The Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad
Spiritual Tunes in the Forest (Part 4)

'त्रयाः प्राजापत्याः प्रजापतौ पितरि ब्रह्मचर्यम्‌ ऊषुर्देवा मनुष्या असुराः' – ‘Trayãhã prãjãpatyãhã prajãpatau pitari brahmacharyam ooshurdevã manushyã asurãhã’ – ‘Devas, humans and asuras were all Prajãpati’s children, and they all became their father’s disciples’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 5/2/1). The devas first asked, 'ब्रवीतु नो भवानिति' ‘Braveetu no bhavãniti’ – ‘Please counsel us’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 5/2/1). 'ते यो हैतदक्षरमुवाच द इति' – ‘Tebhyo haitadaksharamuvãcha da iti’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 5/2/1).

The Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad
Spiritual Tunes in the Forest (Part 3)

All of the Brahmins were dumbfounded. Who would have the courage to ask next? To everyone’s amazement a Brahmin woman named Gãrgi took on the task. 'अथ हैनं गार्गी वाचक्नवी पप्रत्व्छ' – ‘Atha hainam Gãrgi vãchaknavee paprachchha’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 3/6/1). She was a learned scholar and well inclined to talking and asking questions. She asked, 'यदिदं सर्वमप्स्वोतं च प्रोतं च कस्मिन्नु खल्वाप ओताश्र्च प्रोताश्र्चेति' – ‘Yadidam sarvamapsvotam cha protam cha kasminnu khalvãpa otãshcha protãshcheti’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 3/6/1).

The Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad
Spiritual Tunes in the Forest (Part 2)

Therefore, O Maitreyi, 'आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यः' – ‘Ãtmã vã are drashtavyaha shrotavyo mantavyo nididhyãsitavyaha’ (Bruhadãranyaka Upanishad: 2/4/5). Meaning, one must endeavour to realize that Paramãtmã; and in order to do that, ‘one must listen to his glory, his divine actions and incidents, his divine attributes, his divine powers, etc.’. Here, shrotavyaha (श्रोतव्यः) not only deals with listening, but also implies using one’s eyes, nose, etc. to understand Parmãtmã’s greatness.

The Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad
Spiritual Tunes in the Forest (Part 1)

Whether one is a deva or a human, a householder or a renunciant, male or female, all must realize brahmavidyã. Everyone desires happiness, and the road to happiness becomes visible only by brahmavidyã. This is repeatedly emphasized in the Upanishads. The Bruhadãranyakaa Upanishad is an example of this.

The Best Time for Self-Improvement…

SELF-DEVELOPMENT: WHEN IS THE MOST LOGICAL TIME FOR IT TO TAKE PLACE ?
Mulji Sharma practiced satsang devotedly from a young age, much to the dismay of his father, Bholanath.
“Mulji! Such devotion should be practiced only when you are old. This is the time for you to eat, play and have fun,” said Bholanath. Instead of arguing, Mulji left the house, ostensibly to go out to play. However, instead, he made a round of the village to see if the elderly were actually engaged in devotion according to his father’s words.

Role Model for Self-Improvement: Pramukh Swami Maharaj

You are the stone. You are the chisel. You are the maker of your own happiness.
At Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi, the sculpture in the first exhibition hall profoundly states, “Man is the maker of his own happiness” to highlight a quintessential concept: self-improvement. Both the sculpture and its message serve as a constant reminder to visitors that individuals have the capacity to mould themselves and improve their lives.

The Chãndogya Upanishad
SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS ON HIGHLY SPIRITUAL MATTERS (Part 4)

There was a woman named Jabãlã. She lived in a hut and survived through hard labour. She had a son named Satyakãm. As Satyakãm grew up, one day, he said to his mother, ‘ब्रह्मचर्यं भवति वित्स्यामि किंगोत्रो न्वहमस्मीति’ – ‘Brahmacharyam bhavati vitsyãmi kimgotro nvahamsmeeti’ – ‘Mother, I am considering studying the Vedas. For that I want to observe celibacy and stay with a guru in a gurukul. Therefore please tell me my ancestral family name’ (Chhãndogya Upanishad: 4/4/1).

The Chãndogya Upanishad
SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS ON HIGHLY SPIRITUAL MATTERS (Part 3)

‘अपहतपाप्मा विजरो विमृत्युíवशो• विजिघत्सोऽपिपासः सत्यकामः सत्यसङ्‌कल्प – ‘Apahatapãpmã vijaro vimrutyurvishoko vijighatso’pipãsaha satyakãmaha satyasankalpaha’ (Chãndogya Upanishad: 8/1/5). The form of that Brahman is sinless, free of mãyã, without old age and untouched by death, i.e., it is eternal. It has no regrets or misery. It has no distractions like hunger or thirst. Its desires are always fulfilled. Its resolves never fail.

The Chãndogya Upanishad
SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS ON HIGHLY SPIRITUAL MATTERS (Part 2)

‘SAT’ IS THE CAUSE OF THE ENTIRE CREATION
‘सदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीद्‌’ – ‘Sadeva somyedagamagra ãseed’ – ‘Son, before creation there was sat – an eternally unchanging element which is above mãyã’ (Chãndogya Upanishad: 6/2/1). It is from this sat that the entire creation has arisen.

The Chãndogya Upanishad
SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS ON HIGHLY SPIRITUAL MATTERS (Part 1)

It is the unique style of the Upanishads to narrate philosophy in a profound manner through simple and clear stories. The precepts on brahmavidyã have been narrated here through the story of Ushasti and Mahãvat, the conversation between Shvetketu and Udãlak, the dialogue of Nãrad and Sanatsujãt, and the story of Indra and Virochan.

The Taittireeya Upanishad
The Testimony of a Complete Education ( Part 3)

‘सैषाऽऽनन्दस्य मीमांसा भवति’ – ‘Saishã’’nandasya meemãnsã bhavati’ – ‘Let us now contemplate on the supreme bliss’ (Taittireeya Upanishad: 2/8). With these words a meaningful attempt has then been made to measure the bliss of Paramãtmã by using a scale in which a human’s bliss is counted as ‘one bliss’.

The Taittireeya Upanishad
The Testimony of a Complete Education ( Part 2)

Where there is education, there is progress and upliftment. Where there is no education, there is no progress; there is degradation, and society has to confront misery. That is why, since Vedic times, we have been continually inspired to study. This is evident in this Upanishad.

The Taittireeya Upanishad
The Testimony of a Complete Education ( Part 1)

India has an ancient heritage of education. The ancestry of Vedic teaching and learning is a superb example of this.

The Aitareya Upanishad

The Aitareya Upanishad is contained in the Rig Veda. Because it is encompassed in the ‘Aitareya’ Ãranyaka of the Rig Veda, it is called the Aitareya Upanishad. This Upanishad is spread across three adhyãyas (chapters). The first adhyãya has three khandas (sections), the second and third adhyãyas have one khanda each.