Five levels of consciousness (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.1)
The second chapter guides us in the process of gradual spiritual development, explaining the different levels of spiritual understanding, culminating with pure devotional service to the Lord.
Section 1: Five levels of consciousness
The pursuit of spiritual knowledge, culminating with the realization of the Supreme Absolute truth is the central topic of the Upaniṣads. When we study Prabhupada's books, we are given the direct conclusions of the Vedas, starting with the conclusion that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Receiving everything openly like this, we often fail to realize the arduous philosophical process transcendentalists would traditionally have to go through to reach these conclusions, first going through the karma-kanda section of the Vedas, then studying the Upaniṣads and the Vedanta sutras, to only then, maybe, come to the understanding that Brahman is a person and that devotional service is the ultimate goal of life. The second chapter guides us in this process, explaining the different levels of spiritual understanding, culminating with pure devotional service to the Lord.
Invocation
śam no bhavatv aryamā, śam na indro bṛhaspatiḥ
śam no viṣṇur urukramaḥ, namo brahmaṇe namaste vāyo
tvam eva pratyakṣam brahmāsi
tvām eva pratyakṣam brahma vadiṣyāmi
ṛtam vadiṣyāmi satyam vadiṣyāmi
tan mām avatu tad-vaktāram avatu
avatu mām avatu vaktāram, om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥsaha nāv avatu, saha nau bhunaktu , saha vīryam karavāvahai
tejasvi nāv adhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai, om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
May the sun give us auspiciousness! May Varuṇa give us auspiciousness! May Aryamā give us auspiciousness! May Indra and Bṛhaspati give us auspiciousness! May Lord Viṣṇu, who as Vamanadeva covered the universe with His great steps give us auspiciousness! I offer my respects to the Vedas. O Vāyu, I offer my respects to you. You are directly Brahman. I shall speak proper words and the truth. Protect me and protect the speaker. Protect me and protect the speaker. Peace, peace, peace.
May the mantra protect both of us. May we enjoy studying together. May we be able to study with vigor. May the knowledge we study bless us with understanding and realization, and may it not give rise to enmity due to misunderstanding. Peace, peace, peace.
Commentary: This mantra is a sankalpa (resolution) meant to be recited at the beginning of a study session. A sankalpa denotes an affirming resolve to do something or achieve something. The idea is to evoke the proper mood in both the teacher and the student, so the study may be successful.
Text 2.1.1
brahmavid āpnoti param
One who knows Brahman attains the Supreme.
Commentary: This is a famous passage that gives us the idea that liberation can be achieved through the cultivation of knowledge about the Supreme. The Vedas are divided into three main sections: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. The karma-kāṇḍa section deals with fruitive activities for achieving material prosperity and elevation to celestial planets. The jñāna-kāṇḍa offers spiritual knowledge about Brahman, while the upāsanā-kāṇḍa teaches devotional worship to demigods, progressing up to the worship of Lord Vishnu. When one comes to this stage, it is also called bhakti-kāṇḍa. Hidden in these three sections is the idea of devotional service to the Lord, which is the final goal. By following karma-kāṇḍa one may come to the understanding that Lord Vishnu is the ultimate giver of benedictions and come to worship Him, by following jñāna-kāṇḍa one may come to the understanding that the Lord is a person and agree to surrender to Him, while one following upāsanā-kāṇḍa may come to the path of pure bhakti, worshiping the Lord instead of different demigods.
