Chandogya Upnishad:

                                        Chandogya Upnishad:


A:

It is said that once Satykam asked his mother about his father and gotra (lineage). She replied that she didn’t know who was his father. Since, the boy wanted to join a gurukul to learn at the feet of a guru, he insisted his mother  tell him what he should say to the master when asked about his gotra. His mother told him, "O Satykam, my name is Jabala. So when the teacher will ask your name, tell him it is Satykam Jabal."

Satisfied, the boy accosted the great teacher and requested him to take him in as his disciple. As was customary, the teacher asked him his gotra, to which the child reproduced truthfully all that his mother told him. Thus he conveyed to the teacher that his gotra is unknown to him. The teacher became very happy with the boy. He told him that only a Brahmin can have the courage to say truthfully like this in front of a teacher and thus he accepted him as a student.

As a seva to the Guru, Satykam was given 400 cows and told to take them with him and come back only when they become 1000 in number. The boy took the herd and roamed about from one jungle to another for years. One day the bull of the heard told him, look we have become 1000 in number, so let us go back to the ashram. Happy with the boy's looking after them, the bull was pleased with him and told him that he would teach Brahm Gyan (knowledge of the self) to the boy.

In the evening, when they were to rest, Satykam lighted a fire and sat in front of it with a samidha (one firewood) in hand(depicting his intention of becoming a disciple) in front of the fire, when the Bull explained the first foot of Brahm. He told him that East¹, West², South³ and North⁴ are the four Kalas of this paad. It is effulgent. One who prays to it with this kind of knowledge gets known in the world, and after death goes to effulgent realms only.

The next day when in evening, Satykam again sat in front of the fire, Agni started talking with him. It told him that Earth¹, Sky², Heaven³ and Ocean⁴ are the four kalas of second foot (paad) of brahm known by the name of ANANT. One who prays to this paad of brahm, with this kind of knowledge gets great happiness on this earth and after that goes to the realms which are eternal.

Again next time when he sat in front of the fire in the evening, a Swan appeared before him and explained the third foot of Brahm as following. It told him that Fire¹, Sun², Moon³ and Electricity/thunderbolt⁴, are the four kalas of the third foot of Brahm, known by the name of ‘Jyotirmaan’. One who prays to it like this goes to the effulgent realms after death.

On his next sitting a water bird appeared and instructed him about the fourth foot of Brahm. It told him that Pran¹, Shraut², Paksh³ and Mind⁴ are the four kalas of the fourth foot of Brahm, known by the name of Ayatvaan. One who does its upasana like this achieves this realm.

Thus enlightened about the four feet of Brahm, Satykam returned to his Guru’s ashram happily. On seeing the light on Satyakam's face, Guru asked him as to who had instructed him during all that time. He told him that entities other than human have instructed him. Then he requested his Guru also to instruct him, or else his knowledge would never be complete. Then the Guru instructed him in the 16 kala knowledge and whatever ignorance was left in Satykam earlier also got removed.

Later on when Satyakam established his own ashram, Kamal’s son Upkaushal came to his ashram for studying. For twelve years, he served different kinds of fires under his instructions. After completion of twelve year time, when all the students graduated and went away, Upkaushal was not conferred with the degree for studying with his guru. Satykam’s wife told him that this boys has served different kind of fires with great zeal for complete twelve years hence to save himself, he must confer the degree on this disciple lest all the fires become annoyed with him. Without paying any heed to what his wife told him, Satykam went on a trip. Feeling very bad about this whole affair, Upkaushal went on a fast. When the Guru’s wife offered food to Upkaushal, he refused to eat. On being asked why he is not eating food, Upkaushal replied that there are many painful desires in the human mind. To get rid of them, he is undergoing this fast.

On hearing this, all three kinds of fires (which he has served for twelve years) discussed amongst themselves that this boys served us for twelve years with great devotion. Hence it is their duty to instruct him in Brahm vidya, knowledge of the Self.   

Fire started talking to him. It said, Pran¹ is Brahm, Ka² is Brahm and Kha³ is Brahm. On hearing it, Upkaushal told them that he knows Pran as Brahm but what are these KA and Kha, he is totally ignorant about them. They explained to him that what is Ka (pleasures), is also Kha (ether); and what is Kha is also Ka. Thus they instructed him about Brahm and Ether associated with it.

