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In Prabhupada’s books, we receive some philosophical conclusions that seem quite simple, but often these conclusions are the fruit of very long and complicated philosophical discussions.

For example, Prabhupada describes the Lord in the heart as Paramatma, who is an expansion of Krsna and accompanies the Jiva. Sounds quite simple, but this is a point of controversy for many. For Mayavadis, for example, Paramatma and the individual soul are one and the same, and thus the many passages in the scriptures that mention Him are interpreted in a different way.

For example, the Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.1 mentions:

ṛtaṁ pibantau sukṛtasya loke, guhāṁ praviṣṭau parame parārdhe
chāyā-tapau brahma-vido vadanti, pañcāgnayo ye ca trināciketāḥ

If translated literally, this verse can be translated as: “Two persons drink the results of karma in the cave of the heart. They who know Brahman, they who keep the five sacred fires, and they who perform the three nāciketa sacrifices say these two persons are shade and light.”

We can see that this passage describes a companion for the jiva inside the heart. Because the verse is vague in defining who He is, it’s possible to interpret the companion as being either Buddhi (intelligence), Prana (the vital air), or Paramatma, the Supersoul.

Superficially, it appears that Buddhi or Prana may make more sense because the heart is a small space, and thus, how could it be the abode of the Supreme Brahman? In fact, the word “guhāṁ” actually means “cave”.

Another possible argument is that in the verse from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, it’s mentioned that they “drink the results of karma”, suggesting that the companion assists the jiva as he experiences the results of his karma. In this way, it could be argued that the companion can’t be the Lord, because He never experiences the results of karma. Following this logic, the companion must be either Buddhi or Prana.

If accepted, this logic could be used to support the idea of monism, of the soul being just a small fragment of the Supreme Brahman, who is captured by Maya and can again merge back when liberated.

You can see that when we follow this process of logical deduction that characterizes the process of jñana, we can easily come to many mistaken conclusions. That’s why each philosopher usually has a different conclusion, and rarelly one of them understands things as they are.

In the Mayavada philosophy, for example, the soul and the Supersoul are considered one and the same. The idea of Paramatma accompanying the soul inside the heart counters this, but if we accept that the soul is alone inside the heart, accompanied by just the material intelligence or the vital airs, then the monistic philosophy gains strength.

So, should we admit defeat?

Not yet. While it’s possible to try to sustain the thesis of the companion being Buddhi or Prana using Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.1, this thesis falls apart when confronted with other references. In other passages, the scriptures are very clear in defining the companion as the Supersoul. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.12, for example, it’s mentioned:

taṁ durdarśaṁ gūḍham anupraviṣṭam, guhāhitaṁ gahvareṣṭaṁ purāṇam
adhyātma-yogādhigamena devaṁ, matvā dhīro harṣa-śokau jahāti

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the oldest person, and who is worshiped in the jungle of this world, remains hidden in the cave of the heart. A wise man, meditating on Him in a trance of spiritual yoga, gives up all material joy and grief.”

In this verse, the word “purāṇam” can be used only in connection with the Supreme Lord, not in connection with Buddhi or Prana. The companion is also described as the object of meditation, which again can be applied only to the Supreme Lord. In this way, it’s not possible to misinterpret the verse to sustain that the companion is anyone else apart from the Supersoul. And this is just one reference of many.

In the Vedanta-sutra, Srila Vyasadeva makes an additional argument to support the conclusion that the two companions are the soul and Paramatma: viśeṣaṇāc ca. Many verses in the scriptures describe the differences between them, and this makes it impossible to sustain that the companion is not the Supersoul, or that the jiva and the Supersoul are one.

We don’t have to go far. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.12, for example, it’s mentioned that the Lord is the object of meditation, while the soul is the one who meditates. By meditating on the Lord, the jiva gains release from all material joy and grief. The word “chāyā-tapau” from verse 1.3.1 also indicates that they are different, and so on.

There are many other verses that could be quoted.

On Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.1.1, it’s mentioned: kaścid dhīraḥ pratyag ātmānam aikṣad āvṛtta-cakṣur amṛtatvam icchan, “With a desire to attain immortality, a sober practitioner sees the Supreme Lord while closing his eyes.”

In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.,8) it’s mentioned: jñāna-prasādena viśuddha-sattvas tu taṁ paśyate niṣkalaṁ dhyāyamānaḥ, “If by the mercy of spiritual knowledge one meditates on the unchangeable, pure Supreme Lord, he can get darśana of Him.”

On Srimad Bhagavatam (4.28.54-55), it’s mentioned:

haṁsāv ahaṁ ca tvaṁ cārya, sakhāyau mānasāyanau
abhūtām antarā vaukaḥ, sahasra-parivatsarān
sa tvaṁ vihāya māṁ bandho, gato grāmya-matir mahīm
vicaran padam adrākṣīḥ, kayācin nirmitaṁ striyā

“My dear gentle friend, both you and I are exactly like two swans. We live together in the same heart, which is just like the Mānasa Lake. Although we have been living together for many thousands of years, we are still far away from our original home. My dear friend, you are now My very same friend. Since you left Me, you have become more and more materialistic, and not seeing Me, you have been traveling in different forms throughout this material world, which was created by some woman.”

The previous verse also mentions that the two companions are “chāyā-tapau” (like shade and light), indicating that one has knowledge and the other does not. In other words, one is in illusion, bound to the cycle of birth and death, while the other is transcendental. This also clearly indicates the verse speaks about the Supersoul.

Srila Prabhupada gives a completely different translation for verse 1.3.1 from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, which I quoted in the beginning, which makes the real meaning clear:

“O Nāciketā, the expansions of Lord Viṣṇu as the tiny living entity and the Supersoul are both situated within the cave of the heart of this body. Having entered that cavity, the living entity, resting on the chief of the life airs, enjoys the results of activities, and the Supersoul, acting as witness enables him to enjoy them. Those who are well-versed in knowledge of Brahman and those householders who carefully follow the Vedic regulations say that the difference between the two is like the difference between a shadow and the sun.”

With this, the Mayavada speculation is dismissed, and the separate identity of the Lord in the heart is again proved. We can all sleep peacefully again.

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Translation of verses of the scriptures, and especially verses that are highly metaphorical, can be very dificult. First, the meaning of the passage must be understood, and from there, we can see how to convey the meaning in English properly. There are many traps in this process; however, it’s often not easy to understand the deeper meaning of the passages. It is also not just a matter of opinion. Vyasadeva compiled the Vedas with certain conclusions in mind, and any bona-fide interpretation of the texts must convey this meaning.

Take, for example, text 3.13.7 Chāndogya Upaniṣad:

atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv
anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu
idam vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ

A literal translation of this verse would be:

“Now, the light which shines beyond this heaven, behind all things, in the highest and most exalted worlds — that indeed is the very same light which is within a person.”

We can see that this verse speaks of a certain light (jyotir) that permeates the universe. The question is: which light is that, and what is the goal of this description? One could argue that the verse describes the light of the sun, but this would lead to the conclusion that the verse is just a glorification of the sun-god, without a higher meaning. When we interpret the scriptures like that, we just accumulate misconceptions.

As explained by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana in the Govinda-bhāsya, the key for understanding this passage is given by Vyasadeva in the Vedanta-sūtra (1.1.24), by the words jyotiś caraṇābhidhānāt: “Because the light (jyoti) is described as having feet, it must refer to the Supreme Brahman.”

What is this mention of feet given by Vyasadeva? The verse doesn’t appear to speak about feet. To understand this reference, we need to go back in the passage, to text 3.12.6:

tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāmś ca pūruṣaḥ
pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtam divīti

"Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world."

This verse comes immediately after a description of the glories of Gāyatrī. It's thus clear that this verse also speaks about Gāyatrī, who is described as a person (Puruṣa). This same personality is later described using the term jyoti, and thus both the words gāyatrī and jyoti refer to the same being, who is, in turn, described as a person, and not as some impersonal sound or light.

In this way, it may not be immediately apparent, but text 3.12.6 speaks about the same jyoti (light) as text 3.13.7, which is key for the proper interpretation of the verse.

Jyoti is thus described as having four feet (pāda), which is a word frequently used to describe parts. The Supreme Brahman has four feet, or parts, just like each of the chapters of the Vedānta-sūtra has four pādas. The first foot is the material world, which represents one-quarter of the creation, and the other three feet are the spiritual world, which represents the other three-quarters.

This is a common analogy. Krsna is not different from His energy; therefore, it is not incorrect to describe the energy as a part of Krsna. Krsna has three main energies: the internal potency, the external potency, and the marginal potency. The internal potency forms the spiritual sky, which corresponds to three-quarters of the total creation (the three feet), while the material energy corresponds to one-quarter (the one foot). The marginal potency is composed of the souls who can choose between being situated on one or another. The light mentioned in the sutra refers to the effulgence of Krsna, the Brahmajyoti. The energy is not different from the energetic; therefore, when the sutra speaks about the light, it is ultimately speaking about Krsna, the Supreme Person.

In this way, it was already defined that the words gāyatrī and jyoti in the passage describe the Supreme Lord. If we go back a few more verses, we can find another interesting piece of information.

Verses 3.12.3 and 3.12.4 of the passage define the four components of Gāyatrī. This declaration would be meaningless if Gāyatrī is not accepted as being the Supreme Brahman. Gāyatrī is then connected with the transcendental light (jyoti) by the relationship between verses 3.12.6 and 3.13.7, revealing the deep meaning of the passage: that Brahman is everything.

Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana explains that Vyasadeva gives another key for understanding the passage in Vedanta-sūtra sūtra 1.1.26, bhūtādi-pāda-vyapadeśopapatteś caivam: “Because the passage beginning with ‘bhūta’ defines Gāyatrī as divided into four parts (all living beings, the universe, body, and heart) that only Brahman can have, Gāyatrī in that passage must refer to Brahman.”

In this way, the key is that the passage starting with the word “bhūta” (part of verse 3.12.1 of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad) should be interpreted according to the conclusion that Gāyatrī refers to the Supreme Brahman.

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Ordinarily, gāyatrī is a metric of 24 syllables. In the Ṛg-veda, the metric gāyatrī is used as a pattern of three lines of 8 syllables each. Each line is called a pāda. Gāyatrī is defined in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad as catuṣpāda, with four pādas, or lines of 6 syllables each. In both cases, gāyatrī is a pattern, or metric. This would be the definition that most Vedic students would have in mind while reading the word "gāyatrī" at the start of the verse.

However, the passage immediately takes a turn, stating that the four feet of gāyatrī are not lines or syllables, but all living beings (sarva bhūta), the Earth (in the sense of the whole Universe), the body, and the heart (the seat of consciousness). Gāyatrī is also defined as vak, the transcendental sound behind everything that exists. A metric can't have such attributes, and therefore, Gāyatrī has to be accepted not as a metric, but as the Supreme Brahman Himself.

When this conclusion is understood, the deep meaning of the passage can be unlocked. Just as in other passages of the Upaniṣads, only when the proper conclusion is known can a certain passage be properly understood. Studying the Upaniṣads without these conclusions is therefore more or less useless. That's why the Upaniṣads should be studied together with the Vedānta-sūtra, and the Govinda-bhāṣya, which contains the proper explanations for the aphorisms, following the conclusions of Vyāsadeva in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. These conclusions are the keys to unlocking the text of the Upaniṣads.

Now, with the correct keys, we can go through the whole passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, starting with text 3.12.1, and going until text 3.13.7, finding the right interpretations for the verses:

Text 3.12.1 is:

gāyatrī vā idam sarvam bhūtam yad idam kiñca vāg vai gāyatrī
vāg vā idamsarvam bhūtam gāyati ca trāyate ca

It mentions: gāyatrī vā idam sarvam (Gāyatrī is everything) and vāg vai gāyatrī (Gāyatrī is vak, transcendental sound). This shows how Brahman manifests as śabda-brahman, the transcendental sound vibration that creates the whole universe. The text can thus be translated as:

"Gāyatrī is indeed all beings and everything that exists. Gāyatrī is vak, the transcendental sound behind everything. Gāyatrī vibrates and delivers the living beings." (3.12.1)

From this sound vibration, the whole universe, the foundation for all beings (pṛthivī), is created, together with all beings. Brahman is thus the supporter of everything (sā yeyam prṭhivy āsyām hīdam sarvam bhūtam pratiṣṭhitam).

This brings us to the meaning of text 3.12.2:

yā vai sā gāyatrīyam vāva sā yeyam prṭhivy āsyām hīdam sarvam bhūtam pratiṣṭhitam etām eva nātiśīyate

"That Brahman, or Gāyatrī, which is all beings, is also the Universe. All beings are supported by the Earth, and they can't go beyond the Earth (they can't leave the universe)." (3.12.2)

Apart from this macrocosm, Brahman also manifests in the microcosm, inside the body of each living being, and also as the heart, the seat of consciousness, where both the soul and the Supreme Brahman Himself (as Paramātmā) are situated, together with the vital airs, as explained in verses 3.12.3 and 3.12.4:

yā vai sā pṛthivīyam vāva sā yad idam asmin puruṣe śarīram asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante

"That Earth is also the body of the jīva. Just as the jīva is restricted to the Earth, prāṇa, the vital air, is established in the body and does not go beyond the body." (3.12.3)

yad vai tat puruṣe śarīram idam vāva yad tad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe hṛdayam asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante

"That Supreme Lord, who is Gāyatrī, the Earth and the body, is also the heart. In the heart, all the prānas and the senses are established, and they don't go beyond it." (3.12.4)

Then, text 3.12.5 describes that gāyatrī has four parts and six functions. The four parts are all living beings and the universe (macrocosm), as well as the body (microcosm) and heart (as the seat of consciousness). The list of the six functions describes the process of creation, starting from vak, transcendental sound. From vak come sarva-bhūta (all creatures), pṛthivī (the physical manifestation), śarīra (body), hṛdaya (heart), and prāṇa (the vital air). This connection between the gāyatrī metric and the whole creation is established as a stairway for meditation, helping one to realize the Supreme Lord, starting from something familiar, the gāyatrī metric.

saiṣā catuṣ-padā ṣaḍ-vidhā gāyatrī tad etad ṛcābhyanūktam.

"The gāyatrī meter, of which there are four parts and six functions, is described in the mantras of the Vedas." (3.12.5)

Having connected the whole creation with Gāyatrī, the Upaniṣad shakes the perspective by stating that everything that was described up to that point (the whole creation) is just one quarter of Brahman. The other three quarters form the unmanifest spiritual world.

tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāmś ca pūruṣaḥ
pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtam divīti

"Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world." (3.12.6)

This points the listener to something still higher than what has been described, describing an eternal world that exists beyond everything that exists in the material creation. This spiritual sky is not only much more extensive than our limited material reality, forming three-quarters of the potency of the Lord, but it is also eternal and immortal. As in other Upaniṣads, the text of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad doesn't proceed in directly describing this transcendental reality (this is done only in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), but it is effective in pointing the reader to the path to freedom from material entanglement.

This is later confirmed in verse 3.13.7, the original verse I mentioned, which confirms the previous statements. Brahman is then described as jyoti. The transcendental light that permeates all universes and planets, including the whole spiritual sky, is the same light present in the heart of all living beings. The Supreme Lord is thus present everywhere, both inside and outside.

atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv
anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu
idam vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ

"That light (jyoti) which shines above heaven, higher than everything in the highest worlds, beyond which there are no other worlds. That light that forms the background on which all universes and all planets—from the highest to the lowest—rest, is the same light which is within the heart of all living beings." (3.13.7)

These two verses are thus the two ends of the same thread that holds the whole discussion together.

Text 3.12.6 mentions: pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtam divīti (All living beings and everything that exists are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal spiritual world).

Text 3.13.7 mentions: atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate (That light which shines above heaven, higher than everything).

The construction of the verses makes it clear that the Gāyatrī that vibrates both in heaven and in the heart of everyone is the same light that extends beyond the material cosmos, up into the spiritual world. These two are not separated; they are both aspects of the Supreme Lord described on 3.12.6. This again reinstates that the Supreme Lord is everything, and assures that the meditation on Gāyatrī that was described in the first verses is effective in elevating one's consciousness all the way to the spiritual world.

Verse 3.12.6 ends with tri-pād asyāmṛtam divīti (the quarters are in the transcendental sky), and 3.13.7 begins with atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate (That light which shines over this transcendental sky).

This textual echo makes clear that the subject of both sentences has not changed. 3.12.6 speaks about the Supreme Lord, who is present in the spiritual world, and 3.13.7 continues to speak about this same Supreme Lord, whose potency shines over this transcendental sky.

As you can see, translating or interpreting scriptures is not just about getting a dictionary, but researching the conclusions given by previous acāryas in their commentaries, often crossing different references, and with these conclusions in mind, going through the words of the text.

From this, we can better appreciate the herculean work of Srila Prabhupada in providing us with proper translations and explanations of so many important books, such as the Gītā, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Caitanya Caritamrta, giving us the golden standard for any subsequent work. Before him, other acaryas would keep the original verses in Sanskrit and give brief commentaries on the main points, also in Sanskrit. Prabhupada was the first to publish translations and commentaries in English on a large scale, creating an entire framework for the translation of scriptures. He was the combination of a great Sanskrit scholar, a pure devotee, and an empowered representative of the Lord, who could reveal the deeper purports of the scriptures.

To conclude, these are other verses of the passage that come between the two ends of the thread, represented by 3.12.6 and 3.13.7:

yad vai tad brahmetīdam vāva tad yo ’yam bahirdhā puruṣād
ākāśo yo vai sa bahirdhā puruṣād ākāśaḥ

"Indeed, the Supreme Brahman is the ākāśa (ether) that exists all around. This ākāśa is the Lord." (3.12.7)

ayam vāva sa yo ’yam antaḥ puruṣe ākāśo yo vai so ’ntaḥ puruṣa ākāśaḥ

"This same unlimited ākāśa exists also inside the person. This very ākāśa is the Lord." (3.12.8)

ayam vāva sa yo ’yam antar hṛdaya ākāśas tad etat pūrṇam apravarti pūrṇam apravartinīm śriyam labhate ya evam veda

"This indeed is Brahman. He is the ākāśa within the heart. This ākāśa is perfect and unchanging. He who knows this attains eternal wealth and prosperity (he returns back home, back to Godhead)." (3.12.9)

tasya ha vā etasya hṛdayasya pañca deva-suṣayaḥ
sa yo ’sya prāṇ suṣiḥ sa prāṇas tac cakṣuḥ sa ādityaḥ
tad etat tejo ’nnādyam ity upāsīta
tejasvy annādo bhavati ya evam veda

"The heart is the fourth aspect of Brahman [the other three are all beings, the Earth, and the body, as described in the previous mantras]. It has five doors, each connected with one of the five vital airs, one of the senses, and a presiding deity. The eastern door is connected with prāṇa, the eye, and the Sun (Surya). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on the Sun's brilliance and on its potency as the source of nourishment. One who realizes this aspect becomes brilliant as the Sun and is nourished with enough food." (3.13.1)

atha yo ’sya dakṣiṇaḥ suṣiḥ sa vyānas tac chrotram sa candramās tad etac chrīś ca yaśaś cety upāsīta
śrīmān yaśasvī bhavati ya evam veda

"The southern door is connected with vyāna, the ear, and the Moon (Chandra). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on the Moon as wealth and fame. One who realizes this becomes wealthy and famous." (3.13.2)

atha yo ’sya pratyan suṣiḥ so ’pānaḥ sā vāk so ’gnis tad etad brahma-varcasam annādyam ity upāsīta
brahma-varcasy annādo bhavati ya evam veda

"The western door is connected with apāna, the voice, and fire (Agni). To realize this aspect, one should meditate on fire as spiritual radiance and as the source of nourishment. By realizing this, one becomes endowed with spiritual knowledge and nourishment." (3.13.3)

atha yo’syodan suṣiḥ sa samānas tan manaḥ sa parjanyas tad etad kīrtiś ca vyuṣṭiś cety upāsīta
kīrti-mān vyuṣṭi-mān bhavati ya evam veda

"The northern door is connected with samāna, the mind, and rain (Parjanya, or Indra). One should meditate on him as fame and physical beauty. He who realizes this becomes famous and beautiful." (3.13.4)

atha yo’syordhvaḥ suṣiḥ sa udānaḥ sa vāyuḥ sa ākāśas tad etad ojaś ca mahaś cety upāsīta
ojasvī mahasvān bhavati ya evam veda

"The upward channel of the heart is connected with udāna, the cosmic air, and ether (ākāśa). One should meditate on ākāśa as spiritual strength and greatness. He who realizes this becomes spiritually strong and great." (3.13.5)

te vā ete pañca brahma-puruṣāḥ svargasya lokasya dvāra-pāḥ
sa ya etān evam pañca brahma-puruṣān svargasya lokasya dvāra-pān
vedāsya kule vīro jāyate
pratipadyate svargam lokam ya etan evam pañca brahma-puruṣan svargasya lokasya dvārapān veda

"These five are indeed the doorkeepers of heaven. One who realizes these five aspects and their role as the gatekeepers of the abode of the Lord obtains spiritually powerful sons and ultimately returns back home, back to Godhead." (3.13.6)

atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv
anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu
idam vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ

"That light (jyoti) which shines above heaven, higher than everything in the highest worlds, beyond which there are no other worlds. That light that forms the background on which all universes and all planets—from the highest to the lowest—rest, is the same light which is within the heart of all living beings." (3.13.7)

For reference, here is a translation of the same passage by Patrick Olivielle, which is a reference in academic circles. The translation, published in the book The Early Upanisads, follows well the literary meaning of the words, but without the proper conclusions from the acaryas, it doesn’t convey he deeper meaning of the text. This shows the limits of this approach:

“Whatever there is, this entire creation—clearly, all that is the Gayatri. And the Gayatri is speech, for speech sings (gayati) and protects (trayati) this entire creation.

