Nachiketa - The First Seeker 

Nachiketa was the son of Rishi Vajshrava. Once he was performing a sacrifice named Viswajit. In this Yajna, the performer had to give away all his wealth. In ancient times, Cows were designated as valuable and special possessions and hence Vajashrava, desiring a gift from the gods, decided to donate all his cows to Brahmins. Nachiketa was in his teens, and he was observing the sacrificial ritual with innocent interest. He was surprised to notice that his father was giving away only old and disabled cows unable to give milk.

Nachiketa was very intelligent & with pure heart. He said his father that he has heard in this Yajna, one has to give up all that one possesses. This being the case to whom will you give me?” This made his father very angry, but he decided not to say anything. When Nachiketa repeated the question, Vajashrava lost his temper and said, "I give you to Yama." Yama is the king of Yamapuri-hell. Hearing this Nachiketa went to Yama's kingdom. It was his father's command. It would not be proper for him to disobey his father. 'I should fulfill his wish,' thought Nachiketa, even if it means leaving home.

However his father realized his mistake and tried to stop him but Nachiketa did not stop. He reached Yama's kingdom and was told by Yama's guards that he had gone out for three days. Nachiketa decided to wait at his doorstep till he returned. He waited for three days, without taking even a drop of water. Yama returned on the fourth day and saw little Nachiketa at his doorstep. He felt pained for keeping a Brahmin waiting without welcoming him, without food and water. It was a sin not to welcome an atithi -guest at the doorstep. He scolded his wife for not welcoming him. Both rushed around the house to serve Nachiketa. One went to fetch water. The other brought a mat for him to sit on. Yama still did not feel completely satisfied in serving him. So he told Nachiketa, "Dear child, I have offended you by keeping you waiting for three days. To wash my sin I request you to ask for three boons".

As first boon, Nachiketa demanded that his father should be pleased with him as usual, love him and accept him when he returned back. Yama happily granted it to the boy.
As second boon, Nachiketa wished to learn the 'Agni Vidya' or fire sacrifice. He wanted to learn this so that he can relieve human beings from their sufferings and they can attain the kingdom of ‘gods’ or the higher-beings.

Yama responds by detailing the fire ritual, including how the bricks should be arranged, and how the fire represents the building of the world. Nachiketa remembers what Yama tells him, repeats the ritual, a feat which pleases Yama, and he declares that this fire ritual will thereafter be called the "Nachiketa fires" or "Nachiketa Agni Vidya".
In the last and third boon, Nachiketa wanted to know the mystery of 'What comes after death'. Yama granted the first two boons immediately and tried to convince Nachiketa to give up his third wish. He offered him gold, pearls, coins, horses’ elephants and even the happiness of Swarg -heaven instead. "No, I do not wish for anything else," replied Nachiketa firmly.

But Nachiketa was adamant and said that objects of pleasure that Yama offered to him were only sources of miseries in life which deviated a man’s intellect. Moreover those objects were to some use only during a life time and the life time itself was limited.

Yama then explained about two theories of life: the first being a life full of sensory indulgences attached to material things after which we keep getting reborn, because we are obliged to repay the debt of previous lives’ indulgence. The second being a life in which we restrain our senses and do not get attached to the material world. In so doing, we break free from the cycle of debt and attain Moksha, being no longer bound by death. In other words, Yama gave him the knowledge of the Atma. Nachiketa returns to the land of the living, enlightened by this great knowledge about what happens after death.

Nachiketa epitomizes the qualities required in a true disciple. His unselfish nature and purity of mind persuaded even God of Death to give him the most important lessons of life. To experience Self-Realisation is the greatest human challenge, man’s eternal quest. It is a quest that requires a Nachiketa-like attitude, a childlike resolute faith, fearlessness in your undertakings and single-pointed pursuit of the ultimate goal.

Indra and Virochana

Once Prajapati, the creator of the universe and a great teacher announced, “The Self is the sinless, ageless and deathless One; it has no sorrow nor hunger nor thirst. The goal of all its desire is the Truth; Truth is the one thing worthy of its resolve. It is this Self that has to be sought after, it alone one should seek to know. And one who seeks after the Self and knows it, gains possessions of all the worlds, wins all that is desirable".

Both the gods and the demons heard this proclamation and thought, “We must know this Atman or Self and seek this knowledge that promises all worlds". Hence, Indra, the king of the gods and Virochana, the leader of the demons, approached Prajapati with all the humility of a disciple and requested him to impart this knowledge to them. Prajapati accepted them as his disciples and asked them to stay with him and practice austerities and celibacy for thirty-two years.

Both, Indra and Virochana, stayed on living the life of a Brahmachari. At the end of that period, Prajapati called both of them and said, “Dear ones, the person visible in the pupil of the eye is Atman. This Atman is the Brahman, the immortal and fearless. Go and see yourself in a pan of water and then tell me what you saw". Next day when Prajapati asked both of them to narrate their exgperience they both said, “Lord, we saw the Self entirely as we are, the very image even to the very hair and nails.”
“Go and adorn yourself, dress well and then look into the pan of water and tell me about your experience” said Prajapati to both of them. Happy they went and adorned themselves, looked into the pan of water, came back and replied to Prajapati, "Revered Sir, we saw ourselves well dressed, well groomed and well adorned". "Very good, this is Atman, the immortal and fearless, the Brahman" , thus confirmed Prajapati to them.