As Srila Prabhupada explains:
"The word vipra mentioned herein is significant. There is a little difference between the vipras and the brāhmaṇas. The vipras are those who are expert in karma-kāṇḍa, or fruitive activities, guiding the society towards fulfilling the material necessities of life, whereas the brāhmaṇas are expert in spiritual knowledge of transcendence. This department of knowledge is called jñāna-kāṇḍa, and above this there is the upāsanā-kāṇḍa. The culmination of upāsanā-kāṇḍa is the devotional service of the Lord Viṣṇu, and when the brāhmaṇas achieve perfection, they are called Vaiṣṇavas. Viṣṇu worship is the highest of the modes of worship. Elevated brāhmaṇas are Vaiṣṇavas engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the science of devotional service, is very dear to the Vaiṣṇavas. And as explained in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is the mature fruit of Vedic knowledge and is superior subject matter, above the three kāṇḍas, namely karma, jñāna and upāsanā." (SB 1.12.29, Purport)
"Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya, has said that persons who are very much attached to the fruitive activities of the Vedas, namely karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kanda, are certainly doomed. In the Vedas there are three categories of activities, known as karma-kāṇḍa (fruitive activities), jñāna-kāṇḍa (philosophical research) and upāsanā-kāṇḍa (worship of different demigods for receiving material benefits). Those who are engaged in karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa are doomed in the sense that everyone is doomed who is entrapped by this material body, whether it is a body of a demigod, a king, a lower animal or whatever. The sufferings of the threefold miseries of material nature are the same for all. Cultivation of knowledge to understand one's spiritual position is also, to a certain extent, a waste of time. Because the living entity is an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, his immediate business is to engage himself in devotional service. Pṛthu Mahārāja therefore says that the allurement of material benedictions is another trap to entangle one in this material world. He therefore frankly tells the Lord that the Lord's offerings of benedictions in the form of material facilities are certainly causes for bewilderment. A pure devotee is not at all interested in bhukti or mukti." (SB 4.20.30, Purport)
"In the beginning, the Vedic purpose is pursued in three ways (trayī)—by karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. When one reaches the complete, perfect stage of upāsanā-kāṇḍa, one comes to worship Nārāyaṇa, or Lord Viṣṇu. When Pārvatī asked Lord Mahādeva, Lord Śiva, what is the best method of upāsanā, or worship, Lord Śiva answered, ārādhanānām sarveṣām viṣṇor ārādhanam param. Viṣṇūpāsanā, or viṣṇv-ārādhana, worship of Lord Viṣṇu, is the highest stage of perfection, as realized by Devakī. But here mother Yaśodā performs no upāsanā, for she has developed transcendental ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore her position is better than that of Devakī. In order to show this, Śrīla Vyāsadeva enunciates this verse, trayyā copaniṣadbhiḥ etc." (SB 10.8.45, Purport)
Most of the verses of the original Vedas deal with karma-kāṇḍa, in which common people are usually interested, while the Upaniṣads are a selection of passages that directly describe the Supreme Lord. The Vedanta-sutra brings the correct conclusions of the Upaniṣads, allowing one to properly understand the texts, while the Srimad Bhagavatam is the Summum Bonum, containing direct and exclusive glorification of the Lord. One who is interested in still further details about the Lord find a post-graduation in the Caitanya Caritāmṛta.
Many translations of the Upaniṣads obscure the real meaning of the verses, just like many commentaries on the Vedanta sutras hide the self-effulgent nature of the texts, giving the idea that Brahman is formless and qualityless. However, when the sutras are explained in the proper light, it becomes evident that they describe nothing more than devotional service.
The word brahmavid is a combination of Brahman (the Supreme Lord, understood as Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavatam) and vid (one who knows). At a lower level, brahmavid means an impersonalist who realizes the Brahman aspect of the Supreme and becomes qualified for impersonal liberation, while at a higher level, brahmavid means a pure devotee who comes to realize Krsna's form, qualities, and pastimes, and thus becomes eligible to join His pastimes in the spiritual world. Normally, such pure devotees are extremely rare, because most become entangled in their practice of karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa or worship of demigods and miss the real purpose of the Vedas. As Krsna declares in the Bhagavad-gita: "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth."
However, we live in a very fortunate era, because Prabhupada made direct knowledge about Krsna, His form, qualities, pastimes, and the secret of devotional service unto Him easily available in His books. By studying these books, we achieve pure and perfect knowledge about the Lord and get the necessary tools to adopt the process of devotional service and eventually reach Him. Armed with the conclusions Prabhupada gives in His books, we may also study other books from Vedic literature he didn't have the opportunity to comment on, like different Upaniṣads and the Vedanta-sutra, and have the possibility of understanding them.