Now, take this Gayatri—clearly, it is just the same as this earth here, for this entire creation rests upon the earth and never extends beyond its limits.

And take this earth—clearly, it is just the same as this body of a person here, for these vital functions (prana) rest within the body and never extend beyond its limits.

And take this body of a person here—clearly, it is just the same as this heart here within a person, for these vital functions rest within the heart and never extend beyond its limits.

This is the Gayatri that consists of four quarters and six types. This is declared in a Rg verse: Such is his greatness—Even greater than that is that person. One quarter of him are all creatures, Three quarters the immortal in heaven.

And take what people call "brahman"—clearly, it is nothing but this space here outside a person. And this space here outside a person—8 clearly, it is the same

as this space here within a person. 9 And this space here within a person—clearly, it is the same as this space here within the heart; it is full and nondepleting. Anyone who knows this obtains full and nondepleting prosperity. Now, this heart here contains five openings for the deities. As regards its eastern opening—it is the out-breath, it is sight, it is the sun. And one should venerate it as splendor and as foodstuff. Anyone who knows this becomes full of splendor and an eater of food.

As regards its southern opening—it is the inter-breath, it is hearing, it is the moon. And one should venerate it as prosperity and fame. Anyone who knows this becomes prosperous and famous.

As regards its western opening—it is the in-breath, it is speech, it is the fire. And one should venerate it as the luster of sacred knowledge and as foodstuff. Any-one who knows this becomes full of the luster of sacred knowledge and an eater of food.

As regards its northern opening—it is the link-breath, it is the mind, it is the rain. And one should venerate it as renown and beauty. Anyone who knows this becomes renowned and beautiful.

As regards its upper opening—it is the up-breath, it is the wind, it is space. And one should venerate it as vigor and might. Anyone who knows this becomes vigorous and mighty.

These, indeed, are the five courtiers of brahman, the doorkeepers of heaven. When someone knows these five courtiers of brahman, these doorkeepers of heaven, in this way—a hero will be born to his family, and he will go to heaven.

Now, far above here the light that shines from heaven on the backs of every-thing, on the backs of all things, in the very highest of the high worlds—it is clearly this very same light here within a man.

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Prabhupada, just as all our previous ācāryas dedicated a lot of effort to dismissing the Māyāvāda doctrine. We are all familiar with many of his arguments. If we are all Brahman as Māyāvādis conclude, and now we are under the illusion of Maya, this means Maya is greater than Brahman, having the power of putting it under illusion.

This is an argument that will convince most good-natured people who are propense to accept the existence of a personal God, but of course Māyāvādis have many other arguments. It is a very complex philosophy, and most who come to study it end up being deluded by the word jugglery. However, there are many points we can study to understand the main faults of the Māyāvāda doctrine without having to study it in minute detail.

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One of the central points is the discussion about the nature of the material creation. We all accept that the Supreme Lord, Brahman, is the creator of the cosmic manifestation. This is a central point of the Upaniṣads, and Vyāsadeva himself directly declares in the Vedanta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ, "Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is He, from whom everything emanates."

This meaning is confirmed by Srila Vyāsadeva himself in the first verse of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is a purport for this sutra. There, janmādy asya yataḥ is expanded into a beautiful verse that defines the absolute truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond doubt:

"O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth." (SB 1.1.1)

This conclusion, however, raises a very central controversy, which is the discussion about whether Brahman is transformed or not in this process. If everything comes from Brahman and there is nothing apart from Brahman, how can we explain that something is created from Him, without having to accept that Brahman is transformed in the process? Since Brahman is described as eternal and immutable, there can't be any transformation, since transformation would lead to an eventual end, just like we can observe in everything material. Milk, for example, becomes curd, and curd may be transformed into cheese, but once cheese is made, it can be transformed back into milk. Over time, cheese becomes moldy and eventually spoils. If Brahman were to change, it would gradually degrade, like a material object, which is an unacceptable idea.

Vaiṣnavas accept that the energy of the Lord gives birth to the material manifestation without being transformed. This doctrine is called pariṇāma-vāda, or the doctrine of by-products. To understand how it works, we can imagine a mass of Lego blocks that are used to make many toys. Children come to play with these toys, and when they are finished, the toys are disassembled and returned to blocks. The same blocks are later used to make other toys and so on. The blocks are thus permuted, or rearranged into different forms, but there is no transformation: the blocks remain the same.

Similarly, the material energy, the external potency of the Lord, is permuted, or rearranged, into the material universes during the process of creation, and then disassembled back into its constituents in the process of dissolution, and again permuted in the next cycle of creation. The energy is thus never transformed but just assembled into different forms and later again disassembled.

The material universes are thus real, and not false, and the material energy is eternal. The manifestation of the material universes, as well as of different material objects, is thus real, but temporary. None of the toys built using the blocks is false; they exist, but their existence is not eternal.

This understanding allows us to reconcile the idea that the material universes come from the energy of the Lord with the idea that the energy doesn't change.

Śaṅkarācārya, however, used a logical trick in his commentary, equating pariṇāma-vāda with the doctrine of change, arguing that accepting that Brahman creates the material world from His energy implies that the energy is transformed into something else. In this way, he was able to present his vivarta-vāda, or doctrine of illusory transformation of state.

In the vivarta-vāda, the existence of the material world is explained in a very simple way: There is no material world. The material creation exists only under the purview of Maya, illusion. It is the fruit of a misconception. Just like we may mistake a piece of rope on the road for a snake, we think this material world is real, although it doesn't even exist. When we become free from this illusion, or Maya, we see ourselves again as fragments of the eternal Brahman. This is a less developed and much weaker theory, which contradicts both our practical experience and multiple passages of the scriptures, but Śaṅkarācārya was able to defend it using word jugglery.

Vyāsadeva himself refutes the vivarta-vāda when he says "janmādy asya yataḥ". Everything emanates from the Lord means everything comes from His energy. Since the Lord is described as eternal, it means that His energy is also eternal. Since it is described as eternal, it means there is no change or transformation, and since there is no transformation, the creation of the material universe must happen by permutation, or rearrangement of the energy, and not transformation.

Śankarācārya, however, indirectly argued that Vyāsadeva made a mistake, and in this way pushed his theory of illusion, which is directly contradicted by the words "janmādy asya yataḥ".

Prabhupada also makes this point in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya: “The doctrine of by-products, pariṇāma-vāda, is asserted from the very beginning of the Vedānta-sūtra, but Śankarācārya has superficially tried to hide it and establish the doctrine of illusory transformation of state, vivarta-vāda. He also has the audacity to say that Vyāsa is mistaken. All Vedic literatures, including the Purāṇas, confirm that the Supreme Lord is the center of all spiritual energy and variegatedness." (ToLC ch.21)

How exactly the permutation of the energy of the Lord give birth to the cosmic manifestation?

The material creation starts with Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, who lies on the causal ocean and creates all the innumerable material universes from his external potency. The material elements exist beyond the causal ocean, which is spiritual, and are never touched by the Lord. When the energy is inactive, it is called pradhāna, and when it becomes active after being inseminated by the Lord with the time energy and the souls, it is called mahat-tattva. The two terms thus speak about two stages of the same thing.

Due to the influence of material time (kāla), everything in the material world is created and destroyed, including the material universes themselves. Because of the influence of time, everything here is temporary, and the material universes go through cycles of creation and destruction. When the universes are destroyed, all the souls merge back into the body of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu and remain dormant until the next material manifestation.

The manifestation of the material universes lasts for 311.04 trillion years. That's the lifespan of Lord Brahma calculated according to our time. This equals one breath of Mahā-Viṣṇu. When He exhales, all universes come out and everything becomes active, and when He inhales, all the universes are destroyed and everything merges back into His body. This lasts for the same period as the material creation (311,04 trillion years). During this time, all the souls stay dormant inside the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu. After this period, He again exhales, and all the universes become active again. We have thus another opportunity to perform material activities, satisfying our material desires, performing devotional service, and eventually going back to Godhead, back to our original position of transcendental loving service. This is a process explained in detail in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as well as other Puranas.

According to Vyāsadeva, the material world is not false, but it is illusory. This means that the way we see it is different from what it is in reality. This illusion is called Maya. We think we will live forever, but in reality, we all die. We think we are these bodies, that we belong to a certain family or country, although in reality, we are not, and so on. On the other hand, the material energy is originally one of the spiritual potencies of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, His external potency. This external potency is like a shadow, which stays behind the Lord. Because the material energy is one of the potencies of the Lord, it can't be false.

Borrowing the arguments of Śankarācārya, one could, however, argue that the idea of the external energy of the Lord passing through so many transformations and resulting in the creation of the material world violates the principle of Brahman being unchangeable, just like when we transform a piece of wood into a table, the original ingredient is transformed into something else, and can't be recovered.

However, that's not the case. A lump of clay may be shaped into different forms and transformed into different types of pots, and later brought back to its original form when the pots are broken and the powder mixed with water. The resulting clay could again be molded into different pots, and so on, in an unlimited cycle. In this case, the shape changes, but the structure of the ingredient doesn't, since it can be brought back to its original form at any moment.

Srila Prabhupada explains that this process of shaping the external potency into different forms, or pariṇāma-vāda is the correct understanding and the conclusion of Srila Vyāsadeva. However, Śankarācārya, anxious to advance his theory of illusion, dismissed this doctrine of by-products by mischaracterizing it as a doctrine of change and advocated instead his theory of illusion or vivarta-vāda, in which the material manifestation is false, a fruit of illusion. Just like one may see a rope on the road and confuse it with a snake when in reality there is no snake, a soul thinks the material manifestation exists when under the influence of illusion, but when attaining liberation, sees that in reality there is no material world. In this way, in advancing his theory, Śankarācārya tactfully accused Vyāsadeva of being mistaken.

This was necessary because when the sutra is accepted at face value, "janmādy asya yataḥ" implies that the Supreme Brahman has transcendental potencies and is the creator of the material universes, which in turn implies that Brahman is a conscious being. If Śankarācārya accepted these two truths, it would be impossible for him to advance his impersonal doctrine and fulfill his mission of bringing people back to the Vedas.

He thus tactfully accused Vyāsadeva of being wrong in his conclusion, and concluded that in reality, there is no material world; everything is just the fruit of illusion caused by the covering of Maya. In this way, there is no necessity to accept that Brahman creates anything, because nothing factually exists apart from the qualityless Brahman.

One could argue that this theory implies that parts of Brahman fall under the influence of illusion, becoming individual souls, but a Māyāvādi would reply that Brahman is indivisible and without internal differentiation. In this way, Brahman can’t be broken into pieces. They explain that the jīvas are Brahman reflected in ignorance (avidyā-upādhi) and not broken parts of Brahman, just like the sun being simultaneously reflected in many pots with water.

This argument has, however, many faults. If Brahman is undifferentiated and indivisible, and the whole monistic theory is based on the conclusion that nothing exists apart from Brahman, how can ignorance appear in front, on top or around Brahman and reflect it? If Maya reflects Brahman, creating a separate reality, even if illusory, this means something exists outside Brahman, contradicting the very foundation of the monistic doctrine of Śaṅkarācārya. And if Maya comes from Brahman, then Maya can’t be false, since Brahman is real, and therefore anything that comes from it must be also real. A dream or a computer game may be illusory, but they are not unreal. They factually exist as a product of something that is real: the mind in the case of the dream, or a computer in the case of the game.

Confronted with this argument, a Māyāvādi could insist in the fallacy of avidyā being indefinable: not real, not unreal, and not in between. In his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, verse 109, for example, Śankarācārya wrote:

sannāpyasannāpyubhayātmikā no
bhinnāpyabhinnāpyubhayātmikā no
sāngāpyanaṅgā hyubhayātmikā no
mahādbhutānirvacanīyarūpā

“Māyā is neither existent nor non-existent, nor a combination of the two. It is not separate nor unseparated from Brahman, and not in between. It is not broken in parts or devoid of parts, therefore it cannot be described in words.”

As you can see, this is a circular argument. Whenever pressed to commit to a conclusion, a Mayavadi refuses to commit, running in circle around the idea of things being undefinable, indescribable, and so on, juggling with words in a way that appear attractive to the unintelligent. This is again a testament to the strategy adopted by Śankarācārya to confuse the atheists, fulfilling his mission of attracting people back to the Vedas, but keeping the envious away from Krsna, offering a philosophy that could distract the envious and unintelligent.

Behind all the world jugglery, the Māyāvāda doctrine is a flawed philosophy that contradicts itself by propounding monism, while at the same time implying the existence of a separate force, Maya, that has the power to subjugate Brahman, putting it under illusion, a contradiction Śankarācārya tactfully tries to hide by explaining Maya as indefinable in advancing his vivārta-vada.

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This is the second part of the profound teachings of Yājñavalkya, where he explains the nature of the material world, how to control our senses, and how to find the Lord behind everything. This is a fresh translation and commentary on a mysterious passage from the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad.

Yājñavalkya continued:

brahma taṁ parādād yo ’nyatrātmano brahma veda, kṣatraṁ taṁ parādād yo ’nyatrātmanaḥ kṣatraṁ veda, lokās taṁ parādur yo ’nyatrātmano lokān veda, devās taṁ parādur yo ’nyatrātmano devān veda, bhūtāni taṁ parādur yo ’nyatrātmano bhūtāni veda, sarvaṁ taṁ parādād yo ’nyatrātmanaḥ sarvaṁ veda, idaṁ brahmedaṁ kṣatram ime lokā ime devā imāni bhūtānīdaṁ sarvaṁ yad ayam ātmā

"Whoever sees the brāhmaṇa as something other than the Self is abandoned by the brāhmana. Whoever sees the kṣatriya as something other than the Self is abandoned by the kṣatriya. Whoever sees the words, the demigods, or other beings as something other than the Self, is abandoned by them. Whoever sees anything as something other than the Self is abandoned by this thing. For this brāhmana, this kṣatriya, these planets and worlds, these demigods and other beings, all of this is the Supreme Self alone." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.6)

Due to the influence of Maya and our own covering by lust, we look at attractive people and objects and see them as separate from Krsna, and thus as objects of our enjoyment. We think then that the husband, wife, etc., are dear to us for their own sake, but in reality, they are attractive to us because of the presence of Krsna, who manifests both externally (in the form of His illusory energy, which manifests as different material bodies and objects) and inside, as Paramātmā. In other words, we love people and things because they carry a spark of His presence. Ultimately, we are all looking for Krsna, but due to the covering of Maya, this longing manifests in the form of material lust.

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It is only due to this connection with Krsna that things appear to be attractive to us. When we fully realize this connection, we see beyond the material illusion and become attracted to Krsna, the source of all attractiveness. We then awaken our eternal nature of love and service to Krsna. When we fail to do that, however, we just live the material experience of attraction, loss, and grief.

The words ātmanas tu kāmāya, thus, mean that what is dear is not the persons or material objects themselves, but the potency and presence of the Lord in them. Another word for "dear" is priya, and this is also used later in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (part four) in relation to the Lord: "priyam iti enat upāsīta" (One should worship the Supreme Lord as priya, the dearest). All these points reinforce the idea of cultivating our eternal relationship with the Lord as the most important aspect of our existence and indeed, the very purpose of human life.

No one can attain happiness by chasing people or material objects. Only when we connect ourselves with the Supreme Lord can all desirable things be attained.

When one is young, one can try to fix one's mind on the Lord by performing one's duties in family life and offering such activities to Him, as Krsna explains in the Gītā. However, in old age, we are recommended to enter into vānaprastha life and directly control our senses, freeing ourselves from the calamity of a new birth.

Maitreyī is in this stage, therefore Yājñavalkya proceeds in explaining the process of sense control in order to facilitate her fixing her mind on the Lord:

sa yathā dundubher hanyamānasya na bāhyāñ chabdāñ chaknuyād grahaṇāya, dundubhes tu grahaṇena dundubhyāghātasya vā śabdo gṛhītaḥ

sa yathā śaṅkhasya dhmāyamānasya na bāhyāñ chabdāñ chaknuyād grahaṇāya, śaṅkhasya tu grahaṇena śaṅkhadhmasya vā śabdo gṛhītaḥ

sa yathā vīṇāyai vādyamānāyai na bāhyāñ chabdāñ chaknuyād grahaṇāya, vīṇāyai tu grahaṇena vīṇāvādasya vā śabdo gṛhītaḥ

"Once a drum is beaten, one cannot stop or capture the sound once it leaves the drum. However, by seizing the drum or stopping the beating of the drum, the sound can be stopped. Similarly, once a conch or a flute is played, it's impossible to stop the sound from propagating. However, by seizing the conch or the flute, or stopping the person who is playing, the sound can be stopped." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.7-9)

To fix our minds on the Lord, we have to learn to control our senses. Once the senses come into contact with the sense objects, it is very difficult to stop, and it is even more difficult to eliminate the impressions registered in the mind, both of which are obstacles for fixing our mind on the Lord. However, by taking away the sense objects (by living in a retired place), or by directly controlling the senses, the mental agitation can be avoided.

sa yathārdraidhāgner abhyāhitāt pṛthag dhūmā viniścaranty eva vā are ’sya mahato bhūtasya niḥśvasitam etad yad ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo ’tharvāṅgirasa itihāsaḥ purāṇaṁ vidyā upaniṣadaḥ ślokāḥ sūtrāṇy anuvyākhyānāni vyākhyānāni, asyaivaitāni niḥśvasitāni

"Just as clouds of smoke appear when we lit a fire using damp firewood, in the same way, O dear one, the Rg Veda, Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Vidyās, Upaniṣads, ślokas, sūtras, vyākhyās (commentaries) and anuvyākhyās (further expositions), as well as everything that exists, all come from the breath of the Supreme Person." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.10)

This verse makes reference to Lord Mahā-Vishnu creating all the universes and everything that exists through his exhalation. During the interval between his exhalation and his inhalation, all the universes become manifest, and the one hundred years of the life of Brahma go on. When He inhales, all the universes are destroyed, and all the souls merge into his body for a long period of rest until the next creation.

While everything is created by the Lord, Yājñavalkya emphasized the creation of the Vedas because they are the most valuable component of material creation. Most of what exists in the material world exists simply to allow the living entities to enjoy their senses, so they may eventually become frustrated and seek self-realization. Their usefulness is thus secondary at best. The Vedas, however, are the part of the creation that directly helps one on the transcendental path. They are thus orders of magnitude more valuable than everything else.

Having explained the Vedas and the purpose of life, Yājñavalkya speaks more about sense control:

sa yathā sarvāsām apāṁ samudra ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ sparśānāṁ tvag ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ gandhānāṁ nāsike ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ rasānāṁ jihvaikāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ rūpāṇāṁ cakṣur ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣaṁ śabdānāṁ śrotram ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ saṅkalpānāṁ mana ekāyanam, evaṁ sarvāsāṁ vidyānāṁ hṛdayam ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ karmaṇāṁ hastāv ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣām ānandānām upastha ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ visargāṇāṁ pāyur ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣām adhvanāṁ pādāv ekāyanam, evaṁ sarveṣāṁ vedānāṁ vāg ekāyanam

"The ocean is the receptacle of all waters. Skin is the receptacle of all touch sensations. The nose is the receptacle of all smells. The tongue is the receptacle of all tastes. The eye is the receptacle of all forms. The ear is the receptacle of all sounds. The mind is the receptacle of all decisions. The heart is the receptacle of all knowledge. The hands are the receptacle of all actions. The genital is the receptacle of all sexual bliss. The anus is the receptacle of all excretion. The feet are the receptacle of all movement. The voice is the receptacle of all the Vedas (knowledge)." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.11)

The key word in this verse is "ekāyanam" (receptacle), which is repeated at each sentence. The vast ocean is the receptacle of all waters, being continuously filled by numerous rivers, but still it is never filled. Similarly, each sense is the receptacle of a certain type of sense object, and they are constantly being filled with more and more sense enjoyment, but still, they are never satisfied. The process of controlling the senses passes thus by restricting them, and not in increasing sense gratification in the hope that the senses may some day become satisfied. They will never.

This verse serves thus as a graphic representation to help us to remain in the path of sense control, understanding that sense enjoyment just makes us further bound to this material world.

To further emphasize this point, Yājñavalkya speaks another verse:

sa yathā saindhava-khilya udake prāsta udakam evānuvilīyeta na hāsyodgrahaṇāyeva syāt, yato-yatas tv ādadīta lavaṇam, evaṁ vā ara idaṁ mahad bhūtam anantam apāraṁ vijñāna-ghana eva, etebhyo bhūtebhyaḥ samutthāya tāny evānuvinaśyati, na pretya saṁjñāstīty are bravīmi, iti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ

"When a piece of salt is dissolved in water, it appears to be lost in it, but its presence can still be noted by the salty taste of the water. In the same way, O dear one, is Brahman; this great, infinite, boundless, condensed knowledge makes himself present in the material creation. Arising from the material elements (at birth), a person dissolves back into them (at death). Having died, one has no knowledge of the body, or identity with it." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.12)

Both the Lord and the jīva are spiritual, and thus full of eternity, bliss, and knowledge. The jīva is also a possessor of unbroken knowledge, just like the Lord, but because the jīva is infinitesimal, we can fall into illusion and have our knowledge covered.

Just as the salt dissolved in water, the Lord becomes present in the material creation through the diffusion of His energy, but He is not seen. In the same way, the jīva, covered by the material body, can't be seen, even though its presence can be identified by the presence of consciousness.

Because we identify with matter, we receive new material bodies, one after the other. These bodies are created from material elements, and thus it is said that we "arise" from these material elements. "We" in this case means our current conditioned identity, connected with the body. This same material identity is later dissolved back into the original material elements at death, with the destruction of the body. This is another strong image of the temporarily of material existence and the futility of the process of material sense gratification. Just as a man compulsively cleaning and maintaining his car and forgetting to eat, we spend our efforts trying to satisfy our body and senses, and forget our real interests.