Gharpatya fire started instructing Upkaushal. It explained that Earth¹, Fire², Grains³ and Aditya⁴ (Sun) are its four forms. Purusha seen in the Sun is also he alone i.e. Gharpatya. One who prays to it like this burns all his sins, goes to the realm of fire, enjoys full life, praised in the whole world forever. One who is devoted to us like this, we take care of him in both this and that realm.

Daskhinagni also instructed him. It told him that water¹, all directions², nakshatras³ and moon⁴ is dakshinagni itself. Purusha seen in the moon is also him alone. One who prays to it knowing all the four forms as explained above, burns all his sins, goes to the realm of fire, his lineage never ends and he enjoys full life and happiness. One who prays to us like this, we take care of him in this as well as that world also.

Ahvahniya fire told him that Pran¹, Ether², Heaven³ and Electricity⁴ are his four forms. Purusha seen in fire is but me. One who prays to me like this gets full life, happiness, goes to the realm of fire after death, his lineage becomes eternal and we take care of him in both the realms.

After instructing him thus in Agni and Atma vidya, they asked him to return to his Guru, who will instruct him further in the practical aspect of it to achieve its fruit. Thus Upkaushal happily went into the presence of his Guru who immediately came to know that he has been instructed in higher vidyas. On being asked, Upkaushal explained everything to his Guru. The Guru felt very happy and told him that now he will instruct him in the knowledge by which one can get separated from sins in the same way, as a lotus flower gets separate from water.


B.


Now the procedure of daily karmas is being explained. This breeze which is flowing, it surely is Yajna. While moving, it purifies the whole cosmos, thus it is yajna. Speech and mind are its karmas. Out of the two, mind with the help of mind opens up one path for movement of the soul, while the second path is initiated with the help of speech by Adhvaru and Udgata.
If during early morning anuvak (chanting of certain vedic text, where God is invited to accept the offering) before the final richa (couplet) if Brhama speaks up then only one path opens, while another path is decimated. As it is difficult for a single footed person to walk and a single wheeled chariot to move, in the same way that yajna is annihilated, with it yajman (one for whom the yajna is being performed) is also finished. By preforming such a yajna, the yajmans sins increase.

When during the morning anuvak, and before the chanting of the last richa, Brahma keeps quiet, then both the pathways are offered. As it is easy for a two footed person to walk and two tyred chariot to run, in the same way yajna is also kept intact and is successful. The yajman is also saved. Such a yajna alone is best.

Prajapati sat in tapasya for the development of various realms. From those realms, he received nectar. From Earth, he got fire, from sky he got air and from the heavens, he got the Sun. Then, he started praying to these three devtas of fire, air and Sun. From fire he received Rik Veda, from air he received Yajur Veda and from Sun he received Sam Veda. Then he again meditated on these three vidyas  and got nectar from them. From Rik, he attained Bhu; from Yajur, he received Bhuvar; from Sam, he attained Svah.

When a hole is created in the yajna by chanting of richa of Rik, in that, one should offer ahuti with ‘Bhu swaha’ in Gharpatya agni. The hole appearing in this yajna of Rik is filled with the power of chanting of richas of Rik veda.

In the same way, in the case of the yajna of yajur, one has to offer ahuti with ‘Bhuvar swaha’ in the Dakshinayan agni.  Whatever discrepancies occur in the yajur yajna, they are fulfilled by chanting of shruti from yajur veda.

When doing yajna with Sam veda, ahuti is offered with ‘Swa swaha’. Whatever discrepancies occur, they are improved with the crux and power chanting of Sam veda richa. As with the help of suhaga, gold is joined; with the help of gold, silver is joined; with the help of silver, raang is joined; with the help of raang, lead is joined; with the help of lead, iron is joined; with the help of iron (in the form of nails) wood is joined, in the same way with the help of these divinities and nectar of three vidyas, the hole in the yajna is filled up.

When in yajna such a Brahma knower is sitting, that yajna is provider of uttar marg. In which soever yajna such a Brahma is sitting, the hole in the yajna is filled up. A meditating Ritvik, who is the form of Brahma, controls all the performers in the yajna. As a mare operated under the control of the rider in the battlefield, in the same way Brahma removes all the doshas of the performers in the yajna. Hence, one should appoint only such a knower as Brahm in the yajna. One should not appoint a person who is ignorant……..Om!

C.