Text 2.1.2
tad eṣā ’bhyuktā
satyam jñānam anantam brahma
yo veda nihitam guhāyām parame vyoman
so ’śnute sarvān kāmān saha brahmaṇā vipaściteti
This has been declared: The Supreme Brahman has no limits. He is eternal and full of knowledge. The liberated soul, who knows this Brahman, who is hidden inside the cave of the heart, enjoys the fulfillment of all his desires in the company of the Supreme Lord.
Commentary: The previous verse declared that "brahmavid āpnoti param" (one who knows Brahman attains the Supreme), which highlights the central topic of the Upaniṣads: the pursuit of spiritual knowledge, culminating with the realization of the Supreme Absolute truth.
This second verse starts with "tad eṣā ’bhyuktā" (this has been declared), which indicates the introduction of an important teaching. It calls our attention to the transmission of an Upaniṣadic truth, indicating that the following statement carries significant philosophical weight.
What is this statement that is so important? satyam jñānam anantam brahma.
The previous verse indicated the importance of understanding Brahman (one who knows Brahman attains the Supreme), and now the characteristics of this Supreme Brahman are declared.
Mayavadis interpret this line as meaning that everything is Brahman and there is nothing separate from Brahman. According to them, Brahman is the ultimate, indivisible truth (satyam), pure consciousness (jñānam), and infinite (anantam) beyond all material dualities and limitations. Since Brahman is everything, the jiva is also Brahman. The material world is false, we are all one, and perfection means to merge again into this formless, qualitiless, unconscious Brahman. Grammatically, they interpret the words satyam jñānam and anantam as predicates, stating what Brahman is. In other words, their understanding is that “satyam jñānam anantam brahma” means “Brahman is identical with truth, knowledge, and infinity.” In other words, there is no difference between truth, knowledge, and infinity, Brahman is all these things.
Ramanujacarya, however, challenged this interpretation, revealing the correct grammatical and philosophical interpretation of the verse. He maintained that “satyam”, “jñānam” and “anantam” are adjectives attributed to the Lord. His interpretation is that these three words indicate fundamental qualities of Brahman. It may appear just a small detail, but it results in a radical difference.
Imagine the qualities “heat”, “light” and “mass” and the object “sun”. If I say: “Sun means heat, brilliance and existence” you would understand the sun as being these things, but not having a separate existence. In other words, you would understand that “sun” exists in the form of heat, light, and mass, but that ultimately there is no sun as a celestial body. However, if I say “The sun is hot, brilliant and massive”, you would clearly understand that there is a celestial body in the sky that has these qualities. The sun shines in the sky, it has a form, it is very big and it produces enormous amounts of heat and light.
Accepting that Brahman has qualities breaks the very foundation of the Mayavadi philosophy of Brahman being qualitiless and unconscious. It indicates that Brahman is conscious, He has qualities and desires, He is the controller of many different energies, and the creator of both spiritual and material manifestations. It also hints at the basis of the Viśiṣṭādvaita philosophy of Ramanujacarya, which indicates that although the jivas are identical with Brahman, being part of his potency, they are eternally separated individuals and that although temporary, the material world is not false, since Brahman is defined as satyam, and everything that comes from satyam must not be false.