Both Indra and Virochana, went happy and very much satisfied in their heart. Prajapati saw them going away and exclaimed to himself, “Whether they are Gods or demons they will inevitably perish if they are satisfied with the mere reflection of the Reality". Virochana went to the demons and taught them this knowledge by saying that this bodily self is all that we need to know and serve and glorify. This is the supreme knowledge by which one obtains the world here and hereafter.

Indra was different from Virochana. He realized that something is wrong with what he has just learnt about the Atman. He felt uneasy. He thought to himself that as the water reflects a well adorned body so does it reflects a blind man if he is blind, a defective man if he is defective. If a body is destroyed or dead, then there is no reflection of a living body. How then could the body or its reflection be said to be the deathless Atman? He went back to Prajapati and said, “Lord, I see really nothing worthy in this body or in its reflection. Please give me the true knowledge about the Atman.” Prajapati was happy with Indra and asked Indra to stay with him for another thirty-two years. At the end of that period Prajapati called him and said, “That which moves about in dreams is Atman".

As usual, Prajapati told him to stay with him for another period of thirty-two years. Indra was all prepared. At the end of this period, Prajapati called Indra and said: “The self who is full pleased and is in a happy mood in deep sleep is the Atman". Indra was satisfied and went home. But before he reached his place, again doubt overwhelmed him and he said to himself, “In a dreamless sleep, the self does not know itself. It is not conscious of its own existence. How then can the unconscious self be Atman when it is described as the ever luminous one, ever conscious one?” He came back again to Prajapati and reported to him about his difficulties. This time Prajapati was more pleased with Indra and told him to spend five more years with him. Thus he lived a life for a total of one hundred and one years with Prajapati.

After the period was over Prajapati called Indra beside him and said: “O Indra, you have deserved the knowledge of the highest truth by your persistent effort and intense inquisitiveness.” Saying this Prajapati revealed that part of the highest knowledge to Indra for which he was ready at that point of time.

 

“This body is subject to death yet it embodies the deathless and bodiless Atman. This embodied Self falls into the trap of all dualities like pleasure and pain, but the bodiless Atman is not touched by any duality. So long as the Atman resides in the body and attaches itself to them he seems limited and restricted, but again when freed from the body becomes one with the infinite spirit. When the Atman leaves the body, goes wandering freely in the infinite worlds. The eye, the ear, the senses, the mind are there only in order that the Atman may see and hear and think. It is on account of Atman and in the Atman that the things and beings exist. He is the Truth and the final repository of all existence".

This time when Indra went back to impart this knowledge to the gods, he had no doubt. The gods received the true knowledge and therefore live in the full knowledge of their Self.

Because Virochana was satisfied with the knowledge of body as self, the demons, even today live in the ignorance taking body as Self. To this day people generally say, ‘He is a demon’ when a person has no charitable nature, no faith in supernatural realms, who never worships god, who does not perform sacrifices and who is body centered. In other words, those who identify themselves with the body and worship it, are called Asuras, the children of Virochana.

Satyakama: The Seeker of Truth

One day a young boy came to the ashrama of Sage Haridrumata Gautama and said, “Revered Sir, I desire to live under you as a Brahmacharin. Please accept me as your student.”

The sage asked, “Dear boy, of what gotra or lineage are you?”

The boy replied, “Sir, I do not know of what gotra I am. I asked it of my mother. She said: ‘I also do not know of what gotra you are. I used to serve many people and I got you in my youth. So I am not sure of what lineage you are. However, I am Jabala by name and you are Satyakama’. So, Sir, I reveal myself to you as Satyakama Jabala.”

On hearing it, the Rishi Haridrumata Gautama smiled and said, “No one who is not a Brahmin can speak thus. Dear boy, bring the sacrificial fuel. I shall initiate you as a Brahmacharin, for you have not deviated from truth.” Thus was Satyakama Jabala initiated into the life of a Brahmacharin.

After a few days, Rishi Haridrumata Gautama sorted out four hundred lean and weak cows and said to Satyakama, “Dear boy, take these cows to the forest and graze them.”

Satyakama bowed down with submission and while driving the cows said, “Sir, I shall not return till these cows multiply into a thousand.”

Satyakama lived in the forest and looked after the cows. Years went by. The number of cows increased to a thousand.

One day towards evening a bull came to Satyakama and spoke to him, “Dear boy! Now we are a thousand in number. Take us to the house of the teacher”. Also, the bull said to Satyakama,”I shall teach you one quarter of the Brahman or God. He is Prakashavan or the Radiant. He who meditates on Brahman as the Radiant, becomes radiant in this world.” Thus having spoken the bull told Satyakama that Agni, the God of fire, will teach him more later.

At dawn, Satyakama drove the cows towards his Guru’s ashrama.

In the evening when the cows came together, he kindled a fire there, added fuel to the fire, penned the cows and sat down near them behind the fire, facing east. Then the Fire addressed him and said: “Dear boy, I will teach you one quarter of the Brahman. He is Anantavan or the Endless. One who knows Him to be thus and meditates upon him as Endless, becomes endless in this world”. Then the fire told him that a swan was going to tell him about the third quarter of the Brahman.