Once we leave a particular body, we lose our knowledge of it. The previous identity is destroyed, and we accept another temporary material identity. This process continues until we come to the platform of self-realization and restore our original spiritual identity.

When these concepts are explained, they become clear, but when we just hear the verse itself, these concepts are hard to grasp. Maitreyī thus raises a question, leading Yājñavalkya to further clarify the conditioned state of the jīva:

sā hovāca maitreyī, atraiva mā bhagavān amūmuhan na pretya saṁjñāstīti
sa hovāca, na vā are ’haṁ mohaṁ bravīmi, alaṁ vā ara idaṁ vijñānāya

"Maitreyī said: O revered one, please don't confuse me with such a statement such as na pretya saṁjñā asti (after death there is no consciousness). Yājñavalkya answered: No, dear one, I do not speak anything confusing. This is sufficient to understand." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.13)

Yājñavalkya used the sentence "na pretya saṁjñā asti" in the sense of the soul losing knowledge of the body and the material identity connected with it at death, but Maitreyī understood it in the sense of the consciousness or individuality of the soul being extinguished at death. This sounds contradictory, and thus she requests clarification.

Yājñavalkya signals that Maitreyī should try to go deeper into the meaning of the teaching and not insist on the superficial meaning of the words. He reassures that he is not about nihilism, but the end of worldly cognition tied to the body. What remains is the Self, pure consciousness, and this must be realized.

yatra hi dvaitam iva bhavati tad itara itaraṁ jighrati tad itara itaraṁ paśyati tad itara itaraṁ śṛṇoti tad itara itaram abhivadati tad itara itaraṁ manute tad itara itaraṁ vijānāti, yatra vāsya sarvam ātmaivābhūt tat kena kaṁ jighret tat kena kaṁ paśyet tat kena kaṁ śṛṇuyāt tat kena kam abhivadet tat kena kaṁ manvīta tat kena kaṁ vijānīyāt, yenedaṁ sarvaṁ vijānāti taṁ kena vijānīyāt, vijñātāram are kena vijānīyād iti

"When one is absorbed in duality, seeing an existence separated from the Lord, then one smells another, sees another, hears another, speaks to another, thinks of another, and knows another. But when one becomes aware of the Supreme Self and understands that nothing is separate from him, then who smells what? who sees what? who hears what? who speaks what, who thinks of what, and who knows what? How could that Supreme Person, by whom all this is known, be known by another? O dear one, the ultimate knower is beyond the grasp of material knowledge." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.14)

It's not really possible to be independent from the Lord. Everything that exists is nothing but a combination of different potencies of the Lord (including the individual souls, who are part of His marginal energy); therefore, in fact, there is nothing apart from the Lord. However, under material duality, we think there is a world separated from the Lord, or that we are separated from Him. Under this false concept, we live the material experience, interacting with different manifestations we see as separated from the Lord. However, when we become Krsna-conscious, we understand that everything is connected with Krsna and should be used in His service. We see then that everything and everyone is eternally connected with Him. At this stage, our whole experience becomes centered around our relationship with Him.

Yājñavalkya explains that the Lord can't be known by experimental knowledge, which hints that He can be known only by the process of devotional service. This is a constant in the Upaniṣads: the ultimate conclusions of the text are just hinted at, instead of being directly stated, since the idea is to keep the real meaning hidden from unauthorized persons. The full meaning of the text can thus be understood only when the text is studied under the proper conclusions, received from the spiritual master.

This dialogue is repeated later in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, in part four, where extra details about the characteristics of the Lord are added:

sa eṣa neti nety ātmā, agṛhyo na hi gṛhyate, aśīryo na hi śīryate, asaṅgo na hi sajyate, asito na vyathate na riṣyati, vijñātāram are kena vijānīyād ity uktānuśāsanāsi maitreyi, etāvad are khalv amṛtatvam iti hoktvā yājñavalkyo vijahāra

"The Lord is indeed the Supreme Self. He is neti nety — not this, not this — free from material, limiting attributes, and beyond all material description. He is ungraspable, for He cannot be apprehended by the senses or mundane intellect. He is undecaying, for He never perishes. He is unattached, untouched by matter, beyond all suffering or harm. Therefore, O dear one, how can one know this Supreme Knower, except by His own grace? Thus have I instructed you. Indeed, this is immortality. Having spoken thus, Yājñavalkya departed." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 4.5.15)

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Vyasadeva left a total of 108 Upanisads with selected passages from the four Vedas, as well as other Vedic literature that speaks directly about self-realization. Crowding this literature is the Bhagavad-Gītā, which offers the conclusions of all Upanisads.

The Upanisads are full of interesting passages, but most of it is not easy to understand, due to the scarcity of good translations or a lack of explanations of what the passages mean.

Here is an interesting passage from the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad (2.4), where Yājñavalkya, who is about to leave the house to accept the renounced life, teaches his wife Maitreyī about self-realization.

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Yājñavalkya had two wives: Maitreyī and Kātyāyanī. The second was just interested in regular household affairs, while Maitreyī was interested in spiritual knowledge. When later in life Yājñavalkya was preparing to accept the vānaprastha order and go to the forest, he called Maitreyī and proposed to make a settlement, dividing the properties between her and Kātyāyanī.

maitreyīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ, udyāsyan vā are ’ham asmāt sthānād asmi, hanta te ’nayā kātyāyanyāntaṁ karavāṇīti

"When Yājñavalkya was preparing to depart, he said to his wife Maitreyī: My dear wife, I am about to renounce household life. Therefore, let me make a final division of the properties between you and Kātyāyanī." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.1)

To this, Maitreyī answered:

"sā hovāca maitreyī, yan nu ma iyaṁ bhagoḥ sarvā pṛthivī vittena pūrṇā syāt kathaṁ tenāmṛtā syām iti, neti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ, yathaivopakaraṇavatāṁ jīvitaṁ tathaiva te jīvitaṁ syāt, amṛtatvasya tu nāśāsti vitteneti"

"Maitreyī answered: My lord, if this entire earth filled with riches were mine, could I attain immortality through it? Yājñavalkya replied: No. Your life would be like that of a wealthy person, but there is no hope of attaining immortality by possessing wealth." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.2)

sā hovāca maitreyī, yenāhaṁ nāmṛtā syāṁ kim ahaṁ tena kuryām, yad eva bhagavān veda tad eva me brūhīti

"Maitreyī then said: If a thing cannot make me immortal, what need would I have for it? Teach me instead, O revered husband, what you know about the process to achieve immortality." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.3)

Maitreyī is a very wise person, worthy of being the wife of a great sage. Having gone through family life, she already realized that material possessions can't bring anyone happiness, or even a permanent situation. She wants instead to use her last moments with her husband to inquire from him about transcendental knowledge. Let the other wife keep all properties.

sa hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ, priyā batāre naḥ satī priyaṁ bhāṣase, ehy āssva, vyākhyāsyāmi te, vyācakṣāṇasya tu me nididhyāsasveti, bravītu me bhagavān iti

"Yājñavalkya said: Ah, dear one, truly you are dear to me, and you speak what is precious. Come, sit down; I will explain it to you. But while I speak, you must listen attentively and consider it carefully. Maitreyī replied: Yes, O revered one, please instruct me." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.4)

sa hovāca, na vā are patyuḥ kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati, na vā are jāyāyai kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavati, na vā are putrāṇāṁ kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavanty ātmanas tu kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavanti, na vā are vittasya kāmāya vittaṁ priyaṁ bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya vittaṁ priyaṁ bhavati, na vā are brahmaṇaḥ kāmāya brahma priyaṁ bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya brahma priyaṁ bhavati, na vā are kṣatrasya kāmāya kṣatraṁ priyaṁ bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya kṣatraṁ priyaṁ bhavati, na vā are lokānāṁ kāmāya lokāḥ priyā bhavanty ātmanas tu kāmāya lokāḥ priyā bhavanti, na vā are devānāṁ kāmāya devāḥ priyā bhavanty ātmanas tu kāmāya devāḥ priyā bhavanti, na vā are bhūtānāṁ kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavanty ātmanas tu kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavanti, na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarvaṁ priyaṁ bhavaty ātmanas tu kāmāya sarvaṁ priyaṁ bhavati

"It is not for the sake of the husband that the husband is dear; it is because of the Self (ātmā) that he becomes dear. It is not for the sake of the wife that the wife is dear; it is because of the Self that she becomes dear. It is not for the sake of the children that the children are dear; it is because of the Self that they become dear. It is not for the sake of wealth that wealth is dear; it is because of the Self that wealth becomes dear. It is not for the sake of the brāhmana that the brāhmana is dear; it is because of the Self that he becomes dear. It is not for the sake of the kṣatriya that the kṣatriya is dear; it is because of the Self that he becomes dear. It is not for the sake of the worlds themselves that the worlds are dear; it is because of the Self that the worlds become dear. It is not for the sake of the demigods that the demigods are dear; it is because of the Self that they become dear. It is not for the sake of the beings themselves that the different beings are dear; it is because of the Self that they become dear. Indeed, it is not because of anything that all things are dear; it is because of the Supreme Self that all becomes dear." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad 2.4.5)

The word "ātmā" (self) is commonly used to refer to the Lord in the scriptures. Sometimes ātmā is used in the sense of our personal self, being it the soul, or even the mind or body, according to the context, but the original meaning of the word ātmā is the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Self. The Lord should be our ultimate object of love, and by loving the Lord, everyone will automatically love us.

In this way, Yājñavalkya explained that all the people and things we consider dear in this world, like the husband, wife, children, wealth, brāhmanas, kings, planets, demigods, and in fact as other living entities, and everything that exists are not dear to us by their own sake but because of their connection to the Lord. When we love these persons and objects for their own sake, without realizing their connection with the Lord, we are rejected by them, or in other words, we lose them in due curse of time. This applies to even the Vedas, since the knowledge of the Vedas is precious because of its connection with the Lord. When one sees the passages of the Vedas as disconnected from the Lord, one gets only superficial, material knowledge, and his study becomes mundane and useless. One is thus abandoned by the Vedas, just as by everything else.

In this way, Yājñavalkya made a powerful statement that sent Maitreyī on the path of self-realization, expressing the illusory nature of this world and revealing the Lord as the underlying principle behind everything that exists, and the ultimate destination.

The key word in the instructions is kāmāya (desire): na vā are patyuḥ kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati, ātmanas tu kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati. It is not for the sake of the husband that the husband is dear, but for the sake of ātma, the Lord, that he becomes dear. The same is repeated for the wife, children, etc.

How does this attraction work? Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains that: jīvera svarūpa haya — kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa, "It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa". He also says: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya, "Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source."

Love for Krsna is the eternal characteristic of the soul and thus can't be separated from it, as much as liquidity can be separated from water. However, this love for Krsna can be covered, and when this happens, it manifests as lust, attraction to objects of sense enjoyment. At the same time, however, as Krsna explains in the Gītā, "Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

Just like the light of the sun is just a faint reflection of the light of Krsna's effulgence, all beauty, power, strength, intelligence, knowledge, and renunciation, or in other words, all the qualities that we find attractive in different beings and objects, are just faint reflections of the opulence of Krsna. These different people and objects are just like mirrors, where the beauty, opulence, etc. of Krsna are reflected. However, due to the influence of illusion, we become attracted to the mirror instead of becoming attracted to the person being reflected. When we become attracted by the illusion instead of the real Self, we end up being abandoned by all these things, since this is the nature of the material illusion.

Yājñavalkya then proceeds with his explanation. This essence of everything, the true source of attraction and unifying principle of everything, this Supreme Lord should be our object of attraction. When we do that, everything is revealed.

ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi, ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānenedaṁ sarvaṁ viditam

O Maitreyī, the Supreme Lord, ātmā, should be sought, heard, contemplated, and always meditated upon. By seeing, hearing, worshiping, and understanding this Supreme Self, everything becomes known."

Why is that the Supreme Lord, the Supreme ātmā, should be investigated, heard, contemplated, and meditated upon? Because knowing the Lord is the only path to immortality, by reestablish our original nature as pure souls in our original relationship with the Lord. Even impersonal liberation does not achieve this goal, since one becomes free from material conditioning, but does not revive one's relationship with the Lord.

In this way, Yājñavalkya explained to Maitreyī how affection should be centered around the Lord, and not directly placed in the different objects of the senses. If a wife loves her husband and thinks that by her own power, she will make him love her, she will end up not being loved by her husband. Similarly, if one loves his children or his wife and thinks that by his own power, he will make them love him, he will, in the end, not be loved by them. If, however, he loves the Lord and from there loves the husband, children, and wife, seeing them in connection to the Lord, only then will the Lord make them love this devoted wife, husband, father, or mother.

Don’t forget to check the second part.

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The Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad contains passages from the Ṛgveda. It is a profound, but difficult text, that emphasizes the Supremacy of the Lord and devotional service to Him as the ultimate goal of life. Most translations available don’t go deep into the conclusions, but when the text is interpreted in the light of the conclusions from Srila Prabhupada and previous ācaryas, the text opens up.

There are two very instructive passages in this Upanisad: Indra identifying himself wth the supreme Brahman (which we will explore in another article) and the passage with the discussion of Bālākī and Ajātaśatru described in the fourth adhyāya of the text. This is the topic for today.

In the description, Gārgya Bālākī approaches the king of Kāśi, Ajātaśatru, and promises, "I shall tell you about Brahman". The King immediately becomes receptive and promises to give him a thousand cows in charity for such precious knowledge.

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Bālākī then describes Brahman as the great puruṣa in the sun, the sun-god, stating that it is he whom he venerates. Ajātaśatru, however, rejects this understanding, stating that the sun is just one of the aspects of the supreme, representing his greatness:

sa hovāca bālakiḥ evaiṣa āditye puruṣas tam evāham upāsa iti, taṁ hovācājātaśatruḥ māṁ tāvan mā sambrūthā iti, aham evainaṁ bhūtānāṁ śiro ’ham upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste śiro bhūyān bhavati

"Bālākī declared: Indeed, this great puruṣa in the sun (the demigod) is the one I worship. Ajātaśatru replied: Do not tell me such things! I worship him only as the head of all beings. One who worships him as such becomes great as the leader of all." (Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad 4.3)

Ajātaśatru worships Brahman in the sun, but not as the sun-god. He worships Him as the power who is behind the demigod. He sees the sun-god not as the Supreme, but as the representative of his power, stating that one who worships him as such also attains greatness. In other words, Bālākī offers a process of deva-upāsanā (worship of a demigod), but Ajātaśatru rejects it and instead gives the proper process of brahmopāsanā (worship of the Supreme Brahman), worshiping the Supreme Lord manifesting through the sun.

Bālākī then defines Brahman as the puruṣa of the moon, stating that the moon is his object of worship, just to be again rejected by Ajātaśatru, who accepts him just as a great king, Soma, who participates in the maintenance of the cosmic order by nourishing the vegetables. Again, Ajātaśatru sees the demigod as a representative of the Supreme, while Bālākī speaks a superficial, pantheistic philosophy, seeing the different material manifestations and their predominating deities, but failing to see the unifying principle behind them.

Bālākī then continues to describe his pantheistic process, describing the worship of the deities of lightning, thunder, wind, ether, fire, water, reflection, shadow, echo, sound, dream, body, speech, and truth.

In this way, Bālākī described sixteen different puruṣas, just to be similarly rejected at each step by Ajātaśatru, who, although a kṣatriya, had a deeper knowledge than him. Bālākī had just knowledge of the external manifestations, while Ajātaśatru knew the unifying principle behind all of them. Finally, Bālākī fell silent.

tata u ha bālākis tūṣṇīm āsa, taṁ hovācājātaśatrur etāvan mātraṁ bālaka iti etāvad iti hovāca bālakiḥ, taṁ hovācājātaśatrur mūrkha eva khalu mā samavad iṣyaḥ, brahma te bravāṇīti yo vai bālaka eteṣāṁ puruṣāṇāṁ kartā yasya caitat karma sa vai veditavya iti

"After speaking thus, Bālākī fell silent. 'Is that all, Bālākī?' asked Ajātaśatru. 'That's all', replied Bālākī. Ajātaśatru then said to him: In vain have you dragged me into a discussion with you by saying: 'Let me tell you about Brahman.' O Bālākī, He who is the creator of these sixteen puruṣas, He by whom this karma (universe, jagat) is made, he alone is to be known. He is the real Brahman." (Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad 4.18)

Bālākī realizes the depth of Ajātaśatru's realization and surrenders to him as his disciple. Although hesitant, Ajātaśatru agrees to instruct him in what he knows. This leads to the second part of the passage, which encompasses verses 4.19 and 4.20, closing the chapter:

tata u bālākir samīpāṇīt, praticakram upāyānīti, taṃ hovāca jātaśatruḥ: pratilomam rūpam evaitad manye, yad asya śriyo brāhmaṇo ’paman-yeta, eṣa vai tvā śayyāpayiṣyāmīti, tau ha pāṇī abhipra pravrajā, tau ha suptaṃ puruṣam ājagmatuḥ, taṃ hovāca jātaśatruḥ: ānamyāṅkāreṇa bṛhann, aṇḍadaravāsaḥ, somo rājā iti, sa u ha śirasy eva, tata u hainaṃ yakṣyam vicikṣepa, sa tata eva samutastau

"Then Bālākī approached him with firewood in his hand, saying, 'Let me accept you as my guru.' Ajātaśatru said: 'I consider it unnatural for a kṣatriya to be the guru of a brāhmaṇa. Come, I will tell you what I know.' Then, taking Bālākī by the hand, Ajātaśatru went out. They came to a man asleep. Ajātaśatru called out to him, 'O King Soma!' (O person who entered into deep sleep) But he did not hear. Then Ajātaśatru poked him with a staff, and the man immediately got up."

When we enter into deep sleep, the consciousness withdraws from the senses and takes shelter inside the heart. At this stage, we lose external consciousness and can't see, hear, or feel. We can see that in modern medicine, this state is induced by administering anesthetics, allowing doctors to perform surgeries while the patient is unconscious. This shows that the consciousness withdraws completely, to the point where one can cut our body. Until the consciousness returns to the awake state, we don't feel anything.

However, the consciousness is still there, and eventually we awake from this deep sleep. This proves that the soul is different from the external consciousness we display when awake and different from the physical body itself. In this way, Ajātaśatru teaches the foundation of transcendental knowledge, the difference of body and soul.

taṃ hovāca jātaśatruḥ: vaivai etad bālāka puruṣo ’śayiṣṭa kva etad bhūtaṃ kṛtaṃ kva etad gata iti, tata u ha bālākir vijajñe, taṃ hovāca jātaśatruḥ: eṣa etad bālāka puruṣo ’śayiṣṭa yantram ūrdhataḥ, etad gātrāgata iti, hitā nāma puruṣasya nāḍyaḥ hṛdayād uparitaḥ abhyantaram anti, tathā ayaṃ sahasradhā keśo vipacitās tat evadvyāḥ — piṅgalāḥ, śyāmāḥ, tiktāḥ, śuklāḥ, kṛṣṇāḥ, pītāḥ, lohitāś ca, tāsu tadā bhavati yadā suptaḥ svapnaṃ na kañcana paśyati

"Ajātaśatru said: 'O Bālākī, where does this person go to rest while he sleeps? From where does he return when he awakes?' Bālākī was confused and did not know what to answer. Ajātaśatru then explained: This person, O Bālākī, when he sleeps, withdraws into the body’s system, taking shelter within. Inside the body, there are subtle channels called nāḍīs, spreading inside and upward by the thousands and in many colors. These subtle channels are centered around the heart. It's there that a person enters when in deep, dreamless sleep."

Since the soul is different from the body, it means we go somewhere while in deep sleep. The question is where, since the soul is still present inside the body, sustaining life. This allows Ajātaśatru to reveal the next level of the spiritual science: knowledge about Brahman. The Lord resides inside the heart, and while in deep sleep, the consciousness of the soul withdraws to inside the heart, where we associate with Him. The Lord is present in the hearts of all, including all the deities previously enumerated by Bālākī. A neophyte sees the external manifestation, while a true transcendentalist worships the Lord who dwells within each of them.

athāsmin prāṇa evaikadhā bhavati, tad vai idaṃ vāṅmanāḥ cakṣuḥ śrotraṃ sarve rūpe sahopayanti, śrotre sarve śabde sahopayanti, manaḥ sarvedhyāni sahopayanti, sa yadā pratinudyate yathāgnir jvalitaḥ sarvā diśo viṣphuliṅgāḥ vipratiṣṭhante, evam etasmād ātmanaḥ prāṇāḥ yathāyatanaṃ vipratiṣṭhante, prāṇebhyo devāḥ, devebhyo lokāḥ

"During this state of deep sleep, the consciousness of the soul rests into prāṇa (the Lord, as Paramātmā), becoming united with Him. All faculties of the senses merge together. In the ear, all sounds unite, and thus one hears nothing. In the mind, all cognition unite, and can't feel or think anything. When one wakes up, the vital functions again spread out to their respective seats (the sense organs), just as the sparks of a blazing fire scatter in all directions. From this prāna (the Supreme Lord) come the devas, and from the devas the whole material creation sprouts."