In this way, satyam jñānam anantam brahma describes Brahman as the Supreme Being, possessing eternal, infinite, and conscious attributes. Srila Ramanujacarya went to great lengths to explain that satyam indicates that the Lord is eternal and absolute. Because the Lord is real, everything that emanates from Him is also real. This material world is also real, even though temporary. Jñānam indicates that the Lord is conscious and omniscient, with all knowledge and spiritual desires. The jivas, being parts and parcels of this Supreme Brahman also have these qualities, but in minute quality. Anantam indicates not only that the Lord is unlimited, but also describes His multiple spiritual potencies. Once it's accepted that Brahman has potencies and controls them, it becomes impossible to qualify Brahman as qualityless and unconscious. That’s the main reason Sankaracarya refused to acknowledge the direct interpretation of the sutra “janmādy asya yataḥ” (from Him, everything emanates) in the Vedanta-sutra, promoting instead his doctrine of illusion (the vivarta-vāda). Sankaracarya understood that accepting that Brahman has potencies would make it impossible to negate that He has qualities and desires, which directly contradicts his philosophy. His world jugglery and obstinacy in contradicting the obvious have been exposed and objected to by all Vaishnava acaryas since.
Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana also mentions the mantra satyam jñānam anantam brahma in his commentary on the Vedanta-sutra, using it to reinforce the idea that the Supreme Lord is the reservoir of eternal, unlimited spiritual bliss, and that this Supreme Lord is the one who saves from the cycle of birth and death in this material world. Even the rituals prescribed in the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas have no power to free one from this cycle.
The mention of Brahman as situated inside the cave of the heart in the line “yo veda nihitam guhāyām parame vyoman” refers to Paramātmā. This is a metaphor that is also discussed in other Upanisads and in the Vedanta sutras. The heart is compared to a cave where the Lord resides in a form measuring the distance from the thumb to the index finger. Every night the soul enters this cave to meet the Lord during the state of deep sleep, after spending the day performing material activities. However, due to our fixation in material activities we fail to notice Him, just like an ignorant person may pass daily in front of a hidden treasure without ever finding it.
When one comes to realize the Supreme Lord, He becomes purified of material contamination, awakens his original spiritual senses and gains the personal association of the Lord, which fulfills all desires. This brings us to the platform of spiritual bliss we are always looking for.
The Chāndogya Upaniṣad (8.3.2) mentions:
yathā hiraṇya-nidhim nihitam akṣetrajñā upari
sañcaranto ‘pi na vidus tathemāḥ sarvāḥ prajā ahar ahar
gacchantya enam brahmalokam na vidanty anṛtena hi pratyūḍhāḥ
“As people, unaware of what the ground actually holds, walk again and again over buried golden treasure, so do the people of this world day after day go to the spiritual world of Brahman without knowing it.”
Other passages of the scriptures also describe this daily journey of the soul:
satā saumya tadā sampanno bhavati
“O gentle one, the living entities are again and again in contact with the Supreme.”
ya eṣo ‘ntar hṛdaya ākāśas tasmin śete
“Entering the sky of the heart, the soul sleeps.”
The word "brahmalokam" in the verse from the Chāndogya Upaniṣad does not refer to the planet of Brahma, but to the spiritual sky. The passages thus should not be interpreted in the sense that the soul goes daily to Satyaloka, the planet of Brahma, but that the soul daily comes in contact with the Lord by entering this small space inside the heart.
How can we understand that the soul goes to the Lord at the end of each day? How can we regularly go to the Lord and return to this material world after that? And how do we not remember these encounters?
This is connected with the souls merging into the body of Mahā-Vishnu which happens at the end of each universal cycle. In his purport to SB 1.10.21, Srila Prabhupada mentions:
"There are two types of dissolution of the manifested cosmos. At the end of every 4,320,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā, the lord of one particular universe, goes to sleep, there is one annihilation. And at the end of Lord Brahmā’s life, which takes place at the end of Brahmā’s one hundred years of age, in our calculation at the end of 8,640,000,000 × 30 × 12 × 100 solar years, there is complete annihilation of the entire universe, and in both the periods both the material energy called the mahat-tattva and the marginal energy called jīva-tattva merge in the person of the Supreme Lord. The living beings remain asleep within the body of the Lord until there is another creation of the material world, and that is the way of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the material manifestation."