At dawn, Satyakama continued to drive the cows towards the Guru’s ashrama. Towards evening when the cows came together, he kindled a fire there, added fuel to the fire, penned the cows and sat down near them behind the fire, facing east. All of a sudden a swan came flying and said, “Satyakama! I shall teach you the third quarter of Brahman. He is called Jyotishman or the Effulgent. One who knows him thus and meditates upon him as the Effulgent, becomes effulgent in this world.” Then the swan told him that a waterfowl would teach him the last part of the Brahman.

On the following day, once again, Satyakama drove the cows in the direction of his Guru’s ashrama.

Towards evening when the cows came together, he kindled a fire there, added fuel to the fire, penned the cows and sat down near them behind the fire, facing east. Then, a waterfowl came before him and said, “Satyakama! I shall teach you the fourth and last part of Brahman. He is Ayatanavan or the All-supporting. One who knows him thus and meditates upon him as the All-supporting, becomes That in this world.”

When Satyakama reached the Guru’s ashram with the thousand cows, the Guru asked him, “Dear boy, your face shines with the knowledge of Brahman. Who taught you that?”

Satyakama told him about his four teachers and said, “Sir, I now request you to expound it to me personally. Because I know that the knowledge received directly from one’s own Guru becomes perfect.”

Then Rishi Haridrumat Gautama, the revered teacher of Satyakama, taught him the same thing again by adding more meaning to all that Satyakama had learnt. Thus Satyakama got the full knowledge of Brahman from his Guru and later, he himself became a great teacher.

Yajnavalkya and Maitreyee

Yajnavalkya, a great sage of the Upanishadic age, was famous for his unsurpassed spiritual wisdom and power. He was the seer of Shukla Yajurveda Samhita, and is credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana (including the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad), Yogayajnavalkya Samhita and Yajnavalkya Smriti. The third and the fourth chapters of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad abound with the great philosophical teachings of Yajnavalkya.

Yajnavalkya, the son of sage Devarata, lived a householder’s life with his two wives: Maitreyee and Katyayani. Of the two, it was Katyayani who kept the household going. It was she who always cared most for her position as a wife. On the other hand, Maitreyee loved to sit near her husband and hear him talk to his pupils. She was more interested in spiritual matter - listening to such discourses and participating in discussions. Therefore, she was known as brahmavadini, the one more interested in the knowledge of Brahman.

Towards the last phase of his life Yajnavalkya decided to give up his householder’s responsibilities and live the life of a forest recluse. So, one day he called Maitreyee in and said to her, “Maitreyee, I am forsaking all and leaving home. If you want I can make separate provisions for Katyayani and yourself.”

Hearing these words of her husband Maitreyee said to him, “Lord, if all my possessions were to fill the entire earth, would they bring me immortality?”

Yajnavalkya replied, “No dear, that could never be. You could live a life of enjoyment like others who have wealth. But, there would be no hope of immortality.”

“What then am I to do with that which cannot make me immortal?” exclaimed Maitreyee.

On hearing these words of Maitreyee, Yajnavalkya said to her, “You have been always dear to me, now you have become dearer still.” Saying this, Yajnavalkya began to explain to Maitreyee not only the nature of true love but also the greatness of the Absolute Self, the nature of its existence, the way of attaining infinite knowledge and immortality.

“My dear Maitreyee, know that a wife loves her husband not for his sake but for her own sake, for the sake of the Self. In loving him she loves the One who is both in her as well as in him. It is really this One whom she loves. Similarly it is so for the husband, and indeed, for all love relationships - father and son, mother and son, mother and daughter, father and daughter, friend and friend, and so on. Whatever is held to be dear is so because of that one Self. It is this Self that has to be seen, heard of, thought about, meditated upon. This being known all else is known.

“Dear Maitreyee, as there can be no water without the sea, no touch without the skin, no smell without the nose, no taste without the tongue, no form without the eye, no sound without the ear, no thought without the mind, no wisdom without the hear, no work without hands, no walking without the feet, no scriptures without the words, so there can be nothing without the Self.

 “As a lump of salt thrown in water dissolves and cannot be taken out again. Even so the separate self dissolves in the sea of pure consciousness, infinite and immortal. Separateness arises from identifying the Self with the body, which is made up of the elements, when this physical identification dissolves, there can be no more separate self. This is what I wanted to tell you, my beloved!”

To this Maitreyee replied: “I am confused, O Blessed One, when you say there is no separate self. Could you please enlighten me.”

“O beloved Maitreyee”, said Yajnavalkya, “reflect upon what I have said, and you will not be confused. As long as there is separateness, one sees, hears, smells, speaks to thinks of, knows, but when the Self is realized as the indivisible unity of life, who can be seen by whom, who can be smelled by whom, who can be thought of by whom, who can be known by whom? O Maitreyee, my beloved, how can the knower be ever known?”

Hearing this Maitreyee had nothing more to say but to reflect on the teachings given to her to so then she merges in the infinite and the immortal.