In deep sleep, the soul merges into the Lord (described here as prāṇa), just as we merge into the body of Mahā-Viṣnu at the end of creation. In this state, all mental and sensorial functions merge into their source, and the external senses stop working. This shows that the external consciousness is a mere projection from this inner self. In the same way, all the deities mentioned by Bālākī are manifestations of the Supreme Brahman. He is not only the source of their powers, but also their maintainer.

sa eṣa prāṇa eva prajñātmā idaṃ śarīram ātmānam anupraviśya ā lomabhya ā nakhebhyaḥ, tathāyaṃ dhuraḥ dhuraghnaḥ aśvapo hitaḥ viśvambharo vā viśvambhara-kulāya, evam eva eṣa prajñātmā idaṃ śarīram ātmānam anupraviśya ā lomabhya ā nakhebhyaḥ, tena etām ātmānam eta ātmā na oṣṇavan vasante, yathā śreṣṭhīnaḥ svāḥ, tathaiva śreṣṭhīḥ svaiḥ bhṛtyaiḥ, evam eva eṣa prajñātmā sarvāṇi bhūtāni ātmānam evābhipraviśya, prajñātair etāni abhibhūtāni, evam evaitad ātmānaṃ etātmānaṃ bhuñjate

"This prāna is the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Self, the source and indwelling principle of all knowledge and consciousness. He pervades the entire body, from the hair down to the nails. Just as yoked bulls pulling a cart, all the individual beings follow this Supreme Soul. It's because of His presence that the body continues to function instead of perishing in affliction. Just as a rich man is served by his servants, this prajñātmā enters all beings as their inner self and governs them. Indeed, all these beings live upon Him and are sustained by Him."

The real self is not the body, but the soul within. This jīva, however, is just a tenant; the landlord is Viṣnu. It's only by his presence that life is possible. Without him, nobody could survive even for a moment. The jīvas are thus compared to bulls pulling a cart, or servants working for their master, because they are not only dependent on the Lord, but are in fact under His complete control, be it directly, by surrendering unto Him, or indirectly, through the influence of the three material modes. The Lord is the essence of everything and maintains everything. All other beings work merely as pieces of the universal manifestation set up by Him.

sa yāvad vā indra etam ātmānaṃ na vijajñe, tāvad enam asurā abhibabhūvuḥ, sa yadā vijajñe, atha hatvā asurān abhijitya sarveṣāṃ devānām śraiṣṭhyaṃ svarājyaṃ ādhipatyaṃ paryait, tathā evam eva vihan sarvāṇi bhūtāni apahatya, sarveṣāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ śraiṣṭhyaṃ svarājyaṃ ādhipatyaṃ paryeti, ya evaṃ veda, ya evaṃ veda

"As long as Indra did not know this Supreme Soul, the asuras defeated him. However, when he came to know this Supreme Self, he smashed the demons, conquered them, and secured the supremacy, sovereignty, and lordship over all the devas. Similarly, here too in this world, whoever realizes this Self, overcomes and transcends all obstacles, attaining supremacy, sovereignty, and lordship over all. Yes, he does, whoever knows this."

The Lord is the source of power for everyone. Indra is not powerful because of his own strength; he is powerful because of his connection with the Lord. By his own strength, he is weak and is easily defeated by the demons, but when he is strongly connected with the Lord, acting as his representative, he can smash the demons and secure supremacy over the celestial system. Similarly, as long as we remain ignorant of the glories of the Lord, we remain defeated and bound by demoniac qualities, such as lust and greed. On the other hand, when we realize our eternal nature as servants of the Lord, we conquer ignorance and surpass all obstacles.

The sentence "sarveṣāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ śraiṣṭhyaṃ svarājyaṃ ādhipatyaṃ paryeti" can be interpreted both literally, that one becomes a great king or demigod, attaining sovereignty and lordship over others, or in the higher meaning, in the sense of overpowering all limitations of conditioned life and controlling one's body, mind, and senses, gaining sovereignty over them and becoming a prabhu, a master of one's senses, opening one's path to perfection. This is certainly much more valuable than becoming a mere king of this world.

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This is the continuation of the article The three boons from death: a short introduction to the Katha Upanisad, which brings the conversation of Naciketā, the brahmana boy, and Yamaraja, the Lord of death.

Nachiketā asks for detailed knowledge on the science of the soul, and Yamaraja reveals himself hesitant to reveal such confidential knowledge. Yamaraja granted the three boons, expecting he would ask for simple material blessings, but instead Nachiketā revealed himself intelligent enough to ask for the most valuable secret.

Yamaraja tried to lure Nachiketā by offering him a long life and all kinds of opulences, by the intelligent boy was not interested. Yama was thus forced to reveal to him the great secret. After receiving the instructions of Yamaraja and perfectly understanding them, Naciketā attained not only liberation, but a spiritual body, becoming an associate of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha. In this way, the Upaniṣad teaches us the path for attaining the same perfection.

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Here are the verses with the second part of the instructions. As the Upaniṣad promises, one who studies it with faith and attention is glorified even in the spiritual world.

ṛtaṁ pibantau sukṛtasya loke guhāṁ praviṣṭau parame parārdhe
chāyātapau brahma-vido vadanti pañcāgnayo ye ca tri-ṇāciketāḥ

"The knowers of Brahman, who tend the five fires and perform the threefold nāciketa sacrifice, speak of the two beings who have entered the cave of the heart, the most excellent space, for performing pious deeds and experiencing the results of karma. They describe them as like shadow and light." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.1)

yaḥ setur ījānānām akṣaraṁ brahma yat param
abhayaṁ titīrṣatāṁ pāraṁ nāciketaṁ śakemahi

"Let us meditate upon the Supreme Lord, the imperishable Brahman, who is the support for those who perform sacrifice, the fearless shore for those desiring to cross the ocean of saṁsāra and attain the transcendental abode. This Supreme Lord is obtained by the performance of the nāciketa sacrifice."(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.2)

ātmānaṁ rathinaṁ viddhi śarīraṁ ratham eva ca,
buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi manaḥ pragraham eva ca

"Know that the soul (ātmā) is the passenger, and that the body is the chariot. Know intelligence as the driver and the mind as the reins." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.3)

In many passages of the Upaniṣads, ātmā means the Supreme Lord. However, in this passage, ātmā means the soul inside the body. The sequence described in the passage is senses < sense objects < mind < intelligence < the soul (ātmā, or mahat) < the subtle body (which is called avyakta because it is invisible) < the Lord (puruṣa).

indriyāṇi hayāny āhur viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān
ātmendriya-mano-yuktaṁ bhoktety āhur manīṣiṇaḥ

"The wise say the senses are the horses, and the sense objects are the paths of the horses. They say that the soul encased by the body, senses, mind, and intelligence becomes thus the enjoyer of this world." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.4)

The intelligence, guided by the words of the scriptures, is supposed to discipline the activities of the mind, which in turn is supposed to restrain the senses. In this way, a person can act piously and gradually advance, even while on the path of material enjoyment.

yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty ayuktena manasā sadā
tasyendriyāṇy avaśyani duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ

"However, the ignorant person, who lacks true knowledge and discrimination, wanders with an uncontrolled mind and unbridled senses, like a charioteer with unruly horses." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.5)

yas tu vijñānavān bhavati yuktena manasā sadā
tasyendriyāṇi vaśyāni sad-aśvā iva sāratheḥ

"He, on the other hand, who has knowledge along with a controlled mind, can keep his senses under control at all times, just like a skillful driver driving a chariot drawn by disciplined horses." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.6)

yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty amanaskaḥ sadā’śuciḥ
na sa tat-padam āpnoti saṁsāraṁ cādhigacchati

yas tu vijñānavān bhavati sa-manaskaḥ sadā śuciḥ
sa tu tat-padam āpnoti yasmād bhūyo na jāyate

"He who is ignorant, remains always distracted and without self-control. Always impure, he does not attain the supreme state. Instead, he falls into the lower species and remains in the cycle of birth and death. But he who, endowed with knowledge, develops self-control and an attentive mind, remains always pure, attaining freedom. He attains the supreme destination, the place from which one has never to return." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.7-8)

vijñāna-sārathir yas tu manaḥ pragrahavān naraḥ
so’dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam

"He who has spiritual realization as his charioteer, driving the chariot of the body with the reins of a controlled mind, crosses the ocean of birth and death and reaches the end of the journey, the supreme abode of Lord Viṣnu." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.9)

indriyebhyaḥ parā hy arthā, arthebhyaś ca paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir, buddher ātmā mahān paraḥ

mahataḥ param avyaktam, avyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ
puruṣān na paraṁ kiñcit, sā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ

"Higher than the senses are the sense-objects; higher than the sense-objects is the mind; higher than the mind is intelligence; higher than intelligence is the soul (mahāt). Higher than mahāt is avyakta (the subtle body, which includes all previous components). Superior to avyakta is the puruṣa (the Supreme Lord, as Paramātmā). There is nothing superior to the Lord. He is the final goal." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.10-11)

eṣa sarveṣu bhūteṣu gūḍho’tmā na prakāśate
dṛśyate tv agryayā buddhyā sūkṣmayā sūkṣma-darśibhiḥ

"This Supreme Self (the Lord) resides together with the soul in all beings, but He is hidden, not showing His radiance. However, He is seen by the wise, equipped with purified intelligence, which gives them the ability to perceive the spiritual." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.12)

yacched vāṅ-manasī prājñas tad yacchej jñāna ātmani
jñānam ātmani mahati niyacchet tad yacchec chānta ātmani

"A wise person should control his speech, as well as all other senses, by the mind, and control the mind using the intelligence. He should then control the intelligence by the soul (mahat), who is the doer. The soul should then surrender into the Lord within (ātmani, or antaryāmī), who eliminates all material urges (śānte)." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.13)

This verse is similar to verses 3.42-43 of the Gītā:

"The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence. Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence [Kṛṣṇa consciousness] and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust."

uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata
kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti

"Stand up! Wake up! Approaching the great ācāryas, learn about the Lord. Be attentive. The wise declare this path to be sharp like the edge of a razor, hard to cross, difficult to tread." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14)

Once a soul comes in contact with the material energy, it is easy to remain for many lives distracted by the many allurements of this material world. To finally become free, we need to become attentive to the process of self-realization. The wise ones described in the verse (kavayaḥ) are the jñanis, for whom the spiritual process is especially difficult, and one can fall for the smallest inattention. For Vaiṣnavas, the spiritual process is much easier because it is based on directly engaging the senses in the service of the Lord and acquiring a higher taste. However, just as the verse advises, we can be lost if we are not attentive to our practice, especially to the chanting of the holy names.

As Prabhupada explains: "Unless one is sufficiently protected by the Lord, he may fall down from his spiritual position; therefore one has to pray constantly to the Lord for protection and the blessing to carry out one's duty. Lord Caitanya also entrusted His missionary work to His devotees and assured them of His protection against the onslaught of material affection. The path of spiritual life is stated in the Vedas to be like the edge of a sharpened razor. A little inattentiveness may at once create havoc and bloodshed, but one who is a completely surrendered soul, always seeking protection from the Lord in the discharge of his entrusted duties, has no fear of falling into material contamination." (SB 3.9.24, Purport)

aśabdam asparśam arūpam avyayaṁ, tathā’rasaṁ nityam agandhavac ca yat
anādy anantaṁ mahataḥ paraṁ dhruvaṁ, nicāyya tan mṛtyu-mukhāt pramucyate

"Seeing the Lord, who is eternally transcendental, unchanging, free from material qualities such as sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, who is without beginning and superior to the jīva, one becomes free from birth and death."(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.15)

The soul is defined in this passage as mahat, and the Lord is mahataḥ param, superior to the individual soul. We should therefore surrender to the Lord to become free from birth and death. This is the conclusion of Yamaraja.

nāciketam upākhyānaṁ mṛtyu-proktaṁ sanātanam
uktvā śrutvā ca medhāvī brahma-loke mahīyate

"Having recited or heard this eternal story concerning the teachings of Yamaraja to Naciketā, the wise one becomes great and is glorified even in the spiritual world." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.16)

ya imaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ śrāvayed brahma-saṁsadi
prayataḥ śrāddha-kāle vā tad ānantyāya kalpate
tad ānantyāya kalpata iti

Whoever recites this highest secret with purity and devotion in an assembly of brāhmanas dedicated to acquiring knowledge, or during the śrāddha ceremony, becomes eligible to infinite rewards. Indeed, such a supremely pious act leads one to immortality." (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.17)

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In His purport to SB 1.1.7, Srila Prabhupada explains that:

"Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a natural commentation on the Brahma-sūtra, or the Bādarāyaṇi Vedānta-sūtras. It is called natural because Vyāsadeva is author of both the Vedānta-sūtras and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or the essence of all Vedic literatures. Besides Vyāsadeva, there are other sages who are the authors of six different philosophical systems, namely Gautama, Kaṇāda, Kapila, Patañjali, Jaimini and Aṣṭāvakra. Theism is explained completely in the Vedānta-sūtra, whereas in other systems of philosophical speculations, practically no mention is given to the ultimate cause of all causes. One can sit on the vyāsāsana only after being conversant in all systems of philosophy so that one can present fully the theistic views of the Bhāgavatam in defiance of all other systems."

The six philosophical systems that Srila Prabhupada mentions here are:

1- Nyāya, by Gautama Ṛṣi,

2- Vaiśeṣika, by Kaṇāda Ṛṣi,

3- Sāṅkhya, by the atheistic Kapila,

4- The system of mystic yoga of Patañjali,

5- Karma-mīmāṁsā, by Jaimini,

6- The impersonalism of Aṣṭāvakra and later Śaṅkarācārya.

Different philosophies that come from India can be divided into two groups: āstika (philosophies that follow the Vedas) and nāstika (philosophies that reject the Vedas). Different from nāstika philosophies like Buddhism, Jainism, and the atheistic empiricism of the followers of Cārvāka (philosophies that reject the Vedas), the sad-darśanas, or the six systems of philosophy mentioned here by Srila Prabhupada are considered āstika philosophies because they all accept the Vedas as authoritative.

Originally, these six philosophical systems were different parts of a unified system of understanding of the Vedas, but with time the scholars started disagreeing and the systems became separated, with none of them having a complete view of the goal of life.

The resultant six philosophical systems are predominantly atheistic, studying different aspects of the material nature separately from the Supreme Lord. Logic, meditation, and so on are part of our spiritual studies and practice, but when disconnected from Krsna, they become just materialistic philosophies that have little purpose in bringing one back to Godhead.

It seems that these six systems also become separated in other cycles of creation of the universe, serving different classes of materialistic persons. Just like Lord Śiva comes as Śaṅkarācārya to establish the Māyāvāda doctrine and thus bewilder the atheists, different philosophers propound these different philosophical systems at different times for different purposes.

So, what do these six schools teach?

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1- The Nyāya system deals with reasoning and logic, establishing rules of philosophical debate, identifying subjects for discussion, etc. The main concern is in establishing the conditions for obtaining correct knowledge (pramāṇa), and the means of acquiring valid knowledge, analyzing the nature and source of different types of knowledge to determine their validity or non-validity, and so on. Logic has a very important role in the study of the Vedānta-sūtra, for example, since it is full of logical arguments that lead us to a conclusive understanding of the Upaniṣads. However, when separated from the authority of śāstra and devotion to the Lord, logic becomes merely a tool for debate and the exercise of intellectual ego.

2- The Vaiśeṣika system, propounded by Kaṇāda (and often discussed alongside Nyāya), studies the material world in great detail, determining its causes and effects in order to destroy material suffering. It holds that ignorance (avidyā) is the root cause of misery and concludes that liberation (mokṣa) is attainable through the cultivation of correct knowledge. The main focus in this school is on studying the cause and effects of the material creation, and especially the material elements and their attributes. Their conclusion, however, is that the atomic combination of material elements is the original cause of creation. This theory, called Paramāṇuvāda, is similar to what is believed by modern physicists.

3- The Sāṅkhya system is an analytic study of the material elements. Although it bears the same name as the ancient system introduced by Lord Kapila, the son of Devahūti, the modern system was propounded by another Kapila, who taught an atheistic interpretation.

4- The process of mystic yoga is offered in the Vedas as a bona fide process of self-realization. Krsna himself describes the system of aṣṭāṅga-yoga in the Bhagavad-Gita. Originally, yoga means to link our consciousness with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, reviving our original spiritual identity. The system that is counted amongst the six philosophical systems is the pātañjala-yoga, propounded by Patañjali in his pātañjala-yoga-sutra. This system is focused on examining the nature of the mind, its workings, the impediments it creates, the causes of material suffering, and so on. The ultimate goal in this system is kaivalya, or impersonal liberation.

5- The system of karma-mīmāṁsā was propounded by Jaimini. This is a philosophical school that stresses fruitive activities. For them, the results of one's material activities are supreme, and if there is a God, he is nothing more than an order supplier, who just delivers the results of one's karma. According to this system, there is no real need to become a devotee of the Lord. One should just follow moral principles and perform pious activities, and thus be happy in this world by receiving the results of their good karma. Vyāsadeva quotes Jaimini a few times in the Vedānta-sūtra (although not always in agreement with him), and Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains in his commentary that in reality he was a devotee who wrote instructions to guide common people who lacked higher qualifications.

6- The last system is the Vedanta school, presented by Vyāsadeva (Bādarāyaṇa) in the Vedānta-sūtra, which brings the final conclusion of the Vedas, further explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam. However, other sages have also presented their own interpretations of Vedānta. The chief amongst them was Aṣṭāvakra, whose Aṣṭāvakra-gītā reflects an impersonalistic understanding of the Upaniṣads. His conclusions are very close to the Advaita Vedānta later systematized by Śaṅkarācārya, which declares the material world to be false, the self to be one with Brahman, and liberation to consist in merging into the impersonal Absolute. Such teachings represent only a partial understanding of the Vedas, since they stop at the Brahman realization and fail to reach the ultimate truth of Bhagavān, the Supreme Person. Both offer an incomplete, impersonal interpretation; the main difference is that Śaṅkara based his philosophy on an interpretation of the Vedānta-sūtra of Vyāsadeva, while Aṣṭāvakra taught based on his own book.

Vyāsadeva was well aware of all these different philosophical systems and strived to offer the proper conclusion of the Vedas in his own school, propounding the philosophy of Brahma-mīmāṁsā, or Vedānta, which brings the ultimate conclusion of the absolute truth.

Vyāsadeva appeared at the end of Dvāpara-yuga to restore the correct understanding of the Vedas, which at the time had been covered by these different philosophies.

In the Bhagavad-Gita (15.15), Krsna mentions how he personally comes as Vyāsadeva to compile the Vedas and establish the Vedanta school at the end of Dvāpara-yuga: "I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."

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One great problem is that often we don't go very deep into the philosophy, and prefer to just base our understanding on isolated quotes from Prabhupada's books or other scriptures. We can see these battles of quotes everywhere. This is one point made by Srila Jīva Goswami in his Sat Sandarbhas: isolated quotes from the scriptures are of very little value since verses must be understood inside a context. When verses are taken out of context, they can be misused to support all kinds of conclusions.

Although we use quotes all the time to sustain different philosophical conclusions, as a general rule, no isolated passage can be accepted as proof of anything. We need to examine the context of the passage inside the book, studying the verses that precede and follow it, as well as understand what are the general conclusions of the book and the Vedas as a whole. In the case of a passage from Srila Prabhupada, for example, one has to examine the context of the quote, the general conclusions of the book, and take into consideration the general conclusions Prabhupada gives on his teachings. If a passage appears to suggest that Prabhupada is authorizing divorce, for example, it must be taken within the general context that Prabhupada was condemning divorce, and thus accepted as an exception, and not the rule. By examining the context, we can then understand what exactly does it exactly means.

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One good book to study to develop the critical sense necessary to deconstruct mistaken ideas sustained by isolated quotes is the Govinda Bhasya of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. I’m currently in the process of publishing a commentary on it, which is already partially online.

The whole book is based on examining mistaken philosophical propositions and finding the real meaning of passages used to sustain them. One example of discussion from the book is the passage that deals with the argument around Indra being the supreme, centered around a verse from the Kauṣītakī Upanisad. There is a passage that appears to suggest that Indra defines himself as the Supreme Lord. If taken out of context, this passage can be used both to sustain that Indra is God or that everyone is God. However, Sri Baladeva teaches us to understand and deconstruct this mistaken argumentation.

The passage from the Kauṣītakī Upanisad comes from chapter 3 of the book. In this passage, Patardana, the son of Divodasa, meets Lord Indra after showing his prowess on the battlefield. Indra is satisfied with him and wants to offer him a benediction, but Patardana asks him to choose it himself. This results in Indra giving him a series of instructions. Amongst them, there is the passage:

prāṇo 'smi prajñātmā taṁ mām āyur-amṛtam upasasva

"I am prāṇa, the intelligent ātmā; meditate on me as that prāṇa, the nectar of life."

In the previous sutras of the Govinda Bhasya, it was already concluded that prana is ultimately Brahman. However, this passage appears to suggest something else: that prana is the jiva inside the body and not the Supreme Brahman. If accepted, this interpretation would ultimately lead to the conclusion that Indra is God, or that we are all God.

The full passage from the Kauṣītakī Brāhmaṇa is quite long, but the central point is that it appears that Indra is referring to himself as prana, and instructing Patardana to meditate on him. To this, Vyasadeva answers (on sutra 28), prāṇas tathānugamāt: The word prana should be understood as referring to Brahman because of the context. In other words, in this sutra, Indra is not speaking about himself, but about Paramatma, who is situated inside his body. According to this argument, the word "prana" in this passage can't refer to Indra or any other jiva because of the context (tathānugamāt). The word "prana" thus doesn't refer to Indra but to Paramatma.

In the same discussion from the Kauṣītakī Upanisad, it is mentioned that:

sa esa prāna eva prajñātmānando 'jaro 'mrtah. eșa lokādhipatir esa sarveśvarah

"Prana is the Supersoul present in all living entities. Prāna is the transcendental bliss. Prāna remains eternally untouched by old age and death. Prāna is the master of all living entities and all planets. Prana is the Supreme Controller."