"The merging of the living beings into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu takes place automatically at the end of Brahmā’s one hundred years. But that does not mean that the individual living being loses his identity. The identity is there, and as soon as there is another creation by the supreme will of the Lord, all the sleeping, inactive living beings are again let loose to begin their activities in the continuation of past different spheres of life. It is called suptotthita-nyāya, or awakening from sleep and again engaging in one’s respective continuous duty. When a man is asleep at night, he forgets himself, what he is, what his duty is and everything of his waking state. But as soon as he awakens from slumber, he remembers all that he has to do and thus engages himself again in his prescribed activities. The living beings also remain merged in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu during the period of annihilation, but as soon as there is another creation they arise to take up their unfinished work. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.18-19)."
Just like the souls merge into the body of Lord Vishnu at the end of each day of Brahma, and also after the final dissolution of the universe, the soul goes to the small space inside the heart to meet the Lord in His form as Paramātmā at the end of each day, during deep sleep. Being the eternal part and parcel of the Lord, the soul can't remain separated from Him. Thus, at the end of each cycle of material activity (at the end of each day, at the end of each day of Brahma, and at the end of the lifetime of Brahma, when the universes are destroyed), the soul merges into the body of the Lord.
What makes this merging different from liberation is that during this encounter with the Lord in the conditioned state, the soul is forgetful of his eternal relationship with Him, and still contaminated by the false ego and material desires. The soul thus doesn't associate with the Lord during these encounters, but just remains in an unconscious state, in a kind of deep slumber. When the soul wakes up at the beginning of the next cycle, the soul remembers his material desires and thus becomes again busy performing different material activities to try to satisfy them.
Going back to Godhead, on the other hand, means that the soul not only becomes free from all material desires as well as the false ego but is able to awaken his real spiritual nature, including his spiritual body and senses, with which he can enter the spiritual planets and personally associate with the Lord.
Text 2.1.3
tasmād vā etasmād ātmana ākāśaḥ sambhūtaḥ
ākāśād vāyum vāyor agnim, agner āpam adbhyam pṛthivī
pṛthivyā oṣadhayaḥ oṣadhībhyo ’nnam, annāt puruṣamsa vā eṣa puruṣo ’nna-rasa-mayaḥ
tasyedam eva śiraḥ ayam dakṣiṇaḥ pakṣaḥ
ayam uttaram pakṣaḥ ayam ātmā
idam puccham pratiṣṭhā , tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati
From that Self (Brahman) sprang ākāśa (ether); from ākāśa sprang air; from air, fire; from fire, water; from water, earth. From earth sprang plants; from plants came food; from food arose man.
The material body is thus a transformation of food. This food is his head, his right side, his left side, his torso, and his support. This explanation is connected with the next verse.
Commentary: This verse starts a discussion about the different stages of existence: anna-maya, prāṇa-maya, mano-maya, and vijñāna-maya. First, Brahman is established as the creator of everything. From Brahman comes the element ether and from ether the other material elements are manifested, culminating with earth. The element earth in turn leads to a sequence of manifestations, culminating with food, which is the source of subsistence. This description is similar to the description of creation connected with the Virat-rupa we find in the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.
According to the Vedas, there are five material elements: earth, water, air, fire, and ether. The "ether" mentioned in the Vedas is not connected with the disproven theory of the luminiferous ether from past centuries, nor is it just a vacuum, like in space. The Vedic conception of ether is a subtle element that serves as a fabric for all the other gross manifestations by the interaction with the mind, intelligence, and false ego. Ether is thus a representation of the Lord, and many verses of the Upaniṣads refer to the Lord as "ākāśa" or ether. This connection is explained by Srila Vyasadeva in the Vedanta Sutras.
The subtle elements (the mind, intelligence, and false ego, as well as all desires, ideas, and so on) are created from the ether, and from the further interaction of these subtle elements with the ether, gross elements (earth, water, air, and fire), as well as all physical manifestations are created. This concept is further explained in the description of the primary and secondary creations offered in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
The primary creation is done by Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, who creates everything that will exist in the numerous universes in a subtle form (like as an idea), as well as the primordial material elements. Then Brahma is inspired from the heart to give physical forms to this creation, performing the secondary creation. This happens much like most contemporary constructions and products, that exist first in a subtle form (a project) and later are manifested in a gross form when finally built. Similarly, the ideas and desires stored in our minds are the basis for the gross forms and experiences we will encounter in our future lives.
When Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu performs the primary creation, he creates all possible forms and experiences that exist in the material universes. During the secondary creation, Brahma creates a number of different levels of existence that correspond to the different levels of consciousness of the different living entities. There are thus 14 levels of planetary systems, subdivided into millions of planets and stars, and a total of 8,400,000 species of life, offering a great variety of forms and experiences. According to our consciousness, we take birth into one of these places, according to our level of consciousness, and there we perform our small role in the creation, manipulating matter, and interacting with other living entities. This corroborates what Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita when He explains that one's mental situation at death is the basis for his next birth.
In the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada explains that mental existence transforms into tangible form as soon as there is an opportunity. In other words, all the desires stored in the mind serve as the basis for the different material experiences we enjoy or suffer in this life, and ultimately for the development of a new body, which will lead to a new birth in a situation that will allow the soul to continue acting upon such desires.
This process is explained by Lord Kapila as part of his teachings: "The activities and characteristics of the ethereal element can be observed as the accommodation of room for the external and internal existences of all living entities, namely the field of activities of the vital air, the senses and the mind." (SB 3.26.34)
Srila Prabhupada explains this in detail in his purport. Here he brings up quite advanced philosophical ideas that we may take time to understand:
"The mind, the senses and the vital force, or living entity, have forms, although they are not visible to the naked eye. Form rests in subtle existence in the sky, and internally it is perceived as the veins within the body and the circulation of the vital air. Externally there are invisible forms of sense objects. The production of the invisible sense objects is the external activity of the ethereal element, and the circulation of vital air and blood is its internal activity. That subtle forms exist in the ether has been proven by modern science by transmission of television, by which forms or photographs of one place are transmitted to another place by the action of the ethereal element. That is very nicely explained here. This verse is the potential basis of great scientific research work, for it explains how subtle forms are generated from the ethereal element, what their characteristics and actions are, and how the tangible elements, namely air, fire, water and earth, are manifested from the subtle form. Mental activities, or psychological actions of thinking, feeling and willing, are also activities on the platform of ethereal existence. The statement in Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse. Mental existence transforms into tangible form as soon as there is an opportunity due to contamination or development of the gross elements from subtle form."
By carefully studying these teachings we can understand the ephemeral (although not false) nature of this world, and how our reality is created from our consciousness, through the interactions of the mind, intelligence, and ego with the element ether, resulting in gross manifestations of ideas and experiences materialized through the gross elements that we enjoy and suffer in this world.
Just as a material consciousness creates a material body and numerous material objects and experiences, a spiritual consciousness fixed in service to Krsna leads us to the spiritual, eternal reality in the spiritual world. This passage from the Taittiriya Upanisad describes the different layers of our self, starting with the body and culminating with the soul, and the different levels of consciousness that start with the basic propensity of maintaining the body by ingesting food, all the way to self-realization.
The second part of the verse speaks about the appearance of food which leads to the creation of the physical body. From earth sprang plants; from plants came food; from food arose man. The material body is nothing more than a transformation of food. From food, all human beings are created, since the body grows in the womb by absorbing the nutrients from the food consumed by the mother, and outside of the womb by eating different types of food. Food is thus the support for the human being.
The expression "tad apy eṣa śloko bhavati" indicates that the explanation continues in the next verse. Similar sentences are used in other Upaniṣads to connect different verses, giving the idea they are parts of the same explanation, instead of disconnected passages. This line appears at the end of all passages up to 2.8.5, indicating that the whole second chapter, from 2.1.1 to 2.9.1 forms a single explanation. I will not be repeating this line in the translation of every verse, since it is already clear from the context, but you can note it in the Sanskrit.