The World Beyond

Shvetaketu was the son of Uddalaka Aruni. After his education from the Gurukula he was further instructed by his father at home and became much more learned than what he was before. Shvetaketu always thought himself to be the wisest among all. Once he decided to go to the assembly of the Panchala. There, in the assembly, the Kshatriya prince Pravahana addressed him saying, “Have you had your full education, my dear?” To this Shvetaketu replied, “Yes, indeed.” Then the prince started asking questions to him in the following manner:

Pravahana – “Do you know where all living beings go to after death?”

Shvetaketu – “No, revered Sir, I do not know.”

Pravahana – “Do you know how they return?”

Shvetaketu – “No, revered Sir, I do not know.”

Pravahana – “Do you know the two paths, the path of light (devayana) and the path of darkness (pitriyana) along which the dead one's travel?”

Shvetaketu – “No, revered Sir, I do not know.”

Pravahana – “Do you know why the other world does not become overfull though so many continue to depart from this world and enter it.?”

Shvetaketu – “No, revered Sir, I do not know.”

Pravahana – “Do you know how the fifth stage elemental matter in the oblation becomes the purursha or the living person?”

Shvetaketu – “No, revered Sir, I do not know.”

Pravahana – “Then how dare you say that your education is complete? You seem to know nothing of these subjects.”

Shvetaketu was distressed and felt very much humiliated at this. So, he returned home and asked his father Uddalaka, “Revered father, you told me that you have instructed me well. But when prince Pravahana asked some five questions, believe me, I could not reply even one of those. How then did you say to me that I was sufficiently educated?” Saying this to his father, Shvetaketu then narrated the whole story about the five questions and his awkwardness in the assembly of the Panchalas.

Uddalaka, the loving father of Shvetaketu, listened everything carefully and replied: “Believe me my dear child. I myself do not know anything about any of these questions. If I had that knowledge, do you think that I have ever withheld it from you?” Saying this to his son, Uddalaka decided to go the assembly of Panchala to learn about this knowledge from prince Pravahana.

In the palace of Pravahana, Uddalaka was received with due respect. The next morning when he presented himself at the assembly, Pravahana told him respectfully, “Sir, I offer you wealth which is dear to all. You can demand as much as you please.” At this Uddalaka said, “O great prince, let the wealth remain with you. Tell me about the questions you have asked to my son. I am thirsting for the knowledge of the other world.”

The prince was perturbed and yet pleased with the attitude of the Brahmin sage. He then requested Uddalaka to stay with him for a long time. At the end of the period Pravahana said to Uddalaka, “O revered Gautama (another name of Uddalaka), prior to you this knowledge never went to any Brahmin. This knowledge has been traditionally known only to the Kshatriyas. It is only now and for the first time that a Brahmin is receiving it from a Kshatriya king.” Saying this, Pravahana started giving Uddalaka the answers to all the questions he had asked to Shvetaketu.

The essence Pravahana’s teachings to Uddalaka can be put in the following manner:

The elemental matter gets converted into life or a person gradually by going through five different stages. These five different stages represent five different sacrifices. There is the first stage where the elemental matter is the oblation offered to the fire and the sun. As a result, Soma, the life-giving sap is produced. In the second offering, this Soma is poured into Parjanya, the power that brings rain. This results in the rain itself. The showering of the rain on the earth is the third sacrifice which results in food. When man consumes food, it gets digested, as the fourth sacrifice, and the Retas or the vital fluid is produced. This Retas takes up a different form in man and woman, and when the Retas of the man gets united with that of the woman, as the fifth sacrifice, then the embryo is born and from this the child.

The physical body of the man dissolves into the elements which constituted it. But the destiny of the soul depends on the actions performed and the knowledge acquired. The one who has attained the real spiritual knowledge goes by the path of light and does not return to the earthly existence. The one with no knowledge or partial knowledge goes by the path of darkness and falls into the eternal cycle of birth and death and suffers. Thus, some go to the world of Brahman and never return, some go the heaven and remain there for some time and return to the earth to complete their works, and numerous others are caught up in the ever-recurring cycle of birth and death. That is why the other world is never overfull.

In short, this is the knowledge of life and its origin, of the destiny of the soul after death, imparted by Kshatriya king Pravahana to Uddalaka, the aspiring Brahmin.

Steps of Realization

Bhrigu, the son of Varuna, once approached his father and said, “Lord, teach me the Eternal.” And his father explained to him that Food and Prana and Eye and Ear and Mind and Speech are the steps to realize the Eternal. He also explained that the Eternal is that from which these creatures are born, by which they live, and to which they depart and enter again. Varuna, having explained this to his son Bhrigu, told him to seek that Eternal by tapas or concentration and meditation.

Bhrigu followed his father’s words and concentrated himself in thought and by the intensity of his contemplation he came to realize that the Food (Matter) is Eternal. For from food alone all these creatures are born, and by food they live, and into food they depart and enter again.

Bhrigu rushed to his father and reported to him about his realization. His father exhorted him to go again and concentrate more. For concentration in Thought is the Eternal.

Bhrigu went away and concentrated himself in thought and this time, by a little more intense contemplation, he came to know that Prana is the Eternal. He realized that it is because of Prana alone from which these creatures are born and by Prana alone they live and into Prana alone they go hence and return. Bhrigu again rushed to his father expecting that he has realized the Eternal. Yet again his father told him to go back and concentrate deeply and realize if there was anything more than Prana. Bhrigu was determined, so he went away to concentrate further.