The prana described in this passage is present in all living entities. He is transcendental and full of bliss, free from old age and death. These are not attributes of the individual soul, but of the Supreme Soul, Paramatma, who is inside the body together with the individual soul.

We can't say that Indra is free from death. He is also not completely transcendental or full of bliss, nor is he present inside the hearts of all living entities. He is also not the Supreme Controller, since he is often defeated by the demons. These are qualities shown only by the Supreme Lord. In his commentary, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana quotes several passages from the same Upanisad to sustain this argument, which is consistent with the point made by Srila Vyasadeva.

For example, when Patardana asked for the most beneficial gift (in other words, how to attain liberation), Indra answered, "Worship me as prana". As a demigod, Indra can't give liberation. Prana, as the life air, also can't give liberation, since it is itself composed of material elements. The only one who can give liberation is the Supreme Lord, and therefore, the passage must refer to Paramatma.

We can see how this passage teaches us about the point I was making previously, that verses must always be understood according to the context. When taken in isolation, passages can be easily misinterpreted, leading to all kinds of wrong conclusions, as in this case. Each book should be studied as a whole unit, as a set of arguments and counterarguments that lead to an ultimate conclusion. All the passages need to be taken in the context of this conclusion, and not as isolated units. The Upanisads ultimately speak about the Supreme Lord, who is clearly defined as personal and transcendental. It's a mistake to use any isolated passage to try to sustain that there is no God, we are all God, Indra is God, or anything else. Different passages of the Vedanta-sutra deconstruct these mistaken ideas, helping the reader to stick to the correct conclusion.

See this for example:

"If one says that the passage teaches about Indra, the reply is no. In that section of the Upaniṣad there are plenty of references to the Paramātmā."

Why them Indra speak like that? Why doesn't he use direct language that can't be misunderstood? To this, Vyasadeva answers with verse 1.1.30 from the Vedanta-sutra: śāstra-dṛṣṭyā tūpadeśo vāma-devavat (He speaks following the scriptures, like the sage Vamadeva). This adds to the argument.

Here, the statements of Indra are compared to the teachings of the sage Vamadeva. In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad (1.4.10), it's mentioned:

tad vaitat paśyan nrşir vāmadevah pratipade aham manur abhavam sūryaś ca

"Seeing this, the sage Vāmadeva repeated at every moment: 'I was Manu. I was the Sun-god.'"

When there is an assembly of several people and they all agree on a certain point, it is not strange to say that "they are one". This doesn't mean they merged as individuals, but that they share the same opinion. Similarly, we refer to all cables, poles, electrical sub-stations, individual outlets, etc., as the "electrical grid", although it is formed by individual components.

In the same way, because the Supreme Brahman grants power to all living entities, including Manu, the Sun god, and Vāmadeva, it is not incorrect to say they are one since they are connected to the same source. This, however, should not be misinterpreted as meaning that they physically merged into a single entity.

In this passage, Vāmadeva speaks according to this principle. When he says "I was Manu", and "I was the Sun-god", he refers to the fact that they all receive their powers from the Supreme Brahman, who is all-pervading (Paramatma). In one sense, the Supreme Lord is one with everything, because everything is permeated by Him. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the source of both prana and Indra, and, therefore, when Indra says "I am prāṇa, the intelligent ātmā; meditate on me as that prāṇa, the nectar of life." it should be understood he is speaking about Paramatma, following the same logic that is used by the sage Vamadeva.

"Indra gives the teachings of identity from the point of view of scriptural insight as is the case of Vāmadeva."

Following the previous points, one could argue that the word "prana" in these verses can be used in the sense of the vital air, the individual soul in the body of Indra and Brahman. If this idea were accepted, it would lead to the conclusion that all three of them are worshipable, which would, in turn, end in some impersonal conception.

In answer to this last argument, Sri Baladeva argues that the correct understanding is that the word "prana" in this passage refers only to the Supreme Brahman and that only He is actually worshipable.

By the previous arguments, the idea that "prana" in different passages of the scriptures means the individual soul or the life air was already dismissed. The idea that sometimes "prana" refers to the individual soul and sometimes to the Supreme Brahman is also not acceptable. Therefore, the only possibility left is to accept the correct conclusion that "prana" refers to the Supreme Lord. Thus, Vyasadeva concludes this section with the expression "tad-yogāt"; this is the appropriate conclusion.

"If one claims that jīva and prāṇa should be worshipped, and not just Brahman because of indications in the text, the answer is no, because then there would be three types of worship, because Brahman is described elsewhere as a jīva and prāṇa, and because there are explicit indications to indicate Brahman."

These are just a few examples of how the real meaning of a passage can be very different from what it may appear at first. Most unbonafide philosophies based on the Vedas, such as Mayavada, atheistic Sankiya, etc., are based on passages of the scriptures that are misinterpreted. This phenomenon is nothing new, because that’s the general tendency of the conditioned souls. When we use passages of the scriptures to try to sustain whatever ideas we have, instead of trying to understand what they really mean, we take part in it.

The way to obtain perfect knowledge is to receive it from perfect souls, through the parampara. We receive the correct conclusions of the scriptures from the commentaries of Srila Prabhupada, understood through the spiritual master, and with these conclusions in hand, we can understand other passages from the scriptures.

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A long time ago, a great sage called Yājñavalkya told his wife: "In reality, a husband is not dear; not because you love the husband, but because you love the Lord, the husband becomes dear. In reality, sons are not dear; not because you love the sons, but because you love the Lord, the sons become dear. In the same way, a wife is not dear; not because one loves the wife, but because he loves the Lord, the wife becomes dear." In this way, he explained how affection should be centered around the Lord, and not directly placed directly in the people and objects we love. If a wife loves her husband and thinks that by her own power, she will make him love her, she will end up not being loved by her husband. Similarly, if one loves his children or his wife and thinks that by his own power, he will make them love him, he will, in the end, not be loved by them. If, however, he loves the Lord and from there loves the husband, children, and wife, seeing them in connection to the Lord, only then will he be loved by his wife, husband, father, or mother. The Lord should be our ultimate object of love, and by loving the Lord, everyone will automatically love us. It's not possible to attain happiness by chasing people or material objects. Only when we connect ourselves with the Supreme Lord can all desirable things come automatically. 

Vyasadeva left a total of 108 Upanisads with selected passages from the four Vedas, as well as other Vedic literature that speaks directly about self-realization. Crowding this literature is the Bhagavad-Gītā, which offers the conclusions of all Upanisads.

As expected, the Upanisads are full of interesting passages, but most of it is not easy to understand, due to the scarcity of good translations or lack of explanations of what the passages mean.

Here is an interesting passage from the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad (2.4.5), where Yājñavalkya teaches his wife Maitreyī about self-realization.

The context is that Yājñavalkya had two wives: Maitreyī and Kātyāyanī. The second was just interested in regular household affairs, while Maitreyī was interested in spiritual knowledge. When later in life Yājñavalkya was preparing to accept the Vanaprastha order and go to the forest, he called Maitreyī and proposed to make a settlement, dividing the properties between her and Kātyāyanī. To this, Maitreyī answered:

“My lord, if this whole earth, full of wealth belonged to me, tell me, would I be immortal by it, or not?”

Yājñavalkya replied: “No, your life would be the life of a rich person, but there is no hope of immortality by wealth.”

Then Maitreyī said “What use of it, if I will not become immortal? What you, my lord, know of immortality? Tell me clearly.”

Yājñavalkya said, “You are truly dear to me, and you have increased what is dear to me in you (spiritual knowledge). Therefore if you like, my lady, I will explain it to you. Please mark well what I say."

Then he said:

"In reality, a husband is not dear; not because you love the husband, but because you love the Self (ātmā), the husband becomes dear. In reality, sons are not dear; not because you love the sons, but because you love the Self (ātmā), the sons become dear. In the same way, a wife is not dear; not because one loves the wife, but because he loves the Self (ātmā), the wife becomes dear."

The word "ātmā" (self) is commonly used to refer to the Lord in the scriptures. Sometimes ātmā is used in the sense of our personal self, being it the soul, or even the mind or body, according to the context, but the original meaning of the word ātmā is the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Self. The Lord should be our ultimate object of love, and by loving the Lord, everyone will automatically love us.

In this way, Yājñavalkya then explained that all the people things we consider dear in this world, like the husband, wife, children, wealth, brāhmanas, kings, planets, demigods, and in fact as other living entities, and everything that exists are not dear to us by their own sake but because of their connection of the Lord. When we love these persons and objects for their own sake, without realizing their connection with the Lord, we are rejected by them, or in other words, we lose them in due curse of time. In this way, Yājñavalkya made a powerful statement that sent Maitreyī on the path of self-realization, expressing the illusory nature of this world and revealing the Lord as the underlying principle behind everything that exists and the ultimate destination.

The key word in the instructions is kāmāya (desire): na vā are patyuḥ kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati, ātmanas tu kāmāya patiḥ priyo bhavati. It is not for the sake of the husband that the husband is dear, but for the sake of ātma, the Lord, that he becomes dear. The same is repeated for the wife, children, etc.

How does this attraction work? Lord Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains that: jīvera svarūpa haya — kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa, "It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa". He also says: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya, "Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source."

Love for Krsna is the eternal characteristic of the soul and thus can't be separated from it, as much as liquidity can be separated from water, but this love for Krsna can be covered, and when this happens, it manifests as lust, attraction to objects of sense enjoyment. At the same time, however, as Krsna explains in the Gītā, "Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

Just like the light of the sun is just a faint reflection of the light of Krsna's effulgence, all beauty, power, strength, intelligence, knowledge, and renunciation, or in other words, all the qualities that we find attractive in different beings and objects are just faint reflections of the opulence of Krsna. These different people and objects are just like mirrors, where the beauty, opulence, etc. of Krsna are reflected. However, due to the influence of illusion, we become attracted to the mirror instead of becoming attracted to the person being reflected. When we become attracted by the illusion instead of the real Self, we end up being abandoned by all these things, since this is the nature of the material illusion.

Yājñavalkya then proceeds with his explanation, mentioning other things that are dear to ordinary people, such as wealth, cows, and other domestic animals, Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, the planets, the demigods, the Vedas, and the different living beings. He then concludes by saying that in reality, everything becomes dear only when one loves the Supreme Self, the Lord.

“Verily, the Self should be seen, heard, worshiped, and always meditated on. O Maitreyī, by seeing, hearing, worshiping, and understanding the Self (ātmā), everything becomes known.

Whoever looks for the brāhmaṇas elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by the brāhmaṇas.

Whoever looks for the kṣatriyas elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by the kṣatriyas.

Whoever looks for the worlds elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by the worlds.

Whoever looks for the devas elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by the devas.

Whoever looks for the living entities elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by the living entities.

Whoever looks for everything elsewhere than in the Self, is abandoned by everything.

These brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, worlds, devas, Vedas, all living entities, all and everything is the Self."

Due to the influence of Maya and our own covering by lust, we look at attractive people and objects and see them as separate from Krsna, and thus as objects of our enjoyment. We think then that the husband, wife, etc. are dear to us for their own sake, but in reality they are attractive to us because of the presence of Krsna, who manifests both externally (in the form of His illusory energy) and inside as Paramātmā. In other words, we love people and things because they carry a spark of His presence. Ultimately, we are all looking for Krsna, but due to the covering of Maya, this longing manifests in the form of material lust.

It is only due to this connection with Krsna that they appear to be attractive to us. When we fully realize this connection, we see beyond the material illusion and become attracted to Krsna, the source of all attractiveness. We then reawaken our eternal nature of love and service to Krsna. When we fail to do that, however, we just live the material experience of attraction, loss, and grief.

The words ātmanas tu kāmāya, thus, mean that what is dear is not the material objects themselves, but the potency and presence of the Lord in them. Another word for "dear" is priya, and this is also used later in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (part four) in relation to the Lord: "priyam iti enat upāsīta" (One should worship the Supreme Lord as priya, the dearest). All these points reinforce the idea of cultivating our eternal relationship with the Lord as the most important aspect of our existence and indeed the very purpose of human life.

As Yājñavalkya proceeded in his explanation to Maitreyī:

"As the sounds of a drum being beaten cannot be captured by themselves, but the sound is seized when the drum or the beater of the drum is seized; or as the sounds of a conch being blown cannot be seized externally by themselves, but the sound is seized when the conch or the blower of the conch is seized, or yet as the sounds of a flute being played cannot be seized, but the sound is seized when the flute or the player of the flute is seized."

It's not possible to attain happiness by chasing people or material objects. Only when we connect ourselves with the Supreme Lord can all desirable things be attained.

"Just as clouds of smoke appear when we lit a fire using damp firewood, in the same way, O Maitreyī, the Rg Veda, Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Vidyās, Upaniṣads, ślokas, sūtras, vyākhyās, and anuvyākhyās, as well as everything that is sacrificed, food and drink, this world and other words and all creatures that exist come from the breath of the Supreme Person."

This verse makes reference to Lord Maha-Vishnu creating all the universes and everything that exists through his exhalation. During the interval between his exhalation and his inhalation, all the universes become manifest, and the one hundred years of the life of Brahma go on, etc. When He inhales, all the universes are destroyed, and all the souls merge into his body for a long period of rest until the next creation.

We come then to the conclusion of the passage:

ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi

“O Maitreyī, indeed, the Lord (ātmā) should be perceived, heard, inquired about, and meditated upon.” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.5)

Why is that the Supreme Lord, the Supreme ātmā, should be investigated, heard, contemplated, and meditated upon? Because knowing the Lord is the only path to immortality, to reestablishing our original nature as pure souls in our original relationship with the Lord. Even impersonal liberation doesn't achieve this goal, since one becomes free from material conditioning, but does not revive one's relationship with the Lord. This dialogue is repeated in part four, later in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, where extra details about the characteristics of the Lord are added.

In this way, Yājñavalkya explained to Maitreyī how affection should be centered around the Lord, and not directly placed in the different objects of the senses. If a wife loves her husband and thinks that by her own power, she will make him love her, she will end up not being loved by her husband. Similarly, if one loves his children or his wife and thinks that by his own power, he will make them love him, he will, in the end, not be loved by them. If, however, he loves the Lord and from there loves the husband, children, and wife, seeing them in connection to the Lord, only then will the Lord make them love this devoted wife, husband, father, or mother.

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All material manifestations, starting from the gross material elements, are woven into a cosmic fabric of which the Lord is the ultimate sustenance. Everything rests on the element ether, which is the very fabric of space and time. This ether, or akasa, however, is supported by something else, called Akṣara. This Akṣara is described as not having material dimensions and not having a material body.

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Who is this Akṣara? Some could argue that Akṣara must be pradhana, while others could argue that Akṣara is the jīva. To this, Vyasadeva answers (in the Vedanta-sutra): akṣaram ambarānta-dhṛteḥ. Akṣara is the Lord because He is the one who supports all material elements, from earth up to ether, including all material manifestations created from them.

The material energy, or prakṛti, is both the ingredient and the final state for the whole material manifestation. It is the ingredient because all material objects, including the universes and the bodies of all living beings, come from it, and it is also the final state because when the universes are annihilated at the end of the life of Brahma, there is again only prakṛti left. This prakṛti, in turn, has its resting place on Lord Mahā-Vishnu, who at the beginning of creation impregnates prakṛti through his transcendental glance, and at the end absorbs it inside His transcendental body. This glance becomes Lord Sadaśiva, who carries all the jīvas who desire to participate in the material manifestation, as well as the time energy, which puts prakṛti into motion. The Lord is thus the ultimate cause and support, and prakṛti, which manifests in the form of all material elements, starting with ether, is just His energy, which rests on Him.

This idea is beautifully illustrated in a striking passage of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad, where Yājñavalkya is questioned by the different sages at the court of King Janaka. At a certain point, after defeating several of the other sages, he is questioned by Gārgī Vācaknavī, the great woman sage, who shoots two "arrows" at him, in the form of two questionings.

First, she asks what is the thing on which everything else is woven around. Yājñavalkya answers that ether is the substance on which everything is woven. Ether is the most subtle of the elements, the cause of all the other elements, and the whole cosmic manifestation. Everything rests on ether, which is unlimited. Gārgī then, testing the limits of his knowledge, asks on what this ether is woven:

sa hovāca – yad ūrdhvaṁ gārgi divo yad avāk pṛthivyā yad antarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yad bhūtaṁ ca bhavac ca bhaviṣyac cety ācakṣata ākāśa eva tad otaṁ ca protaṁ ceti, kasmin nu khalv ākāśa otaś ca protaś ceti

"O Yājñavalkya, you said that everything that exists, be it above heaven, beneath the earth, or in between, everything that exists in the past, present, and future, all of this is woven upon space (ether). But in what, then, is that unlimited ether woven? (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.7)

Yājñavalkya answers:

sa hovāca – etad vai tad akṣaraṁ gārgi brāhmaṇā abhivadanty asthūlam anaṇv ahrasvam adīrgham alohitam asneham acchāyam atamo ’vāyv anākāśam asaṅgam arasam agandham acakṣuṣkam aśrotram avāg amano ’tejaskam aprāṇam amukham amātram anantaram abāhyam, na tad aśnāti kiṁ cana, na tad aśnāti kaś cana

Yājñavalkya shows such a mastery of the subject of Brahman that his speech is almost incomprehensible to anyone who is himself not familiar with the topic. He lists the qualities of akṣara as a series of negatives (not gross, not short, not tinged, not moist, etc.) The explanation appears to suggest some impersonal object that has no material characteristics, but in the context of the previous answers of Yājñavalkya in the debate (and in the context of the previous chapters of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad), it was already established that the absolute truth is personal. One is faced thus with the intellectual challenge of conceiving a being who has no material form, untouched even by ether, without organs of the senses or even vital airs, but that can think, desire, live, etc., showing unlimited potency.

Translated literally, the verse sounds as:

“This is akṣara, O Gārgī. Those who know Brahman describe as neither gross nor minute, neither short nor long, colorless, not moist, shadowless; without darkness, air or space; unattached, tasteless, scentless; without eyes, ears, speech, mind; without radiance, breath, mouth, measure; having neither within nor without. It consumes nothing, and nothing consumes it.”

However, when interpreted inside the context, the words describing a transcendental parson who has no material qualities, but is at the same time fully potent and active, his answer sounds as:

"O Gārgī! Those who know Brahman declare that this is indeed akṣara, the imperishable. He is not big or small, not short or long. His form has no color, not moist or dry, and doesn't project a shadow. He is untouched by darkness or air. Even the ether itself, that is supported by Him, can't touch Him. He is free from all contact with matter, and beyond all attachment. He has no taste and no smell. He can see without eyes, hear without ears, speak without a voice, desire without a mind and live without being supported by the vital airs. He has no sense organs, no measure, no interior or exterior. He doesn't consume anything and is not consumed by anyone". (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.8)

He then continues describing His control over everything that exists:

etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi sūryacandramasau vidhṛtau tiṣṭhataḥ, etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi dyāvāpṛthivyau vidhṛte tiṣṭhataḥ, etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi nimeṣā muhūrtā ahorātrāṇy ardhamāsā māsā ṛtavaḥ saṁvatsarā iti vidhṛtās tiṣṭhanti, etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi prācyo ’nyā nadyaḥ syandante śvetebhyaḥ parvatebhyaḥ pratīcyo ’nyā yāṁ yāṁ ca diśam anu, etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi dadato manuṣyāḥ praśasanti yajamānaṁ devā darvīṁ pitaro ’nvāyattāḥ

"O Gārgī! Under the strict control of this akṣara, the sun and the moon remain fixed in their positions, just as the heavens and earth! Only because of Him the time flow in all measures, from nimeṣās (instants) to years. Rivers flow in their respective directions only because of Him, and because of him, men and demigods perform all kinds of beneficial activities." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.9)

yo vā etad akṣaram gārgy aviditvāsmin loke juhoti yajate tapas tapyate bahūni varṣa-sahasrāṇy antavad evāsya tad bhavati yo vā etad akṣaram aviditvā gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ, atha ya etad akṣaraṁ gārgi viditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ

"O Gārgī! Those who, without knowing this imperishable Brahman perform sacrifices, austerities and penances, even if for thousands of years, attain only limited and temporary results. They depart from this world as kṛpaṇas, pitiable. men. However, one who realizes this akṣara, departs from this world as a knower of Brahman. These are the true Brahmanas." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.10)

tad vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy adṛṣṭaṁ draṣṭraśrutaṁ śrotramataṁ mantravijñātaṁ vijñātṛ, nānyad ato ’sti draṣṭṛ, nānyad ato ’sti śrotṛ, nānyad ato ’sti mantṛ, nānyad ato ’sti vijñātṛ, etasmin nu khalv akṣare gārgy ākāśa otaś ca protaś ca

"O Gārgī! Indeed, this imperishable Supreme Lord sees everything, but remains unseen. He hears everything, but remains unheard. He understands everything, but no one can understand Him. He knows everything, but remains unknown. Know that there is no other seer, no other hearer, no other examiner, no other knower. Verily, O Gārgī, in this very imperishable, Supreme Self, is space itself woven, warp and woof." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.11)

Understanding the weight and depth of this explanation, Gārgī is struck. She admits that Yājñavalkya is truly the most qualified amongst the great sages present at the sacrifice, and falls silent.

sā hovāca – brāhmaṇā bhagavantas tad eva bahu manyadhvaṁ yad asmān namaskāreṇa mucyedhvam, na vai jātu yuṣmākam imaṁ kaścid brahmodyaṁ jeteti, tato ha vācaknavy upararāma

"Gārgī said, 'Revered Brāhmaṇas, consider yourselves fortunate that you can pay your debts for the knowledge he is giving us by just offering humble obeisances. Truly, none of you will ever be able to defeat him in describing the Supreme Brahman.' After that, she fell silent." (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.12)

Other sages continue to challenge Yājñavalkya, but his spiritual realization is such that he easily defeats them.

