. All this will be discussed later.
However, travelling through various levels of bhakthiculminates in gyanam; the bhaktha becomes a gyani bhaktha; Healone is liberated from samsara; because gyani bhaktha aloneknows para prakriti; artharthi bhaktha, artha bhaktha, jignasubhaktha, none of them know para prakriti; Therefore theycontinue to lean upon apara prakriti alone; a Gyani bhakthaonly knows the source of security, which is para prakriti. AndSri Krishna says, that it is a long-term process.
Even a long journey you have to start somewhere; one usuallystarts from artha bhakthi; I hope you remember that arthabhakthi is worshipping God only when you are in crisis; soonly when I am in crisis; I remember Balaji orGuruvaryoorappan. Sri Krishna says you have to startsomewhere; therefore bhakthi culminating in Gyanam is theremedy for samsara; this is the topic from verse 13 to 19.
Shlokas 20-26:
Two forms of bhakti based upon one’s motives are discussed.
Thus we have sakama bhakti and nishkama bhakti. Both areacceptable but eventually one has to come to nishkama bhakti.Initially one has to come to sakama and then move to nishkamabhakti. Sri Krishna says Nishkama Bhakti is impossible withoutsakama bhakti.
Shlokas 20 -26 deal with sakama bhakti. Any form of bhaktiseeking AP benefits or material benefits (things, money,status), comes under sakama bhakti. Here one should rememberthat all objects are subject to arrival and departure. Sakamabhakti has a bright and dark side to it. It is not sinful. Youcan ask any god for anything. It is valid and fruitful. Goddoes answer our prayers, if bhakti is performed correctly andthere are no obstacles within me.
Then what is the darker side; as I said before all theaccomplishments belong to apara prakriti which means you cannever hold on to them permanently. You cannot hold onto anyapara prakriti gain. At any time, it will leave you high anddry. And not only that; even before it actually leaves, ourmind is so imaginative, that we constantly think of thepossible loss; thus in worrying about it we don’t even enjoyit.
Shlokas 27-30:
Nishkama bhakti is discussed here. The bhakta uses the bhaktito discover PP or spiritual growth. He looks upon money andmaterial gains as a secondary objective. His goal is spiritualgrowth. He wants to go beyond time (old age and death) toreach PP. Moksha is discovery of PP. The Nishkama bhaktadiscovers god in his totality consisting of AP (matter) and PP(spirit).
Sri Krishna concludes by saying nishkama bhakta will obtainIshwara Gyanam. Sri Krishna now uses six new technical words:Karma, Brahma, Adhyatmam, Adhibhutam, Adhidevam, andadhiyajnam. All six factors equal AP and PP. Arjuna does not
know these six factors are the same as AP & PP. So, Arjunaasks seven questions that include how to remember God at thetime of death.
This chapter is called Gyana vigyana yogaha.
Ram Ramaswamy