A little more intense contemplation and he had the knowledge that it was Mind which alone was the Eternal. For from Mind alone all creatures are born and by mind they live, and to mind they go hence and return. Bhrigu was happier than before and rushed to his father for the third time. His father listened to him carefully and sent him back to perform more tapas.

Bhrigu simply followed his father’s advice and went again to concentrate. By the power of his contemplation, he further came to know that Knowledge is Eternal. For from Knowledge alone all creatures are born, and by Knowledge they live, and to Knowledge they go hence and return. He reported this to his father, but this time as well Varuna repeated the same advice to his son.

Bhrigu was not at all disappointed. He went with more confidence and concentrated deeper than ever before. This time he not only had the experience of the Eternal but felt one with Him. He realized that it was Bliss or Ananda that was the Eternal. For from Ananda alone all creatures are born, and by Ananda they live, and to Ananda they go hence and return.

When Varuna came to know about his son’s realization, he was happy, and this time he greeted Bhrigu with joy and told him, “Dear child, this indeed is the highest term of existence. Now there is no need to teach you about the Eternal. You have not only realized this but have identified yourself with That.”

This episode is known as the Lore of Bhrigu and Varuna.

The Eternal Brahman

The evening prayers were just over. Now it was the question hour. The Rishi was sitting calm like a flicker less lamp. The young students came out with their questions. One of the students asked the Rishi:

“Who makes my mind think?

Who fills my body with vitality?

Who causes my tongue to speak?

Who is that Invisible one who sees through my eyes and hears through my ears?”

Indeed, this was pretty formidable array of questions.

The Rishi then looks at his disciples with all love and says calmly:

“Dear boys, the power that inspires all these, is One and is Indivisible. It is behind and beyond all that functions visibly. It is the ear of the ear, the eye of the eye, the mind of the mind, the word of the words and the life of life. Him our eyes cannot see, nor words express; He cannot be grasped even by the mind. We cannot know, we cannot understand, because He is different from the known and He is different from the unknown. It is that which makes our tongue speak but cannot be spoken by the tongue; that which makes the mind think but cannot be thought by the mind; that which makes the eyes see but cannot be seen by the eyes; that which makes the ears hear but cannot be heard by the ears; that which makes us draw breath but cannot be drawn by our breath. This power is indeed the Self, and this Self is not someone other than you. He who knows and realizes this truth enjoys immortality.”

After a pause the Rishi continued saying, “If you think that you know the Self then you really know not, because all you can see is his external form. Continue therefore meditating on this Self.”

“I do not think I know the Self, nor can I say I know him not”, thus the student submitted himself seeking a positive solution to his problem.

“Not he who says ‘I know’ knows It. He knows little. But the sincere seeker who begins by saying ‘I know not’ knows the truth in course of time. It gradually illumines his mind. Once fully realized the spirit is ever present to him through all the states of consciousness. His soul grows from strength to strength and by the power of his realization of the immaculate presence he becomes immortal”.

Thus, the Rishi replied to his seeking disciples, but when he looked at their faces, he could see that some of them have not grasped the full significance of all that he spoke to them just now. So, he narrated a parable to illustrate the essence of his teaching.

“Once upon a time the gods defeated the demons in a certain battle. Though the victory was brought about by the power of Brahman, the gods boasted saying, ‘ours is the victory, and ours the power and glory’. The Brahman saw their foolish pride and appeared before them. But the gods, blinded as they were by egoism and empty vanity could not recognize Him. They simply saw a wonderful being present before them. They became serious and wanted to know who that being was. They requested Agni, the god of fire to investigate the matter.

 Thus, requested by the gods, the god of fire presented himself before that being and then the mysterious being asked him, “Who are you?” “I am the god of fire,” said Agni. “What power do you have?” asked the being again. “I can burn all on earth”, said Agni. “Good, burn this”. Thus saying, the being placed a straw in front. The god of fire tried with all his might but failed. He ran back to the gods and confessed that he had failed.

Then the gods requested Vayu, the wind god, to approach the being and find out who it was. He went with all confidence but could not prove his might before the being.

The gods begged Indra, the powerful among the gods, to find out who this mysterious being was. But when Indra approached the being, it disappeared instantly and, in his place, he saw the lovely goddess Uma, daughter of the Himalayas, the golden goddess. He asked her, “Who was that being?”

Now the golden goddess replied: “That was Brahman, from whom comes your power and glory. It was he who won the victory for you all, the victory over the demons.” Indra went to the other gods and told them the truth.

Then the gods realized their folly.”

Thus, having narrated the story of the glory of Brahman, the Rishi summarized his teachings to the young students, “The light of the Brahman flashes in lightning, and in our eyes. It is the power of Brahman that makes the mind to think, desire and will. This is the knowledge of the transcendental and immanent reality. Truth is the very body and abode of Brahman. All knowledge is its limbs. Meditation, control of the senses and passions, and selfless service of all are its support. Those who realize the Brahman shall conquer all evil and attain the supreme state.”

The disciples were immensely pleased with the way of their Guru’s teachings and with joy they dispersed to their respective resting places to reflect upon what they had learnt.

The Highest Learning

Once Narada approached the sage Sanatkumara and requested him to show him the path of knowledge and teach him about the highest truth.