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The 5th chapter of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad brings another famous dialogue in the Upaniṣadic corpus.

The passage begins with five wealthy brāhmana householders: Prāśinaśāla, Satya-yajñā, Indradyumna, Jana, and Buḍila, coming together to deliberate on the nature of the Supreme Brahman. They are all Vedic scholars and are engaged in performing sacrifices, but their knowledge is incomplete.

Their inquiry starts with the words:

ko nu ātmā kiṁ brahmeti.

"Who is ātma? Who is the Supreme Brahman?" (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.11.1)

Incapable of finding a definitive answer by themselves, they approach Uddālaka Āruṇi, to receive from him teachings about Vaiśvānara, whom they understand to be the ātmā they are inquiring about. He, however, doesn't consider himself sufficiently qualified to instruct such great Kṣatriyas, and directs them to Aśvapati, a wise king, telling them that he knows Vaiśvānara.

They then approach Aśvapati and inquire from him:

vaiśvānaraṁ sampraty adhyeṣi tam eva no brūhīti

"You know about Vaiśvānara, please teach us." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.11.6)

For one familiar with the conclusions of the Vedas, it is clear by this point that Vaiśvānara is the Supreme Lord, and the whole passage is dedicated to revealing this truth, but this is not directly indicated in the text at this point. The meaning of the word "Vaiśvānara" is kept ambiguous, letting a casual reader go through the process of inquiry and instruction, as in other passages of the Upaniṣads.

Aśvapati starts questioning the Brāhmanas about what they know and what they worship as ātma, the Supreme Lord. In this way, one by one, they reveal to have only partial knowledge about the subject. Prāśinaśāla worships the heavenly planets as Vaiśvānara, Satya-yajñā worships the Sun, Indradyumna worships Vāyu, Jana worships the element ether, and Buḍila worships water. Aśvapati explains that these are just partial understandings of the absolute truth, and although they could attain many temporary material opulences by this worship, ultimately, they would attain only disease and death as a result.

He then offers a unified explanation, explaining Vaiśvānara as the universal form of the Lord, encompassing the whole universe. The concept of Vaiśvānara as the universal form is also discussed in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, where Vaiśvānara is equated with Lord Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣnu (Paramātmā), appearing externally as the universal form, and internally as the Supersoul.

tān hovācaite vai khalu yūyaṁ pṛthag ivemam ātmānaṁ vaiśvānaraṁ vidvāṁso ’nnam attha, yas tv etam evaṁ prādeśa-mātram abhivimānam ātmānaṁ vaiśvānaram upaste sa sarveṣu lokeṣu sarveṣu bhūteṣu sarveṣv ātmasv annam atti

"Aśvapati said to them: You know that Self, Vaiśvānara as if He was divided and separate and experience worldly pleasures accordingly. However, one who meditates on Vaiśvānara as being the size of the distance between the thumb and forefinger and is situated inside the hearts of all, who being all-pervading, resides in all places and all elements, this person is truly nourished [he attains immortality]." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.18.1)

tasya ha vā etasyātmano vaiśvānarasya mūrdhaiva su-tejāś cakṣur viśva-rūpaḥ prāṇaḥ pṛthag-vartmātmā sandeho bahulo bastir eva rayiḥ pṛthivy eva pādāv uru eva vedir lomāni barhir hṛdayaṁ gārhapatyo mano ’nvārhāryapacana āstyam āhavanīyaḥ

"The radiant heaven is the head of Vaiśvānara; the sun with its myriad forms is his eye; the wind that blows everywhere is his breath; the all-encompassing ether is his trunk, the waters, source of all nourishment are his belly; and the Earth itself, his two feet. His broad chest is the sacrificial altar and the kuśa grass His bodily hairs. His heart, mind and mouth are the three sacrificial fires, known as gārhapatya, dakṣiṇa and āhavanīya." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 5.18.2)

The king then instructed the Brahmanas on how to perform their fire sacrifices with this understanding, obtaining then everything desirable, culminating in spiritual power obtained through the study of the scriptures. All his sins are burned, just as dry grass thrown into the fire. He also warns them that sacrifices performed without the understanding of the Supreme Lord as the ultimate beneficiary are useless, like offering oblations to ashes.

When the Vedas are studied under proper guidance, we receive all the proper conclusions of the text, and everything sounds very simple. We can take the Bhagavad-gītā as it is for example: the explanations of Prabhupada make the text of the Gītā, which challenged scholars for centuries, accessible even for a layman. However, when the Vedas are studied without such guidance, even the most elementary passages become challenging.

After studying the above passage, one could question the identity of this mysterious Vaiśvānara who should be worshiped. Is Vaiśvānara the fire of digestion, the demigod Agni, the fire element, or Lord Viṣnu?

Even though the word "vaiśvānara" has many meanings, in this passage it describes Lord Viṣnu. This is clearly indicated by the qualities described in the verse, starting with the description that the heavenly planets are His head (mūrdhaiva su-tejāś). Apart from the Lord, no one can claim to have Svargaloka as part of one's body. There is also the usage of the words ātmā and brahman, which also indicate Lord Viṣnu, especially when used together, and the result of knowing Vaiśvānara described in the text is the same as of result of knowing Lord Viṣnu indicated in other passages.

A later verse of the passage (5.44.3) mentions that just as dry grass is burned by fire, all sins of one who performs sacrifices in full knowledge of Lord Vaiśvānara are completely destroyed. Everyone in the material world, including demigods, is under the results of karma. Only Lord Viṣnu has the power to destroy the karma of His worshipers.

Finally, the word vaiśvānara is composed of two words: viśva (all) and nara (human beings), and thus it means "He who is the resting place of all human beings". Everything taken together, it is impossible to deny that Vaiśvānara means Lord Viṣnu.

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One of the most iconic passages of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is the philosophical debate that takes place in the court of King Videha, as described in the third part of the book.

The passage starts with King Janaka of Videha holding a great sacrificial assembly, to which many learned brāhmaṇas and sages are invited. Anxious to learn about spiritual knowledge, he crafted a plan to get the sages to debate, and thus gain access to the highest knowledge about the absolute truth. For this, he brings one thousand cows, ornamented with gold, and proposes that the wisest sage in the assembly can take them all.

Yājñavalkya immediately steps forward, and before the debate could even start, orders his disciple Samasrava to take all the cows home. With this gesture, he proclaims to be the one in the assembly who possesses the deepest knowledge of the Vedas, and on their conclusion, knowledge about the Supreme Brahman.

His boldness creates an uproar among the sages, who challenge him, one by one, questioning him on different disciplines in the Vedas. For each set of questions, Yājñavalkya reveals the ultimate substance behind all of the different topics: the Supreme Absolute truth. This reveals why Yājñavalkya is so confident at the beginning of the passage, immediately seizing the cows. He knows the Supreme Brahman, and thus all the purports of the Vedas are open to him. Just as Krsna explains in the Gītā (2.46): "All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them."

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One of the sages who challenges him is Uddālaka Āruṇi (the father of Śvetaketu, who is a central figure in the teachings of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, which includes the famous passage "tat tvam asi") about the nature of the antaryāmī, the Lord within. This is one of the most important passages in all the Upaniṣads, because it defines the identity of the Lord within. One can accept the Lord within as being the Supersoul, the jīva, a demigod, or something else, and according to one's interpretation, the whole body of the Upaniṣads can be interpreted differently. If one concludes that the Lord within is the jīva, then suddenly the Upanisads appear to sustain that we are all one.

Uddālaka had received knowledge on this topic from a Kabandha, a gandharva who spoke through the wife of a patron called Patañcala. Confident of this knowledge, he challenges Yājñavalkya to explain the identity of the antaryāmī.

Yājñavalkya then starts a long explanation, starting from text 3.7.3, which reads:

yaḥ pṛthivyāṁ tiṣṭhan pṛthivyā antarāḥ, yaṁ pṛthivī na veda

yasya pṛthivī śarīram, yaḥ pṛthivīm antarāḥ yamayati

eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtaḥ

A literal translation of the verse would be:

"He who dwells in the Earth, who is within the earth, whom the Earth does not know, whose body the Earth is, and who from within controls the earth, this is the Self, the inner controller, the immortal."

As you can see, when one reads the verse without knowing the proper philosophical conclusion, the identity of the antaryāmī is not clear. Who is this mysterious ruler residing inside the heart? Would it be pradhāna, the material nature, would it be the immortal jīva inside the body, or would he be Brahman, the Supreme Person?

One could argue that he is pradhāna, the reservoir of subtle material energy. This thesis would have a good deal of logical support because pradhāna is the immediate cause of all material manifestations, and being the cause, it is woven into the effects. In other words, being the cause of the material elements, pradhāna is present in them, and thus it would not be unreasonable to say that it is the controller within them. Pradhāna is thus in the earth and controls the earth, and thus we could say that the earth is its body. Pradhāna is also present everywhere in the creation, and therefore it can be called ātmā, in the sense of "the great self". Pradhāna is also eternal, and thus may be called amṛta.

The arguments for the antaryāmī being the jīva would also be compelling, since the jīva is immortal and resides inside the heart. The mention of the antaryāmī dwelling in the earth and having earth as his body could then be interpreted as the jīva possessing a body made of material elements.

One could also argue that the antaryāmī is a specific jīva who is a great yogi and has attained the mystical perfections. Using aṇimā, he could become very small and enter everywhere. Using parakāya-praveśa, he could enter into the bodies of others, and thus be present in their hearts. Using antardhāna-siddhi, he could become invisible and thus unknown, and using prākāmya, he could become a great ruler and be thus called ātmā, the great self. As a soul, he is also immortal, and therefore the meaning of the words could be directly applied to him without the need of using figurative interpretations.

The correct conclusion, however, is that the ruler within is the Supreme Lord. Why? Because the verse describes qualities that can be attributed only to Him.

The verse describes the antaryāmī as being situated within the earth and other material elements, but at the same time remaining unknown, being the Supreme Controller, eternal (amrta), all-knowing, and all-blissful. These qualities can't be attributed in full to pradhāna (which is just an inert mass of material elements), nor to any ordinary jīva or even a great yogi. In this way, Srila Vyāsadeva again teaches us the proper way to interpret verses from the sastras.

However, the fact that the Lord permeates everything does not indicate He has no personal form. In the Bhagavad-Gita (9.4-5), Krsna says: "By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them. And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation."

The Lord is present everywhere in the creation, but at the same time, He has a personal form. He resides everywhere, but at the same time, He is present in His eternal abode. These apparent contradictions are reconciled when we understand that the Lord has a spiritual form that is different from the material forms we have in this world. Material forms are limited by time and space, while the spiritual forms of the Lord exist in the absolute plane and are not subject to these limitations. The word "absolute" in itself implies that there are no limitations to what He can do.

When we understand these points, the meaning of the verse becomes clear:

“He who dwells in the Earth, who is within, whom the Earth does not know, who is the ultimate proprietor of the Earth and the body, and who, residing within, rules the Earth is the immortal Supersoul (antaryāmī), the Supreme Personality of Godhead (ātmā) who resides in the heart."

The word "pṛthivī" in this context does not just mean the Earth as a planet, but the Earth as the whole cosmic manifestation, in the context of the universal form, meaning the space for activities for all living beings.

Antaryāmī is the controller within, the inner Self, who is present inside all material objects and in the hearts of all living beings. Although He is present everywhere, He is not perceived either by the material objects or by the living entities inside of which He dwells. This antaryāmī is defined as ātmā, the Supreme Self, leaving no doubt that it refers to the Supersoul.

The fact that the Antaryāmī is the Supersoul is accepted in both Vaishnava schools and by Śaṅkarācārya. The difference, however, is that Śaṅkarācārya accepts the antaryāmī as identical with the soul, juggling that although one, they appear to be different due to avidyā, the material ignorance. According to him, the Supreme Brahman falls under illusion and accepts the māyā-upādhi (false designation) of being the Supreme controller, and influenced by the mode of goodness, acts as Paramātmā, while the same Brahman, failing under avidyā, ignorance, acts as the conditioned souls. In this way, his theory is that they are all the same, but appear different due to different degrees of influence of Maya. That's why we call their philosophy Māyāvāda, since, although they try to deny it, the truth is that their philosophy assumes that Maya is greater than God. Vaishnava schools, however, hold the proper conclusion of the individual soul and antaryāmī being qualitatively one, but at the same time eternally different individuals. Paramātmā is a partial manifestation of Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the jīva never becomes one with the Lord, even in the perfect stage.

This and other verses make it clear that the person in the eye is Paramātmā, who is also present in the earth (meaning all material objects) and inside the heart with the jīva. Paramātmā is everywhere, and it is only due to His sanction that we can move our bodies and perform activities. This shows how we remain dependent on the Lord even in our conditioned state.

Yājñavalkya then continues his discourse. Each of the following verses follows the same structure, describing a particular manifestation, and mentioning that antaryāmī resides within it, knows it, controls it, owns it, and takes it as His body. Each verse confirms that this immortal antaryāmī, who resides inside of each material manifestation, is the ātmā.

In this way, the antaryāmī is described as residing in and being the owner and controller of the earth, water, fire, the antarikṣa, air, heavens, the sun, the directions, the moon and stars, ether, darkness, light, all beings, prāna, speech, eye, ear, mind, skin, jīva (in this case meaning subtle body), and semen.

This brings us to the conclusion of the passage, which gives specific details about the qualities of the antaryāmī; it leaves no doubts about His identity:

adṛṣṭo draṣṭā aśrutaḥ śrotā amato mantā avijñāto vijñātā

nānyato 'sti draṣṭā, nānyato 'sti śrotā

nānyato 'sti mantā, nānyato 'sti vijñātā

eṣa te ātmāntaryāmy amṛtaḥ, ito 'nyat smārtam

“Unseen, He is the seer. Unheard, He is the hearer. Inconceivable, He is the thinker. Unknown, he is the knower. There is no other seer. There is no other hearer. There is no other thinker. There is no other knower. He is the Supreme ātmā, the immortal antaryāmī. Everything else is dependent on Him.”

The list of qualities described here, beginning with being the observer of everything, may be attributed only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The words "ito 'nyat smārtam" reveal that anything else that may be described in the scriptures as a seer, thinker, controller, etc., is described as so only in the traditional conceptual or secondary sense, and not in the absolute sense. In other words, all other deities and controllers are subordinate to the Absolute Truth described in the verses. The jīvas, demigods, or even pradhāna possess part of the qualities described, but only in a minute quantity. Only the Supreme possesses these qualities in full, and thus the verses describe Him alone.

—

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Satyakāma is the protagonist of the fourth part of the Chāndogya Upanisad. He is a poor boy born to a maidservant, who doesn't know who his father is. When Satyakāma goes to Gautama to ask for spiritual instructions, the guru asks which is the gotra (or lineage) from which the boy comes, and he, in honesty, admits his mother does not know who the father is. From this, the guru immediately understands that despite his low birth, Satyakāma has the nature of a Brāhmana, since only a Brāhmana could speak so honestly. He thus accepts him as his student.

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Prabhupada mentions this passage in a few of his lectures, including a class on SB 1.2.2 he gave on Rome, May 26, 1974:

"If anyone wants to become a brāhmaṇa, it is not that the brāhmaṇa's son would automatically become brāhmaṇa. No. Anyone could become brāhmaṇa. Just like Satyakāma Jābāla. Satyakāma was the son of a prostitute. He was not a brāhmaṇa's son. He wanted to become brāhmaṇa, so he went to Gautama Muni, "Sir, please initiate me. I want to become a brāhmaṇa." Śūdras were not initiated, therefore, Gautama Muni inquired that "What you are? Because I do not initiate who is not born of a brāhmaṇa father." So he said, "I do not know." "So go to your mother. Ask whose son you are." The mother said, "I do not know." So he came and he said that "Sir, my mother does not know whose son I am." So Gautama Muni accepted him as disciple because he was truthful. He saw that he has got the brahminical qualification, truthful. No one is willing to admit that he is the son of a prostitute. No. But he admitted, "Yes, my mother does not know by whom I was begotten." So this is his qualification."

After being accepted by his guru, Satyakāma received the task of taking care of 400 squalid cows and bringing them back when the herd numbers 1,000. During this time, he is instructed by Vāyu (in the form of a bull), Agni (appearing from the sacrificial fire), Āditya (as a swan) and Prāṇa (appearing as a diver bird), who taught him to see Brahman in the four directions, in the different planetary systems, the sources of light and in the senses. When he comes back, after several years, his guru notices his effulgence and understands he has realized the Supreme Brahman. When Satyakāma describes how he had been instructed by demigods, the teacher asks him to share the knowledge with him.

Later, Satyakāma becomes a guru himself and accepts Upakosala as his student. The boy serves in the āśrama for twelve years, tending the sacrificial fires, but Satyakāma does not teach him, departing instead on a trip. Since the boy was very anxious to hear about the Absolute Truth and become free from birth and death, the fires themselves appear to him in their personified forms and instruct him, teaching him to see Brahman in prāna, as the source of life, and also the source of unlimited happiness. They tell him that, worshiping the sacrificial fire, as he was doing, he should meditate on Brahman in Earth, fire, food, the sun, water, the directions, constellations, and the Moon, prāna, ether, Svargaloka, and lightning.

When Satyakāma returns, the boy reveals to him the instructions he had received. Satyakāma then adds the final teaching:

ya eṣo 'ntar-akṣiṇi puruṣo dṛśyate sa eṣa ātmeti hovāca, etad amṛtam ayam etad brahma tad yad yad asmin sarpir vodakaṁ vā siñcati vartmani eva gacchati, etaṁ sampad-dhāma ity ācakṣate etaṁ hi sarvāṇi kāmāny abhisaṁyanti

"He said: He who is seen within the eye is the ātmā. He is immortal, He is the Supreme Brahman. Because of His presence, if one sprinkles ghee or water on the eye, it runs off. He is called sampad-dhāma, the indwelling Self, source of all opulence and the supreme destination. For one who sees Him all desires are at once fulfilled." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.15.1-2)

The soul lives inside the heart, which is, by nature, a dark place. By itself, the soul has no power to perceive the world outside, this power has to be given by the Lord, who activates the senses, allowing the soul to see, taste, hear, etc., and thus perceive the world. Of all the five senses for acquiring knowledge, vision is considered the principal, and thus is especially emphasized. The Lord is present in the eye, and because of His presence, we can only see the world. The whole universe is a manifestation of the Lord, and it is because of the potency of the Lord that we can see it; therefore, the Lord is present in the eye.

Because of the presence of the Lord, the eye has a special characteristic: water, oil, and other substances do not stick to it. Instead, it flows away on both sides. This comes from the special characteristic of the Lord of never becoming contaminated.

The instructions received from the fire-gods taught Upakosala to see the Supreme Lord everywhere, in all material manifestations, but the final instruction added by Satyakāma taught him to see Him inside his own heart, and in the functions of all senses. This instruction, revealed by the Upaniṣad, teaches us to see the Lord everywhere. The whole material manifestation is a manifestation of the Lord. He is the material objects we see, He is the light that allows us to see, and He is also the function of the senses that allow us to see. The whole material experience is thus nothing more than a partial manifestation of the Lord, which we see at every moment. One who understands this can see the effulgence of the Lord behind this temporary manifestation and see the Lord as the Supreme Person behind this effulgence, surrounded by His devotees. By this realization, one can attain the Lord, just as Upakosala.

This passage also teaches us to see the functions of the senses as a direct manifestation of the Lord, and connect all our activities of seeing, touching, tasting, etc., with the service of the Lord. When we see our body and senses as our property, we automatically become inclined to use them for material enjoyment, but when we see both the body and senses as a manifestation of the Lord, we see they should be used only in His service. With this, the passage ultimately brings us to the stage of pure devotional service to the Lord.

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The Kaṭha Upaniṣad brings a conversation between Naciketā, a Brahmana boy, and Yamaraja. It is divided into two chapters, each with three parts, or six in total.

The first part sets the narrative, with Nachiketā angering his father and being sent to the abode of Yamaraja, where he waits for three days for an audience. Surprised by his tolerance, Yamaraja grants him three boons. Nachiketā first asks to be reunited with his father, and then to be instructed in a process of fire sacrifice that leads to liberation. Yamaraja instructed him, and as an extra blessing, renamed the process in homage of him: Naciketā. By knowing this process, based on the knowledge of the Lord, the jīva and the fire, Yamaraja promises, one can become free from material attraction and lamentation and attain Vaikuṇṭha.

Liberation means the destruction of one's subtle body and material consciousness. In other words, what we call "jīva", the material consciousness that is developed around the reflection of the consciousness of the spirit soul, is destroyed when one attains liberation. What happens after that? Does one cease to exist, as believed in Buddhism? Does one merge into the absolute truth as believed by impersonalists (which also implies ceasing to exist as an individual), or is there something else that allows one to continue existing as an individual in the transcendental plane? As the third boom, Nachiketā asks for detailed knowledge of this topic, which is a great secret.

Yamaraja reveals himself hesitant to grant this boon and explain all these intricate philosophical topics, but the real reason behind his hesitancy is the fact that this knowledge is very confidential. Essentially, Nachiketā asked for knowledge about the process of devotional service, which is a great secret, hidden in the verses of the scripture. Yamaraja granted the three boons, expecting he would ask for simple material blessings, but instead Nachiketā revealed himself intelligent enough to ask for the most valuable secret.

Hesitant, Yamaraja tries to lure Nachiketā by offering him a long life and all kinds of opulences, by the intelligent boy is not interested. Yama is thus forced to reveal to him the great secret, which is the central topic of the rest of the discussion.

The second part starts with a discussion on the nature of śreyas and preyas (doing what is truly beneficial, compared with what is just momentarily pleasant), a glorification of Nachiketā for his sincerity. This is followed by a discussion on the nature of transcendental knowledge and the nature of the soul, in a description similar to what we learn in the 2nd chapter of the Gītā.