VAISHWANAR VIDYA:

Once Pracheenshaal, Satyagya, Indraduman, Jan and Budil who were sons of Upmanyu, Pulush, Bhallvi, Sharkraksh and Ashwatrashv respectively were discussing about Brahm and atma. Since they could not reach any conclusion, they mutually decided to approach Uddalak, son of Arun for teaching. On reaching there, they enquired about it. Realizing that he would not be able to give them a proper reply, Uddalak suggested to them to accost Kaikaye's son Ashwapati, a king, who was a knower of it. All of them went there and requested the king to explain this knowledge to them, to which he agreed. The King individually asked each one whom they pray to.

1.
Pracheenshaal: I pray to the Heavens as a form of Vaishwanar.
Ashwapati: The one you are praying to is effulgent atma in the form of Vaishwanar. Due to it you have, sons, grandsons, great-grand sons. You eat grains, have visions of your deity, your family is endowed with the light of Brahm but it is only the FOREHEAD of that Vaishwanar. If you had not come to me, your forehead would have fallen.
2.
Satyagya: I pray to Aditya as a form of Vaishwanar.
Ashwapati: The one you are praying to is effulgent atma in the form of Vaishwanar. Due to it you have been blessed with all the comforts in your family. You have chariots which are pulled by horses, you have maid servants decked with necklaces, you eat grains, you see all the good things and your family is endowed with the light of Brahm but it is only the EYES of the Vaishwanar. Had you not come to me you would have turned blind.
3.
Indraduman: I pray to Air as a form of Viashwanar.
Ashwapati: The one you are praying to is effulgent atma in the form of Vaishwanar. Due to it you travel to various places, you are offered different things, many kinds of chariots are driven behind you, you eat grains, see the desired good things and your family is endowed with the light of Brahm but this is only the PRAN of the Viashwanar. Had you not come to me, your life force would have left you.
4.
Jan: I pray to Sky as a form of Vaishwanar. 
Ashwapati: The one you are praying to is effulgent atma in the form of Vaishwanar. Due to it you enjoy sons and grandsons, great wealth, sound health, eat grains, see good things and your family is endowed with the light of the Brahm but it is only the ORGAN OF URINATION of Brahm. Had you not come to me, it would have burst open.
5.
Uddalak: I pray to Earth as a form of Vaishwanar.
Ashwapati: The one you are praying to is effulgent atma in the form of Vaishwanar. Due to it you have subjects, you have cattle, you eat grains, see good things and your family is endowed with the light of the Brahm but it is only one FOOT of the Brahm. Had you not come to me, your feet would have gone to waste.
Then the king expounded to them that all of you pray to Brahm as different from your own atma. But one who does it by ferm conviction that 'This I am', feels this Viashwanar in the form of Atma which pervades everything, he alone is the enjoyer in all lokas, all bhootas and in all atmas. This Vaishwanar form of atma has Heavens as its forehead, Sun as its eyes, Air as its pran, Sky as its stomach, Water as its urinary organ, Earth as its feet, Vedi as its chest, Darbh as its skin pores, Gharpatyagni as its heart,  Dakshinagni as mind and Ahvahniyagni as its mouth. Hence he told them to visualize like this in order to attain the Atma.


D.

Food             Things generated by it inside our body
                       Gross  level                  Medium level                      Subtle level

Grains             Body waste                  Flesh                                    Mind
                        thro' anus.

Water              Urine                           Blood                                    Pran

Oli/Ghee         Bones                                                                        Speech 


E.

O Lord! I know all the Vedas, Upnishads, Shrutis, Smritis, Purans, Brahmsutras, Kalps, Grammer, Sutras, various Vidyas, Jyotish, Dancing, Singing, playing of musical instruments etc. but I do not know Atma. Kindly instruct me in this.

What soever you know is just Name. Rik Ved is a name and like this, all others are too. Hence you should pray to the form of name as Brahm. Then you will be able to reach all those places, wherever name can reach.