“Tell me what you know, and then I will teach you what is beyond that,” thus said Sanatkumara to Narada.

Then Narada told him with all humility, “I know the four Vedas and the epics, I have studied grammar, rituals, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, psychology, the fine arts and various other secular subjects; but all this knowledge has not helped me to know the Self. I have heard from spiritual teachers like you that one who realizes the Self goes beyond sorrow. I am lost in sorrow. Please teach me how to go beyond.”

There is a very long dialogue between Narada and Sanatkumar through which Sanatkumar reveals to Narada that all that he knows is mere names. To go beyond, one must know what is greater than the name. Then he reveals that speech is greater than name, mind is greater than speech, will is greater than mind, consciousness is greater than will, meditation is greater than consciousness, understanding is greater than meditation, power is greater than understanding, food is greater than power, water is greater than food, light or heat is greater than water, ether is greater than light, and Atman or the Spirit is greater than ether and is the substratum of everything else. Man is always impelled to do things on account of joy or the pleasure that he gets out of the things that he does. No one acts or does anything unless motivated by some kind of pleasure or joy. But it is the Infinite that is the source of abiding joy because it is not subject to change. Therefore, one must seek to know the Infinite.

With this Sanatkumar now teaches Narada the nature of the Infinite. “Where one realizes the indivisible unity of life, sees nothing else, hears nothing else, knows nothing else, that is the Infinite. The Infinite is beyond death, but the finite cannot escape death.”

At this point Narada raises a question, “On what does the Infinite depend, O Venerable One?”

To this Sanatkumar replied by expounding, “Dear Narada, the Infinite depends on its own glory, no not even that. In the world people think they can attain glory by having cows and horses, elephants and gold, family and servants, fields and mansions. But I do not call that glory, for here one thing depends on another. But the Infinite is utterly independent. The Infinite is above and below, before and behind, to the right and to the left. I am all this. The Self is above and below, before and behind, to the right and to the left. I am all this. One who meditates on the Self and realizes the Self sees the Self everywhere and rejoices in the Self. Such a one lives in freedom and is at home wherever he goes. He discovers that everything in the cosmos – energy and space, fire and water, names and forms, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantra and meditation – all come from the Self. He goes beyond decay and death, beyond separateness and sorrow. But those who pursue the finite are blind to the Self and live in bondage. Therefore, O Narada, control the senses and purify the mind. In a pure mind there is a constant awareness of the Self. Where there is constant awareness of the Self, freedom ends bondage and joy ends sorrow.”

Thus, the sage Sanatkumar taught the pure Narada to go beyond bondage, beyond sorrow, beyond darkness, to the light of the Self.

Truth is Known When All is Seen

Prachinashila, the son of Upamanyu; Satyayajna, the son of Pulusha; Indradyumna, the son of Bhallavi; Jana, the son of Sarkaraksha; and Budila the son of Ashvatarashva, were five great married rishis, all adept in the Vedas. Once they all together conducted a discussion on: ‘Which is our Atman, who is Brahman?’ But they failed to reach a consensus and decided to visit Rishi Uddalaka, son of Aruna and father of Shvetaketu, for clarification. They knew that Uddalaka was serious student of the knowledge of Vaishvanara Atman (the All-self).

No doubt Uddalaka was a great realized Rishi and a great teacher, but when these five sages appeared before him and requested him to teach them that knowledge, he felt a bit awkward, and very hesitant to speak of his own knowledge. It was the very nature of Uddalaka that he always wanted to add to his knowledge, and he took this as an opportunity to learn more about that very knowledge. So, he requested the five sages that they all should proceed to Ashvapati, son of Kekaya, who according to Uddalaka was a more knowledgeable and authoritative person on Vaishvanara Atman.

Now all these five sages, led by Uddalaka, went to the palace of king Ashvapati. On reaching the king’s palace they were individually honoured. The king informed them that a sacrifice was going to be performed and promised each one wealth equivalent to that of the officiating priest’s remuneration. The king then declared that in his kingdom there were no thieves, misers, drunks, none who did not perform sacrifices, non illiterate, no lewd persons, or adulteress (the king was establishing his good conduct for persons of high standing—like these rishis—do not accept gifts from ill-minded people. The six rishis rejected the king’s offer for wealth saying that they had come for the knowledge of Vaishvanara that he possessed.

Ashvapati agreed to teach them and on the next day the rishis approached the king as pupils. He instructed them in the secret and complete knowledge of the Vaishvanara Atman, and told them that this is the reality that connects the individual with the universal through sacrifice and meditation.

Ashvapati addressed to each of these sages separately to find out about their sadhana and then explained each of them about Vaishvanara Atman in terms of their own object of meditation. King Ashvapati told one of the disciples that the Self that he meditates upon as heaven is the good Light and that is the Head of the Vaisvanara Self. To the second disciple who meditates upon sun as the Self he says that the Self meditated upon by him is the universal form and is the eye of the Vaisvanara Self. To the third disciple who meditates upon the air as Self he says that the Self meditated upon is the variegated course and is the Prana of the Vaisvanara Self. To the fourth disciple who meditates upon akasha as the Self he confirms that the Self meditated upon is bahula or full and is the trunk of the Vaisvanara Self. The fifth disciple who meditates upon water as the Self was explained by him that his object of meditation is nothing, but the Vaisvanara Self called rayi and that is the bladder of the Vasvanara Self. To the sixth disciple who meditates upon earth as the Self he explained that the object of his meditation is the Self called pratishtha and that is the feet of the Vaisvanara Self.