The section starting from verse 1.2.20 speaks about the Supreme Lord. Text 1.2.20, for example, states:

aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān ātmā’sya jantor nihito guhāyām

tam akratuḥ paśyati vīta-śoko dhātu-prasādān mahimānam ātmanaḥ

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest. He dwells within the heart of all living beings. When, by the mercy of the Lord, one can with a pure mind understand His glories, he becomes free from lamentation."

Text 1.2.22 explains that the Lord has no material bodies but at the same time is situated within all temporary bodies, being all-pervading and endowed with all power, and so on.

Text 1.2.23 brings the first of many passages that indicate devotional service to the Lord:

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena

yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām

"The Lord cannot be attained by mere contemplation, intellectual brilliance or scriptural study. He is attained by a person whom the Lord chooses. The Lord then reveals himself to that devotee."

This verse shows how the mechanical process of meditation, study, austerity, etc., can't bring one to the Lord. They may help in the beginning, and even bring one to the stage of impersonal liberation, but the supreme goal can be achieved only by satisfying the Lord by practicing devotional service. As in other verses of the Upaniṣads, it is not as direct as in the Srimad Bhagavatam, but it clearly makes the point that God is a person and the ultimate goal is to establish a personal relationship with Him, which is possible only through loving service.

Text 1.2.25 brings us a famous and enigmatic passage:

yasya brahma ca kṣātraṁ ca, ubhe bhavataḥ odanaḥ

mṛtyur yasyopasecanaṁ, ka itthā veda yatra saḥ

“There is a person for whom the Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas are food, and death is merely a seasoning. Who truly knows this person and his variegated qualities?”

The Vedas include many passages describing the feats of great Kṣatriyas who can fight even with the demigods. Arjuna fought with Lord Śiva, Muchukunda assisted the demigods in fighting the asuras, and so on. Brahmanas, in turn, are described as even more powerful than Kṣatriyas, because they are full of mystical power and can easily kill them using curses. Vena was extremely powerful, but when he became a tyrant, the Brahmanas killed him by just cursing him to die. After that, they churned his dead body to produce a new king, Pṛthu. Therefore, in Vedic societies, both Brahmanas and Kṣatriyas are revered and taken as role models.

Who is this mysterious entity that eats even the most powerful Brahmanas and Kṣatriyas? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This is explained by Vyāsadeva in the Vedanta Sutra, with the words carācara-grahaṇāt: Because He takes both moving and non-moving entities.

As pointed out by both Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa and Ranga Ramanuja, in the deeper sense, brahma ca kṣātraṁ in the verse of the Kaṭha Upaniṣad doesn't mean just Brahmanas and Kṣatriyas, but the entire universe, which is both created and destroyed by the Lord. Therefore, the eating of Brahmanas and Kṣatriyas is not a planned specific intent, but just part of the universal cycles.

The Lord creates, and when the time comes, the whole universe is destroyed. Because the whole cosmic manifestation merges into the body of Mahā-Viṣnu, it is said that it is sprinkled with the sauce of death and eaten. It may sound terrifying, but this is just another manifestation of the power of the Lord. Since no one else apart from the Lord can eat the whole universe (and all the other material universes), it's clear that the whole passage describes Him.

A sauce is something which, while being eaten itself, is the cause of other things also being eaten. Death causes the end of all living beings, but at the end, death itself (which is just one of the Lord's energies) is eaten by the Lord, together with everything else.

Even with all the previous explanations, the idea of God destroying and "eating" may sound unsettling to some. To this, we can answer that God has both a beautiful and a terrible aspect. Srila Prabhupada mentions that those who are devotees see God in His beautiful aspect, as Govinda, while the ones who are atheistic are forced the meet with Him in his terrible aspect as death.

This can be understood in connection with Bhagavad-Gita 11.32, where Krsna says:

kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho, lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ

ṛte ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣyanti sarve, ye ’vasthitāḥ praty-anīkeṣu yodhāḥ

"Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain."

The word "kāla" means "time". Time is the force that destroys everything that is material. All material manifestations are created at some point, persist for some time, and are eventually destroyed. Everything that exists inside the universe (and the universe itself) has to face destruction at a certain point. Because the identity we have now is not our eternal identity as souls, we can only keep it for a certain time. Eventually, it will be destroyed. Because kāla or time eventually destroys everything. That's why kāla, in the context of this verse, can also be translated as "death".

Time is controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus He is ultimately the eater, the One who destroys everything and kills everyone. This was seen by Arjuna in his vision of the Universal Form. Astonished, he spoke (Bg 11.25-30):

"O Lord of lords, O refuge of the worlds, please be gracious to me. I cannot keep my balance seeing thus Your blazing deathlike faces and awful teeth. In all directions I am bewildered.

All the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, along with their allied kings, and Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa – and our chief soldiers also – are rushing into Your fearful mouths. And some I see trapped with heads smashed between Your teeth.

As the many waves of the rivers flow into the ocean, so do all these great warriors enter blazing into Your mouths. I see all people rushing full speed into Your mouths, as moths dash to destruction in a blazing fire.

O Viṣṇu, I see You devouring all people from all sides with Your flaming mouths. Covering all the universe with Your effulgence, You are manifest with terrible, scorching rays."

Why is it so? Why can't God be just a kind old man who approves whatever we do?

The point is that the material world and temporary and transient by nature. In his original state, the soul has an eternal and transcendental position, but when one desires to lord over this material world, he accepts material identities under the spell of the false ego. Because these identities are different from his original identity as a soul, they can't be eternal. In this way, we transmigrate through different forms of life, with each body representing a new chapter in our journey in the material ocean.

Once inside a material body, we can play for some time, but if at the end of this period we are not ready to return to our original position in the spiritual world, we are forced to abandon it and accept another body, starting again from the beginning. This process is called death, and the Lord is the ultimate controller.

This is ultimately His mercy because if we were allowed to stay eternally in the same body, we would become entrapped in some kind of eternal torment, without ever being able to return to our original sat-cit-ananda position. Through this process of birth and death in different forms of life, the Lord gradually coaches us into returning to our original consciousness.

After receiving the instructions of Yamaraja and perfectly understanding them, Naciketā attained not only liberation, but a spiritual body, becoming an associate of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha. In this way, the Upaniṣad teaches us the path for attaining the same perfection.

mṛtyu-proktāṁ naciketo’tha labdhvā vidyām etāṁ yoga-vidhiṁ ca kṛtsnam brahma-prāpto virajo’bhūd vimṛtyur anyo’py evaṁ yo vid adhyātmam eva

"The boy sage, having obtained the complete devotional knowledge taught by Yamaraja, attained a spiritual body, pure and eternal. One who knows the Supreme Lord attains the same supreme goal as Him."

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Most passages of the Upanisads sound very mysterious, or sometimes even nonsensical, until we get the proper conclusions, which are the keys to understanding the text. These conclusions are given by Srila Vyasadeva on the Vedanta-sutra, but it's not really possible to understand it without receiving it from the previous acaryas through the system of paramparā. We start thus by receiving the conclusions Prabhupada gives in his books, and armed with these, we may also understand the other ācāryas behind him.

This shows how the process we often use to try to understand vedic texts (just translate the verse, or get a translation done by someone) is fundamentally flawed. It is not possible to access the spirit of the Upaniṣads and other Vedic texts by this process.

Take, for example, the teachings about gāyatri from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. A scholarly translation of the verse sounds like this:

"Whatever there is, this entire creation—clearly, all that is the Gayatri. And the Gayatri is speech, for speech sings (gayati) and protects (trayati) this entire creation.

Now, take this Gayatri—clearly, it is just the same as this earth here, for this entire creation rests upon the earth and never extends beyond its limits. And take this earth—clearly, it is just the same as this body of a person here, for these vital functions (prana) rest within the body and never extend beyond its limits.

And take this body of a person here—clearly, it is just the same as this heart here within a person, for these vital functions rest within the heart and never extend beyond its limits.

This is the Gayatri that consists of four quarters and six types. This is declared in a Rg verse: Such is his greatness— Even greater than that is that person. One quarter of him are all creatures, Three quarters the immortal in heaven.

And take what people call "brahman"—clearly, it is nothing but this space here outside a person. And this space here outside a person—clearly, it is the same as this space here within a person. And this space here within a person—clearly, it is the same as this space here within the heart; it is full and nondepleting. Anyone who knows this obtains full and nondepleting prosperity." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.1-7)

This is the translation by Patrick Olivelle, a respected scholar. He just translates the text following the syntax and grammar rules, without trying to interpret it. Most scholarly translations will be similar. It follows the Sanskrit rules, but doesn't give access to the meaning of the text. It's like licking the bottle of honey.

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Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa offers a quite formidable philosophical discussion of this passage, which is found in his Govinda-bhasya, revealing that this passage is much deeper than it may appear on the surface. In short, the key to understanding this passage is given by Vyasadeva in the sutra 1.1.26 of the Vedanta-sutra:

bhūtādi-pāda-vyapadeśopapatteś caivam

"Because the passage beginning with "bhūta" defines Gāyatrī as divided into four parts (all living beings, the universe, body, and heart) that only Brahman can have, Gāyatrī in that passage must refer to Brahman."

In other words, bhūtādi-pāda-vyapadeśopapatteś caivam means that the passage starting with the word bhūta (verse 3.12.1 of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad onwards) should be interpreted according to the conclusion that Gāyatrī is Brahman.

Verse 3.12.1 starts with the word "gāyatrī". The full text is:

gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ yad idaṁ kiñca vāg vai gāyatrī

vāg vā idaṁsarvaṁ bhūtaṁ gāyati ca trāyate ca

Ordinarily, gāyatrī is a metric of 24 syllables. In the Ṛg-veda, the metric gāyatrī is used as a pattern of three lines of 8 syllables each. Each line is called a pāda. Gāyatrī is defined in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad as catuṣpāda, with four pādas, or lines of 6 syllables each. In both cases, gāyatrī is a pattern, or metric. This would be the definition that most Vedic students would have in reading the word "gāyatrī" at the start of the verse.

However, the passage immediately takes a turn, stating that the four feet of gāyatrī are not lines or syllables, but all living beings (sarva bhūta), the Earth (the whole Universe), the body, and the heart (the seat of consciousness). Gāyatrī is also defined as vak, the transcendental sound behind everything that exists. A metric can't have such attributes, and therefore, Gāyatrī has to be accepted not as a metric, but as the Supreme Brahman Himself.

When this conclusion is understood, the deep meaning of the passage can be unlocked. Just as in other passages of the Upaniṣads, only when the proper conclusion is known can a certain passage be properly understood. Studying the Upaniṣads without these conclusions is therefore more or less useless. That's why the Upaniṣads should be studied together with the Vedanta-sutra, and the Govinda-bhāṣya, which contains the proper explanations for the aphorisms, following the conclusions of Vyāsadeva in the Srimad Bhagavatam. These conclusions are the keys to unlocking the text of the Upaniṣads.

The verse can be translated as:

"Gāyatrī is indeed all beings and everything that exists. Gāyatrī is vak, the transcendental sound behind everything. Gāyatrī vibrates and delivers the living beings." (3.12.1)

The text mentions gāyatrī vā idaṁ sarvaṁ (Gāyatrī is everything) and vāg vai gāyatrī (Gāyatrī is vak, transcendental sound). This shows how Brahman manifests as śabda-brahman, the transcendental sound vibration that creates the whole universe.

From this sound vibration, the whole universe, the foundation for all beings (pṛthivī), is created, together with all beings. Brahman, is thus the supporter of everything (sā yeyaṁ prṭhivy āsyāṁ hīdaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pratiṣṭhitam).

This is follwed by the next verses:

yā vai sā gāyatrīyaṁ vāva sā yeyaṁ prṭhivy āsyāṁ hīdaṁ sarvaṁ bhūtaṁ pratiṣṭhitam etām eva nātiśīyate

"That Brahman, or Gāyatrī, which is all beings, is also the Universe. All beings are supported by the Earth, and they can't go beyond the Earth [they can't leave the universe]." (3.12.2)

yā vai sā pṛthivīyaṁ vāva sā yad idam asmin puruṣe śarīram asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante

"That Earth is also the body of the jīva. Just as the jīva is restricted to the Earth, prāṇa, the vital air, is established in the body and does not go beyond the body." (3.12.3)

yad vai tat puruṣe śarīram idaṁ vāva yad tad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe hṛdayam asmin hīme prāṇāḥ pratiṣṭhitā etad eva nātiśīyante

"That Supreme Lord, who is Gāyatrī, the Earth and the body, is also the heart. In the heart, all the prānas and the senses are established, and they don't go beyond it." (3.12.4)

Apart from this macrocosm, Brahman also manifests in the microcosm, inside the body of each living being, and also as the heart, the seat of consciousness, where both the soul, and the Supreme Brahman Himself (as Paramātmā) are situated, together with the vital airs, as explained on verses 3.12.3 and 3.12.4.

Then, text 3.12.5 describes that gāyatrī has four parts and six functions:

saiṣā catuṣ-padā ṣaḍ-vidhā gāyatrī tad etad ṛcābhyanūktam.

"The gāyatrī meter, of which there are four parts and six functions, is described in the mantras of the Vedas." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.12.5)

The four parts are all living beings and the universe (macrocosm), as well as the body (microcosm) and heart (as the seat of consciousness). The list of the six functions describes the process of creation, starting from vak, transcendental sound. From vak come sarva-bhūta (all creatures), pṛthivī (the physical manifestation), śarīra (body), hṛdaya (heart), and prāṇa (the vital air). This connection between the gāyatrī metric and the whole creation is established as a stairway for meditation, helping one to realize the Supreme Lord starting from something familiar, the gāyatrī metric.

Having connected the whole creation with Gāyatrī, the Upaniṣad shakes the perspective by stating that everything that was described up to that point (the whole creation) is just one quarter of Brahman. The other three quarters form the unmanifest spiritual world.

tāvān asya mahimā tato jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ

pādo ’sya sarvā bhūtāni tri-pād asyāmṛtaṁ divīti

"Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world." (3.12.6)

This points the listener to something still higher than what has been described, describing an eternal world that exists beyond everything that exists in the material creation. This spiritual sky is not only much more extensive than our limited material reality, forming three-quarters of the potency of the Lord, but it is also eternal and immortal. As in other Upaniṣads, the text of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad doesn't proceed in directly describing this transcendental reality (this is done only in the Srimad Bhagavatam), but it is effective in pointing the reader to the path to freedom from material entanglement.

This is confirmed then in verse 3.13.7, which confirms the previous statements:

atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate viśvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥ pṛṣṭheṣv

anuttameṣūttameṣu lokeṣu

idaṁ vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ

"That light (jyoti) which shines above heaven, higher than everything in the highest worlds, beyond which there are no other worlds. That light that forms the background on which all universes and all planets—from the highest to the lowest—rest, is the same light which is within the heart of all living beings." (3.13.7)

Brahman is then described as jyoti. The transcendental light that permeates all universes and planets, including the whole spiritual sky, is the same light present in the heart of all living beings. The Supreme Lord is thus present everywhere, both inside and outside.

The construction of the verses makes it clear that the Gāyatrī that vibrates both in heaven and in the heart of everyone is the same light that extends beyond the material cosmos, up into the spiritual world. These two are not separated; they are both aspects of the Supreme Lord described on 3.12.6. This again reinstates that the Supreme Lord is everything, and assures that the meditation on Gāyatrī that was described in the first verses is effective in elevating one's consciousness all the way to the spiritual world.

Verse 3.12.6 ends with tri-pād asyāmṛtaṁ divīti (the quarters are in the transcendental sky), and 3.13.7 begins with atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate (That light which shines over this transcendental sky). This textual echo makes clear that the subject of both sentences has not changed. 3.12.6 speaks about the Supreme Lord, who is present in the spiritual world, and 3.13.7 continues to speak about this same Supreme Lord, whose potency shines over this transcendental sky.

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With the course on the Govinda-bhāṣya of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, we started last Saturday, you may be curious to see how the Govinda-bhāṣya looks in the original, and why I have been working on writing an explanation of it, instead of just using the original book.

Well, maybe because of this:

१. ब्रह्मजिज्ञासाधिकरणम्

इत्येवं स्थिते ब्रह्मजिज्ञासाधिकरणं तावत् प्रवर्तते।

यो वै भूमा तत् सुखं, नान्यत् सुखम् अस्ति। भूमैव सुखं, भूमा त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्यः इति।

आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेयी इति च श्रूयते।

निदिध्यासितव्यो जिज्ञासितव्यः इति भवति संशयः।

अधीतवेदस्य पुंसो धर्मज्ञस्य ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा युक्ता न युक्ता वेति

अपामसोमम् अमृताः अभूमा, अक्षय्यं ह वै चातुर्मास्ययाजिनः सुकृतं भवतीत्यादिषु धर्मैर् अमृतत्वाक्षय्य–

सुखत्व–श्रवणान् न युक्तेति पूर्वस्मिन् पक्षे प्राप्ते भगवान् बादरायणो व्यासः प्रारिप्सितस्य शास्त्रस्यादिमं सूत्रम् इदम् अवतारयति—

अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासा॥

As in other works, the whole commentary of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa in the Govinda-bhāṣya is written in Sanskrit prose, with verses from different scriptures quoted inside the text. This can be romanized following the IAST system, which makes it more familiar to us, but not so much:

1. brahmajijñāsādhikaraṇam
ity evaṃ sthite brahmajijñāsādhikaraṇaṃ tāvat pravartate.
yo vai bhūmā tat sukhaṃ, nānyat sukham asti. bhūmaiva sukhaṃ, bhūmā tv eva vijijñāsitavyaḥ iti.
ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi iti ca śrūyate.
nididhyāsitavyo jijñāsitavyaḥ iti bhavati saṃśayaḥ.
adhīta-vedasya puṃso dharmajñasya brahma-jijñāsā yuktā na yuktā veti?
apāma-somam amṛtā abhūma, akṣayyaṃ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṃ bhavatīty-ādiṣu dharmair amṛtatva-akṣayya–
sukhatva–śravaṇān na yukteti pūrvasmin pakṣe prāpte bhagavān bādarāyaṇo vyāsaḥ prāripsitasya śāstrasyādimaṃ sūtram idam avatārayati—
athāto brahmajijñāsā ||

It may sound very unusual for us, but in the original, there is also no verse numbering for quotes, since the text presumes that the reader will be familiar with different scriptures. Often, just key phrases or lines are quoted, and not even entire verses. Explicit citation of quotes with standardized numbering (like “Bg 4.34”) as we are used to seeing is a modern convention, adopted to make the texts more accessible.

These conventions make the text difficult to follow, since a reader who is unfamiliar with the topics discussed will have difficulty even distinguishing the commentary from the verses quoted.

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You can see that in the course, I add the translations and references for the verses, as well as explanations of the different ideas and quotes included in the text, in order to make the contents accessible and understandable.

However, it is natural that when we see a translation, interpretation, or commentary of some Sanskrit work, we wonder was written in the original. To satisfy this natural curiosity, here is a direct translation of the original commentary from Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa for the first sutra, which you can check to see how the ideas we studied Saturday in the course are originally explained.

In this example, I just try to keep it as close as possible to the original, translating the commentary, but keeping the quotes in Sanskrit, just as Sri Baladeva includes in the original work, so you can have a feeling of how it looks in the original. All these verses are included in the main explanation, so you can just go back to the lesson to find the translations and verse numbers.

Here is the translation of the first sutra:

1. brahmajijñāsādhikaraṇam

Now the topic of inquiry into Brahman begins. The Upaniṣads declare: yo vai bhūma tat sukhaṁ, nānyat sukham asti, bhūmaiva sukhaṁ, bhūmatveva vijijñāsitavyaḥ, and also: ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi

This gives rise to a doubt: Is inquiry into Brahman necessary or not for a person who has studied the Vedas and who knows dharma?

In references such as: apama somam amrta abhum, and aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati, one hears that immortality, inexhaustibility, and bliss come from ritual actions. Thus, it might seem that inquiry is not necessary.

When this objection arises, the great Bādarāyaṇa Vyāsa introduces the opening aphorism of the scripture:

athāto brahma-jijñāsā

Here, the words atha and ataḥ indicate sequence and causality. Thus, “atha” implies what follows next, and “ataḥ” signifies a reason; together they justify the appropriateness of the inquiry into Brahman. The construction of the phrase suggests that the inquiry is appropriate for one who has studied the Vedas as prescribed, who has a preliminary understanding of their meaning, and whose mind has been purified through duties such as following the sequence of four āśramas and practicing virtue.

Having thus attained eligibility for the knowledge of truth, such a person, having arrived at this juncture, searches beyond fruitive rituals that result in limited and impermanent results. Brahman, however, is known only through knowledge; He is eternal, infinite, and conscious bliss. He is endowed with eternal qualities such as omniscience, and He is the source of eternal bliss. Therefore, only when one has renounced fruitive rituals does the qualified inquiry into Brahman become appropriate.

One might object: does not mere study of the Vedas already yield such understanding, since the purpose of study is to comprehend their meaning? From that understanding, renunciation and meditation would naturally follow. What is then the need for this fourfold-qualified inquiry?

It is answered thus: even from a superficial or indirect understanding of the Vedic meaning, the intellect may deviate due to doubt and misapprehension. Therefore, in order to overcome these obstacles, scriptural study that is accompanied by reasoning must be pursued, for only then does the intellect become firmly established in the ultimate reality.