O Lord, that is correct, I must meditate on Name then, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Speech is higher than name. Had there been no speech, there would have been no good-bad, true-untrue, desirable-undesirable etc. Without it none of the above shastras and vidyas could be expressed and shared. Hence you should pray to Speech as Brahm and then you will be able to reach upto all those realms where speech can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on Speech, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Mind is higher than speech. Both name and speech are experienced in mind and appear because of it. One who meditates on mind in the form of Brahm, can go to all those realms which are within its reach.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on mind, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Sankalp (firm resolve, which we make to fructify our work) is higher than mind. Name, speech and mind all rest in sankalp. You should pray to sankalp in the form of Brahm, then you will be able to reach all those places where sanklap can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on sankalp, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Chit is higher that sankalp. Name, Speech, Mind, Sankalp all dwell inside our chit. If we find an extremely knowledgeable person, who is achit or achetan than it will lead us nowhere, on the other hand if we find a less knowledgeable person but who is chetan, only then we can talk with him and benefit . So you should pray to chit in the form of Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places where our chit can go. One who meditates like this gets everything he requires and goes to all those realms after death which are without any kind of anguish.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must meditate on chit, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Dhyan is higher than chit. People, who are remembered in this world, are all dhyanis (meditative). They are remembered just because of the power of their meditation. Hence you must pray to Dhyan in the form of Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places wherever dhyan can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on Dhyan, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Vigyan (pure knowledge) is better than dhyan. Whatsoever is known in the world is known through Vigyan alone. So you must pray to Vigyan as Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places where vigyan can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on Vigyan, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Power is greater than vigyan. An assembly where many Vigyanis are sitting, if one powerful person comes there none can stand against him. It is because of this power, earth, planets, sky, heavens, mountains and all the jeevas keep to their realms and do not move out of them. Hence you must pray to Power as Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places where ever power can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on power, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Grain is higher than power. If you do not eat grain, no power will be generated in your body. If a person fasts for ten days, then his speech, cognition and capacity to run around leaves him. If you feed him food again, he regains all those faculties. Hence, you should meditate on grain in the form of Brahm. Thus one would be able to reach all those places where grain can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on grain, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Water is higher than grain. If there is no rain, grain can not grow. So you should pray to grain in the form of Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places which can be reached by water.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on water, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Tej (splendor, brilliance, luster) is better than water. Mixing with air it heats up the whole sky and due to that rain comes. It appears first and then rain follows. Hence you should pray to tej in the form of Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places which are reachable by tej.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on tej, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Ether is higher than tej. What ever takes birth, or dies or plays, moves inside ether alone. Hence you should pray to ether as Brahm and then you will be able to reach all those places wherever ether can go.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on ether, but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Smriti (remembrance, thought) is higher than ether. Wherever one is sitting, whosoever is thought of, heard of, known of, is due to it alone. Hence you must pray to it as Brahm and then alone you will be able to reach all those places where remembrance can reach.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on smriti (remembrance), but is there anything better than this?

O yes! Hope is higher than remembrance. With hope, when one chants various mantras, desires get fulfilled. Hence work performed with hope brings fruit. So you must pray to hope in the form of Brahm and then alone one would be able to go to all those realms where hope can reach.

O Lord, that is correct, then I must  meditate on hope, but is there anything better than ithis?

O yes! Pran (life-force) is higher than hope, whose creation is based on it. Whenever someone is alive, only then that person is our mother, father, sister, brother or any other relative. When they die, they are nothing to us. Hence Pran alone is father, mother, sister, brother or relative etc. So you must pray to pran in the form of Brahm and reach all those places wherever it can go.

One who meditates on pran like this is called ATIVADI. Whosoever calls such a person as ativadi, he must respond to him and not try to hide himself.

One, who does ativad for Truth, is really ativadi. That Truth alone, is actually to be known. Those who speak truth, are known to be those, who are vigyanis. One who doesn’t know vigyan, cannot speak the truth.

When one cogitates (manan), only then vigyan dawns. When one has faith, only then reflection (manan) takes place. Steadfast devotion (Nishtha) alone leads to faith. One who cannot perform a karm, cannot generate Nishtha. Hence karm alone or kriti is to be specially known. Kriti is said to be performed, only when one gets happiness. Hence happiness is to be really known.

Where one sees no one else, hears no one else, knows no one else, that state alone which is called Bhauma, is real happiness. Bhauma alone is happiness. A Bhaum (experiencer of that state) is established in his own state. To say this, is also not correct because that state is really support-less. It is everywhere. Because of the ego in it, one says, I am up or down or on the left or on the right or every where.    

Those Knowledgeable, who know like this, are really the kings of their own kingdom. They can move to all the realms without any obstruction. Those who think opposite of this, are those who perish.

Purity of food leads to purification of Antahkaran, a pure antahkaran leads to nischal smriti (steadfast remembrance) and that leads to annihilation of ignorance by cutting all the knots. One whose desires are removed like this finds himself face to face with his Atma.

Thus spoke the great celibate since birth, Sanat kumara to Sage Narada Muni.

May the Mother be praised, may Truth be hailed, may the Guru be served and may all of us highly evolve!

                                      Om! Shantih Shantih Shantih. 

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