 Finally, pointing to the limitations of the knowledge of these Rishis, he said to them that it is not by meditating on parts that one can know all. The truth is known when all is seen. Therefore, realizing the whole consisting of all parts, one has the experience of Vaishvanara Atman.

Quarrel among the Senses

Once upon a time all the sense organs had a dispute among themselves as regard to who was superior. Each one boasted saying: “I am superior, I am superior.” It went on until finally they all decided to approach Prajapati, their father.

They asked him: “Sir, who is the best among us?”

Prajapati replied: “He by whose departure the body looks the worst – he is the best among you.”

Following his words the organ of Speech first departed, and having stayed away for a whole year it returned and said, “How have you been able to live without me?”

The other organs replied: “We lived like a dumb being who lives without speaking, but breathing with the prana, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind.”

Then the organ of speech entered the body.

It was then the turn of the eye to depart, and having stayed away for a year it returned and said, “How have you been able to live without me?”

The other organs replied: “We lived like a blind being without seeing, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind.”

Then the eye entered the body.

Then the ear departed, and having stayed away for a year it returned and said to the other organs, “How have you been able to live without me?”

They replied: “We all lived like a deaf being without hearing, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and thinking with the mind.”

Then the ear entered the body.

The mind then went out. After being away for a whole year it came back and said, “How have you been able to live without me?”

The other organs replied: “We lived like a child whose mind is not yet formed, without thinking with the mind, but breathing with the prana, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and hearing with the ear.”

Then the mind entered the body.

Now, when the prana, or breath was about to depart, tearing up the other senses, they all gathered round him and said: “Revered Sir, be thou our lord; thou art the best among us. Do not depart from us.” Then the organ of speech came and said to the Breath, “Sir, that attribute of being most excellent which I possess is thine.” So said the eye, the ear and the mind. Hence these (the organ of speech, the eyes, the ears, the mind) are not simply sense organs, but they are all signs of life - the Prana.

For Prana alone is all these.

The Story of Creation

Before the world was created all that existed was the Self, the Self alone. Nothing else was, nothing whatsoever stirred. Then the Self thought. “Let me create the worlds.” He brought forth the following worlds out of himself: Ambhas, the highest world, above the sky and upheld by it; Marichi, the sky; Mara, the mortal world, the earth; and Apa, the world beneath the earth. Ambhas is the highest world. It lies beyond the material realm. Marichi is space itself in which many suns and planets are to be found. Mara is not just planet earth, but any planet on which sentient beings live. Mara means death, and it is applied to the planets because all beings that live there are mortal. Apa is the name of the sub-material regions from which atomic matter rises. In a metaphysical sense Ambhas is the causal world, Marichi is the astral world, Mara is the physical world, and Apa is the region where those of low evolution go for a time after death–usually in a kind of sleep. Psychologically, Ambhas is the super-conscious mind, Marichi is the higher intelligence, or buddhi, Mara is the sensory, earth-centered mind or consciousness, and Apa is the subconscious mind. The God created all these worlds and then “He thought: ‘I have created the worlds, now let me bring forth their guardians.’ Then he created their guardians or lokapalas. A lokapala is the ruler or custodian of a world (loka). Therefore, he gathered the Purusha out of the waters and gave Him shape and substance.

As the Self brooded over the form, a mouth opened, as does an egg, giving forth speech and fire; nostrils opened with the power of breathing the air; eyes opened giving rise to sight and sun; ears opened to hear the sound in space; skin appeared and from it came hair and from it came plants and trees. The heart gushed forth and from heart came the mind, and from the mind came the moon. The navel broke forth and from the navel Apana, the downward force, and of Apana, Death was born. The organ of pleasure came forth and from the organ, seed; and of seed the waters were born.

These were the Gods that He created; they fell into this great Ocean, and Hunger and Thirst leaped upon them. Then they said to Him, “Command unto us a habitation that we may dwell secure and eat of food.” He brought unto them the cow, but they said, “It is not sufficient for us.” He brought unto them the horse, but they said, “It is not enough for us.” He brought unto them Man, and they said in joy, “O well fashioned truly! Man, indeed is well and beautifully made.” Then the Spirit asked them to enter the body and take up their places. Then fire, becoming speech entered the mouth; air, becoming smell, entered the nose; the sun, becoming sight, entered the eyes; sounds in the space, becoming hearing, entered the ears; plants, herbs, and trees, becoming hair, entered the skin; the moon, becoming mind, entered the heart; Death became Apana, the lower breathing, and entered into the navel; the Waters became Seed or sperm and entered into the organ of pleasure. Now, hunger and thirst said to the Self, “Give us a place”. He told them to enter into these guardians and share their life with them. Thus, hunger and thirst for food, drink and pleasure attend us, whatever we do in life.