The point is thus that duties associated with the āśrama stages serve as a means of purification of the mind and are thus limbs of knowledge. As stated in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajñena dānena tapasānāśakena

Similarly, the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad says: satyena labhyas tapasā hy eṣa ātmā, samyag jñānena brahmacaryeṇa nityam

Also, the smṛti declares: japyenaiva ca saṁsiddhyed brāhmaṇaḥ nātra saṁśayaḥ, kuryād anyan na vā kuryān maitro brāhmaṇa ucyate

Association with one who knows the truth is indeed a cause of knowledge, as seen in the case of Nārada, whose inquiry into Brahman arose through his encounter with Sanat-kumāra.

This is also supported by the smṛti: tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā, upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

Fruitive rituals yield impermanent results, as the Chāndogya Upaniṣad states: tad yatheha karma-cito loko kṣīyate, evam evāmutra puṇya-cito loko kṣīyate

The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad says: parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo, nirvedam āyān nasty akṛtaḥ kṛtena, tad vijñānārtham sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit pāṇiḥ śrotriyam brahma-niṣṭham

And the Taittirīya Upaniṣad declares Brahman to be satyam jnanam anantam brahma, and anando brahmeti vyajanat.

Brahman is thus endowed with eternal qualities such as omniscience, as the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad affirms: parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca; sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam, asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc caiva nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca; bhāva-grāhyam anidākhyam.

As for the nature of true happiness, the Gopāla Upaniṣad states: tam pīṭhasthaṁ ye tu yajanti dhīrāḥ teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ netareṣām

The rejection of fruitive rituals will be explained in the third section. Thus, having studied the Veda along with its auxiliaries and head portions, and having gained a preliminary understanding of its meaning, one becomes engaged, imbued with the fourfold qualifications: Association with knowers of truth; discernment between the eternal and the non-eternal; disinterest in the non-eternal; desire to realize the eternal.

Here, it cannot be claimed that one has to necessarily practice fruitive activities before beginning inquiry into Brahman, because even those who have performed them may not pursue Brahma-jijñāsā if they lack association with self-realized persons. Conversely, even those without ritual background but who are purified through truth and have the company of self-realized persons are seem to pursue it.

Nor can it be said that the fourfold qualifications come from understanding the difference between eternal and non-eternal, because this understanding is rare and arises only by receiving instructions from the self-realized. Those who have attained this knowledge follow the path of their teachers and, depending on their stage of commitment, fall into three categories: Those who continue performing actions with commitment are known as sa-niṣṭha; those who act for the welfare of the world, though fully accomplished, called pariniṣṭhā; those who practice only meditation and remain detached, nirapekṣa.

All these ultimately reach the Supreme Brahman, each according to their natural inclination for Brahma-vidyā. This gradation is further elaborated step by step.

One might object mentioning: oṃkāraś cātha-śabdaś ca dvāv etau brahmaṇaḥ purā, kaṇṭhaṃ bhittvā vinirjātau tena māṅgalikāv ubhau

If one argues that the learned begin with the word atha in śāstra for removing obstacles, I answer that this is not the case, for the Lord is beyond any fear of obstacles. Indeed, the smṛti says, kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana-vyāsaṁ viddhi nārāyaṇaṁ prabhum.

Yet, even so, due to its inherently auspicious nature, the usage of atha may still be accepted as appropriate, just as the sound of a conch is considered auspicious. By that reasoning, even common usage accepts it in this manner.

Therefore, for such a qualified person as Vyāsa, it is indeed appropriate that the inquiry into Brahman follows immediately after. A textual unit without a dot or head may be understood as an independent sūtra, even when read in commentary. But when a passage is marked with two bindus [॥] and a mastaka [the connecting line on top of the letters], it must be interpreted as part of a structured topical unit (adhikaraṇa)

As you can see, the text of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa is very elegant and succinct, but not exactly easy to understand. In this commentary, In the course I try to explain all the philosophy behind the arguments and quotes he uses, so we can go deep into the meaning of the text.

If you read this article to the end, give it a like. Let me know you have been here. If you have questions, just ask; they may become the topic for another article.

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🔉 Audio of the lesson »

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You can now ask questions on the lessons by using the comments at the end of the page. I will be answering for one week, until the next lesson comes out. 

📺 The lesson:

The full text of the commentary for the sutra we studied in this lesson will be available on the page of the book. Check there:

» Vedānta-sūtra: The Govinda-bhāṣya of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa

🤺 Exercise for this lesson:

- Can you answer the following arguments using the ideas from this lesson?

Opponent: There is no need to waste our time inquiring about philosophical matters that have no substance. Rather, we should be concerned about practical things such as satisfying our different material needs in this life and obtaining a better position in the next. The Vedas offer us a way to satisfy both in the dharma-sastras. Simply by discharging these pious duties, one can attain immortality and an eternal reward, as described in many passages of the Vedic literature:

apama somam amrta abhuma

"We have attained immortality by drinking soma-rasa."

aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati

"Indeed, the merits of one who performs the vow of cāturmāsya are inexhaustible."

As these and other passages indicate, one can attain perfection by performing religious rituals or performing austerities and penances prescribed in the Vedas, like the vow of caturmasya. We are satisfied with the prosperity obtained by following the path of morality and the ritualistic functions of religion. This is the true spirit of the Vedas, there is no need to inquire about Brahman, which is just a subjective concept.

💬Text of the slides for this lesson:

Light in the darkness from the scriptures

Many think that the performance of material duties and auspicious activities mentioned in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas with the purpose of elevation to the celestial planets is the ultimate goal of the Vedas. During their studies, however, they inevitably come across passages that describe something higher, describing a source of ultimate happiness, beyond the actions and reactions of this material world. Take these two passages for example:

yo vai bhūma tat sukhaṁ, nānyat sukham asti
bhūmaiva sukhaṁ, bhūmatveva vijijñāsitavyaḥ

"Bhūma, the infinite and absolute Personality of Godhead, is the source of true happiness. Nothing else can bring one genuine bliss. He alone is happiness and He alone should be inquired to and realized in truth." (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1)

ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyi

“O Maitreyī, indeed, the Lord (ātmā) should be perceived, heard, inquired about and meditated upon. (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4.5)

Fruitive activity is not the goal of the scriptures

However, there are also passages in the scripture that appear to contradict this view, suggesting that fruitive activities and the performance of vows can bring one definitive benefits:

apama somam amrta abhuma

"We have attained immortality by drinking the soma juice." (Rg Veda 8.18.3)

aksayyam ha vai caturmasyajinah sukrtam bhavati

"Indeed, the merits of one who performs the vow of cāturmāsya are inexhaustible."

To this argument, Vyasadeva answers: athāto brahma-jijñāsā. After having come to human life and attained the opportunity of associating with saintly persons, one should enquire about Brahman. The absolute truth is the only source of true eternal happiness.

Positive factors in understanding the Vedas

To this, one could argue that the Vedas also speak about the absolute truth. What is therefore the need for specifically studying the Vedanta-sutra?

The problem is that verses from the scriptures can be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. This combination of misunderstanding and doubt may then lead one away from the real meaning of the Vedas, bringing him back to the materialistic platform. By studying the Vedanta-sutra one strengthens his intelligence and gets the correct conclusions by which one can properly understand the Vedas.

tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajñena dānena tapasānāśakena

"By Vedic study, sacrifice, charity, austerity, and fasting, the brahmanas strive to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Brhad-Aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.22)

satyena labhyas tapasā hy eṣa ātmā, samyag jñānena brahmacaryeṇa nityam

"This Supreme Self is attainable through the practice of truth, austerity, perfect knowledge, and constant discipline." (Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.5)

japyenaiva ca saṁsiddhyed brāhmaṇaḥ nātra saṁśayaḥ

kuryād anyan na vā kuryān maitro brāhmaṇa ucyate

"Whether he performs other rituals and duties or not, one who perfectly chants mantras glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be considered a perfect brāhmana, eligible to understand the Supreme Lord." (Manu-Samhitā 2.87)

tatrānvahaṁ kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ pragāyatām, anugraheṇāśṛṇavaṁ manoharāḥ

tāḥ śraddhayā me ’nupadaṁ viśṛṇvataḥ, priyaśravasy aṅga mamābhavad ruciḥ

"O Vyāsadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedāntists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa. And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step." (SB 1.5.26)

tad viddhi praṇipātena, paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." (Bg 4.34)

Limited and temporary results

tad yatheha karma-cito loko kṣīyate, evam evāmutra puṇya-cito loko kṣīyate

"Just as in this world the results earned by pious acts are destroyed in due time, also in the next life the position earned by pious acts is destroyed." (Chāndogya Upanisad 8.1.6)

parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo, nirvedam āyān nasty akṛtaḥ kṛtena

tad vijñānārtham sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit pāṇiḥ śrotriyam brahma-niṣṭham

"After examining the results of fruitive activities, the seeker of the truth understands their ephemeral nature. To learn transcendental subject matters, one must approach the spiritual master. In doing so, he should carry fuel to burn in sacrifice. The symptom of such a spiritual master is that he is an expert in understanding the Vedic conclusion, and therefore he constantly engages in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12)

satyam jnanam anantam brahma

"The Supreme Brahman has no limits. He is eternal and full of knowledge." (Taittirīya Upanisad 2.1.2)

anando brahmeti vyajanat

"Having further increased his spiritual understanding, he realized Brahman as spiritual bliss." (Taittirīya Upanisad 3.6.1)

na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

“The Supreme Lord does not possess a bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. He performs no action, and no one is found to be equal to or greater than Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence." (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)

sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam
asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛc caiva nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca

"The Supersoul is the original source of all senses, yet He is without senses. He is unattached, although He is the maintainer of all living beings. He transcends the modes of nature, and at the same time He is the master of all modes of material nature." (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.17)

bhāva-grāhyam anidākhyam bhāva-abhāva-karaṁ śivam
kāla-sarga-karaṁ devaṁ ye vidus te jahuḥ tanum

“The Supreme Lord is attained only by loving devotional service. He is known as having no material body and no material support. He is the creator and destroyer of the entire universe, and supremely auspicious. Those who have come to realize this Supreme Lord, attain freedom from repeated birth and death.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.14)

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In the Īśopaniṣad, Prabhupada mentions that "We Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas have our commentary on Vedānta philosophy, called Govinda-bhāṣya, by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. Similarly, Rāmānujācārya has a commentary, and Madhvācārya has one. The version of Śaṅkarācārya is not the only commentary. There are many Vedānta commentaries, but because the Vaiṣṇavas did not present the first Vedānta commentary, people are under the wrong impression that Śaṅkarācārya’s is the only Vedānta commentary. Besides that, Vyāsadeva himself wrote the perfect Vedānta commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins with the first words of the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ. And that janmādy asya yataḥ is fully explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Vedānta-sūtra simply hints at what is Brahman, the Absolute Truth: “The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates.” This is a summary, but it is explained in detail in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If everything is emanating from the Absolute Truth, then what is the nature of the Absolute Truth? That is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Absolute Truth must be consciousness. He is self-effulgent (sva-rāṭ). We develop our consciousness and knowledge by receiving knowledge from others, but for Him it is said that He is self-effulgent. The whole summary of Vedic knowledge is the Vedānta-sūtra, and the Vedānta-sūtra is explained by the writer himself in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."

Many of the arguments raised by Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa in his Govinda-bhāṣya are offered to counter conclusions given by Śaṅkarācārya in the Śārīraka-bhāṣya, and thus offer the correct conclusions of the Vedanta-sutra, as envisioned by Vyāsadeva. We can understand that these conclusions are correct, because they are confirmed in the text of the Srimad Bhagavatam, which was composed by Vyāsadeva himself as the authorized commentary of the Vedanta-sutra. Śaṅkarācārya, on the other hand,d often contradicts the conclusions of Vyāsadeva in order to promote monism.

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In the first sutra, athāto brahma-jijñāsā (Now, therefore, it's time to enquire about Brahman), both interpret the words atha and atah as meaning that after achieving certain qualifications, one starts the process of inquiring about Brahman. However, Śaṅkarācārya conditions the start of transcendental inquiry in attaining material qualifications such as discrimination, renunciation, etc., while Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa points to coming to the association of devotees as the crucial point. Another difference is the object to be inquired about. Śaṅkara defines Brahman as nirguṇa (qualityless) and points to jñana as the process of realization, while Baladeva defines Brahman as the Supreme Person, the abode of all spiritual qualities, who can be approached through bhakti practiced in the association of devotees, under the guidance of the sastras.

In the second sutra, janmādy asya yataḥ (Brahman is He, from whom everything emanates), both accept the basic meaning that everything emanates from the Supreme Brahman, but there is a crucial divergence. Śaṅkara negates the transcendental potencies of the Lord, promoting instead his Vivarta-vada, the theory of illusion. In this way, he contradicts Vyāsadeva, whom he politely accuses of being mistaken. Baladeva, on the other hand, follows the conclusion given by Vyāsadeva on the first verse of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, explaining it according to Pariṇāma-vāda (the Lord is full of transcendental potencies and creates the universe through them). According to Śaṅkara, the material creation is false, while Baladeva concludes it is not false, but illusory, confirming the conclusion given by Krsna in the catuḥ-ślokī Bhāgavatam (SB 2.9.34)

In the third sutra, śāstra-yonitvāt (He can't be known by reasoning, He may be known only through the sastras), Śaṅkara emphasizes that Brahman is the source of the sastras, and that the sastras point us to Brahman, but again he insists that the goal of this sastric study is to realize the nirguna (qualityless) Brahman. Baladeva, on the other hand, emphasizes that the Supreme Lord can't be understood by dry logic, he can be known only through the proper understanding of the scriptures, which conduct one to the process of devotional service. In other words, Śaṅkara uses the sutra to emphasize the impersonal aspect, while Baladeva brings us to the proper personal and theistic interpretation, where Sri Krsna personally reveals the sastras, and bhakti is the highest goal.

In the 4th sutra, tat tu samanvayāt (The goal of the Vedas is not fruitive activities, this is the agreement of all Vedic scriptures), both agree on the basic meaning of rejecting fruitive activities and establishing the Supreme Brahman as the goal of the scriptures, but Śaṅkara tries to establish his idea if a qualityless Brahman as the goal of the scriptures, going through a series of logical arguments to try to prove that all sastras agree on a formless and qualityless Brahman as the ultimate conclusion. Baladeva, on the other hand, establishes the proper conclusion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with qualities, form, pastimes, etc. as the ultimate conclusion of the scriptures, refuting the logical fallacy of Śaṅkara in the process.

This process of systematic philosophical objection continues on the 5th sutra,

īkṣater nāśabdam. Śaṅkarācārya interprets this sutra as a refutation of the idea that pradhāna is the origin of the universe from the atheistic Sāṅkhya, establishing instead that Brahman is the ultimate cause. He does that through the argument that pradhāna is unconscious and inert, while the Vedas describe a conscious creator in verses such as "tad aikṣata bahu syāṁ prajāyeyeti, tat tejaḥ asṛjata" (Sat deliberated, “Let me I become many. Let me manifest in a remarkable way.” He then created fire. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1–3).

He then tries to reconcile the idea of Brahman being conscious and intelligent with the idea of being formless and qualityless. These ideas are contradictory, but he tries to establish them using intellectual arguments, hiding these points under the fallacy that Brahman is ultimately indescribable by words. In this way, he takes the points of the scriptures that support his theory, while tactfully ignoring the rest. Baladeva, however, breaks this interpretation by countering the idea that Brahman is indescribable by words. Brahman is not indescribable by words, because it is seen He is vividly described in the scriptures.

By breaking this central point in Śaṅkara's argumentation, the whole construction cracks, because once the Vedas are accepted as the authoritative scriptures that describe the Supreme Brahman, it's very difficult to escape the conclusion that the conscious creator described in the scriptures is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not a qualityless Brahman.

Often, we have the idea that the Upaniṣads may not be relevant for us, as Vaishnavas, or even that they support the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth, but this is not true.

Of course, compared to the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita, the Upaniṣads are considered secondary, because they contain knowledge that describe the absolute truth in a more indirect way, contrasted with the Srimad Bhagavatam which directly describes the pastimes of the Lord and clearly defines the ultimate goal of life as devotional service unto Him. On the other hand, the Upaniṣads are important because they give us the philosophical basis that sustains the conclusions of the Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, which are important both for properly anchoring our philosophical understanding of the scriptures and when talking to others. No scholar will take seriously someone who has no good basis on the Upanisads. We may quote all verses we want from the Bhagavatam, but we will still be considered ignorant sentimentalists. When however we can anchor the conclusions of the Srimad Bhagavatam in proper verses and passages of the Upaniṣads, the presentation becomes powerful. We can see that Prabhupada extensively quotes from different Upaniṣads, just as other previous ācāryas. This is not just for show, he really studied these books deeply.

It is also not true that the Upaniṣads support the impersonal view of the absolute truth. We get this impression when we study translations and commentaries made by Mayavadis (which are the majority, unfortunately), but when properly explained, the Upaniṣads directly describe the personal aspect of the Lord and establish devotional service to Him as the ultimate goal, just as the Bhagavad-Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. You can see examples in my commentaries on the Taittirīya Upaniṣad and Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad.

The difficulty is that the Upaniṣads are parts of the original Vedas, and thus the language is more difficult, and the concepts more abstract. Different from books like the Mahabharata or Ramayana, the Upaniṣads were written to be studied in the company of the spiritual master, receiving explanations, asking questions, and so on. Just being a Sanskrit scholar is not sufficient.

Unfortunately, not many of us have the opportunity to hear directly from a self-realized soul, but there is another process that can also work. This is based on Jiva Goswami's suggestions in the Sat Sandharbas. To understand the Upaniṣads, we should start by studying the Vedanta-sutra, which has the conclusions of the Upaniṣads. To understand the Vedanta-sutra, we should study the Govinda Bhasya of Srila Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, who explains everything according to the Vaiṣnava perspective.

However, the Govinda Bhasya is not an easy book. To understand it, we need to have a very good grasp of the philosophy, understand the references, and draw the correct conclusions. To get that, we need to study the books of Srila Prabhupada very carefully.

When we understand the conclusions, examples, and references Prabhupada gives in his books, especially the Srimad Bhagavatam, we can understand well the Govinda Bhasya, and from there we may venture into trying to understand the Upaniṣads.

This is an example of a passage from the Taittirīya Upanisad that speaks clearly about a personal God, who is the controller of multiple potencies and the source of ultimate bliss. Practically all the passages of the Upaniṣads, when properly interpreted, bring similar conclusions.

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"If one thinks that Brahman (the ānanda-maya puruṣa) doesn't exist, he remains in illusion, identifying with the body, life after life in the cycle of birth and death. One who sees Brahman as existing revives his eternal spiritual nature and becomes peaceful. The Self of the ānanda-maya puruṣa is the Lord Himself; there is no difference between His body and His soul. He is also the Self of the previous puruṣas, the vijñāna-maya, mano-maya, and prāṇa-maya.

Doesn't a wise man go to the spiritual world after leaving this world? Doesn't a wise man associate with the blissful Lord in that world after leaving this world?

The Lord desired, "May I become many! May I produce offspring!" After deliberating in this way, He created the material universes and whatever exists. Having created the universes, He entered into each of them. Having entered, he became the conscious and unconscious entities, the definable and undefinable, the shelter and the sheltered, the knowledge and ignorance, truth and falsehood. The sages who see things as they are declare that whatever exists is the Lord.

In the beginning, the creation was non-existent. It was not yet defined by forms and names. From this unmanifest was born whatever exists. The Lord created it, therefore He is called Atman. When one understands the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, he truly becomes transcendentally blissful. A living entity becomes established in spiritual, blissful life when he fully understands that his happiness depends on spiritual self-realization, which is the basic principle of ānanda (bliss), and when he is eternally situated in the service of the Lord, who has no other lord above Him.

By understanding the Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of pleasure, Kṛṣṇa, one becomes truly transcendentally blissful. For one who deviates from it, however, taking shelter in the false ego, there is great fear. This fear exists only for the one who thinks himself wise, and not for the true sage.

From fear of Him, the wind blows. From fear of Him, the sun rises. From fear of Him, Agni, Indra and even Yamaraja perform their duties.

Now, hear from me about the definition of ānanda, bliss. Take a noble young man, who is well versed in the Vedas, very intelligent, handsome, and strong. Let the world be full of wealth for him. That is the measure of human bliss.

If we multiply this limit of human bliss a hundred times, it equals the bliss of a manuṣya-gandharva. If we multiply the bliss of a manuṣya-gandharva one hundred times, it equals the pleasure of a deva-gandharva, and if we multiply that one hundred times, it equals the bliss of the ancestors living in Pitṛloka. If we go further and multiply this standard of bliss of the Pitṛs one hundred times, we come to the standard of bliss of a lower demigod born in Svargaloka. Each one of these different standards of bliss is matched by a self-realized soul who has no material desires.

If we multiply the bliss of the lower demigods by one hundred, we reach the standard of bliss of the sacrificial demigods, and one hundred times that is the bliss of principal demigods. If we again multiply this one hundred times, we reach the standard of bliss of Indra. Each one of these different standards of bliss is matched by a self-realized soul who has no material desires.

If we multiply the bliss of Indra a hundred times, we reach the standard of bliss of Bṛhaspati, and if we multiply his bliss by one hundred, it equals the bliss of Brahma. If we multiply it one hundred times, it becomes equal to the bliss of the Supreme Brahman. This same bliss is enjoyed by a liberated soul.

He who knows this Brahman in man (as Paramātmā) and in the sun (as Surya-Narayana) and sees both as one, reaches this Supreme Brahman, the ananda-maya, who is also the foundation of the anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya, and vijñāna-maya.

He who knows the bliss of that Supreme Lord, the ananda-maya, whom the mind fails to find, fears nothing. Material thoughts don't affect him. He doesn't rejoice with the good or lament for the evil. He finds equanimity in both. He becomes free from both good and bad karma and attains the supreme destination. This is the secret teaching (ityupaniṣat).

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