The Self, Creator thought, “Here are the worlds and their guardians. Let me now bring forth food for them.” He brooded in might upon the waters. And from this appeared food in the form of matter. Food being created fled back from his grasp. He tried to seize it by speech but failed; he then tried to catch it by breath but could not; he tried to seize by the eyes, but in vain; then by the ears, by the skin, by mind, by the organ of pleasure, but all his efforts failed. Therefore, one cannot satisfy one’s hunger by merely speaking about food, smelling it, looking at it, hearing about it, touching it, not even by thinking about it. And finally, he succeeded seizing food by the Apana, the breath of life. This is the seizer of food and therefore all that is Breath has its life in food.

This is the story of creation. And the Supreme creator, after having created everything entered into all and made all his habitation.

The Story of Two Birds - The Story of Vedanta

The Story of Vedanta: There is a story in Mundaka Upanishad that runs like this: Once in a tree there were two birds, one at the upper branch, serene, majestic and divine, and the other at a lower branch, restlessly pecking fruits, sometimes sweet sometimes bitter. Every time, when the restless bird ate a bitter fruit, it looked at the upper bird and climbed a branch up. This occurred a number of times and eventually the bird reached the topmost branch. There it was not able to differentiate itself from the divine bird, and then it learned that there was only one bird in the tree, the upper bird, which is described as divine, the real form of the other restless bird. This is the thought of Vedanta. The fruits in the story are Karma, the restless bird denotes a human soul, and the majestic bird denotes the Absolute.”

The simple story is an allegory for our spiritual journey, the goal and the challenges that we meet along the way.

Two birds, bound together in close friendship, live in a tree. One lives amongst the lower branches while the other, a dazzling golden bird, perches high up at the very top of the tree.
The lower bird keeps busy all day long, hopping from branch to branch, pecking and eating the fruits of the tree with relish. In trying to find the sweet fruits, it tastes many sour ones.
The higher bird has no interest in eating any of the fruits of the tree. It sits silently just watching the lower bird.

Once, the lower bird tastes a very bitter fruit. It shirks away and stops eating. It looks up and sees the peaceful and luminous higher bird. The lower bird is attracted by it and begins to hop up the branches.

Just then, it notices an especially nice-looking fruit and stops to peck at it. It finds it surprisingly sweet and tasty! “The higher bird can wait,” it thinks. So, it continues to hop from branch to branch, tasting the fruits of the tree.

Every now and then, put off by the taste of an unsavoury fruit, it stops and looks upwards at the higher bird, admiring its stillness and peace. It starts to hop up toward it only to be tempted by yet another luscious, sweet fruit.

One day, the lower bird eats a particularly tart fruit. Totally put off by the taste and tired of chasing after sweet fruits, it becomes determined to reach the higher bird.
It rises up the tree toward the higher bird, staying focussed and carefully avoiding the tempting sweet fruits along the way.

Soon, a surprising thing begins to happen—the lower bird begins to take on the qualities of the brilliant higher bird.

When it is very near the higher bird, it is irresistibly drawn to it. Finally, the lower bird merges to become the higher bird.

There it realises that it was never separate from the higher bird as there really was no lower bird. It was all an illusion, like a dream that fades away upon waking up.
The lower bird was essentially the radiant and serene higher bird all along.

The symbolic meaning of the story:
The lower and higher birds: The lower and higher birds in this story represent the ego (the individual, you and I) and the Higher Self or the soul respectively.
As in the case of the two birds, the ego, the false “I” and the Self, the real “I” have an eternal friendship. They live together in the same body, no matter which body they take on. The tree represents the physical body.

The ego is in essence the peaceful higher Self. But it has forgotten its true nature and takes itself to be insecure and limited.
It seeks to regain its inherent fullness in the only way it knows—through the enjoyment of favourable things, people and situations in the outer world.

The fruits of the tree:The fruits of the tree represent the fruits of our karma—the results of our own good and bad past actions.
Our good past actions reap good karma and bring us happiness in the form of enjoyable experiences (the sweet fruits). Our not-so-good past actions reap bad karma which brings us suffering in life (the sour fruits).
Our present experiences are therefore based on our past actions. There is no escaping the Law of Karma and we always get what we deserve.
And so, despite the fact that we want only happiness, sorrow invariably intrudes on our lives.
The Self lives in the same body but it doesn’t enjoy or suffer because it has no interest in gaining any worldly joys. It is merely a witness, abiding in its full, peaceful nature.
The spiritual search begins.

Every now and then when we experience some difficulties in life, we start to question our worldly pursuits and search for deeper happiness through spirituality.
But the lure of the world is very strong, and we stray from our spiritual path.
The Mundaka Upanishad tells us that the ego, sunk in ignorance of its own essential blissful nature, gets deluded and completely immerses itself into worldly preoccupations. Depending on the ever-changing and transient world for happiness, it is helplessly dragged into the cycle of joy and sorrow.

Finally, when we’ve had enough of the fruitless search for enduring happiness in the world, we turn inwards with determination and sincere interest.  This is when we arrive at the threshold of spirituality.

The culmination of the search:
When we pursue spirituality with genuine sincerity, our egocentric desires and personality start to crumble. We gain a greater inner poise and serenity as the beauty of the Self starts to shine through.
Finally, we rediscover our true spiritual nature and realise our oneness with it.
That’s when we come to know that the ego never really existed and the Self was always the only reality.